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Krishna consciousness is a way of life. Not a visit to the Temple.


Dear Caitanya



Hello. Hare Krishna! All glories to Srila Prabhupada!



Thanks for visiting the Sudarsana page. You can find it at / also now.



As for putting Krishna consciousness into practice it is a serious thing 

really. We have to be very determined to do it and we have to get the mercy of 

a pure devotee of Krishna. Otherwise it is simply not possible. We have to 

serve Krishna's pure devotee. It's a way of life, not an occasional visit to 

the temple. 



Of course we may not be able to do everything at once. It takes time and our 

material desires will go away as our attachment for Krishna increases, but 

first we have to be prepared to follow the process of saddhana-bhakti, 

regulated devotional service as Srila Prabhupada has taught us. It means rising 

early in the morning, taking bath, attending Mangal-aroti, chanting at least 16 

rounds of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, hearing the Srimad-Bhagavatam and 

Bhagavad-gita in the assocation of the devotees, only eating Krishna prasadam 

(food cooked for and offered to Krishna)... There are so many things. At least 

in the beginning we have to decide to follow the regulative principles and 

chant 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra and read Srila Prabhupada's 

books. If we can't follow the regulative principles if we just keep chanting 16 

rounds and reading Srila Prabhupada's books constantly then very soon we will 

be able to follow everything.



Ultimately we have to come to the point of seeing the only important thing in 

life is serving Krishna and Srila Prabhupada. If we dedicate our lives to 

serving Krishna, satisfying Krishna, everything else will fall into place. If 

you want to supply water to the tree then you have to supply it at the root, it 

is no good trying to water all the leaves and branches separately, so if we 

want to satisfy everyone we simply have to satisfy Krishna. Krishna is the root 

of the entire creation and everything will be in order if we simply satisfy 

Krishna. 



I can only repeat Srila Prabhupada's instrutions, there is nothing new, we 

simply have to chant the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, follow the four regulative 

principles and everything else Srila Prabhupada has taught. It is like 

declaring war against maya. As soon as we try and get a little serious about 

Krishna consciousness maya will present us with so many distractions... That is 

the material world... We have to beocome determined...



Our quest is not really for "eternal peace". That's an impersonal and selfish 

idea. Our quest is to become "eternal servants of Krishna". That may or may not 

be "peaceful" -- that is up to Krishna. Arjuna was not exactly "peaceful" on 

the battlefield of Kuruksettra, but he was in Krishna consciousness, he was 

serving Krishna. He was doing what Krishna wanted him to do. That is what it's 

about.



You and I are persons, individuals, and Krishna is also a person, an 

individual. The difference is Krishna is the Supreme Person. He is unlimited in 

every respect while we are tiny parts and parcels of Krishna. We are individual 

persons also, eternally, and we have all the same qualities as Krishna does -- 

but in a very limited way. So as we are pleased when somone serves us Krishna 

is very pleased when one of the fallen living entities in the material world 

uses his independence to serve Him. Krishna has given us limited independence. 

He will not force us to serve Him. He wants us to serve Him out of love, the 

only way to develop that love is to hear from and serve someone who has already 

developed love for Krishna, a pure devotee. It is a confidential thing. Only a 

pure devotee can describe Krishna because only a pure devotee has seen Krishna. 

Krishna remains hidden from the nondevotees.



                          naham prakasah sarvasya

                            yoga-maya-samavrtah

                          mudho 'yam nabhijanati

                           loko mam ajam avyayam



   "I am never manifest to the foolish and unintelligent. For them I am covered 

by My internal potency, and therefore they do not know that I am unborn and 

infallible." (Bhagavad-gita 7.25)

 

Everything we see here in the material world is a perverted reflection of the 

original in the spiritual world. So everything we see here has it's original, 

pure, eternal counterpart in the spiritual world. There are trees here and 

trees in the spiritual world, cows here and cows there, houses here and houses 

there... Everything is there. But it is sat, cit, ananda, it is eternal, full 

of knowledge and full of bliss while the perverted material reflection is 

temporary, full of ignorance and full of anxiety...



We are like fish out of water. Our nature is also sat-cit-ananda, but we are 

here in the asat-acit-nirananda material world trying to make a comfortable 

arrangement, trying to be happy here... But it is simply not possible. As a 

fish can never be happy out of the water no matter what you supply him for his 

sense gratification, we can not be happy in the material world. It is not our 

home, it is not at all compatible with the soul.



So the answer is to chant:



     Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare

          Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare



always, 24 hours a day... and to arrange our life in such a way that we can 

always remember Krishna, never forget Krishna. That is the secret.



Thanks for the letter, no matter what happens try to always chant Hare Krishna 

and read Srila Prabhupada's books. That is the answer. Even we may have no 

taste for it in our diseased material condition it is the only cure for the 

material disease...



   "My dear King, although Kali-yuga is full of faults, there is still one good 

quality about this age. It is that simply by chanting the Hare Krsna 

maha-mantra, one can become free from material bondage and be promoted to the 

transcendental kingdom." (Srimad-Bhagavatam 12.3.51)



Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!



Madhudvisa dasa



>Hare Krishna,

>   I was in touch with you about six months back. I visit your home page very

>often, I once again thank you for the outstanding home page that you have. All

>the new addtions are very intresting and I await them anxiously. I try to go

>to the temple in the U.S as often as I can, but unfortunately I can't

>go as often as I wish cause of lack of transportation. I have read most of

>the books that you recommended, they are very thought provoking and enchanting.

>Do please guide me of how I should continue my quest for eternal peace? Also I

>find it hard to give up some of the material persuasions like girlfriends,

>although I know that they are no good. I would really appreciate your advise.

>Once again thanking you. Hare Krishna. Hari Bol,

>       Chaitanya. 

>
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Chant Hare Krishna and be happy! All glories to His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada!