"My Guru Mahārāja used to say that 'Don't try to see God. You work in such a way that God will see you. God will take care of you. Don't try to see God.' This is the process. 'I want to see God. Oh, God please come and stand before me,' oh, just like He's my servant. God is no one's servant. You have to oblige Him by your love, by your service. That is the process. Here it is..., tasyāhaṁ sulabhaḥ pārtha. Anyone who is engaged in that way, in that submissive way, always, constantly, without any deviation, in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, oh, for him, God is very cheap, although He's not..., He is unconquerable."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, New York, November 16, 1966)
"My spiritual master used to say that, 'You do not try to see God. Just act in such a way that God will see you.' Just try to understand. This is very nice. If I want to see God, and I make God as my order-supplier, that 'Please come and I'll see You.' So God is not so small that He, at once I call Him and He'll come. No. We have to qualify ourselves. We have to qualify ourselves. Therefore by the qualification, by your qualification, God will Himself come and see you."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, New York, December 30, 1966)
"My Guru Mahārāja used to say that 'You don't try to see God.' Just try to understand. 'Just work in such a way that God may see you.' This is the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Everyone is busy to see God. Of course, it is not so easy to see God. But a devotee is not busy to see God, but he wants God to see Him. Because just like if you are working in some establishment, if you are working very nicely, faithfully, then the proprietor will automatically see you. Don't try to see the proprietor. Work in such a way that the proprietor will be inclined, 'Well, this man is working very nicely. Who is this man?' So that is our business."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Bombay, May 12, 1974)
"My Guru Mahārāja used to say that 'Don't try to see Kṛṣṇa; do something so that Kṛṣṇa may see you.' That is wanted.
If Kṛṣṇa, if you can draw little attention of Kṛṣṇa, yat kāruṇya-katākṣa-vaibhavavatām (Caitanya-candrāmṛta 5). Katākṣa-vaibhavavatām, Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī says. If you somehow or other you can draw little attention of Kṛṣṇa, your life is successful. Immediately. And how you can draw? Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti (BG 18.55): simply by serving Kṛṣṇa. Take service, take to service of Kṛṣṇa, as it is ordered by the spiritual master. Because spiritual master is the representative of Kṛṣṇa. We cannot approach Kṛṣṇa directly. Yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādaḥ. If you have bona fide spiritual master, representative of Kṛṣṇa, it is also not very difficult."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Vrindavan, October 22, 1972)
"You can see God everywhere if you have got eyes to see. But the real business is not to see. God wants to see you, what you are working for God. That He wants to see. To see God is not very difficult business. Anyone with eyes to see, he can see God. But to be seen by God, do something by which you can draw the attention of God and He can see you, 'Oh, here is My devotee,' that is wanted. Let God see you! Don't try to see God. That is foolishness. Let God see you. This is our philosophy.
My Guru Mahārāja used to say that, that 'Don't try to see God, but try to do something so that God can see you.' This is the philosophy. And whom God will see? As soon as... Just like any business firm, any man who is working very sincerely, it comes to the notice of the master, 'Oh, this man is doing very nice.' That is wanted. That is wanted. So a devotee is not very much anxious to see God. God is there. Simply... And one who has become devotee, he always sees God. Premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santaḥ sadaiva (Bs. 5.38). Sadaiva, twenty-four hours he sees. That is not very difficult job. But do something so that God will see you, 'Oh, here is... Here is My devotee.'"
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Los Angeles, December 28, 1973)
"Kṛṣṇa appears in two ways. He appears as antaryāmi, the Supersoul within himself, within oneself, and He appears as the spiritual master, externally. Caitya-guru and dīkṣā-guru. Caitya-guru... As caitya-guru, as the supreme spiritual master, He is in everyone's heart. And His representative... In order to help externally the sincere person, He sends the spiritual master. Therefore the spiritual master from outside and the caitya-guru from inside, they are helping. The Supreme Personality is helping a devotee, a real, serious devotee two ways: from within, from without.
The Caitanya-caritāmṛta therefore says that kṛṣṇera prakāśa, manifestation of Kṛṣṇa, a spiritual master. And Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura says, yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādo yasya aprasādād na gatiḥ kuto 'pi: 'If I can satisfy my spiritual master, then I understand that Kṛṣṇa is satisfied. And if I cannot satisfy my spiritual master, then I have no other way to approach Kṛṣṇa.' These songs we sing every day.
So my Guru Mahārāja used to say that 'Instead of seeing Kṛṣṇa, you serve so faithfully that Kṛṣṇa will see you.' That should be the process. Kṛṣṇa is omnipresent. He can see you; He can understand you, what are doing. So we have to execute devotional service in such a faithful way that Kṛṣṇa will see us. Then you will be successful. 'Don't try to see Kṛṣṇa. Try to become seen by Kṛṣṇa.' That was my Guru Mahārāja's instruction."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Gorakhpur, February 6, 1971)
"Don't try to see God, but act in such a way that God will call you, 'Please come here.' That is wanted. That is bhakti, not that 'O God, please come. I will see You.' Why God will come to see you? He is very busy. What you have done that you want to see God? If you say, 'O Indira Gandhi, please come here. I'll see you,' she will come? Be qualified, and she will see you. Similarly, don't try... This is not bhakti. Nacia nacia aire gopāla... No. Gopāla is not anyone's servant that He'll come dancing and dancing. You be qualified, and He'll see you. He'll call you, 'Yes, come back. Come back home, back to home, back to Godhead.' Be qualified.
So this is Prahlāda Mahārāja's instruction. Everyone should be anxious how Kṛṣṇa will call him back to home, back to Godhead. And that is done, that is possible, when you are engaged in service. Otherwise it is not po... Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.234). You cannot ask God to come and He will see you. No. When you are sevonmukha, fully in service."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Mayapur, February 23, 1976)
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