Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
You have probably noticed “Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!” at the end of my letters. And some may be skeptical that simply chanting: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare / Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare will produce happiness. However happiness is one of the very first symptoms that becomes manifest in a person advancing in Krishna consciousness. And this is my practical, personal experience. Ever since I started chanting the Hare Krishna mantra it has given me a sense of great transcendental happiness.
Not being happy is a sign of not being Krishna conscious. Because Krishna consciousness is a self-manifested joyful condition. Why is that? It is because by nature every living entity is joyful and is in Krishna consciousness. The only reason we are not joyful here in the material world is because our original Krishna consciousness is covered by maya. This chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra has the power to uncover our original consciousness and when our original Krishna consciousness is uncovered we will be in our eternal natural constitutional position of ever-increasing happiness, full knowledge and we will realize that we are eternally youthful spiritual living entities who’s only purpose is to serve Krishna.
This process of ‘cleansing the mirror of the heart’ [ceto darpana marjanam] is described by Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in one of the only eight verses that He wrote. These eight verses written by Lord Caitanya very perfectly summarize Krishna consciousness and one of the verses is:
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
Glory 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 enables us to fully taste the nectar for which we are always anxious.
Lord Caitanya says if you chant the Hare Krishna maha-mantra all the dirty things which have accumulated in your heart due to material contamination will be cleared off. He gives the example that the heart is just like a mirror. If on the mirror there is heaps of dust accumulated one can not see his real face by the reflection of the mirror, therefore it should be cleansed. In our present conditional life our hearts are so overloaded with so much dust due to our material association from time immemorial, if we chant this Hare Krishna mantra then the dust will be removed. It will begin to be removed immediately and as soon as the heart is cleansed of all dust we can see our face, what we really are. Seeing our face means knowing our real identification.
By chanting Hare Krishna mantra we will understand we are not the body. This is our misconception. The dust means this misconception, accepting this body or the mind as self. Actually, we are not this body or the mind. We are spirit soul. So as soon as we can understand that we are not these bodies, immediately the blazing fire of material conditions, or the blazing fire of material miseries, becomes dissipated. No more misery. Aham brahmasmi.
As it is stated in the Bhagavad-gita, brahma-bhutah? prasannatma. Immediately one understands his real identification as spirit soul, he becomes joyful. In the material world we are not joyful. Due to our material contact, we are always full of anxieties. By chanting Hare Krishna mantra, we shall immediately come to the stage of joyful life. This is called liberation. When one becomes joyful, free from all anxieties, that stage is actual liberation because every living creature, the spirit soul, is by nature joyful. The whole struggle for existence is that he is searching after that joyful stage of life, but he missing the point. Therefore, every time we try for a joyful life we are being defeated. This constant defeat can be overcome immediately by chanting this Hare Krishna mantra. That is the effect of this transcendental vibration.
The spiritual pleasure that we enjoy from chanting the Hare Krishna mantra is not like material so-called pleasure. For example we may be hungry but as soon as we get food, with every mouthful we take the pleasure we receive from eating that food decreases. Until after we have eaten a few mouthfuls and our hunger is satisfied we do not like to take any more of that food. This means here in the material world whatever pleasure we can experience, it will decrease. But spiritual pleasure is different. Lord Caitanya says: anandambudhi-vardhanam, the spiritual pleasure is just like the ocean. Here in the material world we have the experience that the ocean does not increase, the ocean always remains within its limit. But the ocean of spiritual pleasure increases. Anandambudhi-vardhanam. Sreyah-kairava-candrika-vitaranam. How does that spiritual pleasure increase? Lord Caitanya gives the example of the moon. On the first night after the new moon the moon is a very thin curved line in the sky only. But on the second day, third day, the moon increases, gradually it increases. Similarly in spiritual life the spiritual pleasure increases day after day after day until it reaches the full moon night. And then our lives become full of knowledge because spiritual life means eternal life, full of bliss and full of knowledge
So we increase our pleasure because proportionately we increase the volume of our knowledge. It is just like the ocean, but still it increases. It is so nice that once situated in this state of life, one thinks that “I am fully satisfied.” Just like if one takes bath dipping into the water, he feels refreshed immediately. Similarly, in spiritual life the increasing joy day after day makes one feel that he is fully satisfied.
One who is thus transcendentally situated at once realizes the Supreme Brahman. He never laments nor desires to have anything; he is equally disposed to every living entity. In that state he attains pure devotional service unto Me. (Bhagavad Gita 18.54)
A materialist who is working very hard for sense gratification is miserable but for a devotee, who does not work for his own sense gratification but works for the gratification of Krishna’s senses, there is no misery. The devotee has nothing to lament or desire, because he has no desire except the desire to serve his spiritual master and Krishna. Because the devotee is serving God and God is full and completely satisfied in every way the devotee engaged in the service of Krishna also becomes full and completely satisfied in every way. He becomes just like a river cleansed of all the dirty water.
Because the pure devotee has no thought other than Krishna he is naturally always joyful. He is not at all disturbed by material loss or gain because he is fully engaged in the service of the Lord. The pure devotee has no desire for any type of material enjoyment because he knows that every living entity is part and parcel of the Supreme Lord and therefore eternally a servant. The devotee’s peace and happiness comes from this realization that he is eternally a servant of Krishna and the only purpose of his life is to serve Krishna. He is attached to nothing except being engaged in the service of his spiritual master and Krishna. This is the real, natural and eternal constitutional position of every living entity: nitya krsna dasa, “every living entity is eternally a servant of Krishna.” As soon as we realize we are servants of Krishna and give up all personal desires and aspirations and simply work for the pleasure of Krishna under the direction of Krishna’s pure devotee, the bona fide spiritual master, we will at once be relieved of all the sources of anxiety and distress in the material world and at once we will relish transcendental happiness on the spiritual platform.
The world is miserable for the materially infected person, but for a devotee the entire world is as good as Vaikuntha, or the spiritual sky. The highest personality in this material universe is no more significant than an ant for a devotee. Such a stage can be achieved by the mercy of Lord Caitanya, who preached pure devotional service in this age.
The stage of perfection is called trance, or samadhi, when one’s mind is completely restrained from material mental activities by practice of yoga. This is characterized by one’s ability to see the self by the pure mind and to relish and rejoice in the self. In that joyous state, one is situated in boundless transcendental happiness and enjoys himself through transcendental senses. Established thus, one never departs from the truth and upon gaining this he thinks there is no greater gain. Being situated in such a position, one is never shaken, even in the midst of greatest difficulty. This indeed is actual freedom from all miseries arising from material contact. (Bhagavad Gita 6.20-23)
This is from the Sixth Chapter of Bhagavad Gita which we have been discussing for some weeks now. By practice of yoga one becomes gradually detached from material concepts. This is the primary characteristic of the yoga principle. And after this, one becomes situated in trance, or samadhi, which means that the yogi realizes the Supersoul through transcendental mind and intelligence, without any of the misgivings of identifying the self with the Superself. In this verse transcendental pleasure–realized through transcendental senses–is accepted.
When the yogi is once situated in the transcendental position, he is never shaken from it. Unless the yogi is able to reach this position, he is unsuccessful. Today’s so-called yoga practice, which involves various sense pleasures, is contradictory. A yogi indulging in sex and intoxication is a mockery. Even those yogis who are attracted by the siddhis (perfections) in the process of yoga are not perfectly situated. If the yogis are attracted by the by-products of yoga, then they cannot attain the stage of perfection, as is stated in this verse. Persons, therefore, indulging in the make-show practice of gymnastic feats or siddhis should know that the aim of yoga is lost in that way.
The best practice of yoga in this age is Krishna consciousness, which is not baffling. A Krishna conscious person is so happy in his occupation that he does not aspire after any other happiness. There are many impediments, especially in this age of hypocrisy, to practicing hatha-yoga, dhyana-yoga and jnana-yoga, but there is no such problem in executing karma-yoga or bhakti-yoga.
As long as the material body exists, one has to meet the demands of the body, namely eating, sleeping, defending and mating. But a person who is in pure bhakti-yoga or in Krishna consciousness does not arouse the senses while meeting the demands of the body. Rather, he accepts the bare necessities of life, making the best use of a bad bargain, and enjoys transcendental happiness in Krishna consciousness. He is callous toward incidental occurrences–such as accidents, disease, scarcity and even the death of a most dear relative–but he is always alert to execute his duties in Krishna consciousness or bhakti-yoga. Accidents never deviate him from his duty. As stated in the Bhagavad-gita, agamapayino ‘nityas tams titiksasva bharata. He endures all such incidental occurrences because he knows that they come and go and do not affect his duties. In this way he achieves the highest perfection in yoga practice.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
About the Author
Madhudvisa dasa 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!
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‘Devotion always gives Happiness’ is perfectly true! The moment we start chanting Hare Krishna we are in touch with all the energy available in the entire creation.. If we follow the principals given by Lord Krishna, the life will tremendously be change and give unexplainable or eternal happiness.
Hare Krishna!
Well. Yes. But in the beginning we are materially contaminated, diseased, and we can not perceive the spiritual bliss at all really. Because we are so covered. So the real success is not chanting Hare Krishna when you are feeling blissful, but continuing to chant Hare Krishna when you have no taste at all for chanting Hare Krishna, when you are suffering and when you feel miserable.
That is the point of vowing to chant at least 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra every day. We have to chant Hare Krishna, even if we do not feel very blissful when chanting Hare Krishna.
The unlimited bliss, all the energy available in creation, it is there, in the Hare Krishna mantra, as you say, but we are so dull and so covered by the material nature, it can be very difficult for us to perceive it.
So yes, chant Hare Krishna and we will be happy… But it may take some time, and we have to become very determined to chant Hare Krishna, even if, in the beginning, we are not happy..
Hare krishna prabhuji,
You say that just by chanting one cannot become that pure and can’t go to Krishna’s abode in reaply to a comment. So why Chaitanya mahaprabhu took the mission as spreading harinaama sankirtan only? Many people had just chanted Lord’s name only and they became so pure that they got Krishna’s abode. We can understand that they were may be pure hearted. But Lord’s name is so great that if we chant it, it can give us the real love for krishna. Actually, I got your sentence that just chanting is not enough that’s why I’m writing this.
