Introduction

Published on March 1st, 2017 | by Madhudvisa dasa

25

But I don’t love Krishna?

I know we are searching for pleasure but material pleasure can not satisfy us because it is temporary and very insignificant. And I know that real pleasure can be experienced by serving Krishna in love and devotion. But I have no love  for Krishna?

The problem is generally we are still very much attached to material pleasure, we are still trying to satisfy the demands of our senses for nice food, nice women, lots of money, fame, power, profit, adoration, etc. Because we have no love for Krishna our minds are full of material desires and we are spending our time and energy trying to satisfy the demands of our senses.

So what to do? Of course this is natural. We may theoretically understand that there is no point in pursuing material sense gratification, but without a higher taste, without experiencing at least some transcendental pleasure from serving Krishna, we will continue to be attached to the animalistic demands of our material body and mind for eating, sleeping, mating and defending.

In this condition, being attached to sense gratification, we have no taste, no attraction to Krishna consciousness. We do not like to chant Hare Krishna, it is not attractive to us. That is because we are in a diseased condition of life. We are suffering from the material disease. We are like a man suffering from the jaundice disease. We don’t have much experience of this disease in the west but one symptom of the jaundice disease is that the patient looses his taste for sweet things. If you give a man with jaundice some sugar candy it will taste bitter to him so he does not like to eat it, he has no taste for it. But it so happens that the cure for the jaundice disease is taking sweet things. So as the jaundice patient forces himself to eat sweet things, which he does not like to eat because they taste bitter to him due to the disease, gradually his disease is cured and he can again appreciate the sweet tastes of things. We are in the same condition, we are suffering from the material disease and as a result we have not taste, no attraction for Krishna consciousness. We don’t feel any transcendental pleasure in chanting Hare Krishna, but just as the sweet things like the sugar candy are the cure for jaundice and the patient forces himself to eat them even though he dislikes that taste, chanting Hare Krishna is the cure for the material disease and if we want to be cured from the material disease we have to force ourselves to chant the Hare Krishna mantra even though we have no taste for it, we don’t like it, it tastes bitter to us.

Cleaning the Contaminated Heart of Material Desires:

So this is how we can develop love for Krishna. We have to force ourselves to chant Hare Krishna, even though we have no taste for chanting Hare Krishna. In our current state our consciousness is contaminated, covered by the dirt of the reactions to the unlimited sinful activities we have performed in unlimited births in the material world. Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu likens such a contaminated mind to a dirty mirror.

If you can imagine that you have a mirror that is caked over with layers and layers of mud then in that contaminated condition you can not see yourself in that mirror. First you have to clean off all the layers of mud from the mirror, then you will be able to see your true reflection in the mirror. Lord Caitanya uses the words “ceto darpanam marjanam” in his famous prayer, Siksastakam:

ceto-darpana-marjanam bhava-maha-davagni-nirvapanam
sreyah-kairava-candrika-vitaranam vidya-vadhu-jivanam
anandambudhi-vardhanam prati-padam purnamrtasvadanam
sarvatma-snapanam param vijayate sri-krsna-sankirtanam

“All glories to the Sri Krishna sankirtana, which cleanses the heart of all the dust accumulated for years and extinguishes the fire of conditional life, of repeated birth and death. This sankirtana 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.”

Marjanam means “cleanse,” and darpanam means “mirror.” The heart is a mirror. It is like a camera. Just as a camera takes all kinds of pictures of days and nights, so also our heart takes pictures and keeps them in an unconscious state. Psychologists know this. The heart takes so many pictures, and therefore it becomes covered. We do not know when it has begun, but it is a fact that because there is material contact, our real identity is covered. Therefore ceto-darpana-marjanam: one has to cleanse his heart. There are different processes to cleanse the heart—the jnana process, the yoga process, the meditation process, pious activities. Karma also cleanses the heart. If one acts very piously, his heart will gradually be cleansed. But although these processes are recommended for cleansing the heart, in this age they are all difficult.

