Devotee: Srila Prabhupada, is it true that our advancement in devotional services is influenced a lot by our past karma, by how many sinful activities we have committed?
Prabhupada: No, no, no. Bhakti is not under karma. Bhakti is under your good will. If you accept to surrender to Krsna, you can do that without being checked by anything else. Simply you have to will, "Yes, Krsna. You are asking me. So long I did not do. From this day I do." That will depend upon you. Whatever you may be, simply surrender and everything is finished. Even if you are sinful, Krsna will give you release, "All right. You have surrendered. That's all right." That is wanted. But if you reserve something and cheat Krsna, "Now I am surrendering," Krsna is very intelligent. He will see you still have reservation.

Devotee: In the mode of goodness it's easier to surrender to Krsna.
Prabhupada: Yes, in sattva-guna one can see, one can understand his position. He is not so much disturbed by the rajo-guna and tamo-guna. And if he increases and goes to the pure sattva-guna, suddha-sattva, then he is no more disturbed. At that time he can understand what is God. The other gunas mean lusty desires and greediness. These things will be finished when you are strongly situated in sattva-guna. Hearing about Krsna and chanting about Krsna means cleansing the dirty things of rajo-guna and tamo-guna.The world is going on in rajo-guna and tamo-guna. A very minute quantity of the population are in sattva-guna.

Devotee: You were saying that when one is in the mode of goodness, that he is on the mental platform?
Prabhupada: Mental platform is mixed sattva-guna and rajo-guna, not pure. But if you keep always Krsna in your mind, then you are purified. The mind has no other opportunity to keep anything else there. If you keep Krsna, then you are in sattva-guna. And when that concentration on Krsna is not disturbed, then it is suddha-sattva. That is the spiritual platform.

Srila Prabhupada's Sikasamrta Volume Two:
"I am so glad that at the present moment you are president of the center; it is great satisfaction to me. When a Krsna conscious person is elevated to a responsible position he never becomes puffed up. Just like a tree when overladen with fruits becomes humble and lower down, similarly, a great soul in Krsna conscious becomes humbler than the grass and bowed down like the fruitful trees, because a Krsna conscious person acts as the agent of Krsna, therefore he discharges his duty with great responsibility." (SPL to Gajendra, 27th January, 1970)

Summary by HH Romapada Swami: We all face disturbances. How to address ourselves to those causes of disturbances without reducing our concentration upon that which is non-material, or Krishna? The process of surrender is necessary! We need not rely simply upon our material faculties; alone they will not provide the needed shelter. We must remain humble before our Master and all his wonderful devotees, and then move forward to serve with all the sincerity.

Chanting Hare Krishna is the Only Way!

We can see how sound vibrations enter and affect the atmosphere. We are bound to be absorbed in thoughts of whatever type of sound enters our consciousness. If we constantly hear violent lyrics or cursing, we naturally feel irritable or depressed, and we are likely to transfer these traits to our actions. Similarly, if we hear sweet, spiritual sounds, we will feel calm and happy in higher consciousness. Whatever sound vibrations we associate with will affect our mind and consciousness. Even reading has an effect on our state of mind.
Spiritual life recognizes the power of sound. When a man is sleeping, he can be awakened by sound. Similarly, the conditioned souls sleeping in illusion can again be awakened to knowledge of God by hearing transcendental sound.
Vaishnava texts recommend the chanting of God's names as particularly effective in the current age. This is known as mantra meditation.
Man means mind, tra means deliverance, and the prescribed mantra for this age is the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, or great mantra for deliverance.
Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare
Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare
Hare, Krishna, and Rama are names that refer to God and His energies. There is no difference between God's names and God Himself, so when we chant the names of Krishna and Rama, we are connecting directly with God. Because Krishna is all-powerful and spiritual, if we chant His names, then we become purified materially and spiritually.
There are no hard and fast rules for chanting the Hare Krishna mantra. The important thing is to clearly pronounce and hear the names.
You can chant anywhere, any time. You can repeat it to yourself on the way to work. Try chanting with your family or at the Temple. The more you chant, the more you will hear, and the more you will feel the spiritual effect of the mantra.

The three words, namely Hare, Krsna, and Rama, are transcendental seeds of the Maha Mantra and the chanting spiritual call for the Lord and His internal energy, Hara, to giving protection to the conditioned soul. The chanting is exactly like genuine cry by the child for mother. Mother Hara helps in achieving the Grace of the Supreme Father, Hari, or Krsna, and the Lord reveals Himself to such sincere devotee.