Yes. Chanting Hare Krishna only is not enough. Chanting Hare Krishna means “Please Krishna engage me in Your service” So we can only chant Hare Krishna really if we have surrendered to a bona fide spiritual master and have accepted his instruction as our life and soul and have dedicated our lives to his service. Just chanting “Hare Krishna” and going on with our material life is meaningless and will have very little effect.
Of course it is a great science. And one can be liberated by namabhasa chanting. And if one unknowingly chants the name of God at the time of death like Ajamila, then he can be liberated.
So it is a great science and there are many points and it is not possible to explain everything here. So I suggest you read all of Srila Prabhupada’s books. He explains everything completely in his books.
Thank you so much for the simple truth
During chanting the inner mind will receive unknown happiness and flows throughout body and it is expressed as dance for few devotees.
Hare Krishna!
I’ve seen many devotees jump and dance while doing kirtan.
My question is how can one jump and at the same time chant?
Because while jumping, there is panting and it would be very difficult to chant while jumping.
No, devotees can chant very well and jump at the same time.
„The world is miserable for the materially infected person, but for a devotee the entire world is as good as Vaikuntha, or the spiritual sky.“
Beautiful. This is The Divine Vision. “The Kingdom of the Father is spread out upon the earth, and men do not see it.” ~ Gospel of Thomas
Yes. For the pure devotee there is no material world.
‘Chant Hare Krishna and be happy’ is perfectly true! The moment we start chanting Hare Krishna we are in touch with all the energy available in the entire creation of Lord Krishna and with Lord Krishna Himself! So what can overpower us while we are chanting Hare Krishna?
Chant Hare Krishna and be perfectly happy and that too immediately!
Hare Krishna Prabhu!
It is said that one needs to be fortunate to be chanting Hare Krishna. So I’m one of those fortunate people. But it seems I’m not fortunate enough to be chanting at least 16 rounds regularly. Not even close to this standard. So what to do to become fortunate enough to become a pure devotee of Lord Krishna?
Just do it Prabhu. You have to force yourself to chant at least 16 rounds a day. That is the whole point of vowing to chant at least 16 rounds a day. We have to force ourselves to do it. If we don’t make the vow and don’t force ourselves to follow it we will just end up not chanting at all. The time is so materialistic that there is no hope of making spiritual advancement without chanting at least 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra every day. There is no spiritual live actually without surrendering to and seriously following these principles. So we have to surrender and we have to follow. It is just a question of priorities and determination.
Hare Krishna Aman prabhu,
I remember the very first time I came in contact with Krishna consciousness movement, it was Srila Prabhupada’s books that mesmerized me… So much so that I couldn’t give it up to this day. And gradually I was so amazed with Srila Prabhupada’s teachings that I wished to sincerely follow his instructions. It takes great effort to understand how fortunate we are to have come in contact with Srila Prabhupada. I had seem many “gurus” before but never had anyone mesmerized me so much. Now in India, one by one they are all getting caught on rape charges and that serves them right!
I remember the very first time I heard about the rule that we should chant 16 rounds a day, I became so enthusiastic. There was no one to encourage me but Srila Prabhupada himself. So the first day I heard about this rule I did 4 rounds, the next day 9 rounds and on the 3rd day 16 rounds and that was the end of it. From that day there has not been a single day when I did not do my 16 rounds. And what keeps me going? It is Srila Prabhupada through his books!
So just give it a try. I challenge you to do it (coming to 16 rounds) in two days, else I win!
May you be successful in this attempt! My best wishes. Please give a go at it without any reservations…
P.S. Please read Srila Prabhupada’s books daily for at least 1 hour; that is the only thing that can keep you going in Krishna consciousness.
Hare Krishna!
Hare Krishna mataji.
Thanks for encouraging me to chant 16 rounds. I also find Srila Prabhupada’s books mesmerizing and like to read them.
hello; i enjoyed your writings. i have had some interest in chanting the mahamantra for many years; in that time i have chanted off and on by myself. many years ago i used to visit new vrindhavan occasionally. several years ago i read an article by a man who has a number of devotee followers but i cannot remember his name; he said that if one eats meat (which i do) he should not chant “hare krishna” because too much karma will be released and one will suffer too much. he said i should instead chant “on namo bhagavate vasudevaya” is that correct?
Hare Krishna Bob
There are so many bogus rascal gurus and you have met one of them unfortunately.
You should chant Hare Krishna. That will give you the realization, intelligence and strength to give up eating meat and follow the other regulative principles.
So chant Hare Krishna, read Srila Prabhupada’s books and try to follow the instructions you find Srila Prabhupada giving you as you read his books.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Madhudvisa Prabhu, I find myself completely unable to chant due to poor physical health and mental anguish. I have migraine syndrome as well as tremendous emotional distress due to my current life situation. However, I listen to japa/kirtan very frequently and the Krishnacore music of Shelter, and it is helping me. I understand I should commence chanting and not abandon the sadhana, but I feel overwhelmed due to my poor health. Also, constantly hearing “chant 16 rounds, chant 16 rounds, chant 16 rounds…” doesn’t help and puts a lot of pressure on me. Please advise me as to how I can remedy the situation and begin chanting without feeling pressured or overwhelmed.
Hare Krishna Steve
The only way is chanting at least 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra a day and listening to the Shelter hardcore music will NOT HELP YOU in this regard.
In the material world there is pressure and everyone is serving maya, everyone is a materialist, so naturally this is overwhelming for us who are trying to become devotees. That is the way it is in the material world. You have to get used to it. If you want to become a devotee it will seem overwhelming, impossible and everyone will be trying to convince you to ‘chill out’, ‘take it easy’, ‘relax’. But as soon as we listen to them and relax we are immediately back in the clutches of maya.
So your first step should be to stop listening to Shelter. It will not help you. Get the Prabhupada kirtans and bhajans:
https://krishnastore.com/prabhupada-kirtans-and-bhajans-the-complete-colletion-h-krishna-1463.html
That is really, really, really wonderful…
And listen to them.
That will help you.
And read Srila Prabhupada’s books.
Basically there are two main instructions:
Kirtaniya sada hari: “Chant Hare Krishna always, 24 hours a day”
and
Nityam bhagavata sevaya: “Read and hear the Srimad-Bhagavatam always 24 hours a day”
So it is not possible of course to both read the Bhagavatam and chant Hare Krishna always 24 hours a day. But we should always be either reading the Bhagatam, talking about the Bhagavatam or chanting Hare Krishna 24 hours a day. Still we have to sleep for a few hours, eat, etc. But the idea should be to minimize these things to the minimum.
So if you don’t feel like chanting Hare Krishna then read Srila Prabhupada’s books. That will inspire you and after reading Prabhupada’s books for a while you will feel like chanting Hare Krishna.
The process is the process. We have to chant at least 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra every day, we have to strictly follow the four regulative principles, we have to read Srila Prabhupada’s books at least 1-2 hours a day. Of course we may fail at times. I fail at times. But because we may fail does not mean we adjust the process or drop our expectations. No. We may fail but the process is the process and if we fail then we have to strive to rectify ourselves and bring us back to the proper standard.
It may seem overwhelming and our health may seem poor. But we have to follow the process. At least we have to strive to follow the process and if we strive sincerely then we will reach the goal. And our health will improve as far as possible.
But realistically these material bodies are a bad bargain. They deteriorate rapidly as the years go on. So as soon as the body is 20 years old then everything goes downhill and the older we get the more sick our body becomes. It happens to everybody. There is no way around this.
So we have to get off the bodily conception of life. We have to realize we are not these material bodies. We are the spirit soul trapped in the material body.
So the more Krishna conscious we become the more we will be able to ignore the sufferings of the body.
So do not say “I am sick and unable to chant…”
Just chant Hare Krishna inspite of all material difficulties and the seemingly hopeless situation and Krishna will help you. Not that the bodily difficulties will go away, they get worse as we get older, but you will transcend the bodily concept of life and realize you are not the body but the spirit soul and your eternal occupation is serving Krishna.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Hare Krishna guruji
I am doing both oral and writing meditation on maha mantra everyday. recently my grandma expired and i stopped for few days. Should i continue my meditation? Does it have effect on me? also i could not spend my time without chanting it. Pls advice
Hare Krishna
Lenin
Yes. Never stop chanting Hare Krishna. Keep chanting Hare Krishna…
Can one still receive benefits from chanting the maha-mantra less than the required 16 rounds a day? For example, if one is only able to chant 8 rounds a day will he/she receive at least 50% of the benefits?
In other words is the person still receiving benefits from chanting the maha-mantra, even if he/she chants less than the required 16 rounds a day? Thank you.
Yes of course even chanting Hare Krishna once will give benefit. But there has to be numerical strength. This is the teaching of Lord Caitanya. So the minimum for serious devotees is 16 rounds so just chant 16 rounds. It takes 2-3 hours only so just do it. It is very little. Even if you say four hours, four hours out of 24 is nothing. So just do it.
It is like saying the doctor has prescribed this medicine to cure the disease and asking if I take half the amount the doctor prescribes will that half cure my disease? So it is a silly question. If he is a competent doctor and has given the correct medicine then if you want to get well you have to take the medicine in the dose prescribed by the doctor.
So Srila Prabhupada has prescribed a minimum of 16 rounds a day, so just do it. It is not difficult to chant 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra. Just do it…..
You can not expect to get well if you are not prepared to take the medicine according to the prescription of the bona fide doctor…
I appreciate the article on living in seclusion.
Very challenging in Urban Boston.
It CAN be done, hearing and chanting
whenever possible, and of course,
make first class association a priority.
HI Niranjana Swami challenges:
when you are with someone, ask
Who’s giving association to who?
Srila Prabhupad was not above
aggressive interruption to get
the message to a nondevotee.
I am slowly learning this art.
It helps to be a parent, where someone
is deliberately put under your tutelage.
Gratefully your servant,
Chatamayi d dasi
I have personally seen this blessing come true! My life has changed for the better since learning to chant this powerful mantra.
Thank you for enlightening us.
Hare Krishna!
Does anyone know how to make chanting easier, I find my mind really wanders when I’m trying to chant, I feel restless and start thinking of other things to do. I follow the four regulative principles but can only manage one round of chanting per day. Hare Krishna.
Hare Krishna Sahra
Chanting is not easy in the beginning because we are so materially contaminated. So we have to become determined to chant at least 16 rounds even though our mind does not want to let us. That is the only way to control the mind. By forcing yourself to chant at least 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra daily. Force is needed in the beginning and later on you will not be able to stop chanting Hare Krishna…
Hare Krishna Prabhu
In the last message you said that we devotees are not affected by incidents like accidents, death of relatives, etc and we perform Bhakti-yoga..
But, as per Hinduism, isn’t it wrong if we perform puja for the God for 11 days if some relatives die??
Hare Krishna Nishanth
As devotees of Krishna we should be performing puja for Krishna every day, even if the relatives are not dying.
Devotees know that no one dies. They just change from one body to another.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
hare krishna..thanks for your advice guruji..
hare krishna guruji..chanting harekrishna mahamantra is really helpful..but my problem is as a student I have to stay in the hostel and also in the company of people who are not aware of krishna sometimes its too difficult to adjust with those kind of people as they only concentrate on materialistic thing..I can’t live without chanting and remembering my krishna..could you pls guide me to reach my destination…
Hare Krishna Amulya
Yes. Devotees do not like to associate with non-devotees. That is natural. Non-devotees are only interested in sense gratification and spend all their time and energy talking about and trying to engage in sense gratification. Devotees do not like this. They like to be engaged in the service of Krishna and they like to associate with other devotees. So there is a natural incompatibility there.
So you can not completely disassociate with the other students but you can minimize your association with them and try to talk to some of them about Krishna if you can find some interested in hearing.
So the reality is that no matter what our situation in life is maya will be encouraging us to not take Krishna consciousness very seriously. So if you do not take Krishna consciousness seriously now then you will probably never take it seriously.
So the point is we will always have materialistic people around us in the material world. That is the nature of this place. So we just have to go on with our Krishna conscious duties unchecked. Just chant at least 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra every day, strictly follow the four regulative principles and read Srila Prabhupada’s books at least 1-2 hours a day. Everything else is secondary, not very important. The only important thing about this human form of life is that it is a very good boat which we can use to cross the ocean of necissence. So we should not waste time. We need to use this valuable human form of life to become Krishna conscious. Then, if we become Krishna conscious ourselves, we will have the potency to convince others also.
So do not be distracted. Just keep on with your Krishna conscious activities. Do not unnecessarily upset your fellow students but if sometimes they become upset or annoyed by your attempts to become Krishna conscious then you can just ignore it.
Chanting Hare Krishna is the most auspicious thing. So your attempts to become Krishna conscious will help the other students also, even if they do not realize it. You will be doing them the greatest favor.
Hare Krishna Madhudvisa dasa Prabhu,
I am very thankful and appreciative of your efforts to help many others
purifying themselves and guiding them to live happy life!
Hari Bol!
Charu from USA
Hare Krishna,hare krishna,
Hello respected prabhuji. I am a devotee of Krishna and I really love my Krishna. But I lack in faith my dear sir. Though tears roll out of my eyes when I think of krisna darling my mind is always unsteady. Some times it tries to question Krishna though I love him. I immediately reply it by saying how Krishna put his nama on my forehead when I was a mere child. My mother,grandmother and great grandmother saw the Krishna nama on my fore head. It was white on the sides and red in middle. And just a few days back when I was having a lusty dream suddenly some unknown power came from my heart and I immediately fell asleep. Please kindly help me prabhuji I would like to serve my darling in undeviated faith. I’m not even interested in liberation, even if he grants me liberation I would deny to enter kingdom of god,I would take permission from my krisna to forever remain in vrindavana so that I can constantly hear his chantings ,jappanas,uppasanas, and see janmastami celebrations. I am sure that some day krisna will grant me krisna consciousness because my right eye quivered 4days completely. More over I really love him,so my dear prabhuji please help me
You can only really become Krishna conscious by the mercy of a pure devotee of Krishna. Other ways it is not possible. Many sentimental things are there but for the real Krishna consciousness to manifest you need to please a pure devotee of Krishna and get his mercy. It is only by the mercy of a pure devotee of Krishna that you can get the mercy of Krishna.
Srila Prabhupada is a pure devotee of Krishna and you can easily get his mercy by reading his books and following the instructions you find him giving you in the books.
To become Krishna conscious we have to accept a few basic principles. We have to surrender to chanting at least 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra every day, we have to strictly follow the four regulative principles: no illicit sex, no meat eating, no gambling and no intoxication. And we need to read Srila Prabhupada’s books at least 1-2 hours a day. Unless we are really prepared to surrender to and follow these points we will not be able to become actually Krishna conscious. And of course we have to get the mercy of a pure devotee of Krishna. That is the key. The only pure devotee of Krishna that I know is available now and who is ready to give unlimited mercy to anyone who is prepared to surrender to him and serve him is His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. He is so merciful. Even if we are so fallen somehow still he will reach out with his merciful arms and save us, as long as we are a little bit sincerely trying to surrender to him and serve him.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Thank u very much. The problem is I am just 17 years old and if I tell my parents about my love towards krisna darling they will kick me for sure. Oh servant of Krishna please reply me.
Guruji I think I have crossed the 1st hurdle. The great temptation. At a marriage party there was meat platter all around. Something in me stoped me from having the meat . I think it was ur blessings. The blessings of the mantra Sarva dharman paritajya Mamekang swaranang braja haham twang sarva papevya makhaeshyami
Hare Krishna
Yes. It is chanting Hare Krishna mantra and reading Srila Prabhupada’s books that give us strength. As we make a little advancement in Krishna consciousness meat will become totally obnoxious to us and we will not touch it even if someone paid us a million dollars to.
Devotees only want to accept Krishna prasadam. But it only takes a little advancement for us to see that the foods int he modes of ignorance like meat are so totally horrible and unacceptable for us.
It gives us hope that if now we are no longer attracted to eating meat then in the future there is some hope that we will also become unattracted by sex life which tends to be a much stronger and more difficult addiction to give up…
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Dear Prabhu; I subscribed to the newsletter some time ago. Excellent service you’re doing with the newsletter and the website. It’s a great inspiration. I am not a new devotee. I’ve been in contact with Krishna Consciousness for some time. Like many devotees, I have distanced myself from the ISKCON organization, and I’m looking for association outside of ISKCON. At the moment, I’m trying to do a serious reading and understanding of the Srimad Bhagavatam. I’m looking for the association of devotees who are also interested in an ongoing association with the Srimad Bhagavatam, or with Srila Prabhupada’s life and teachings overall. I’m presently on the big island of Hawaii, but it does not have to be direct association here locally. It could be reading over the phone, etc. Do you know any devotees who might be interested in reading and association over the phone, etc.? I’m in a remote area of the island, and I find myself too isolated from devotee association. And I cannot relate to ISKCON devotees. Thanks for your help, Prabhu!
No. I do not know. I recommend you take association with Srila Prabhupada by reading his books and hearing his lectures and just get some books and go out on the street and distribute the books to the people you meet and talk to them about Krishna and make them devotees then you have local devotees to associate with. That is the process. That is what Prabhupada did. He did not bring any devotees to the US. He went there himself and made devotees there himself and then associated with them. You can also do this…
Hare Krishna prabhu ji
all glories to srila prabhupad
all glories to lord Shri Krishna ji
deep respect to you
totally true written by you that happiness is one of the first symptoms of being in true Krishna consciousness. Then you want to only look at Krishna and cry for all day long remembering him Then you love to talk about him, read about him, think about him, chant his name, your interest change from material interest to spiritual interest. You are not effected by material actions around you. Sometimes we are confused but by reading Krishna’s pure devotee’s books and your mails one comes back to the track, back to Krishna ji. Prabhu ji one really needs honest and true guidence which is provided by srila prabhupad and you. Very very nice sevice to Krishna ji.
Thankyou prabhu ji
Hare krishna
I have given you the suggestion before. The best thing is to get out of bed early in the mornings, by 4:00 AM, and chant Hare Krishna and read Srila Prabhupada’s books in the quiet morning hours. During this time nothing will disturb your chanting. Of course you can keep on chanting throughout the day when you get the time but if you have done your main chanting in the early morning hours that will put you in good consciousness for the whole day.
Hare Krishna,
What will be the punishment which we will get in narka-laka ( Hell )when we do lot of offence or wrong things,like theft,murder etc…………….
Rgds,
Manish Junghare
Hare Krishna Manish
There are unlimited different hellish planets with so many different types of suffering and pain in them. So many ways to suffer… You can read about them in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. It is not at all nice. Better to chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Hare Krishna, Sir
Lately I have been feeling gloomy because I have been becoming more and more acutely aware that there are in actual fact torture places in this world for punishment. And from reading SB Canto 5 it seems that almost anyone today is a candidate for hell. This actually weighs on me greatly. And there are a few things about this that bother me:
1) If animal life is meant for burning one’s karma, what is the need of hell?
2) The punishment in hell seems way out of proportion. How can it be just for someone to be tortured for thousands of years for the acts of one short lifetime?
3) So it makes me a bit confused about the nature of karma. What is karma exactly?
Is it about states of consciousness? (for ex. if I cause someone a certain amount of pain, I will receive the same amount of pain later.)
Is it about actions and mirrored reactions? (for ex. I hit someone in the face so I will get hit in the face.)
Or is it about laws? (For ex. it may be a law in some country that when you kill someone you go to jail for 30 years, so it may be a law you go to hell for this or that deed.)
Or all of the above?
4) Prabhupada said hell is meant for purification and the purpose is that we don’t do the same things again. But nobody remembers their previous hellish experiences. So how can this be reasonable? Why can’t Krishna just let these souls be happy as hogs and dogs without hell?