To follow the path of philosophical knowledge one must become a very learned scholar, one must read so many books, one must go to learned professors and scholars and speculate. One must search out a person who has seen the light. So these are all philosophical processes.

Meditation is also a recommended process. One should question, “What am I?” Just consider: Am I this body? No. Am I this finger? No, this is my finger. If you contemplate your leg, you will see, “Oh, this is my leg.” Similarly, you will find everything to be “mine.” And where is that “I”? Everything is mine, but where is that “I”? When one is searching for that “I,” that is meditation. Real meditation means concentrating all the senses in that way. But that meditation process is very difficult. One must control the senses. The senses are dragging one outward, and one has to bring them inward for introspection. Therefore there are eight processes in the yoga system. The first is controlling the senses by regulative principles. Then sitting postures—that will help to concentrate the mind. If one sits leaning over, that will not help; if one sits up straight, that will help. Then controlling the breathing, then meditation, then samadhi. But today these are very, very difficult processes. No one can immediately perform them. The so-called yoga processes are fragmental—only the sitting postures and a few breathing exercises are practiced. But that cannot bring one to the perfectional stage. The actual yoga process, although a recommended Vedic process, is very difficult in this age.

Similarly one can try to get knowledge by the speculative philosophical process: “This is Brahman, this is not Brahman, so what is Brahman? What is spirit soul?” Such empiric philosophical discussion is also recommended, but it is useless in this age.

The Only Way in this Age is Chanting Hare Krishna:

Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu—not only Caitanya Mahaprabhu but also the Vedic literature—says:

harer nama harer nama
harer namaiva kevalam
kalau nasty eva nasty eva
nasty eva gatir anyatha

Kalau means “in this age.” Nasty eva, nasty eva, nasty evathree times nasty eva. Eva means “certainly,” and nasti means “not.” “Certainly not, certainly not, certainly not.” What is that “certainly not”? One cannot realize oneself by karma. That is the first “certainly not.” One cannot realize oneself by jnana. That is the second “certainly not.” One cannot realize oneself by yoga. Certainly not. Kalau. Kalau means “in this age.” Kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha. In this age one certainly cannot achieve success by any of these three methods. Then what is the recommended process? Harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam. Simply chant the Hare Krishna mantra. Kevalam means “only.” Simply chant Hare Krishna. It is the easiest and most sublime process.

This is recommended, practical, and authorized. So take it. Accept it in any condition of life. Chant. There is no expenditure, there is no loss. We are not chanting a secret. No. It is open. And by chanting you will cleanse your heart.

The Problems of the Material World Can Not Be Solved:

In this material world no one wants misery, but it comes. Unexpectedly, like a forest fire that starts without anyone’s striking a match, it comes. No one wants a war, but war is fought. No one wants famine, but famine comes. No one wants pestilence, but it comes. No one wants fighting, but there is fighting. No one wants misunderstanding, but there is. Why? This is like a blazing fire in the forest. And it cannot be extinguished by fire engines. This blazing fire of problems cannot be extinguished by our so-called advancement of knowledge. No. That is not possible, Just as one cannot extinguish a forest fire by sending a fire engine or by bringing some water, the problems of our life cannot be solved by material processes.

There are many examples. Prahlada Maharaja says, “My dear Lord, the father and mother are not actually the protectors of the children.” The father and mother take care of their children; that is their duty.

But they are not the ultimate protectors. When nature’s law calls the child, the father and mother cannot protect him. Therefore although generally it is considered a fact that the father and mother are the protectors of the child, actually it is not a fact. If someone is sailing the ocean and he thinks he has a very nice seat, will that protect him? No. Still he may drown. A nice airplane is flying in the sky, everyone is safe, but all of a sudden it crashes. Nothing material can protect us. Suppose someone is diseased. He may engage a good physician who gives good medicine, but that will not guarantee that he will live. Then what is the ultimate guarantee? Prahlada Maharaja says, “My dear Lord, if You neglect someone, nothing can protect him.”