No other means therefore, of spiritual realization, is as effective in this age as chanting the Maha Mantra:
Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

Six Loving Exchanges between Devotees

NECTAR OF INSTRCUTION VERSE 04

Offering gifts in charity, accepting charitable gifts, revealing one's mind in confidence, inquiring confidentially, accepting prasāda and offering prasāda are the six symptoms of love shared by one devotee and another.

PURPORT

In this verse Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī explains how to perform devotional activities in the association of other devotees. There are six kinds of activities: (1) giving charity to the devotees, (2) accepting from the devotees whatever they may offer in return, (3) opening one's mind to the devotees, (4) inquiring from them about the confidential service of the Lord, (5) honoring prasāda, or spiritual food, given by the devotees, and (6) feeding the devotees with prasāda. An experienced devotee explains, and an inexperienced devotee learns from him. This is guhyam ākhyāti pṛcchati. When a devotee distributes prasāda, remnants of food offered to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, in order to maintain our spirit of devotional service we must accept this prasāda as the Lord's grace received through the pure devotees. We should also invite pure devotees to our home, offer them prasāda and be prepared to please them in all respects. This is called bhuńkte bhojayate caiva.

Even in ordinary social activities, these six types of dealings between two loving friends are absolutely necessary. For instance, when one businessman wishes to contact another businessman he arranges a feast in a hotel, and over the feast openly expresses what he wishes to do. He then inquires from his business friend how he should act, and sometimes presents are exchanged. Thus whenever there is a dealing of prīti, or love in intimate dealings, these six activities are executed. In the previous verse, Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī advised that one should renounce worldly association and keep company with the devotees (sańga-tyāgāt sato vṛtteḥ). The International Society for Krishna Consciousness has been established to facilitate these six kinds of loving exchanges between devotees. This Society was started single-handedly, but because people are coming forward and dealing with the give-and-take policy, the Society is now expanding all over the world. We are glad that people are donating very liberally to the development of the Society's activities, and people are also eagerly accepting whatever humble contribution we are giving them in the shape of books and magazines dealing strictly with the subject matter of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We sometimes hold Hare Kṛṣṇa festivals and invite life members and friends to participate in the feasting by accepting prasāda. Although most of our members come from the higher rungs of society, they nonetheless come and take whatever little prasāda we are able to offer them. Sometimes the members and supporters inquire very confidentially about the methods of performing devotional service, and we try to explain this. In this way our Society is successfully spreading all over the world, and the intelligentsia of all countries is gradually appreciating our Kṛṣṇa conscious activities. The life of the Kṛṣṇa conscious society is nourished by these six types of loving exchange among the members; therefore people must be given the chance to associate with the devotees of ISKCON because simply by reciprocating in the six ways mentioned above an ordinary man can fully revive his dormant Kṛṣṇa consciousness. In Bhagavad-gītā (2.62) it is stated, sańgāt sañjāyate kāmaḥ: one's desires and ambitions develop according to the company one keeps. It is often said that a man is known by his company, and if an ordinary man associates with devotees, he will certainly develop his dormant Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The understanding of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is innate in every living entity, and it is already developed to some extent when the living entity takes a human body.

It is said in Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya 22.107):
nitya-siddha kṛṣṇa-prema 'sādhya' kabhu naya

śravaṇādi-śuddha-citte karaye udaya

"Pure love for Kṛṣṇa is eternally established in the hearts of living entities. It is not something to be gained from another source. When the heart is purified by hearing and chanting, the living entity naturally awakens." Since Kṛṣṇa consciousness is inherent in every living entity, everyone should be given a chance to hear about Kṛṣṇa. Simply by hearing and chanting — śravaṇaḿ kīrtanam — one's heart is directly purified, and one's original Kṛṣṇa consciousness is immediately awakened. Kṛṣṇa consciousness is not artificially imposed upon the heart, it is already there. When one chants the holy name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the heart is cleansed of all mundane contamination. In the first stanza of His Śrī Śikṣāṣṭaka, Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu says: [Cc. Antya 20.12]
"All glories to the Śrī Kṛṣṇa sańkīrtana, which cleanses the heart of all the dust accumulated for years and extinguishes the fire of conditional life, of repeated birth and death. This sańkīrtana movement is the prime benediction for humanity at large because it spreads the rays of the benediction moon. It is the life of all transcendental knowledge. It increases the ocean of transcendental bliss, and it enables us to fully taste the nectar for which we are always anxious."