5) Prabhupada says Krishna is so kind, He allows us to have sense gratification if that is what we want. But then He sends us to hell for it. So I disagree with Krishna on this and it makes me a bit angry even. I’d like to come to a satisfying conclusion about this but the reality seems too dark. How could anyone ever be happy again knowing these facts, knowing about so much suffering?
Excuse my offenses. I’m a walking, talking offense. It is not possible for me to act without offenses. But it is not possible for me not to act either. So it is a great difficulty.
There is only suffering in the material world. The point is to realize this, become Krishna conscious and go back home back to Godhead. And now Srila Prabhupada has given us the easy method to do that, just chant Hare Krishna. So just do it, chant at least 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra every 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 and go back home back to Godhead instead of going to Hell…
Thank you, sir. I was in a very dark mood when I wrote that comment, so I shouldn’t have sent it.
But I am now confused about the regulative prohibitory principle of gambling. At first, I was under the impression that ‘no gambling’ meant no betting and games of chance and financial speculation. But I have been encountering some excerpts from Prabhupada where he includes all kinds of entertainment under the umbrella of gambling (unnecessary sporting, idle sports of any sort, ball sports, unnecessary recreation enterprises, unnecessary indoor or outdoor games, crossword puzzles, racing, cinema, theater or any such entertainment, and mental speculative thinking).
But most of the time Prabhupada only refers to the strict definition of gambling as betting. And it is bad because it destroys truthfulness and increases greed. So that I understand why it is sinful.
But taking the wider definition of gambling as in any entertainment outside Krishna consciousness that agitates the mind and is a waste of time, I haven’t been following this strictly and it seems that it becomes almost impossible and even impractical. It seems that one would have to already be perfectly Krishna conscious to reach this standard of initiation, since anything outside Krishna consciousness activity is a waste of time and therefore gambling. So now I’m wondering if I’m committing great offenses when I play a game now and then or play ball with the dogs. I don’t understand why it is sinful. I understand it is unfavorable because it is a waste of time. But it doesn’t seem realistic to give up all these points strictly in this isolated position. So what is the position of someone who plays some chess, football, video games sporadically?
The point is a devotee has no business except serving Krishna. A devotee never performs any activity for any reason other than for serving Krishna, for pleasing Krishna. So that is devotee and that is what we have to become. And to become actually a devotee Srila Prabhupada has given us all the clear instructions how to do it in his books. We have to read Srila Prabhupada’s books and put them into practice in our lives. So if we find ourselves at any point engaged in any activity that is not directly serving Srila Prabhupada and Krishna we can know it for sure that we are not devotees, we are in maya, and we should correct ourselves and get back into remembering Krishna, serving Krishna. And in this age the only practical method of keeping our minds always on Krishna is to always chant:
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
HARE KRISHNA PRABHU,
I want all your lecture in hindi.Because in hindi we can think deepaly if it’s possible then send me all lectures in hindi..
JAI SHRI RADHE KRISHNA…
You should learn how to think in English Prabhu.
I acn think prabhu but who don’t know the english how he can think and learn. 70% population of india don’t know the english that’s why i am requesting to u…include everyone…IN DEVOTION THERE IS NO NEED OF KNOWLEDGE OF ENGLISH…
HARE KRISHNA PRABHU…
English and Hindi are the national languages of India and all educated people in India know how to speak English. Yes English is not required for Krishna consciousness, but if one really wants to study the teachings of Srila Prabhupada they are in English, so he will naturally learn English to study Prabhupada’s original books.
Prabhupada’s books are available in Hindi also.
So of course English is not required for Krishna consciousness but Prabhupada preaches in English so if one is really interested in Prabhupada then why not learn English. Anyhow I am not going to learn Hindi. I only know English and can only preach in English. There are plenty of devotees preaching in Hindi also…
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Hare Krishna Madhudvisa dasa
Thank you. What should be idle body posture while chanting. In which body posture the chanting should not be done.
Secondly the four regulative principles while chanting. Out of the four the illicit relationship is what to know. Although a devotee who has initiated the process has physically kept himself away from that but in the very subtle part of the mind desire to pursue such things remain. I dont know whether its the Maya who doesnt want you to escape from it is playing its role. But the question is how to get rid of such thoughts which come and goes sometimes in mind. And becomes a real hindrance in progress of a devotee.
Waiting for your reply Prabhuji.
Hare Krishna.
Hare Krishna Devang
There are no rules and regulations for chanting like this, like you have to chant in a particular posture. You can chant Hare Krishna any way it is convenient and comfortable for you to chant. And even if we are not comfortable we have to keep chanting Hare Krishna. This world is not a comfortable place. We will not be comfortable at the time of death. But we have to be chanting Hare Krishna at the time of death.
So Prabhu just chant Hare Krishna in whatever way is convenient for you. Some devotees sit down like a yogi and chant and that is nice, and other devotees walk around and chant Hare Krishna, and that is nice, any way is nice if you can keep chanting Hare Krishna and stay awake and concentrate on hearing the mantra. This is the main point. We have to chant the whole mantra and hear it clearly. That is what we have to concentrate on. And whatever works best for us is good. There are no rules and regulations in this regard. It is a personal thing, and individual thing, the way you find best for you to chant Hare Krishna.
As far as controlling the mind, yes, maya will always try to distract us and try to get us to think of mundane things and sense gratification while we are trying to chant Hare Krishna. But the chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra is the process by which we control the mind. So we simply have to ignore these distractions and not focus on them and keep chanting Hare Krishna. We should not be so surprised or disappointed that some material desires are still there. The important thing is to ignore them and refocus on chanting and hearing the Hare Krishna mantra and not dwell on these material desires and be thinking about these things and pretending to chant Hare Krishna. We have to kick out these material desires every time they come into our minds.
The more our whole life is absorbed in the service of Srila Prabhupada and Krishna the less these material thoughts will disturb us. Krishna consciousness is a process of total absorption actually. We have to be completely absorbed 24 hours a day in Krishna consciousness. And really that means in addition to chanting Hare Krishna we have to be engaged in practical service under the direction of a bona fide spiritual master [like Srila Prabhupada].
But in any case we can not expect the purification to be instant. Our material desires are not going to all disappear instantly the first time we chant Hare Krishna. It is a battle actually. We are in maya’s kingdom and we are trying to be Krishna conscious here. It is like trying to swim upstream against a very strong current. It is not easy to be Krishna conscious surrounded by maya. But becoming Krishna conscious is the only purpose for our life. It is our only hope. It is the only escape from eternal suffering in the material world.
And this chance we have now is very, very rare. We have to realize that. A bona fide spiritual master is a very rare thing. You know in Caitanya-caritamrta it says brahmananda brahmate knoa bhagavayn jiva guru krsna prasada paya bhakti lata bija. “The living entities are wandering from one universe to another and occassionaly one fortunate living entity gets the chance to associate with a bona fide spiritual master and he is able to get the ‘bhakti-lata-bija’ the seed of the creeper of the plant of bhakti. So you see it is very rare actually to come in contact with a bona fide spiritual master. It is only one fortunate living entity who very rarely gets the chance of this. And we are those very fortunate living entities who have got the chance of associating with Srila Prabhupada, and we all have the chance of getting the bhakti-lata-bija from Srila Prabhupada. He is ready to give it to anyone who really wants to take it. Srila Prabhupada is so merciful. But the problem is most do not want to take it. And you know getting the seed is only the beginning, but of course without getting the seed you can not begin. So many people actually do try to chant the Hare Krishna mantra, but they do not have a bona fide spiritual master, so they do not have the bhakti-lata-bija, the seed of the plant of bhakti, so they chant but because there is no seed in their heart the plant of devotion does not grow in their hearts so the chanting really does not work for them.
So the bottom line of all of this is really we can not get much tangible benefit form the chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra unless we have got this bhakti-lata-bija from a bona fide spiritual master. Because that is the beginning. So we have to actually surrender to Srila Prabhupada and actually serve him, actually please him. For if Prabhupada is not pleased with our service to him then our lives are completely useless and our chanting will not really produce any tangible results.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Hare Krishna,
Prabhuji why 16 rounds of chanting only, Why no less or more.
Thanking You.
Devang
Hare Krishna Devang
16 rounds is the minimum only. We must chant at least 16 rounds but of course you can chant more, as many more rounds as you can. The best think is to chant Hare Krishna constantly. Great devotees like Haridas Thakur for example was chanting 192 rounds a day. And at least in the past many devotees would chant at least 64 rounds a day. So 16 rounds is the absolute minimum only that we must chant. But you can chant more than 16 rounds, as many as you like.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Hare Krishna Prabhuji
i am chantin hari krishna maintra from 1 year but
mostli my mind is not fixed during the chanting 16 rouend of chain in one seating . can we chant in two or in three parts morring afternoon or evening in parts 5 ,5,5 chanins
prahlad singhal
Hare Krishna Prahlad
It is a process, chanting Hare Krishna, 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 a day. It is not just mechanical chanting. Actually the only way we can become Krishna conscious really is by the mercy of a pure devotee of Krishna. We have to get the mercy and blessings of a pure devotee of Krishna. Which means in practice we have to please Srila Prabhupada. So we have to read Prabhupada’s books and understand from him what he wants us to do and do that.
Chanting the Hare Krishna mantra is asking Krishna “Please engage me in Your service.” So we have to be doing some devotional service. Of course chanting Hare Krishna is service but our life also should be engaged in the service of Krishna under the direction of a pure devotee of Krishna.
So if you can sit down and chant the Hare Krishna mantra 16 rounds in one sitting that is very good, even if your mind is somewhat disturbed. We can not expect the mind to be fixed always but simply hearing the chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra will force our mind back onto Krishna. So you need to develop determination. Even if after 12 months of chanting your mind is still not completely fixed that is not surprising. We have spent unlimited lifetimes in the material world forgetful of Krishna, so it may take us a little time to remember Him again. So in Krishna consciousness we should not reduce, we should always be increasing our devotional service. So it would be better if you keep chanting 16 rounds in one sitting and then at the other times you can read Srila Prabhupada’s books very seriously and engage in other types of devotional service.