This is our practical experience. We can invent so many methods to solve the problems presented by the laws of material nature, but they are not sufficient. They will never solve all the problems, nor will they give actual relief. This is the fact. Therefore Krishna says in the Bhagavad-gita,Maya, this external energy, is very, very strong. No one can surpass it. It is almost impossible.” Then how can one get free from this material nature? Krsna says, “Simply by surrendering unto Me one can get relief from the onslaught of material nature.” That is a fact. So we have to cleanse the heart to learn what is our relationship with God.

In the Katha Upanisad it is stated, nityo nityanam cetanas cetananam. The Supreme Absolute Personality of Godhead, or the Absolute Truth, is eternal. God is eternal, and we are also eternal. But the Vedas indicate that He is the supreme living creature. He is not dead. If He is not living, how is this world working? In the Bhagavad-gita Krishna says, “Under My supervision things are going on.” In the Bible also it is said, “God created.” That is a fact. Not that at one time there was a chunk and then this happened and then that. No.

We Have to Open Our Eyes To See:

The Vedas tell us the actual facts, but we have to open our eyes to see. Ceto-darpana-marjanam. That is the process of cleansing our hearts. When we cleanse our hearts, then we will be able to understand what Krishna and the Vedas say. We need to be purified. If a man is suffering from jaundice and you give him a piece of sugar candy, he will say that it is very bitter. But is sugar candy bitter? No, it is very sweet. And the medicine for jaundice is that sugar. Modern science prescribes this, and it is prescribed in the Vedic literature also. So if we take a great quantity of this sugar candy, then we will be relieved from jaundice. And when there is relief, then one says, “Oh, this is very sweet.” So the modern jaundice of a godless civilization can be cured by this chanting of Hare Krishna. In the beginning it may appear bitter, but when one advances, then he will see how pleasing it is.

As soon as one understands his identity, his relationship with God, then immediately he becomes happy. We are so full of miseries because we have identified ourselves with the material world. Therefore we are unhappy. Anxieties and fearfulness are due to our misidentifying with the material world. The other day I was explaining that one who identifies with this bag of bones and skin is like an animal. So by chanting Hare Krishna this misunderstanding will be cleansed. Cleansing of the heart means that one will understand that he does not belong to this material world. Aham brahmasmi: I am spirit soul. As long as one identifies oneself with England, with India, or with America, this is ignorance. Today you are an Englishman because you were born in England, but in your next life you may not take your birth in England; it may be in China or Russia or some other country. Or you may not get this human form of body. Today you are a nationalist, you are a very great follower of your country, but tomorrow if you stay in your country you may be a cow being taken to the slaughterhouse.

So we have to thoroughly know our identity. Caitanya Mahaprabhu says that the actual identity of every living creature is that he is the eternal servant of God. If one thinks like that—”I am no one else’s servant; my business is to serve God”—then he is liberated. His heart is immediately cleansed, and he is liberated. And after one has reached that, then all one’s cares and anxieties in this world are over because one knows, “I am a servant of God. God will give me protection. Why should I worry about anything?” It is just like a child. A child knows that his mother and father will take care of him. He is free. If he should go to touch fire, his mother will take care of him: “Oh, my dear child, don’t touch.” The mother is always looking after him. So why don’t you put your trust in God? Actually, you are under the protection of God.

God is Supplying Us With Everything:

People go to church and say, “God, give us our daily bread.” Actually, if He did not give it to us, we would not be able to live. That is a fact. The Vedas also say that the one Supreme Personality supplies all the necessities of every other living creature. God is supplying food for everyone. We human beings have our economic problem, but what economic problem is there in societies other than human society? The bird society has no economic problem. It is only the human society that has created problems—what to eat, where to sleep, how to mate, how to defend. These are a problem to us, but the majority of creatures—the aquatics, the fish, the plants, the insects, the birds, the beasts, and the many millions upon millions of other living creatures—do not have such a problem. They are also living creatures. Don’t think that they are different from us. It is not true that we human beings are the only living creatures and that all others are dead. No. And who is providing their food and shelter? It is God. The plants and animals are not going to the office. They are not going to the university to get technological education to earn money. So how are they eating? God is supplying. The elephant eats hundreds of pounds of food. Who is supplying? Are you making arrangements for the elephant? There are millions of elephants. Who is supplying?