Not only is the chanter of the mahā-mantra purified, but the heart of anyone who happens to hear the transcendental vibration of Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare is also cleansed. Even the souls embodied in lower animals, insects, trees and other species of life also become purified and prepared to become fully Kṛṣṇa conscious simply by hearing the transcendental vibration. This was explained by Ṭhākura Haridāsa when Caitanya Mahāprabhu inquired from him how living entities lower than human beings can be delivered from material bondage. Haridāsa Ṭhākura said that the chanting of the holy names is so powerful that even if one chants in the remotest parts of the jungle, the trees and animals will advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness simply by hearing the vibration. This was actually proved by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Himself when He passed through the forest of Jhārikhaṇḍa. At that time the tigers, snakes, deer and all other animals abandoned their natural animosity and began chanting and dancing in sańkīrtana. Of course, we cannot imitate the activities of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, but we should follow in His footsteps. We are not powerful enough to enchant the lower animals such as tigers, snakes, cats and dogs or entice them to dance, but by chanting the holy names of the Lord we can actually convert many people throughout the world to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Contributing or distributing the holy name of the Lord is a sublime example of contributing or giving charity (the dadāti principle). By the same token, one must also follow the pratigṛhṇāti principle and be willing and ready to receive the transcendental gift. One should inquire about the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement and open his mind in order to understand the situation of this material world. Thus the guhyam ākhyāti pṛcchati principles can be served.
The members of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness invite the Society's members and supporters to dine with them when they hold love feasts in all their branches every Sunday. Many interested people come to honor prasāda, and whenever possible they invite members of the Society to their homes and feed them sumptuously with prasāda. In this way both the members of the Society and the general public are benefited. People should give up the company of so-called yogīs, jñānīs, karmīs and philanthropists because their association can benefit no one. If one really wants to attain the goal of human life, he should associate with devotees of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement because it is the only movement that teaches one how to develop love of God. Religion is the special function of human society, and it constitutes the distinction between human society and animal society. Animal society has no church, mosque or religious system. In all parts of the world, however downtrodden human society may be, there is some system of religion. Even tribal aborigines in the jungles also have a system of religion. When a religious system develops and turns into love of God, it is successful. As stated in the First Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.2.6):
sa vai puḿsāḿ paro dharmo

yato bhaktir adhokṣaje

ahaituky apratihatā

yayātmā suprasīdati

"The supreme occupation [dharma] for all humanity is that by which men can attain to loving devotional service unto the transcendent Lord. Such devotional service must be unmotivated and uninterrupted in order to completely satisfy the self."
If the members of human society actually want Peace of mind, tranquillity and friendly relations between men and nations, they must follow the Kṛṣṇa conscious system of religion, by which they can develop their dormant love for Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As soon as people do so, their minds will immediately be filled with peace and tranquillity.
In this regard, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura warns all devotees engaged in broadcasting the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement not to speak to the impersonalist Māyāvādīs who are always determined to oppose such theistic movements. The world is full of Māyāvādīs and atheists, and the political parties of the world take advantage of Māyāvāda and other atheistic philosophies to promote materialism. Sometimes they even back a strong party to oppose the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. The Māyāvādīs and other atheists do not want the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement to develop because it educates people in God consciousness. Such is the policy of the atheists. There is no benefit in feeding a snake milk and bananas because the snake will never be satisfied. On the contrary, by taking milk and bananas the snake simply becomes more poisonous (kevalaḿ viṣa-vardhanam). If a snake is given milk to drink, its poison simply increases. For a similar reason, we should not disclose our minds to the serpent Māyāvādīs and karmīs. Such disclosures will never help. It is best to avoid association with them completely and never ask them about anything confidential because they cannot give good advice. Nor should we extend invitations to Māyāvādīs and atheists nor accept their invitations, for by such intimate intermingling we may become affected by their atheistic mentality (sańgāt sañjāyate kāmaḥ). It is the negative injunction of this verse that we should refrain from giving anything to or accepting anything from the Māyāvādīs and atheists. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has also warned, viṣayīra anna khāile duṣṭa haya mana: "By eating food prepared by worldly people, one s mind becomes wicked. Unless one is very advanced, he is unable to utilize everyone's contribution to further the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement; therefore on principle one should not accept charity from the Māyāvādīs or atheists. Indeed, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has forbidden devotees to associate even with ordinary men who are too addicted to material sense gratification.
The conclusion is that we should always keep company with devotees, observe the regulative devotional principles, follow in the footsteps of the ācāryas and in full obedience carry out the orders of the spiritual master. In this way we shall be able to develop our devotional service and dormant Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The devotee who is neither a neophyte nor a mahā-bhāgavata (a greatly advanced devotee) but is within the middle status of devotional service is expected to love the Supreme Personality of Godhead, make friends with the devotees, show favor to the ignorant and reject the jealous and demoniac. In this verse there is brief mention of the process of making loving transactions with the Supreme Personality of Godhead and making friends with the devotees. According to the dadāti principle, an advanced devotee is supposed to spend at least fifty percent of his income on the service of the Lord and His devotees. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī has set such an example in his life. When he decided to retire, he distributed fifty percent of his life's earnings to Kṛṣṇa's service and twenty-five percent to his relatives and kept twenty-five percent for personal emergencies. This example should be followed by all devotees. Whatever one's income, fifty percent should be spent on behalf of Kṛṣṇa and His devotees, and this will fulfill the demands of dadāti.