Of course the regulation is that we must chant at least 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra daily. So we can do that at any time. We can do it all together or we can do it like you say, some in the morning, some in the evening, etc. But if you are already in the practice of chanting 16 rounds in one sitting that is very good and I don’t think you should give that up. Rather you need to add other elements of devotional service, particularly I think reading Srila Prabhupada’s books.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Hare Krishna Prabhuji,
I am reading all mails received regularly and started chant Krishna Mantra at least 108 (One complete Mala).
In todays mail it is stated that we are not body and is soul. I have below 2 questions, kindly send reply.
“Does a soul enter the mother’s womb during conception or in the course of pregnancy”
“Is there a process or special days to conceive a spiritual soul”
” We know that the soul is immortal; it has no birth and death. Then who is reborn”
I shall await your reply,
Hare Krishna
Kailash
Hare Krishna Kailash
It is very good news Prabhu that you are chanting regularly the Hare Krishna mantra. Now try and increase it gradually until you are chanting at least 16 rounds a day. It is possible. You will be surprised how easily you can do it if you just try.
As far as the soul entering the mother’s body it enters at the time of conception. The very word ‘conception’ means the beginning. So the conception is the time the spirit soul enters the mixture of the sperm and ovum in the mother’s body. So the life, the soul is there from the ‘conception’. Therefore anything that disturbs or kills this life in the womb of the mother is murder. From the very beginning (conception) the soul is there.
There is a special day on which devotees conceive children. The idea of Krishna consciousness is to minimize the bodily concept of life, so that means we have to minimize sex life. If a grhastha wants to have a Krishna conscious child then obviously he has to have sex with his wife. So this is limited to once a month and the day on which they have sex is the day in the wife’s cycle that it is most likely that she will become pregnant. I do not know all the gory details but that is the basic idea. Once a month only if they want to have a child and on the day when pregnancy is most likely to occur…
When the ‘conception’ takes place the soul is not taking birth. The spirit soul is eternal and he never takes birth and never dies. So ‘conception’ simply means that the soul enters the mixture of semen and ovum in the woman’s womb and because of the presence of the spirit soul that mixture grows into a child gradually. But the soul is not taking birth. Only the body is taking birth. And the body is really only like a set of clothing for the soul. So it is like every morning you get out of bed and put on a set of clothes. So you are not taking birth every morning. You are just putting on a new set of clothes. So no one is actually taking birth. The soul is just putting on a new set of clothes. And when that body or set of clothes is old and worn out the soul will be forced to leave it and take on a new set of clothes…
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
hare krishna prji,
how to control lust bcz its imposible for me to control even though i chant 16 rounds and read prabhupad books.plz guide me bcz its driving me crazy.
Hare Krishna Anoop
You have to force yourself to follow the four regulative principles, even though the lust may still be there. It is not going to go away immediately. You have to tolerate it and not act on it. You have to surrender to ‘no illicit sex’ even if you still feel the sex desire you have to give it up, not do it.
There are many instructions Srila Prabhupada gives us in his books in this regard and we have to follow them all seriously if we actually want to become Krishna conscious. In this regard controlling the tongue is very, very, very important. The tongue has two businesses: (1) Vibrating (2) Tasting. So we have to control the tongue by only letting it vibrate the Hare Krishna mantra and talk about Krishna and we have to control the tongue by only allowing it to taste prasadam, foodstuffs cooked by devotees with love and offered to Srila Prabhupada and Krishna.
So these two things you have to do: only speak Krishna katha, talks about Krishna, and only ever accept Krishna prasadam, never eat anything cooked by non-devotees. These are very important points in controlling lust.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
hare krishna prji,
i just chant 16 round in quantity bcz it is instructed by HDG srila prabhupada but i unable to concentrate on it or it is only quantity their is no quality in it am i doing naam apraadh??
Well concentrate on it then!!!
All you have to do is concentrate on hearing all the words of the mantra and pronouncing them properly. And at the same time you have to be strictly following the four regulative principles [no illicit sex, no meat eating, no gambling and no intoxication] and you have to be reading Srila Prabhupada’s books at least 1-2 hours a day. If you actually sincerely do all these things then the quality of your chanting will improve steadily.
You can not expect it to be perfect in the beginning. Of course in the beginning you will be distracted, etc, but you have to stick with it and follow the regulative principles and read Srila Prabhupada’s books and if you actually surrender to Srila Prabhupada and follow the instructions Srila Prabhupada gives you as you read his books then you will make rapid advancement in Krishna consciousness…
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
HARE KRISHNA
I alwways chant Hare Krishna mantra but day-by-day tension badte jaraha hai and depression bhi ho raha hai because of my husband and I always read your mails and trying to come out myself but I am not able to come out soo Hare Krishna kindly please help me out to come out from this tension and depression what all my husband had and have giving me and to get away from as soom as possible. Hare Krishna
SMT AKSHATA C GANJI
Hare Krishna Mataji
It can be very difficult. But do not give up. Keep chanting Hare Krishna and reading Srila Prabhupada’s books. And in the end you will see Krishna will make arrangements in your life so you can serve Him nicely.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Hare Krish Prabhu
I chant Hare Krishna maha mantra last few years, maximum try to chant daily sometime not do, average 2 round to 8 round daily as possible.
But now I am feeling good only and not for joy & happiness as above.
While chanting so many thought specifically disappoint in my life and i want to revenge someone.
Even I have read / hear Bhagavad-gita and Bhagavatam (going on) and I aware about this wrong.
I try to avoid the wrong thoughts but could not.
I request you kindly advice me.
Hare Krishna
Parthasarathy
Hare Krishna Prabhu
You have to surrender to the process of actually chanting at least 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra daily, actually strictly following the four regulative principles: no illicit sex, no meat eating, no gambling and no intoxication and actually reading Srila Prabhupada’s books 1-2 hours per day. This is the starting point, and from this starting point gradually as we read Srila Prabhupada’s books and put into practice the instructions he gives us in our lives we come to understand our position as eternal servants of Krishna and start to see the actual position of others and gradually our hearts will be purified more and more and we will see the world more and more through spiritual eyes.
It is a process and it takes time. But we have to be actually following the process. If we are following the process it will work…
So the thing is to read all of Srila Prabhupada’s books and understand what we should do from Srila Prabhupada and follow the instructions Prabhupada gives us while we read his books and we will become Krishna conscious. We have to transform our lives so that we always remember Krishna and never forget Krishna.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
hare krisna prabhu , from last 2 weeks i am getting any letter from u prabhu
DEAR brother
thanks for your insight view -but I am already been chanting 20 rounds of mala of the hare Krishna mantra daily without fail for last 4 months but truly speaking I never felt that happiness which you have mentioned to me in mail rather I feel sometime as a burden act of chanting ?why?
Some people can chant Hare Krishna for millions of births and never become Krishna conscious… Never know what it is…
Actually the only way we can become Krishna conscious is by the mercy of a pure devotee of Krishna. It is not a mechanical thing. That we can chant Hare Krishna and automatically we will become Krishna conscious.
And four months is a very short time also…
We are very impatient..
It is not possible to feel the transcendental bliss that is there in the holy name of Krishna unless our hearts are purified. And the way to purify our hearts is chanting Hare Krishna. So it is quite normal that there is no real bliss or attachment to the chanting.
But Krishna consciousness means ‘devotional service’. We have to surrender to Srila Prabhupada, we have to surrender to Krishna, and we have to do devotional service. Krishna consciousness is not just chanting Hare Krishna. Chanting Hare Krishna is ‘Please Krishna engage me in Your service.” So we have to also do the devotional service under the direction of a pure devotee of Krishna.
Ultimately to become Krishna conscious you need to surrender to a pure devotee of Krishna and be guided by him and serve him and please him by that service and when he is pleased with your service then you get his blessings and can advance in Krishna consciousness. So Srila Prabhupada can guide you but only if you read his books. So you know I write the same things to everyone that these things are essential if one wants to make spiritual advancement: chanting at least 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra daily, 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 a day.
So you have to do all these things. Chanting Hare Krishna without following the regulative principles is like trying to light a fire with one hand and pouring water on it with the other hand. You are not going to make any significant progress in this way. And as we are trying to serve Srila Prabhupada, to please Srila Prabhupada, then obviously we have to read his books daily. Otherwise if we are not hearing from Srila Prabhupada daily how will we know what he wants us to do for him?
So I think you are not doing all these things. Therefore please make a program to also read at least 1-2 hours per day from Srila Prabhupada’s books even if you reduce your chanting from 20 to 16 rounds that is OK. But you have to read Prabhupada’s books daily. Otherwise, without the mercy of Srila Prabhupada, you do not have the connection to Krishna….
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
hare krishna prabhu…
I have a serious doubt please clarify it.How to get pure devotion of lord?how to remember krishna all the time?I have only one desire like as if when i open my eyes i should see krishna,when i close my eyes i should see krishna,but why do i forget him again and again o prabhu?please help me,i have lost everything in life due to my foolishness and now my only hope is Krishna’s feet..tell me how to catch his feet tightly so that he does not escape from my mind and heart?o prabhu help me..
Hare Krishna Amit
Krishna is not available directly. We can only please Krishna by pleasing His pure devotees. So you need to find a pure devotee of Krishna like Srila Prabhupada, and surrender to him, serve him and when he is pleased then by his mercy and blessings Krishna will be pleased with you.
And to become fully Krishna conscious it is a process, and you have to learn that process. That is why Srila Prabhupada wrote over 80 big books about the science of Krishna consciousness. And if we want to become Krishna conscious we have to read all those books and follow the instructions Prabhupada is giving us in his books in our lives.
If the information in all the books Srila Prabhupada has written for us was not absolutely essential for us to know to become Krishna conscious then he would not have gone to so much trouble to write all those books.
So Prabhu to actually become Krishna conscious you need to focus more on pleasing a bona fide pure devotee of Krishna, surrender to him, serve him, offer him obeisances, accept him as your spiritual master and make his orders your mission in life. That is the only way that we can please Krishna and ultimately see Krishna 24 hours a day as you are desiring to do.
