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Elevation to Krṣṇa Consciousness
anādir ādir govindaḥ sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam
“Krṣṇa, who is known as Govinda, is the Supreme Godhead. He has an eternal, blissful spiritual body. He is the origin of all. He has no other origin and He is the prime cause of all causes.” (Bs. 5.1)
The word Govinda means “He who gives pleasure to the senses.” We perceive pleasure through our senses, and therefore Krṣṇa, who is the reservoir of pleasure, is called Govinda. If we serve Krṣṇa with purified senses, we will begin to relish the pleasure of that supreme reservoir.
How can we describe God or understand His glories? It is not possible. God is unlimited. Regardless of our finite limitations, however, we can express our own feelings and say, “My God, my Lord.” This will be accepted. Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu teaches us to pray in this way:
ayi nandatanuja kiṅkaraṁ patitaṁ māṁ viṣame bhavāmbudhau krpayā tava pāda-paṅkaja- sthita-dhūtīsadrśaṁ vicintaya
“O son of Mahārāja Nanda, I am Your eternal servitor, and although I am so, somehow or other I have fallen in the ocean of birth and death. Please, therefore, pick me up from this ocean of death and fix me as one of the atoms at Your lotus feet.” (Śikṣāṣṭakam, 5)
This should be the standard of prayer; we should