So the process of acknowledging that God is supplying is better than thinking, “God is dead. Why should we go to church and pray to God for bread?” In the Bhagavad-gita it is said, “Four kinds of people come to Krishna: the distressed, those who are in need of money, the wise, and the inquisitive.” One who is inquisitive, one who is wise, one who is distressed, and one who is in need of money—these four classes of men approach God. “My dear God, I am very hungry. Give me my daily bread.” That’s nice. Those who approach God in this way are pious. Although they are asking for money, for food, they are considered pious because they are approaching God. And others are just the opposite. They are impious.

Understanding Our Relationship With God:

The gross materialists who ignore their relationship with God are described in the Bhagavad-gita as asses, donkeys. Those who are working very, very hard to earn money are compared to the donkey. They will eat the same four slices of bread daily, but they are unnecessarily working to earn thousands of dollars. And others are described as “the lowest of mankind.” The human form of life is meant for God realization. It is the right of man to try to realize God. One who understands Brahman, God, is a brahmana, not others. So that is the duty of this human form of life.

In every human society there is some system that is called “religion” and by which one may try to understand God. It doesn’t matter whether it is the Christian religion, the Muhammadan religion, or the Hindu religion. It doesn’t matter. The system is to understand God and our relationship with Him. That’s all. This is the duty of the human beings, and if this duty is ignored in human society, then it is animal society. Animals have no power to understand what is God and their relationship with God. Their only interests are eating, sleeping, mating, and defending. If we are only concerned with these things, then what are we? We are animals. Therefore the Bhagavad-gita says that those who ignore this opportunity are the “lowest of mankind.” They were born in the material world in the human form of life yet did not utilize it for God realization but simply for the animal propensities. Therefore they are the lowest of mankind. And there are other persons who are very proud of their knowledge. But what is that knowledge? “There is no God. I am God.” Their actual knowledge has been taken away by maya. If they are God, then how have they become dog? There are so many arguments against them, but they simply defy God. Atheism. Because they have taken to the process of atheism, their actual knowledge is stolen away. Actual knowledge means to know what is God and our relationship with God. If one does not know this, then it is to be understood that his knowledge has been taken away by maya.

So in this way, if we try to understand our relationship with God, there are ways and means. There are books, and there is knowledge, so why not take advantage of them? Everyone should take advantage of this knowledge. Try to understand that in the Bhagavad-gita and other Vedic literatures, everywhere, it is said that God is great and that although we are qualitatively one with God, we are minute. The ocean and the minute particle of water have the same quality, but the quantity of salt in the drop of water and the quantity of salt in the ocean are different. They are qualitatively one but quantitatively different. Similarly, God is all-powerful, and we have some power. God creates everything, and we can create a small machine to fly, just like the small machines with which children play. But God can create millions of planets flying in the air. That is the qualification of God. You cannot create any planets. Even if you can create a planet, what is the benefit of that? There are millions of planets created by God. But you also have the creative power. God has power, and you have power. But His is so great that yours cannot compare to it. If you say, “I am God,” that is foolishness. You can claim that you are God, but what acts have you performed so extraordinary that you can claim that you are God? This is ignorance. The knowledge of one who thinks himself God has been taken away by the spell of maya. So our relationship is that God is great and we are minute. In the Bhagavad-gita Krishna clearly says, “All living entities are My parts and parcels. Qualitatively they are one with Me, but quantitatively they are different.” So we are simultaneously one with and different from God. That is our relationship. We are one because we have the same qualities as God. But if we study ourselves minutely, we will find that although we have some great qualities, God has them all in greater quantities.