So please Prabhu do the basic things at least. Chant at least 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra daily on beads, 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. This is the minimum that one would have to do to start on the path of Krishna consciousness. So instead of all this daydreaming please practically follow the process of Saddhana-bhakti as Srila Prabhupada is teaching it to us in his books, and immediately when you surrender to Srila Prabhupada and really surrender to following the regulative principles and chanting at least 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra daily and most importantly when you get into a program where you are regularly reading Srila Prabhupada’s books every day, then, when you are actually fixed up in doing all these things every day without fail, you will start to see great improvements in your consciousness and your life…
But if you are not prepared to do these things then you will not be able to make any advancement at all practically until you are prepared to surrender to Srila Prabhupada and actually follow the process of Krishna consciousness as he teaches it…
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Hare Krishna Madhudvisa Prabhu !
Prabhuji,I am still confused about the definition of Sin.
I have been hearing on TV from Muslim and Christian Preachers about
the concept of “Original Sin”.Is there anything about “Original Sin” in Krishna Consciousness?
What are the different sinful activities that one performs in day to day activities even when we are chanting?
For e.g. we might be chanting while walking and killing many tiny insects etc.is that also sinful?
In Bhagavad-Gita Krishna says that if we cook for ourself then it is sinful.But eating is the most basic need everyday.Then why is it considered sinful?The animals perform the 4 activities then why is not a sin for them?
I intuitively know that sinful activities are bad because it will bring suffering in future.But it seems very difficult to avoid them.
Is it because the time on this planet is kaliyuga that forces us to commit sinful activites ?
Even if we are in the material mode of goodness is there a possibility to commit sin? or sin is possible only in the lowers modes of nature?
I appreciate that killing,rape,cheating is bad but is it also sinful ?
Then did Arjuna commit Sin on the battlefield of Kuruksetra by killing?
When God kills is HE also sinning but is not affected because HE is almighty and very very powerful ?
Are evil persons sinful because they are evil ?
What is evil ?And when one commits sinful activity why is there no immediate bad reaction so that it will be a lesson for others not to commit such a crime or sin?
Is sin like crime ?I mean how does the system of Karma work ? good or pious activities bring good or pious reactions and bad or sinful activities bring suffering ? where are the reactions stored and how do they and when i mean how much time it takes for them to fructify ?
Do we commit sin by thought,speech,physical action or by all of them ?
is sin possible only in the material world and there is no sin in the spiritua world ? then how did we fall from the spiritual world if sin is not possible there ?If there is heavy flooding rains,earthquake or tsunamis caused by demigods then are they committing sin ? or they are authorised to do so and hence not affected ?
Are there different degrees of sinful activities ?
People are suffering from so many diseases and now there is a huge pharmaceutical industry producing thousands of medicines and doing great business thus minting money but the people are still not happy.
I am into pharmaceutical business and form what i have learnt is that they are coming out with newer and newer medicines and increasing prices that it has become a basic need as if we wont be able to live without them.and there are doctors who say that diseases like diabetes and others cannot be cured and hence one will have to keep on taking medicines until one dies.
Is there no cure for diseases so that people will be healthy and happy and live for many years?
Are diseases due to sinful activities ?
I think living in the material world is a very harsh propostion because there are so many problems that weigh you down that keeping a smile on you face and being happy continously is very rare indeed ! I can see people around very frustrated and resorting to smoking cigareetes and alcohol and chewing tobacco just so that they can be happy but is that also happening by GOD’s
plan or we are at fault becuase we are making wrong choices ?
I have read in prabhupada’s books that spiritual life is like a razor’s edge ,even a small mistake can be detrimental so that just puts off many persons to take it up seriously ?
There are many questions regarding getting a clarity of what is sinful and what is not but I would be very grateful if you can shed some light on it.
Thankyou\Brijesh Dani.
Hare Krishna Brijesh Dani
You do not completely understand Prabhu. Everything in sinful in the material world. We can not avoid performing so many sins. Like when we breathe in we will kill so many small germs, when we walk on the street we will crush many small living entities under our feet.
The answer is we have to breath for Krishna and walk for Krishna. Then whatever unavoidable sinful activities we may unintentionally perform are not our responsibly for we are acting as a servant of Krishna. When the servant is faithfully following the orders of the master it is the master who takes the responsibility, not the servant.
So that is the idea Prabhu, we have to surrender to Krishna by surrendering to the bona fide pure devotee of Krishna who can guide us and engage us in serving Krishna 24 hours a day.
As far as cooking we can not cook for ourselves, that is certainly sinful. It is sinful to do anything for ourselves. But we are of course able to cook for Krishna. So we should cook for Krishna, offer the food to Krishna and then once Krishna has accepted the offering we can take Krishna prasadam.
I can not read your whole big letter but I notice at the end you are saying that this material world is a harsh place. Naturally. Of course it is. It is meant to be a place of suffering where there is danger at every step. But if we surrender to Krishna and become Krishna conscious then we will no longer be in the material world. Even while apparently in this material body by the power of Krishna consciousness we can raise our consciousness above the material platform and transcend all the suffering, the problems and difficulties of this material world.
So just become Krishna consciousness. All your problems will be over. Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Hare Krishna Prabhuji! Thanx a lot for your mails .Krishna is my friend ,talk to him a lot and always find myself singing his bhjans and I feel blessed.Gopi Manohar sunder Hari om radhe govind Hari Narayan om!!!!
I had a comment which I detract , which you deleted and had shown you all up in a bad light . I had said that the Bible had said that “no
one had seen God ” . Well I have subsequetally found out that the
Bible contradicts itself . It says Moses saw God face- to face !. I
notice you don’t get that with the Gita – the Gita doesn’t contradict
itself , I notice from reading it .
Hare Krishna,
Madhudvisa dasa
Thanks you for sending the article.
Chanting Hare Krishna and being Happy, reading the books of Swami Prabhupada gives great insight for the spiritual platform.
Prabhuji sometimes the power of Maya is so strong that whatever ones understanding has developed over couple of years is diminished to almost zero in a fraction of a second. Say some family concerns which takes your mind and memory away. what should be done in such a situation.
Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare.
Thank You.
Hare Krishna Devang
Krishna consciousness is very nice in that it is never taken away. We may be distracted from it for some time by some family catastrophe or some other disturbance, but as soon as we again return to our Krishna conscious practices of chanting at least 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra daily and following the four regulative principles and reading Srila Prabhupada’s books then we immediately are again elevated to the point where we left off. There is no loss.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
hare krsna prabhu ji…. thanks for your mail…:D
it gave me lots of information….
thank you prabhu…hare bol!…
Hare krishna guruji!
I am a devotee of loard krishna, I always chant his name n
the maha mantra, i do regular pooja since 9-10 years n i feel so good
i feel He is always with me .
bt sir my question is…
When we want to live like a good human being full of positive
thoughts, always indulge in Krishna consciousness doing our
regular duties…why we get bad n negative thoughts..?
Some times i feel so disturbed, i feel so bad, i feel if somthing
forcing me to do wrong….i start chantng His name at that moment only..
I told Him that i want to live according to Him…as He has given freedom
to live as one wants, then why He stop us when we try to come to Him,
why bad thougts come in presence of Him( He is present inside us).?
Plz plz plz reply guru ji n help me!
Jai shri Krishna!
Hare Krishna Riya
This is the nature of the material energy, the modes of material nature. They practically force us to do things that we don’t even want to do. While we have not become completely Krishna conscious we will still feel these forces from the modes of material nature. The whole world at the moment is surcharged with negative energy and full of sinful people. So it is hard to remain aloof from this. It we can actually be fully engaged in Krishna consciousness then we can transcend the material energy and maya will not be able to touch us. But in the meantime we have to stick to the process of Krishna consciousness and force ourselves to follow the four regulative principles and chant at least 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra daily….
thanks guru ji for this info…:)
hare krishna..:)
hare krishna prabhuji..
i chanted 16 rounds almost daily for abt one year but i didnt found any improvement in my mental state..i didnt felt happiness or sumthing.. rather i felt dat i m trying to escape from wordly things.i hv little faith in dis process.how much time it takes to become krishna conscious?
Hare Krishna Aditi
It can take only an instant for one person to become Krishna conscious and another person may not be able to become Krishna conscious in millions of lifetimes. Krishna consciousness can only be attained by pleasing a pure devotee of Krishna. There is no other way. It is not a mechanical process. One does not become Krishna conscious simply by chanting the Hare Krishna mantra even millions and millions of times. It is a process and you have to learn the process and follow all the items and the most important item is you have to surrender to and serve a pure devotee of Krishna…
Everything you need to know is in Srila Prabhupada’s books. So please read them!
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Does everyone go through the same number of lives starting from the very lowest form of life?
If there are a fixed number of species as the scriptures say, then it should take everyone the same number of lifetimes to be liberated, unless some souls are born into the same species multiple times.
No, it is not the same for everyone. Every soul is at a different point in it’s spiritual evolution and so every soul is an individual and unique case.
Very often it is not like this, going from the bottom up, but the spirit souls fall from the spiritual wold to high positions in the material world, even to the position of Lord Brahma, then they degrade themselves by sinful activities and gradually fall lower and lower…
You need to go beyond the fine details because we are not capable of understanding every minuet aspect of every little thing in the workings of the material and spiritual worlds. That is not possible for our brains. What we need to understand is the general principles of how reincarnation is working. That by performing sinful activities I will be degraded in my next birth and by performing pious activities I will be elevated and by practicising Krishna consciousness I can become liberated from the material world and go back home, back to Godhead and never have to take birth in the material world again… These basic principles we have to understand…
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
I really feel very good when i read your letters. I read the whole Bhagvad Gita
& also srimad Bhagvatam which is given on the internet.I really feel very good whenever i read it and always discover something new in it everytime i read it. Thank you very much. I consider srila phabhupada as one of my spiritual masters. I got all this only because of their effort. I offer my respectful obseinces to them
Hi Madhudvisa dasa, I’m a schizophrenic. I have lots of imaginary conversations with Srila Prabhupada. I have read some of his books, and some articles on the various Krishna websites out there, including this one (along with your e-mails, of course). I often discuss these topics with Srila Prabhupada and the swami at the Krishna temple, which I haven’t visited in a while (since I have the conversation in my head, I don’t have to be there).
