Continuous Devotional Service; Importance of Preaching

Incessant devotional service keeps one happy - 24 hours of hearing and chanting about the name, fame, pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the key to remain motivated in Krishna Consciousness. 


Once Srila Prabhupada was back in the temple, after a long day of preaching and all he asked was for a small cup of milk because he was ecstatic and contended after preaching all day. Srila Prabhupada said that everyday we should speak to one person about Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. If there is no-one, then talk to the devotees. Even with devotees, we should act what we preach to set a good example. 


There is the tradition to offer something to the Guru as Dakshina, but according to Prthu Maharaj offering something to re-pay the debt of the Spiritual Master, Vedic Scriptures and Sadhu is like offering a handful of water to the River Ganges. We can only repay by doing the highest welfare activity - by telling others about Krishna. The sadhus give the blessings: Krsna Matir astu - may you always think of Krishna. The welfare activities the materialistic people are doing is like saving a drowning person but you only save his clothing. But in Krsna Consciousness, we not only alleviate their material pains and sufferings but also alleviate them from repeated birth and death - yad gatva na nivartanate; tad dhama paramam mama.


The materialists are going in a wrong direction because they are only striving to satisfy their senses but that is not the goal of life. For those, who become spiritually advanced they become sympathetic towards fallen conditioned souls, because they know they are going in the wrong direction. 


In Hrishikesh, one lady asked Srila Prabhupada that why do you always talk about death, suffering, you are not this body and not talk anything else? Srila Prabhupada said; if you have a boil, you don't push air to alleviate the pain but you remove the boil. So Krsna Consciousness means we have to be bold to tell them the truth, and most of the time truth hurts. But we have to preach according to the mentality and understanding of the person. A neophyte speaker will do a lot of talking but an expert preacher will listen and understand the person. Based on the understanding, he will preach. We have to be a good friend to the person. 



Sometimes people think, temple is for the lazy people and they ask what is your contribution to the society? They however do not know the real mission of Krsna Consciousness. However, Srila Prabhupada says that preaching the teachings of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu through out the whole world is better than staying in Vrindavan, Jagannath Puri. 


Srila Prabhupada says our destiny cannot be changed; but it can be checked by performing devotional service. The beginning of devotional service is hearing about the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then our so-called destiny changes. Then it becomes Krishna Karma and not materialistic karma. 


For the those who preach the message of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and those who follow in the footsteps of those following preaching, the doors of Vaikuntha are open. Once a devotee asked Srila Prabhupada that I'm preaching so much, but there's no effect. Srila Prabhupada replied that we have to be determined. Srila Prabhupada's meaning of determined means we have to be determined, that someday I will be fully Krsna Concsious, then the effect of what I say will be there. 


- Notes from a Lecture by HG Janardana Prabhu 
Vrindavan :: 28.03.2012