We cannot have anything that is not in God. That is not possible. Therefore in the Vedanta-sutra it is said that everything that we have is also found in God. It is emanating from God. So our relationship is that because we are small, because we are minute, we are the eternal servitors of God. In this material world also, in ordinary behavior, we see that a man goes to serve another man because the other man is greater than he and can pay him a nice salary. So naturally the conclusion is that if we are small, our duty is to serve God. We have no other business. We are all different parts and parcels of the original entity.

A screw that is connected with a machine is valuable because it is working with the whole machine. And if the screw is taken away from the machine, or if it is faulty, it is worthless. My finger is worth millions of dollars as long as it is attached to this body and is serving the body. And if it is cut off from this body, then what is it worth? Nothing. Similarly, our relationship is that we are very small particles of God; therefore our duty is to dovetail our energies with Him and cooperate with Him. That is our relationship. Otherwise we are worthless. We are cut off. When the finger becomes useless the doctor says, “Oh, amputate this finger. Otherwise the body will be poisoned.” Similarly, when we become godless we are cut off from our relationship with God and suffer in this material world. If we try to join again with the Supreme Lord, then our relationship is revived.

Summary:

So the summary is that we can revive our dormant love for Krishna by chanting the Hare Krishna mantra. The chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra will clean the mirror of our heart and when all the dirty things are washed away by the chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra we will be able to see things as they are, we will realize the pointlessness of sense gratification in the material world and we will realize our eternal loving relationship with Krishna and our dormant love for Krishna will be reawakened and we will feel love for Krishna. And as our love for Krishna increases automatically our attachment to sense gratification in the material world will decrease. This is the “higher taste” that we must achieve if we are to become firmly fixed in Krishna consciousness.

[adapted from Srila Prabhupada’s Science of Self-Realization, Chapter 8]


About the Author

My first contact with a Hare Krishna was a most merciful Mataji in Oxford Street, London who sold me a "Higher Taste" cook book in 1984 while I was on holidays there. I started seriously reading Srila Prabhupada's books in Australia 1985 and by 1986 Srila Prabhupada had convinced me "Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead" and "we should surrender to Krishna." I joined the Hare Krishnas in Perth, Western Australia in 1986. Since then I have been chanting Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare, reading and distributing Srila Prabhupada's books and preaching as much as I can. That's my life and full-time occupation now really. I like it more than anything I've ever experienced before. Srila Prabhupada's books are so amazing... Even after reading them all many times they're still fresh and new. They are truly transcendental! That's it really. Now I'm just hankering to once again see the world chant Hare Krishna, dance and feast and float away in the ecstasy of Lord Caitanya's Sankirtana movement as it did in Srila Prabhupada's physical presence. Let the whole world drown in the ecstatic flood of love of Krishna!



25 Responses to But I don’t love Krishna?

  1. Rupali Jadhav says:

    I am chanting 16 rounds daily and having some regular services also. Serving under the shelter of devotees. I have developed taste in hearing Krishna Katha. Will you please help me to understand how to love Krishna Properly?

    • Loving Krishna comes later. The beginning is saddhana bhakti, that is the regulated devotional service under the guidance of a pure devotee spiritual master. Love of Krishna, that is coming later, and it can only come as a result of pleasing the bona fide pure devotee. So in practice that means you have to please Srila Prabhupada by service and surrender. So to do that you need to read all Prabhupada’s books and hear from him and understand what it is that Prabhupada wants you to do and then you have to surrender to Prabhupda and do what he wants you to do. That is the only way to develop love of Krishna, by pleasing the pure devotee of Krishna by surrender and service… Otherwise it is impossible.

  2. Sanya says:

    Hare Krishna🙏🙏🙏

    I am 17 years old and I am madly in love with Krishna 😇
    But I don’t know how to not forget him throughout my life and love him unconditionally without forgetting him even a single day.
    Plz reply!!!🙏

    • Chant Hare Krishna mantra at least 16 rounds a day, but chant more. As you are chanting Hare Krishna it reminds you of Krishna. So if you are always chanting Hare Krishna you can not forget Krishna at any time.

