View source for Wanting God and the Sincerity of the Heart

Śrīla Prabhupāda teaches that the way one approaches the Supreme Lord determines the depth of their realization. While many people in the name of religion want God to be their order-supplier, the actual position of the living entity is to be the servant. By purifying our desires and moving from a give me mentality to a let me serve mentality, we can experience the constant presence of the Lord. Kṛṣṇa is available to everyone, and for those who sincerely want Him, He reveals Himself through the simple process of devotional service.

<div class="toc-right">__TOC__</div>

=== The Sincerity of the Search ===

The primary requirement for God-realization is sincerity. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that Kṛṣṇa is sitting in everyone's heart, and as soon as a soul truly wants God, the Lord provides facilities. This help manifests in two ways: internally as the Supersoul giving intelligence, and externally as the spiritual master providing the science of Kṛṣṇa consciousness found in the Vedic literatures.

* [[Vaniquotes:As soon as you become sincere, Krsna responds from within. If you want Krsna, or God, sincerely, then the help will come two ways: from without, from within|As soon as you become sincere, Krsna responds from within. If you want Krsna, or God, sincerely, then the help will come two ways: from without, from within.]]
* [[Vaniquotes:The Lord, being omnipresent, can be present with us if we want Him at all. By His omnipresence, He can always be with us if we are attached to His devotional service by hearing, chanting, remembering, etc|The Lord, being omnipresent, can be present with us if we want Him at all. By His omnipresence, He can always be with us if we are attached to His devotional service by hearing, chanting, remembering, etc.]]
* [[Vaniquotes:When drinking wine, kindly remember that the taste of this drink is Krsna. Just begin in this way, and one day you will become a saintly, Krsna conscious person - So Krsna is available under any circumstances, if we want to catch Him|When drinking wine, kindly remember that the taste of this drink is Krsna. Just begin in this way, and one day you will become a saintly, Krsna conscious person - So Krsna is available under any circumstances, if we want to catch Him.]]
* [[Vaniquotes:The Lord is the supreme purifier (param brahma param dhama pavitram paramam bhavan (BG 10.12)). The more one is purified and the more he wants to know about the Supreme, the more the Lord reveals to him|The Lord is the supreme purifier (param brahma param dhama pavitram paramam bhavan (BG 10.12)). The more one is purified and the more he wants to know about the Supreme, the more the Lord reveals to him.]]

=== Moving Beyond the Order-Supplier ===

A significant portion of the world approaches God with material motives. Śrīla Prabhupāda notes that when people pray for daily bread or other comforts, they are essentially treating God as a servant. If the Lord does not fulfill these orders, the frustrated person often concludes that there is no God. A pure Vaiṣṇava, however, wants only to be enjoyed by Kṛṣṇa, understanding that our real position is to serve rather than to be the beneficiary.

* [[Vaniquotes:If God does not do anything for me, then I don't want God. He must be my order-supplier. This is going on. This is going on in the name of religion|If God does not do anything for me, then I don't want God. He must be my order-supplier. This is going on. This is going on in the name of religion.]]
* [[Vaniquotes:We want God to become our order-supplier, and when He does not supply our order, we say that there is no God. That is the effect of praying for material things|We want God to become our order-supplier, and when He does not supply our order, we say that there is no God. That is the effect of praying for material things.]]
* [[Vaniquotes:Ordinary men want God as their father, but that is not very pleasing to Krsna because the son always bothers the father - Give me this, give me this, give me this|Ordinary men want God as their father, but that is not very pleasing to Krsna because the son always bothers the father - Give me this, give me this, give me this.]]
* [[Vaniquotes:Our philosophy is different. We do not wish to become enjoyer. We want to be enjoyed. That is our real position. We want to serve Krsna. We want to offer everything to Krsna|Our philosophy is different. We do not wish to become enjoyer. We want to be enjoyed. That is our real position. We want to serve Krsna. We want to offer everything to Krsna.]]

=== God is Known Through Service ===

Trying to understand the Absolute Truth through mental research or a teeny brain leads only to vague or impersonal conceptions. Śrīla Prabhupāda teaches that if one wants to see God, they must take to the path of devotional service (''bhakti''). This process involves chanting the holy names and studying the authorized books written by realized souls, which allow the practitioner to keep the Lord always present within the heart.

