Boiling the Milk

For one who explains the supreme secret to the devotees

devotional service is guaranteed

and in the end he comes back to Me.  

There is no servant in this world more dear to me than he,

nor will there ever be one more dear.

                                                                         (Bhagavad-gita 18.68-69)

In a letter to Rupanuga Prabhu dated May 9, 1972, Srila Prabhupada wrote: "Now I want that we shall concentrate on making our devotees Krishna conscious and ourselves becoming Krishna conscious, and not be so much concerned with expanding ourselves widely but without any spiritual content. Just like boiling the milk, it becomes thicker and sweeter. Now do like that, boil the milk." 

Want to attract the attention of the Lord?  Want to become dear to the Lord?  Preach Bhagavad-gita to the devotees of the Lord.  Chant the holy names of the Lord--Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare / Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare--with devotees. Encourage them in their spiritual life.  Help them stay strong in their vows.  Pray for them.  Engage in priti-laksanam--the six loving exchanges*--with other devotees.  Boil the milk.

Remember how Srila Bhaktisiddhanta recommended that we should not try to see God, but should act in such a way that God will see us?  One way to attract the attention of the Lord is to preach Bhagavad-gita to His devotees.  "For one who explains this supreme secret to the devotees, devotional service is guaranteed, and at the end he will come back to Me." (Bg 18.68)  One may think, Why should I preach Bhagavad-gita to people who already know the Bhagavad-gita?  The answer is that devotees need encouragement, and reminders, especially in this Kali-yuga.  And devotees also always relish the words of the Lord.  "The thoughts of My pure devotees dwell in Me, their lives are fully devoted to My service, and they derive great satisfaction and bliss from always enlightening one another and conversing about Me." (Bg 10.9)  So to preach Bhagavad-gita to the followers of Bhagavad-gita is a great service, and it attracts the attention of God Himself, Lord Sri Krsna, the speaker of the Bhagavad-gita.

Another way to attract the attention of the Lord is to chant His holy names with others. This is called sankirtana, congregational chanting.  In this age of Kali, there is no other way to become self-realized than to chant the holy names of the Lord.  "In this age of quarrel and hypocrisy the only means of deliverance is chanting the holy name of the Lord.  There is no other way.  There is no other way.  There is no other way." (Brhan-naradiya-purana)

During the greater part of each year, my husband and I engage in priti-laksanam (loving exchanges with devotees) in and around the area of Udupi, Karnataka, in South India. We preach Bhagavad-gita at temples and nama-hatta centers, hear other devotees preach; lead kirtans and participate in kirtans led by others, distribute prasadam and honor prasadam offered by others, give gifts and receive gifts from other devotees.  This process of priti-laksanam is another way to attract the attention of the Lord.  By exchanging gifts with devotees, sharing prasadam with devotees, and engaging in confidential discussions with other devotees about how to advance in Krsna consciousness, our hearts become purified and satisfied.  I highly recommend the heart-purifying and soul-satisfying benefits of priti-laksanam--engaging in loving exchanges with devotees--every day in a devotee's life, whether one may happen to be at home or somewhere else on the planet.

My husband and I travel overseas a lot, but we also like to participate in loving exchanges with folks closer to our North Carolina home.  We just recently attended a wonderful festival for the installation of Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai in a friend's home in Richmond, Virginia. The following weekend, we found ourselves spending a couple of days chanting the Holy Names, discussing Krishna's pastimes and teachings and sharing Krishna prasadam with local devotees in Prabhupada Village, North Carolina.  And just two days later, we were blessed to have the association of several beloved Godsiblings with whom we shared sweet kirtans, wonderful talks and amazing Krishna prasadam.  Whether one prefers to travel or stay home, there is unlimited scope for sharing Krishna with others, and there are unlimited preaching opportunities.  In fact, sometimes the Lord Himself will inspire us to preach right in our very own backyard.  Kurma Brahmana expressed a desire to leave home and travel with Lord Caitanya.  The Lord advised Kurma Brahmana: "Better to remain at home and chant the holy name of Krishna always.  Instruct everyone to follow the orders of Lord Sri Krishna as they are given in the Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam. In this way become a spiritual master and try to liberate everyone in this land...if you follow this instruction...you will never lose My company" (CC Madhya 7.127-129).

Srila Prabhupada wanted our ISKCON Society to be strong, fortified by internal loving exchanges. There are devotees everywhere, all over the world, who are in need of encouragement.  Whether you choose to travel abroad or love on the devotees in your own neighborhood, make it part of your life's purpose to encourage at least one devotee every day.

According to Lord Sri Krsna Himself, if one serves the devotees of the Lord, or preaches to devotees, the Lord takes special notice.  In fact, there is no one more dear to Him than one who preaches to and serves His devotees.

My dear readers, please consider devoting yourselves to boiling the milk by preaching Bhagavad-gita to the innocent devotees of the Lord, chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra with the Vaisnavas, and engaging in priti-laksanam with Lord Krishna's dear devotees.  This will make you very dear to the Lord, it will increase your spiritual strength, and it will help our Movement stay strong.

One may think,  I am just one small person.  What can I do?  Encouraging other devotees starts on a small scale, and it starts with our own individual decision to do so.  If each and every one of us decides to do something, even one small thing, to daily encourage another devotee, we will not only enjoy the benefits of a purified heart, but our loving gestures will inspire others to perform loving gestures, and they will inspire others, and in this way, the positive effects of our one little effort will spread exponentially.  If we each do our little part to encourage another devotee, the worldwide assembly of Vaisnavas will benefit by remaining united and powerful as a loving spiritual family.

When we attempt to satisfy Srila Prabhupada's desire in this way--by following his instructions to "boil the milk"--Krishna will take notice.  Krishna is in our heart, and He will see.  "There is no servant in this world more dear to Me than he." (Bg 18.69)  We will attract the attention of the Lord, we will become encouraged in our own devotional life, and--small and insignificant as we are--we will actually become dear to Lord Sri Krishna and return to the shelter of His lotus feet.  

*The six loving exchanges, according to Sri Rupa Gosvami's Upadesamrta (4):
1.   To give gifts
2.   To receive gifts
3.   To share prasadam
4.   To accept prasadam
5.   To reveal one's mind in confidence
6.   To inquire confidentially