  3. tony criscuolo says:

    If the ONLY way in this age is chanting Hare’ Krsna then you put yourself in the same category as the Christians that say that if a person isn’t saved by Jesus he/she can not get to heaven. What about those who don’t even know about Krsna? Are they all unable to be saved?
    If so, the movement better get out there more and reach everyone!

    • Yes, you are right, the Hare Krishna movement better get out there and reach everyone. Unfortunately they have degenerated into a sectarian Hindu cult and have no desire to preach outside the Indian community. It is a disaster as you have intelligently realized.

      Yes. There is no other practical religious system except the chanting of the holy names of God. It is Hari Nama, the name of God. So if you have some bonafide name of God you can chant that and that will be effective. But most effective is the maha-mantra:

      Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
      Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

      So yes. Someone has to get out there and chant Hare Krishna and reach everyone….

  4. Sreelatha Prabhakaran says:

    Hare Krishna,

    This article is very much alerting .

    Radhe Radhe.

  5. Acsd says:

    Pamho madhudvisa prabhu agtacbsp. Wow here is a good and steady example of a pukka prabhupadanugas as you. I became devotee at full time in the temple in 1985 it was the boom of the nasty guru hoaxes i got initiated by hdg acbsp through the ritvik system left by Srila prabhupada more then 5 years ago.i think you are also a prabhupadanugas actually everyone is a prabhupadanugas even if they don’t know yet.you preaching inspire me to become more serious so I will start to follow our guru maharaj better so I declare war to Maya sukaya by avoiding anarthas and other unwanted things through prajalpa thank you for your good example agtys ys acsd haribol

  6. Rinku Patel says:

    Hare Krishna,

    I do my best to chant Hare Krishna 24 hours a day, and try to keep myself engaged in Krishna consciousness. Along with bhakti yoga, I have also given up eating out and watching TV, unless it’s related to Bhagvan Krishna. I’m reading the Bhagavad Gita by Srila Prabhupada the third time and there is always something new that I learn. It has changed my life and I do identify myself as the soul and not the body. However, this isn’t always the case. I always fall back in the maya trap where my mind carries away my knowledge and I forgot that Bhagvan Krishna cannot do anything wrong and I just need to have faith in him. Just seems like I have the knowledge and a strong background on Krishna consciousness but can’t always apply it because my mind and senses are overpowering my intelligence. My question is, what can I do more to stop this, or is this just normal part of life (back and forth war with maya)?

    Thank you for your weekly emails, they always provide me with the answers I seek!

    • Hare Krishna Rinku

      Yes. It is very good news you are chanting Hare Krisha and reading Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad-gita As It Is. Please read all of Srila Prabhupada’s other books also. Bhagavad-gita is the introduction book but there are so many other wonderful books given to us by Srila Prabhupada. He spent so much time and energy writing his books for our benefit, to enable us to become Krishna conscious. So everything you are looking for to strengthen your Krishna consciousness and conquer the attacks of maya is there in Srila Prabhupada’s books.

      So the answer to your question is you need to read all of Srila Prabhupada’s books and when you find Srila Prabhupada is giving you an instruction as you read then put that instruction into practice in your life. In this way you will get all the knowledge how to control your senses.

      It is a science, Krishna consciousness. So we have to learn the process and if we follow the process properly and get the mercy of a pure devotee of Krishna then automatically we will be able to conquer over maya.

      But, yes, it is not unusual for devotees to be facing this problem of sometimes being fairly fixed in Krishna consciousness and quite happy in devotional service and then to be attacked by maya and again fall down into sense gratification. So we have to stop this, but if we do fall down then it is not the end of the world. There is an English saying ‘Failure is the pillar of Success.’ So if we do fall down then we have to again come back to seriously chanting at least 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra every day, strictly following the four regulative principles (no illicit sex, no meat eating, no gambling and no intoxication) and reading Srila Prabhupada’s books at least 1-2 hours. So we will soon come back again to our Krishna conscious position.

      Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!

      Madhudvisa dasa

  7. Damien says:

    Hare Krishna, prabhu…! Please help clarify something for me.

    I read this -…

    “If one chants 64 rounds of the maha-mantra for 15 years while strictly following the principles of bhakti-yoga in the association of pure devotees, then one is sure to see the Supreme Personality of Godhead face to face in this very life and ultimately achieve the highest abode of the Lord called Goloka Vrindavana.”

    Then, where do I go if I only chant 16 rounds all the way until I leave my physical body?

    • Hare Krishna Damien

      There are so many bogus and discouraging websites out there so best thing is to stick to reading Srila Prabhupada’s books and not go everywhere all over the place to get suggestions from bogus people.

      We know Srila Prabhupada is a pure devotee of Krishna and it is Srila Prabhupada who has come to the Western world and given us Krishna consciousness in a practical way that we can actually follow it.

      It is true that Srila Bhaktsiddhanta instructed his disciples that 64 rounds a day was the minimum. But for us in the West it is difficult for us to chant 64 rounds. So Srila Prabhupada has given us the minimum of 16 rounds. Not that we stop at 16 rounds. 16 rounds is just the minimum that we must chant. You can chant 64 rounds also if you can. But realistically that is not very easy for most of us westerners.

      The system that Srila Prabhupada is instructing us is to be always, constantly, 24 hours a day, engaged in Krishna conscious activities. So he is teaching us to mold our lives in such a way that we are always, 24 hours a day, chanting Hare Krishna, reading Srimad-Bhagavatam, talking to people about Krishna, distributing his books to people, going out on the street in the sankirtan party and chanting Hare Krishna, attending the Mangal-Aroti in the morning and the Gaura Aroti in the evening, cleaning the temple, cooking for Krishna, etc, etc, etc. There are thousands and millions of activities, service, that we can perform for Krishna. So the idea is that if we are constantly engaged like this 24 hours a day in practical devotional service, then that is like chanting 64 rounds. So the point is to engage ourselves in Krishna conscious activities constantly, 24 hours a day, and at the same time chant at least 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra every day and strictly follow the four regulative principles [no illicit sex, no meat eating, no gambling and no intoxication] and read Srila Prabhupada’s books at least 1-2 hours a day.

      So instead of wasting time reading dubious websites that may or may not be correct, it is better to have a regular program of reading Srila Prabhupada’s books, preferably aloud, and then if you have some question on what you read in Srila Prabhupada’s books please ask me about it here and that will be very nice if we can discuss questions that come up as you read Srila Prabhupada’s books.

      Other things, outside of Srila Prabhupada’s books, may or may not be correct, but as followers of Srila Prabhupada we should be interested in hearing Srila Prabhupada. It is only Srila Prabhupada who has been successful in transforming people from all over the world like us into pure devotees of Krishna. So we know that Prabhupada has the power and ability to save us. We need to seriously take shelter at Srila Prabhupada’s lotus feet and read his books [preferably read them aloud and chant an hear all the Sanskrit and Bengali mantras in the books. Chanting and hearing Prabhupada’s books is considerably more powerful than just reading them in your mind.

      Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!

      Madhudvisa dasa

      • Damien says:

        Hare Krishna, prabhu.. you mentioned Krishna conscious activities. Yesterday, I volunteered in a small Hispanic Christian church nearby. Could this be considered a “Krishna conscious activity”??

        By the way, I’ve starting chanting four days straight now, and I like it somehow. It took me 10 minutes to chant one round. I split 16 rounds into three separate segments throughout the day.

        Also, where I live, there’s no prasadam gathering for me to go to anywhere and no mangal arati either. The closest group to me is the ISKCON Temple in Culver City on Watseka Avenue in Los Angeles. I used to go there on Sundays for the evening service…and sometimes to the Govinda restaurant next door. That’s it…

        • Hare Krishna Damien

          Very good news that you are chanting Hare Krishna and liking it. Chant Hare Krishna more and you will like it more. That is the way to Krishna consciousness and success in life.

