So this is one of the items, to learn how to decorate the Deity, sri-vigraha. Sri means goddess of fortune, Laksmi. Krsna is always associated with Laksmi. Srimati Radharani is the original goddess of fortune, and as all other Visnu-murti, Nara... Ramadi-murtisu kala-niyamena tisthan [Bs. 5.39]. Krsna is always existingtisthan means existingwith many other forms simultaneously: Rama, Nrsimha, Varaha and Narayana, Visnu. So Visnu and Narayana is... There are many expansion. You have seen on the cover of Srimad-Bhagavatam. There are different planets, and each and every planet there is the predominating Deity, Narayana, Visnu. They have got different names. So He is always associated with His eternal consort as well as devotees, many thousand, millions, in the spiritual world. In the material world... The creation of the material world is one-fourth demonstration of the whole creation, and this is one of the universes. In the material world there are innumerable universes. Yasya prabha prabhavato jagad-anda-koti [Bs. 5.40]. When Caitanya Mahaprabhu was requested by one of His devotee that "Sir, You have come. You just liberate all the residents of this universe, and that will make me very happy. And if You think they are so impious they cannot be liberated, then I am ready to take up their sinful activities. But You take them away," at that time Caitanya Mahaprabhu said that "Even one universe is liberated, still there are so many universes. This universe is just like one mustard seed in the bag of mustard seeds." So just imagine how many universes are there. All these together, that is one-fourth energy demonstration of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It is said in the Bhagavad-gita, ekamsena sthito jagat [Bg. 10.42]. It is only one-fourth of the demon..., manifestation. The three-fourth manifestationin the spiritual world. So just imagine God's creation. It is inconceivable by us, but we can learn it by sravanam. That is the only way. We, even in this material world, in this universe, we have heard of so many planets, but it is not possible to go and see. They cannot go even in the moon planet, and still, they are very much proud of their advancement of knowledge. So we cannot understand even. But if we patiently hear from the right source, then we can, may have some..., we may have some conception. Just like in the Bhagavad-gita Krsna says, paras tasmat tu bhavah anyah [Bg. 8.20]. Bhavah, or svabhavah, or nature, there is another nature. So we have to hear. By hearing... This is the beginning of bhakti, sravanam. Sravanam kirtanam visnoh. We have to hear, and after hearing, we have to repeat. That is called kirtanam. So in this way there are nine different processes, you know. Navadha bhakti.

So because these activities, devotional activities, are on the spiritual platform, all of them are Absolute. It is not that if you are hearing but you are not chanting, then your result will be little less than the other who is hearing and chanting. No. It is Absolute Truth. Just like if you taste a sugar candy, lump of sugar candy, from any side you taste, the sweetness is there. There is no difference, that if you taste this side, then it is more sweet than the other side. Krsna is complete Absolute Truth. So any side. If you become expert in hearing, that is as good as one is engaged in other eight processes or nine processes. That is stated in the sastra. Just like Pariksit Maharaja. He simply listened. He did not do any other process. Sri-visnu-sravane pariksit. They got liberation simply by executing one of the nine different processes. So sri-visnoh sravane pariksid abhavad vaiyasakih kirtane. Pariksit Maharaja got liberation simply by hearing. And Sukadeva Gosvami, he got liberation simply by chanting. And similarly, Prahlada Maharaja, he got liberation simply by memorizing, smarane; Laksmiji, simply by serving the lotus feet of Narayana. So Krsna consciousness is in the absolute platform. There is no relativity. In the temple worship, as there are so many different dutiesone is worshiping directly the Deity, decorating the Deity, and the other is washing the templeit does not mean that the one who is cleansing the Deity, he is less important than the person who is in the temple room, Deity room. No. Because it is absolute. The Deity... As the Deity is important, similarly, the floor of the temple is also important, same importance, because absolute. So in executing our devotional service we are engaged in different duties. Somebody is cooking. Somebody is decorating the Deity. Somebody is cleansing the floor. Somebody is going to sell books. Somebody is doing something. Everythingnirbandhe krsna sambandhe, in relationship with Krsna. Because the relationship is there with Krsna, then every activity which you are doing, that is complete. There is no such material distinction. Just like here in the material world somebody is sitting in the office chair and somebody is cleansing the office, so the cleaner is supposed to be lower than the officer, but in the spiritual world there is no such distinction. The officer and the cleaner, they are of the same importance. That is even Krsna, with Krsna. That is spiritual world. In Vrndavana the cowherds boys, they are playing with Krsna on equal terms. They do not know Krsna is God. They simply know how to love Krsna, that's all. There is no need of thinking that "Krsna is greater than the other cowherds boy. They are living entities." There is no such sense. Krsna wants that. That is Goloka Vrndavana worship. Simply the center is Krsna, and all the inhabitants of Vrndavana, they love Krsna, and they do not know anything except Krsna. This is Vrndavana life. Everyone knows that "Krsna is my very intimate friend." Somebody knows, "Krsna is my son," somebody knows that "Krsna is my master," and somebody is thinking, "Krsna is my lover." But center is Krsna. The cows, the calves, the friends, the gopis, and the cowherds boy, Krsna's father, Nanda Maharaja, Krsna's mother, Yasomati, and... Everyone's center is Krsna, "How Krsna will be happy?" This is Vrndavana life. If we try to follow the footsteps of the residents of Vrndavana, how to love Krsna, then our life is successful.

So these things begins after self-realization. Otherwise, why one should be interested about Visnu, sravanam kirtanam visnoh? One is interested, "What is the report of the share market?" That's all. He should hear that? No. The sastra says, "No. You should hear about Visnu only." That is our Krsna consciousness movement, that "You hear about Visnu, Krsna, and not anybody else. There are so many politicians, big, big other materialistic person. We can hear about him. Just like people are reading the biography of big, big politicians and spoiling their time. We are not interested. We are not interested. We are interested only to hear about Visnu. That is Krsna consciousness. We are inter... So many biographies are there. People are interested. But our literature... We have published so many, about fifty booksonly on Krsna. That's all, nothing else. Sravanam kirtanam visnoh. These three processes is going on. The publication means sravanam kirtanam visnoh [SB 7.5.23]. Or smaranam pada-sevanam. They are of Visnu. That is Krsna consciousness movement. Stick to this principle. Don't try to hear anything else. Tad-vag-visargo janatagha-viplavah.

And, on the other hand, na tad vacas citra-padam harer yaso pragrnita kar..., na pragrnita karhicit, tad vayasam tirtham. To the devotees, a literature, a so-called literature, very nicely written, with decorated words, metaphorism and these things... Tad-vag-visargo, na tad vacas citra-padam, very nicely, literally very nicely decorated, na tad vacas citra-padam harer yaso na pragrnita karhicit, but there is no mention about Krsna and His glories... Just like especially in the Western countries you have got newspaper, big, big bunch of newspaper, but not a single line is there about Krsna, not a single. So for the devotees this kind of literature is compared with the garbage. Tad vayasam tirtham. Just like vayasam, crows. The crows gather together where? Where everything nuisance thrown away, they gather together. You will find. That is the nature amongst the class of bird. Where all nasty things are thrown away, the crows will gather. The another bird, swans, they will not go there. The swans will gather in a very nice garden with clear water, lotus flower, and birds, and singing. They will gather there. As there are... By nature, there are different classes of animals, even in the birds, beasts. "The birds of the same feather flock together."