Srila Gurudeva: There is no reason to worry that krsna-bhajana, devotion to Krsna is so hard. It is very easy to chant “Rama Rama Rama.” Even at the time of coughing, sneezing, or sleeping you can chant. In sleep you can chant, “Rama Rama, Krsna Krsna, Radhe Radhe Radhe.” While doing any job you can chant. At the time of taking bath or anytime, you can chant. But if there is some faith and honor, then it is so powerful. So with love and affection we should try to chant His name. Then you will see, “Oh, Krsna is controlled.” Like how the gopis are controlling Krsna. How are they controlling Him? The gopis will say, “We have come from so far away. We are now tired, so you should try to massage us.” Krsna will then happily do this. Why? Because He is controlled by their love and affection.D
Brahma cannot speak to Krsna like this. Arjuna or Hanuman cannot speak like this. Bharata or Laksmana, they cannot speak like this. But Nanda Baba or any of the Vrajavasis can speak like this. Especially the gopis can. Sridama and Subala will keep their feet on Krsna’s head and say, “You should live a long life.” Why? Because they have so much love and affection for Him. They never think, they never even dream that Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. They only think, “Oh, He is the very darling son of Yasoda and a dear friend to us.” They think this only and nothing else.
This love and affection will not come by vaidhi-bhakti. We will even have to forget that Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. We will have to think that He is my friend, He is my son, He is my beloved. Only this. Then Krsna will actually be happy. Caitanya Mahaprabhu came to sprinkle this mercy. Draupadi, being the queen, used to control all the Pandavas. Draupadi would tell the Pandavas, “Sit down, get down, sit down, stand up, sit down, stand up.” They were trained to do this. Why? Because she had fully given her heart to them and served them fully. Even Krsna was not very satisfied with His sixteen-thousand one-hundred and eight queens. But Draupadi controlled Him in a moment. One can only be controlled by love and affection, but it should be pure.
[Spoken by Srila Gurudeva on January 28th, 1998, Malaysia, published as part of the Bhakta Bandhav Anthology, Volume 25]