          The problem is the Christians are meat eaters, alcohol drinkers, smokers, etc, etc… So they are not the best association really. But maybe it is pious activity. But unless you were talking to them about Krishna and getting them to chant Hare Krishna I don’t really think we could call it Krishna conscious activity.

          You can cook nice vegetarian things yourself and offer them to a photo of Srila Prabhupada and picture of the Panca-Tattva. Then you will be able to make your own prasadam. That is the best way.

          I am not sure that visiting the ISKCON temples is really very helpful. Somehow over the years ISKCON have drifted far, far away from the teachings of Srila Prabhupada and they may just confuse and misdirect you… Better to read Prabhupada’s books, chant Hare Krishna, cook for Srila Prabhupada and Krishna yourself and offer it and distribute the prasadam to the people around you and get them to chant Hare Krishna also and get them to read Prabhupada’s books also and soon you will have your own little temple there.

          Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!

          Madhudvisa dasa

          • Damien says:

            One day soon…when I get my own apartment, I will have it adorned with “Krishna stuff” everywhere…for lack of a better description. I will have a small altar, with the usual three deities, incense, food and flowers to Krishna, to Sri Prabhupada, and to several of the other bona-fide “major players”…

            At that time, I will get things from Krishna Store. Right now, I am under the auspice of a friend, and I don’t have my own apartment…just yet. Please remember me in your prayers that Krishna will guide me to do what is necessary and right.

          • Yes. Very good idea. In the meantime you can get some pictures. Like photo of Srila Prabhupada and picture of Panca-Tattva. [Lord Caitanya and His associates]. These two pictures are most essential. So you can at least have these two pictures when you are chanting Hare Krishna, etc.

          • Damien says:

            Hare Krishna, prabhu madhudivsa! Where could I get a photo of Srila Prabhupada and a picture of Panca-Tattva?

          • We have them on KrishnaStore.com or if you can print out you can search for photos on the internet and print out:

            https://krishnastore.ca/krishna-art-altar-pictures-om-22_26.html

  8. Dhimant says:

    Hare Krishna Prabhuji,

    I am on the path of Krishna consciousness,also chanting hare krishna mantra & reading books,
    I have one problem in my current work place all my colleagues & bosses are unpious & always do things that are related for sense gratification & to please bosses..But i am not liking all those activities once i got in connection to krishna..

    Help me to understand how should i react to the situation as Job is important for my Family responsibilities & if i dont please them they will discard me from job..

    Hare krishna..

    • Hare Krishna Dhimant

      Yes. We live in a very difficult materialistic world. And most others are completely captivated by materialistic sinful activities.

      So as far as work, of course you have to work and support your family, etc, so you just have to do the work well and be polite to your workmates but not get involved in their sense gratification discussions and activities.

      The point is you have to become Krishna conscious, and the beginning step for this is to chant the Hare Krishna mantra at least 16 rounds a day, strictly follow the four regulative principles: no illicit sex, no meat eating, no gambling and no intoxication and read Srila Prabhupada’s books at least 1-2 hours a day. So do this. And if you do all these things seriously then Srila Prabhupada will instruct you as you read his books and Krishna will instruct you from within your heart and in this way you will understand what you should do in every situation.

      Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!

      Madhudvisa dasa

  9. Shobi says:

    Who is brahman.and what is brahamana

    • Brahman means spirit. Krishna is para-brahman, which means the supreme brahman. We, the spirit soul within the body, are also brahman. A brahmana is one who knows brahman. One who knows the spiritual nature and can distinguish it from the material energy. You need to read Srila Prabhupada’s books to understand these things in more detail.

  10. sadtya says:

    Please accept my humble obeisances

    Dear guru ji,
    Thank you so much for your kindness to give me this most valuable knowledge.
    Hare Krishna !

    Your servant,
    Sadtya

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