Krishna is situated eternally in the Greater Expanse, called the spiritual world, of which the entire material cosmic manifestation is just a tiny speck in proportion. And although Krishna permeates this entire world of temporary phenomena by His multifarious inconceivable energies, He remains ever-aloof from the influences of this realm by which we find ourselves perpetually swayed. Shrila Shridhara Swami submits a prayer in this regard,
“sva-nirmitesu karyesu
taratamya-vivarjitam
sarvanusyuta-san-matram
bhagavantam bhajamahe
“Let us worship the Supreme Lord, who enters the products of His own creation yet remains aloof from their superior and inferior material gradations. He is the pure, undifferentiated existence pervading everything.”” (10.87.19 Purport)
We are bound to serve by our very constitutional position; our unchanging core identity as a loving servant. Therefore, we find ourselves serving many varieties of masters in our lifetime. At times, we are serving our family; our husband or wife, our children or relatives; and at times we are serving some animal, such as a dog or a cat. We serve the demands of our own senses, and the needs of the body and mind. We serve the desires of society, humanity, of the collective. If we take a moment to observe, to analyze our situation, we will find that we are, at all times, serving some master.
"In the conditional state, we are influenced by material nature. We have already discussed how we are conditioned by the three modes of material nature -- ignorance, passion and goodness. Goodness is superior to ignorance and passion because from the platform of goodness we can come to understand Krsna and thereby transcend the modes altogether. In this age, people are generally influenced by the lower modes, the modes of ignorance and passion. In these modes, we are not able to serve Krsna. It is our constitutional position to serve someone, but when we do not serve Krsna, we serve maya. In any case, we cannot become master. Who can say that he is a master, that he is not serving anyone? We may serve our family, society, country, business, automobile or whatever. If one cannot find anything to serve, he goes and buys a cat or dog and serves it. Why is this? It is because service is our nature. We are simply lacking the knowledge of where to direct the service. Service is meant to be rendered to Krsna. In the material world we are serving our lusty desires, not Krsna, and we are deriving no pleasure from this. We are also serving in an office or in some employment in order to get some money. In this case, we are serving money, not the person. Thus in the material world we serve the senses and money. In any case, service is there. We must serve." (TLK Vs 18)
Although Krishna is pervading every point of Existence, being present everywhere, in every atom, still He remains untinged by the influence of the material modes of Nature. This same Nature is pushing and shoving us to serve Her without cessation, based on the present entanglement of our consciousness with the various modes (goodness, passion, ignorance). "This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto Me can easily cross beyond it." (BG 7.14)
Krishna is also called, Hrshikesha, Master of the Senses. He possesses all utility to enjoy His own energies with His spiritual senses, however He pleases, and He is completely independent to do so. That is simply because He is the Supreme Soul and is the Master of all that can possibly be enjoyed in all of Creation. Indeed, it is all emanating from Him in the first place. We are also one of Krishna's multifarious energies, superior in quality to the material energy, yet we are not masters of our senses or of this material nature. The mastery of our senses is to serve the senses of Krishna indefinitely and uninterruptedly. We are pure spiritual souls–eternal, blissful, cognizant. We are one in quality with Krishna, so we possess a minute amount of free will, whereas Krishna possesses an unlimited amount of free will.
We have the option to serve the Finest Master in Existence, if we want. Otherwise, we will be forced by the stringent laws of material nature to serve lesser masters, such as the impulses of the mind and senses which are carrying us away indiscriminately. The most practical way we can redirect our serving propensity towards Krishna, Who is beyond this material world and completely aloof from this place of shadows, is through our sense of hearing. We can begin by hearing the transcendental message of Krishna consciousness. We can hear about Krishna's activities, His qualities, His associates, and we can hear about these topics through the medium and mercy of the pure devotee. Another form of hearing is actually reading. When we read the words of the pure devotee, like in the Bhagavad-gita or the Shrimad Bhagavatam, the seed of devotional service becomes planted in our heart. Shrila Prabhupada explains how "Lord Caitanya likens transcendental devotional service to the sowing of a seed in the heart of the living entity. There are innumerable living entities traveling throughout the different planets of the universe, and out of them there are a few who are fortunate enough to meet a pure devotee and get the chance to understand devotional service. This devotional service is just like a seed, and if it is sown in the heart of a living entity, and if he goes on hearing and chanting Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare / Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare, that seed fructifies, just as the seed of a tree fructifies with regular watering." (Bg 10.9, Purport)
This process is very simple and easy, so long as it rests on the basis of surrender. But without this initial surrender which takes place from within the heart, it is simply likened to licking the outside of a jar of honey. To experience the ease, the sweetness, the fluidity, one must first use their free will by surrendering to this process of hearing and chanting.
"...it is to be understood that the conditioned soul is tightly tied by the ropes of illusion. A man bound by the hands and feet cannot free himself – he must be helped by a person who is unbound. Because the bound cannot help the bound, the rescuer must be liberated. Therefore, only Lord Krsna, or His bona fide representative the spiritual master, can release the conditioned soul. Without such superior help, one cannot be freed from the bondage of material nature. Devotional service, or Krsna consciousness, can help one gain such release. Krsna, being the Lord of the illusory energy, can order this insurmountable energy to release the conditioned soul. He orders this release out of His causeless mercy on the surrendered soul and out of His paternal affection for the living entity, who is originally a beloved son of the Lord. Therefore surrender unto the lotus feet of the Lord is the only means to get free from the clutches of the stringent material nature." (BG 7.14, Purport)
One can become free from the control of material Nature as soon as one surrenders to the Lord, Who promises to take care of such surrendered souls. "But those who always worship Me with exclusive devotion, meditating on My transcendental form – to them I carry what they lack, and I preserve what they have." (BG 9.22)
There is no loss in this sort of surrender, unlike the surrender to lesser masters whom have no regard for the needs of the soul and are simply directing us to perpetually serve the body and mind, which are material. By serving the senses of Krishna, who is completely spiritual, we revive our eternal relationship with Him, which is full of love. By hearing and reading the words of Krishna or the spiritual master, we gradually reawaken our spiritual identity. From that starting point, we can begin to apply what we have heard and to integrate those teachings into our daily lives. One will quickly understand upon this initial hearing, that the fastest and easiest method for applying the teachings of Krishna consciousness and for experiencing spiritual bliss, is to chant. Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/ Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.