Material World - A Mirage

Whatever you have got in this material world, that is simply imitation, a shadow of the original....You can understand that in the desert sometimes it appears that there is a vast ocean of water, mirage. But actually there is no water. Those who are animals, they sometimes are misled. They are thirsty, and they think that there is water in the desert, and they run over, but actually there is no water. The animal runs, and the water also advances. In this way, when he becomes too much fatigued, he dies. This is the exact example of this material world. We are hankering after water, we are thirsty, and we are being misled by so-called water, mirage.

(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Laguna Beach, 9/30/1972)

Regretting one's sinful activities is necessary

When a person regrets his sinful activities, the abandoning of Krishna consciousness and good intelligence, his path of deliverance from the path of material clutches is opened. As stated in Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.5.5: parabhavas tavad abodha jato yavan na jijnasata atma-tattvam. When a person loses his Krishna consciousness and loses interest in self-realization, he must engage in sinful activities. All one’s activities in a life devoid of Krishna consciousness simply lead to defeat and misuse of one’s life. Naturally one who comes to Krishna consciousness regrets his previous sinful activities in the human form. Only by this process can one be delivered from the clutches of nescience or ignorance in materialistic life.
Srimad Bhagavatam 4.26.19

Sinful Condition

Sinful condition
Saturday, 17 February 1973

During morning class, Srila Prabhupada mentioned how the Fifth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam described a variety of different punishments for sinful acts. Nature's laws, he stressed, were very strict, and one could not claim ignorance as an excuse. In question-time, someone asked how long it took for the soul to enter its next body after death.

Prabhupada replied that it depended upon the individual. Usually it was quick -- a matter of minutes -- but if a man was very sinful, it could take longer. Srila Prabhupada gave the example of Winston Churchill, who had entered a long coma before his death.

"This means that he is very, very sinful. It takes longer to calculate his punishment. A living entity does not leave his body until his next birth is calculated." Prabhupada compared this to a caterpillar, who doesn't place his legs down until his next foothold is established.



- From "The Great Transcendental Adventure" by HG Kurma Prabhu

"I am speaking of the same God" - Srila Prabhupada

I have often been asked why I converted from Catholicism to Krishna Consciousness. My reply is always that I did not convert: I built on the faith I already had. My roots are in Christianity, and I cannot change that. I cannot change the fact that for the first twenty years of my life God appeared to me through Jesus; that my character and morals were moulded by Sisters of the Holy Cross and Benedictine monks; and that a Christian church to me is still a holy place where I intuitively feel at home.

Nonetheless, the question remains: what made me decide to become a devotee of Krishna? One major attraction was the chanting of the Holy Name. The simplicity of just chanting was irresistible. Devotees chant in two ways. One is by singing together, and the other is by private prayer. My first encounter with the singing was on television, when I watched the 73-year-old founder of the Hare Krishna Movement, Srila Prabhupada, being interviewed on Late Night Line-Up in 1969. Prabhupada explained to his interviewer that he had come to Britain to teach how to love God. His wise and kindly face and his sincere voice seemed to tell to me that he knew what he was talking about. 'And which God are you referring to - the same one as Christians worship?' asked the interviewer. I wondered what his answer would be. Could he be worshipping the same God as me?

'Yes, I am speaking of the same God,' replied Prabhupada. Hearing this, my interest deepened. I had always wanted to learn from someone of another religious tradition about their idea of God.

'And how do you teach that we should love God?'

'The easiest and most direct way is to chant His name,' Prabhupada replied, 'If you chant the name of God, you can not only love Him, but you can speak to Him face to face, just as I am speaking to you.' I was intrigued. He spoke with such conviction, but surely it couldn't be that simple.

Prabhupada got up and walked across to another part of the studio where six of his disciples were waiting with musical instruments. Together they sat in a circle on the studio floor. A rich harmony swelled up from the Indian harmonium and a stringed instrument called a tambura, accompanied by small cymbals and a clay drum. Then Prabhupada began to chant the Hare Krishna mantra, rhythmically, majestically, while the devotees chanted their response. Together they wove a mystical web of transcendental sound that seemed to stretch from the studio right across the country and into my heart.

The closing credits of the programme rolled down the screen and I prayed that the chanting wouldn't stop, not yet! But too soon it faded away and the screen went blank. From that day I never needed to be convinced of the simple truth that just by chanting the Holy Name it is possible to see God.

(Excerpt from Looking for the Dearest Friend by Ranchor Dasa)

Remembering Srila Prabhupada

Prabhupada sat at his low desk,satisfied and smiling. He spoke about the humility of advanced devotees. I was in a light,superficial mood. I said "My only qualification,"I added,"is that I am a fool." Prabhupada looked at me sharply."Yes,but you should not remain a fool."

***

Prabhupada's answer cut through the superficiality of my childish comment.

Actual devotees are humble, but they are never fools.

(Excerpt from My Glorious Master by Bhurijana dasa,Melbourne,1974)

"Chant to the Poor Creature"

On one particular afternoon, Srila Prabhupada was comfortably seated in a chair, and I was sitting on the ground beside him. He was softly chanting japa, enjoying the fresh ocean air, mixed with the fragrance of roses and other flowers. Occasionally he would say something but mostly he would chant softly. Suddenly beside my sitting place I saw a large brown slug in all its slimy ugliness. Somewhat repulsed I leaned away from the creature. Srila Prabhupada looked at me quizzically and I said: "Ugh, look at this", pointing to the slimy, sliding creature. Srila Prabhupada leaned forward and looked at the slug, his face grew full of love and compassion, and he said to me: "Chant to the poor creature", and so I sat there, chanting Hare Krsna to the slimy, yet benedicted slug for some time until he slithered away. He had incredible compassion even for the most abominable creature. Srila Prabhupada, I can never forget the sound of your voice when you gave me that instruction. In it, your whole mission was encapsulated. "Chant to the poor creature."[b]

(1008 Ways to Remember Srila Prabhupada) by Govinda dasi

Sign of a Krishna Bhakta

A krsna-bhakta, a devotee of Lord Krsna, he doesn't want anything more. He doesn't want anything more. You will never find that... Arjuna was a devotee. He was working for Krsna so much, he was sacrificing everything. He was prepared to kill his family members and everything. Still, he never wanted anything, "Krsna, give me this." Never. You will never find in the Bhagavad-gita.

This is the position of bhakta. And that is the teaching of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, na dhanam na janam na sundarim kavitam va jagadisa kamaye: "My dear Lord Jagadisa, I don't want these things." Why? Na dhanam: "I don't want riches." Na dhanam na janam. "Not many followers." Because materially everyone wants this. He wants money, he wants to become leader, he will..., many thousands of people will follow him, janam. And sundarim kavitam, very beautiful wife. These are the material wants. So Krsna, Caitanya Mahapra bhu, He said, na dhanam na janam na sundarim kavitam va jagadisa kamaye: "I don't want all these things." This is called niskama. Kama means those who are wanting all these things. And
niskama means those one who does not want all these things. How one can avoid these? Mama janmani janmanisvare bhavatad bhaktir ahaituki tvayi. If one becomes perfect, unalloyed devotee, he doesn't want all
these things. Therefore he is svami. Krsna-bhakta niskama ataeva santa. Others, they are wanting something.

So we cannot be peaceful so long we shall want something. That is the secret. And that want can be completely, we can be free from all wants when we become Krsna conscious.

yam labdhva caparam labham
manyate nadhikam tatah
yasmin sthito na duhkhena
gurunapi vicalyate

You have seen the history of Prahlada Maharaja, Dhruva Maharaja, many, many devotees, Pandavas. How much tribulation they had to suffer in their lives! So yasmin sthite, because they were devotee of Krsna,
they were never disturbed. Never. This is the position of Krsna consciousness. They will never want anything, and they are not disturbed by any material tribulations. This is the sign of a krsna-bhakta. Krsna-bhakta niskama ataeva santa.

So it is possible to arrive that state by little endeavor, and that is Krsna consciousness. And it is so simple, by chanting Hare Krsna mantra. And the practical examples you can see, that these European, American boys, they had so many wants, but they, all these demands could not satisfy them, but now they are fully satisfied simply by chanting Hare Krsna. Just like this boy, our Gurudasa, explained that he could swim over liquor business. His father has got very big business of liquor. But no. He wants to swim in the ocean of transcendental love. This is Krsna consciousness movement.

- Srila Prabhupada

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.10 -- Delhi, November 16, 1973