In plain words
The principle of Kṛṣṇa is always a form taken in play as a man. That is: to make others happy and to be happy oneself, to make others laugh and to laugh oneself, to honour others and to be honoured oneself; today everyone in the world wants others to honour him, but he does not set out to honour others himself. He wants to be happy himself, but he cannot bear to see others' happiness. Man keeps only his own comfort in view, but he does not keep the comfort of others in view at all.
Among these ways there are three: the path of comfort for oneself, the path of comfort for oneself and for others, and the path of comfort for others; today it is the path of comfort for oneself alone that is seen most. The path of comfort for oneself is just like a crow. It looks only to its own comfort, its own pleasure, filling its own belly. The path of comfort for oneself and for others is the middle path that says, ‘I must be comfortable, and I must make others comfortable.’ The path of comfort for others means that whatever pain you yourself may suffer, you must make others comfortable. It means setting out on the divine path that says, ‘Others must be made better; others must be happy.’ These three are like three kinds of light. The path of comfort for oneself is like a lamp we have hung in our room. That is, the light in the room reaches only that room and does not spread to the places outside. The path of comfort for oneself and for others is like moonlight. It is like the light of the moon. This light is everywhere. But it does not show things clearly to us. It does not let us recognise things as they really are. And the path for others is like the light of the sun. This sunlight gives its light to everyone, within and without; that is why the path for others has been called the divinity of true mastery.
The moonlight they called the fitting Bhakti of give and take. And the selfish path is wholly untrue. It is the kind that roots out even humanity; it is mean. It is wholly narrow. It is like the lamp one has set in one's own room at home. So both the Bhagavad Gītā and Kṛṣṇa's teachings have given us just this sacred path of comfort for others, the path of mastery.
By merely celebrating Kṛṣṇa's birthday with festivities and worship and holding grand celebrations in many ways for this Kṛṣṇa Janmāṣṭamī, we cannot recognise the secret of Kṛṣṇa Janmāṣṭamī. But today we long only for Kṛṣṇa; we do not long for Kṛṣṇa's commands. We do not practise them. Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's word are not separate things. So there is no conflict at all between Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's words. They are not. Those who long only for Kṛṣṇa and keep Kṛṣṇa's word at a distance may well be called traitors to Kṛṣṇa. So even if we do not love Kṛṣṇa, by putting Kṛṣṇa's words into practice those very words will shine for us as divine lamps. They will show the divine path. They will bring us into the sacred presence. They will keep us in the presence of God. So today we must develop this principle of Prema. Kṛṣṇa is the very form of Prema.