* [[Vaniquotes:If one wants to see God, if one wants Him to be always present, as Kuntidevi is requesting that He be, one can keep God always within one s heart|If one wants to see God, if one wants Him to be always present, as Kuntidevi is requesting that He be, one can keep God always within one s heart.]]
* [[Vaniquotes:As stated in Bhagavad-gita, the SP can be understood only by devotional service. Bhaktya mam abhijanati yavan yas casmi tattvatah (BG 18.55). If one wants to know the SP of Godhead in truth, one must take to the activities of devotional service|As stated in Bhagavad-gita, the Supreme Personality of Godhead can be understood only by devotional service. Bhaktya mam abhijanati yavan yas casmi tattvatah (BG 18.55). If one wants to know the Supreme Personality of Godhead in truth, one must take to the activities of devotional service.]]
* [[Vaniquotes:When one wants to know the Absolute Truth by his teeny brain, "I shall make research to find out the Absolute Truth," then you'll have vague idea, impersonal idea. And if you become a meditator, then you will find that God is situated within your heart|When one wants to know the Absolute Truth by his teeny brain, "I shall make research to find out the Absolute Truth," then you'll have vague idea, impersonal idea. And if you become a meditator, then you will find that God is situated within your heart.]]
* [[Vaniquotes:So if you want to understand Krsna through science and philosophy, read these books. Otherwise - very easy method - come here; chant Hare Krsna. That's all|So if you want to understand Krsna through science and philosophy, read these books. Otherwise - very easy method - come here; chant Hare Krsna. That's all.]]

=== The Standard of a Pure Devotee ===

The hallmark of a pure devotee is the complete absence of personal desire. As Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu taught in His ''Śikṣāṣṭaka'', a devotee does not want wealth, followers, or even liberation; they only want to serve the Lord birth after birth. This desire to serve is so strong that the devotee is never satiated by hearing the Lord's glories, as seen in the example of Vidura, who wanted the narrations of the Lord's pastimes to be repeated perpetually.

* [[Vaniquotes:Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu teaches us in His Siksastaka: O almighty Lord, I have no desire to accumulate wealth, nor do I desire beautiful women, nor do I want any number of followers. I only want Your causeless devotional service, birth after birth|Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu teaches us in His Siksastaka: O almighty Lord, I have no desire to accumulate wealth, nor do I desire beautiful women, nor do I want any number of followers. I only want Your causeless devotional service, birth after birth.]]
* [[Vaniquotes:A pure devotee wants simply to engage in the service of the Lord and does not consider his own personal benefit|A pure devotee wants simply to engage in the service of the Lord and does not consider his own personal benefit.]]
* [[Vaniquotes:Vidura might have heard the pastimes of God many, many times before he met Maitreya, but still he wanted the same narrations to be repeated because he was never satiated by hearing them. That is the transcendental nature of the Lord's glorious pastimes|Vidura might have heard the pastimes of God many, many times before he met Maitreya, but still he wanted the same narrations to be repeated because he was never satiated by hearing them. That is the transcendental nature of the Lord's glorious pastimes.]]
* [[Vaniquotes:In the spiritual world there is no struggle for existence because everyone there exists eternally. There is no disparity because everyone wants to render service to the Supreme Lord, and no one wants to imitate the Lord in becoming the beneficiary|In the spiritual world there is no struggle for existence because everyone there exists eternally. There is no disparity because everyone wants to render service to the Supreme Lord, and no one wants to imitate the Lord in becoming the beneficiary.]]

=== Conclusion ===

In summary, Śrīla Prabhupāda clarifies that while the entire world is suffering for want of God consciousness, the solution is simply to purify our intent. Atheists deny God out of fear of punishment, and materialistic religionists want God only to satisfy their hankerings. However, the path of the Vaiṣṇava is to want God for the Lord's own pleasure. By taking up the simple art of chanting the holy name and engaging in sincere devotional service, one can keep God always present within the heart. When our only desire is to serve Him birth after birth, we achieve the eternal favor of the Supreme Lord and find total satisfaction in His transcendental association.

=== Dive Deeper into Śrīla Prabhupāda's Vani ===

Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category [[Vaniquotes:Category:Wanting_God|Wanting God]]. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.

(See our [[Vanipedia:Methodology for AI-Assisted Articles|Vanipedia:Methodology for AI-Assisted Articles]])

[[Category:Vanipedia Gemini - Articles]]
[[Category:Vanipedia Articles - The Science of Devotional Service to God]]

<div id="vani-provenance" style="display:none;" data-source="Vanipedia" data-author="Srila Prabhupada Vani Temple" data-license="CC BY-NC-SA 4.0" data-origin-url="{{fullurl:{{PAGENAME}}}}">This content is a part of Śrīla Prabhupāda's Vani Temple. Source: https://vanipedia.org</div>