Now, scientists say that the moon is closer to the earth than the sun, but Srila Prabhupada says we should dismiss anything that contradicts the scripture because the scientists are using imperfect instruments. However, even reading the scripture or transmitting it through a material medium requires using imperfect instruments (our senses, the printing press and what not). I asked about this to the swami at my temple (in real life, not just in my head, although I replay the conversation in my head sometimes) and he said that when you pass on spiritual knowledge it becomes purified, even if it is transmitted through matter or the senses. But how can we even be sure if that’s true? In order for him to know that it gets spiritualized, that knowledge (that it gets spiritualized) also must have been transmitted through the material medium. So just as scientists’ use of experimental data and instruments starts from an imperfect platform, so does religion. While Srila Prabhupada dismisses experimental knowledge, I read on some Krishna website that “the proof of the pudding is in the eating,” so in other words we have to experiment before we can know. So why does Srila Prabhupada reject the methods of experimental science when the only way to know if even his own Vedic science is true is to try it, i.e. experiment (by following the regulative principles)?
Schizophrenia is unpleasant so if Krishna consciousness could cure it that would be great, but I also feel very suspicious about this religion.
I would appreciate advice, thanks.
Hare Krishna,
Vikram
Hare Krishna Vikram
Krishna consciousness can cure schizophrenia, but you have to follow the process. So instead of talking with the voices in your head you should spend your time chanting Hare Krishna and reading Srila Prabhupada’s books.
Do not worry, Prabhupada is a pure devotee of Krishna and everything he says is correct. We may not understand or comprehend how this is so but that is a fault in our comprehension and that will be corrected as we chant the Hare Krishna mantra more and read Srila Prabhupada’s books more.
The reason we do not accept the ‘knowledge’ the material scientists are presenting to us is because that so-called knowledge is imperfect because it has been obtained through the process of observation and experiment. And that means that the information has been gathered by the senses of men. And our senses are imperfect. Because our senses themselves are imperfect any knowledge we gather through those imperfect senses will also be imperfect.
The only way we can attain perfect knowledge is if we hear it from a perfect Person. So that is the Vedic system. We get our knowledge from Krishna and the Vedas and that is perfect because it does not come through the imperfect senses of some mundane man.
If I hear from the Bhagavad-gita that “Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead” and if then I say to you, “Krishna is the Supreme Personality of o Godhead” then what I am saying to you is perfect. I have heard it from Krishna and I am repeating it to you. This is the process of distributing perfect knowledge…
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Dear Madhudvisa dasa,
Thanks for responding. I understand Prabhupada’s argument that scientists are starting from imperfect material senses and instruments. My point is that even the religious people start from that platform. Someone had to record Krishna’s instructions to Arjuna, and those instructions had to be passed down over centuries. That involves memorizing and reciting it, and later writing down and copying it, both processes which are almost certain to introduce errors at some point, especially if this really is such a dark age where people have lesser mental faculties compared to previous eras.
I recall as a boy in fifth grade being part of an experiment in my class where the teacher whispered a story into the ear of a student, then he or she whispered that into another student’s ear and so on until every student had heard it, and the last student would then say what he had heard, and it was absolutely nothing like the original message. And at least in that case we knew what the original message was so we could compare it to the final distorted message and see where it had gone wrong.
In that case it didn’t matter what the original message was, it was just a demonstration, but in other cases it does matter. Of course, if the information is from Krishna, and hasn’t changed from its original form, it must be correct. But how do we know it came from him or hasn’t been modified? How do we know anything from history? After all, not only did all that information have to pass through matter, people are always concocting their own stories, or someone makes something up and people repeat it like it’s the truth, even if it’s not. Or sometimes fact and fiction mix and it can be hard to separate the truth from the fairy tales.
Please note that I’m not defending the scientists; I’m just curious how the method of passing down knowledge is any less prone to error than using observational data. Also, I’m not an atheist so I’m not arguing against Krishna consciousness; if anything I’m just seeking answers to questions that my exposure to the Krishna consciousness movement has raised.
Hare Krishna and thanks for answering,
Vikram
Hare Krishna Vikram
Yes. You are correct that in the material world it is very difficult to pass knowledge down from one person to another and to actually preserve the accuracy and validity of that knowledge over a period of time. It is actually impossible even in the spiritual realm. The tendency for people to pervert the spiritual knowledge and pass on their version of the philosophy instead of the actual pure understanding of the philosophy they have received from their bona-fide spiritual master is very strong.
For example there are thousands of translations of the Bhagavad-gita available all over the world and in practically all of them, except for Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad-gita As It Is, the author has simply used the fame of Krishna and the well known nature of His Bhagavad-gita as a vehicle for presenting their own ideas and philosophy. This tendency is very strong for people to think they are very intelligent and that they can improve on what Krishna has given. As soon as a mundane conditioned soul tries to ‘improve’ or adjust the philosophy of Krishna consciousness everything is lost and the disciplic succession is broken and his words become completely useless and without any spiritual value.
The way we know the knowledge that we are getting from Krishna in Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad-gita As It Is is perfect and pure and is the original message spoken by Krishna is that it has been passed down to us in an unbroken chain of bona fide pure devotee spiritual masters from Krishna to us. This bona fide disciplic succession connection is absolutely essential to enable the spiritual knowledge to be passed from Krishna to us in such a way that it remains perfect, pure and completely intact.
The qualification of a member if the disciplic succession is he must himself be a pure devotee and he only speaks what he has directly heard from his spiritual master and what he has read in the sastras. He will never speculate and add his own opinion and he will never listen to or consider the opinions of others. His mission is plain and simple. To hear the transcendental knowledge from his spiritual master and to repeat that some message to the people who want to hear from him. Of course the art of preaching is to present the subject matter in such a way that it is interesting to the audience but at the same time to not alter or change the message in any way whatsoever.
So the reason that we know Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad-gita As It Is contains the original message as it was passed down from Krishna to Arjuna is because it has come to us through this bona fide chain of self-realized spiritual masters.
But as you point out it is very easy to pervert this message and in ISKCON today most of the preachers have perverted the message for their own personal reasons. So it is very difficult to find the original pure thing, but we have it in Srila Prabhupada’s books and recorded classes so we need to take advantage of associating with Srila Prabhupada, a pure devotee of Krishna, by reading his books and hearing his classes, then we are getting the pure message from Krishna and Krishna intended us to understand it. There is absolutely no doubt about this. That I can guarantee to you 100%
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Are you saying if “Krishna consciousness can cure schizophrenia” then any mental disorders or people who call people with particular symptoms like not sleeping my days, overly excited in one minute and overly depressed in any another and too many thoughts coming at one time who are thought of as having particular mental disorders(these symptoms of what people call bipolar disorder) be cured of their symptoms then.
I don’t believe in their diagnosis and all. I mean all or most people who are not Krsna Conscious are strange, mad , emotional and all more or less. So what is the mean of these mental disorders anyways. People who don’t have these disorders are thought of as normal. People’s definition of normal is so untrue. The definition of normal is described as what most people usually are. But they is no such thing as normal as i feel in the materialistic sense i guess because everyone is unique and or diffrent in their own ways and more reasons i think i feel. And anyways i accept the true and factual Krsna Conscious definition of normal which people who are normal are Krsna Conscious.
I am not one of the few normal people. Though i feel i am more normal in some sense than others in that for one definite thing i accept most or a lot of times unless i am in confusion that Krsna Consciousness is normal and the only thing that is worth aspiring and having.
Hare Krishna John
Everything is upside-down in the material world. What is considered “normal” is actually totally crazy and what is considered “crazy” may well be quite sane.
Actually this material world is a miserable place full of suffering and death. If one is trying to be happy in the material world through materialistic so-called pleasures every attempt he makes for this so-called happiness will end in frustration. So he should be depressed. He should be angry. So if one believes the lie that he can be happy through satisfying his senses but then finds he can not be happy then frustration, disappointment, anger, distress, depression, these are all quite natural and reasonable reactions. It is not a sign of insanity, it is sanity.
So all these mental disorders stem from the basic misunderstanding that “I am this body and if I satisfy the senses of this body I will be happy.” This is the basic fundamental mistake that is the actual root cause of all mental problems.
The cause of these mental problems is not material and therefor they can not be cured by material chemicals. These problems are in the mind, intelligence and ego. And these three things form the subtle body. They are still material but more subtle than the gross elements: earth, water, air, fire and ether. So problems in the subtle body of mind, intelligence and ego can not be cured by applying drugs and chemicals to the gross body of earth, water, air, fire and ether… The can be cured, however, on the spiritual platform by chanting Hare Krishna…
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Hare krishna ji
I want to first of all thank you for sending me these wonderful mails regularly…….
thank you so much….
please continue sending me such mals…….whenever i read these mails i get reguvenated, refreshed, excited, happy and feel some sort of purity and peace within me.
Thank you once again!
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare!
do you know the meaning of the names of visnu yasoda and the gopis blessed krsna w/ in krsna book, volume one?
Hare Krishna Prabhuji,
How many rounds a day should one chant the MAHA MANTRA,to anhilate bad lust,and bad tendencies?
Minimum is 16 rounds a day and also we have to 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. These are the minimum things and we can not expect to see any practical benefits form Krishna consciousness until we surrender to at least these basic minimum things… And to completely get rid of lust and bad tendencies that may take some time. Krishna consciousness is a purification process and it works to the degree we surrender. So ultimately it is about our surrender to the proper bona-fide spiritual master. There is no chance of becoming Krishna conscious unless we have a pure devotee as our spiritual master and we surrender to him and serve him and please him. It is by the mercy of the pure devotee of Krishna only that we can get the mercy of Krishna…
Hare krishna,
I am Devi.I am also getting tears in my eyes when I am remembering him and listening to His songs.Sometimes when i go to temple also I become too emotional,I am not able to control myself.I dont use to pray to him and dont use to chat any mantras.Krishna is not a God to me at all.Something other I love him not as a God..Sometimes as a Lover, as a friend everything and I like to spend my leisure time by seeing his Photos also.Sometimes I am imagining myself that he’ s replying to me ,smiling at me like that..But if I say this to some people they will tell that I am mad..for past 7 years this is my condition.Now I am worrying that I am deviating from the real world.hey I need a guidance on this..Can u reply to me..do I am really mad.?
