280 THE SCIENCE OF SELF-REALIZATION
association means to play with Krsna, to dance with and love Krsna. Or
Krsna can become your child—whatever you like.

There are five primary relationships with Krsna: as a passive devotee,
as a servant, as a friend, as a parent, and as a lover. The cows in Krsna’s
abode are also liberated souls. They are called surabhi cows. There are
many popular pictures showing how Krsna loves the cows, how He
embraces and kisses them. That passive relationship with Krsna is called '
Santa. Their perfect happiness is achieved when Krsna comes and simply
touches them.

Other devotees are inclined to actually give service. They think,
‘*Krsna wants to sit down. I will arrange a place for Him. Krsna wants to
eat. I will get Him some nice food.’’ And they actually make these ar-
rangements. Other devotees play with Krsna as friends on equal terms.
They do not know that Krsna is God; to them, Krsna is their lovable
friend, and they cannot forget Him for a moment. All day and all night,
they think of Krsna. At night, when they are sleeping they think, ‘‘Oh, in
the morning I shall go and play with Krsna.’’ And in the morning they go
to Krsna’s house and stand by while Krsna is decorated by His mother
before going out to play with His friends in the fields. There is no other
activity in Krsnaloka (Krsna’s abode). There is no industry, no rushing
to the office, or any such nonsense. There is sufficient milk and butter, '
and everyone eats plentifully. Krsna is very fond of His friends, and
sometimes He enjoys stealing butter for them. One can actually live this
way, and that is the perfection of existence. We should hanker for that
perfectional stage of life. Krsna consciousness is the process to attain it.

But as long as one has even a slight attachment for this material world,
one has to remain here. Krsna is very strict. He does not allow anyone to
enter into His association who has any tinge of the material conception of
life. Bhakti must be free from material contamination. Do not think, ‘‘I
am a very learned scholar. I shall find out what is the Absolute Truth by
mental speculation.’’ That is nonsense; one can go on and on speculating
and will never find the source of all sources. It is said in the Brahma-
samhita, ‘‘One can go on speculating about the Absolute Truth for
millions and millions of years, and still it will not be revealed.’’ One can
rot in this material world as he is and can go on speculating, but that is
not the right process. Here is the process— bhakti-yoga.

Lord Caitanya says that to render devotional service to Krsna is the
highest perfectional stage of life, and compared to this, other things for
which people are hankering in this material world are like bubbles in the
ocean. Generally, people are after rewards, and therefore they become