Hare Krishna Devi
The real world is the spiritual world with Krishna, this material world is illusory. So you are in the real world when you are thinking of Krishna and chanting Hare Krishna. Don’t care about what other people say. Just chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
swamyji pranam
For the past one week I did not receive any letters from you. Pl condiniously send the lessons.
ys
Natarajan
What is love for god?we worship god for our ends,or for liberation..then prabhuji please tell me what is unalloyed love for godhead?
Worshiping God for our own ends is not love. You understand what love is so love for God is love for God. Where is the problem in understanding this.
Of course in our conditioned state we do not feel any love for God but Krishna consciousness is the process which enables us to awaken this love for God that is dormant within our hearts.
Hi,
I find myself doing things which I don’t want to do and i regret later. My mind is not stable. Someone said that someone is doing some tantra mantra on me. I know it may sound weird but am suffering from severe headache past 1 year. I seriously believe it is the effect of some tantrik puja. Though i am a science student, i earlier never used to believe on all these things but now i do think so. Can u plz suggest something.
Yes. I suggest you seriously take to Krishna consciousness. Read Srila Prabhupada’s books at least 1-2 hours a day, chant at least 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra daily and strictly follow the four regulative principles: no illicit sex life, no meat eating, no gambling and no intoxication. That is the start, and if you sincerely do these things and follow the instructions you will find Srila Prabhupada giving you as you read his books then all your problems will be solved and all your questions will be answered.
Hare Krishna Parvu ji Dandabat Parnam
I am too much happy here because I am getting your mail about KRISHNA
today i got a mail topic “The History of Bhagavad Gita’ , in this mail I got there is 711 Sanskrit verses in Bhagavad Gita but I heard there is 700 verses in bhagabat gita from other parvujis so if you don’t mind can you clear me about that confusing
thank you parvu ji
They are wrong, there are 711 verses in the Bhagavad-gita. Maybe they have just rounded the number and told you there are about 700 verses in the gita… But really there are 711 verses…
Chant nnd be Happy. Practically it boosts the morale and bring the mind into and towards the supreme Lord. But always it is not possible in Kali Yuga where the conditions and situations are variable and at times the chanting process is disturbed. Concentration lacks sometimes. Material world is so dangerous that it floods the mind and drag away the mind. Strong will and mind is at times not possible for various reasons.
Kindly guide us as to how purely chant 16 rounds without any offenses? Though mangala arati etc are done daily without any default the chanting is not really possible. Your guidance will hel to imrove the situation
Yours humble servant
hare krishna money
Of course chanting Hare Krishna is possible in Kali-yuga. Chanting Hare Krishna is the yuga-dharma, the only practical religious principle in Kali-yuga and anyone can sit down and chant 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna matra daily:
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
It takes only 2 hours once you are practiced, maybe 3 hours in the beginning. If we are not prepared to dedicate 2-3 hours out of 24 for chanting Hare Krishna then we are not going to become Krishna conscious. That is just the way it is. If we are not prepared to make time for Krishna then how can we expect to become Krishna conscious?
Of course it will not be easy in the beginning, maya will try to distract us from chanting Hare Krishna, but we have to become determined to chant Hare Krishna at least 16 rounds a day, every day without fail, no matter how difficult that may be…
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.
Jai Srikrishna.
Hare Krishna Prabhu !
All Glories to Srila Prabhupada
Thank You for sending the letter..
Hare Krsna Guru
please accept my humble & respectfull bow in your lotus feet.
I have few question and will be looking forward to your reply.
I use to chant the mahamantra between 16-22 round daily. Folowed by complete puja and bath and reccommanded morning puja. Use to read our respective guru ji sri prabhupadas book one after the other. And i did this good 7-8 months and during period i send several emails over several minth to whom and how to approach guru but did not recived any possitive news and slowly i lost confidence and now i cannot get it started.
Please please please guide me to self start or if you could be my main point contactvwould be highly benifical.
Please use my email to reply my comments.
Please bless me.
Hare Krsna
Amit. UK
Hare Krishna Amit
Srila Prabhupada is your guru Prabhu. Somehow you missed this the first time. So please start your program again with the understanding that Srila Prabhupada is living in his books and when you are reading Prabhupada’s books that is personal association with your Guru Maharaja Prabhu.\
These days there are so many bogus gurus. Every demon it seems wants to be a guru for some personal benefit. They want followers, fame, profit and distinction. So they join some spiritual organization and study the sastras and perform penances and austerities and then start their ‘guru business’ which is only for their benefit… You can assume that any one who is in the ‘guru business’ these days is a bogus guru who is in the business for some personal profit.
And if you take initiation from one of these bogus gurus that is a huge disruption to your spiritual life and most devotees who take initiation from bogus gurus are not going to recover from that in this life. So it is very fortunate that you have not fallen into the traps of one of these bogus gurus yet.
Take shelter of Srila Prabhupada in his books Prabhu. You are then absolutely guaranteed that you have a real bona fide pure devotee as your spiritual master and as you really read Srila Prabhupada’s books and really start to hear from him and surrender to him you will find that your association with Srila Prabhupada in this way is actually personal direct association with Srila Prabhupada.
So the ‘self-start’ you are looking for is you need to get back into a regular program which includes reading Srila Prabhupada’s books at least 1-2 hours a day, strictly following the four regulative principles [no illicit sex, no meat eating, no gambling and no intoxication] and chanting at least 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra daily on beads. These are the basic, essential points that you MUST do under all circumstances. Without at least surrendering to these points there is no spiritual life, it is just imagination.
And we have to be prepared to accept that becoming Krishna conscious is a process and it may take some time. Not that we expect after a week of chanting everything is finished. We have been in this material world for so many lifetimes and have committed heaps of sinful activities in this life and in so many previous lives and all that dirt has to be cleaned off our heart. So this chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra is a purification process. It is gradually clearing away all the dirt which is covering our hearts… So we have to stick to the process of Krishna consciousness and become determined to go on with our Krishna conscious activities even in the difficult times…
I do not send emails so you need to read the answers to your comments here on http://www.Krishna.org
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
hari bol !!! as it is mentioned in the second paragraph, first line,
“Not being happy is a sign of not being Krishna conscious”
is what I experienced, its really mercy of krishna and guru, to have this highest path of krishna consciousness….
Hare Krishna Prabhu ji,
Myself deepak..I am from Agra(India)Near Mathura,Uttar Predesh,India.I am Going Iskcon Vrindavan From 2007 and i will do fasting Ekadashi, Chanting Hare Krishna Mantra and worship RadhaKrishna,Lord Chaitanya, Shri Guar-Nitai. Manytimes, When i Listen Hare krishna Mantra…my thinking ,Mind going to vrindavan..Radha krishna, Guaranga, deities and i am seeing from my eyes to krishna…Then my eyes field with tears and i am very Emotinal And When i Chanting i am weeping after see the krishna….i am not discuss to anyone this…i have not make any Guru and not join association. What I will Do
Prabhu ji…Pls Suggest me…my parents tell me to marry any girl …but i am very disturbed when i think about marriage because i am feared that i will forget krishna when i do marriage…What i will do..pls suggest..
Hare krishna,Hare Rama
Hare Krishna Deepak
You should not just marry ‘any girl’. Try and find a girl who is a devotee of Krishna and marry her on the condition that you want to live together and help each other advance in Krishna consciousness and have some children and raise them as nice devotees of Krishna. Pray to Srila Prabhupada and Krishna, they will help you.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
HARE KRISHNA,SIR I have a question that ” HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE” is it not a compleat chant, becaouse I think that lord krishna
said that only concentret on me nothing else though lord Rama is his own awtar so I polietly request you to solve my confussen
Hare Krishna Pandharinatha
The “Hare Rama” in the Hare Krishna mantra refers to Krishna’s brother Balarama, not Lord Rama. So it is Krishna Balaram you are chanting. So it is a complete chant. You should know it for a fact that Srila Prabhupada is a pure devotee of Krishna and is presenting the conclusion as it is delivered to him through the disciplic succession from Krishna via Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. So the conclusion is that in Kali-yuga the only practical way to make spiritual advancement is by chanting:
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
So Prabhu just surrender to this and do it. Do not listen to all the arguments your mind is making to try and stop you from chanting Hare Krishna. That is maya, forget it and just chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Sri Harinama Sankirtana ki jai!
Hari Hari Bol
hare krishna.
I’m very glad to hear how to keep my mind in a state of joyfull by chanting
hare krishna hare krishna hare hare hare rama hare rama hare hare and when I’do this when I’make breathing & meditatio’n exercises alway’s try to concentrate and visualize it’s imagen in my mind like him appears at krishnaloka vardavana it’s spiritual world playing the flute and dancing with the gupie’s also I’know that everybody real personality it’s spiritual but contaminate for this material world and that to find our real spirutal self we must has to pray and chant hare krisha and focus in him all the time no matter what we do or thing and that our body it’s as our clothe’s only cover our realself or spirit i’read this at the vedantas book’s.
and at my experience eating good food the most natural possible as prassada
or vegetable’s & fruit’s make me feel so light and happy and meditatio’n in krishna help’s me to my realself my own spirit.,thank’s very much for all.
hari bol.
Hare krsna prabhuji
I hav been readin ur mails regularly .Iits so nice n encouraging too read dem
Jus a question tat can’t we chant mantra like om namoh bhagvate vasudevay as tat is also for lord krishna
hare krisna
Khushboo
You have to chant at least 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna manta daily, that is necessary.
Om namo bhagavate… we chant this mantra before reading the Bhagavatam…
hare krsna prabhu ji…. thanks for your mails.. m reading them regularly n my soul is getting nourished…. prabhu ji, i want to know about our gurukul’s please guide me to some of these… hare krsna radhey radhey
I have nothing to do with ISKCON these days and as far as I am aware there are no bona-fide gurukuls any more. As far as I can see ISKCON only have a few mayakuls where they train children up as materialists. It appears that gurukuls are no longer available…