You May Inquire–Why Are We Chanting Hare Krsna?
Hare Krsna, this name, was chanted by Lord Caitanya, who introduced this movement five hundred years ago in India. We are following the footprints of Lord Caitanya. Because He chanted Hare Krsna, therefore we are chanting Hare Krsna. But Lord Caitanya has recommended that God has innumerable names, and any one of them can be chanted, …
Lecture Engagement — Montreal, June 15, 1968
Prabhupada: (chants mangalacarana prayers) Ladies and gentlemen, this Krsna conscious movement is reviving our original consciousness. At the present moment, due to our long association with matter, the consciousness has become contaminated, just like when the rain water falls down from the cloud, the water is uncontaminated, distilled water, pure, but as soon as the water falls down on this earth, it becomes mixed up with so many dirty things. When the water falls it is not salty, but when it is touched with the matter or earth, it becomes salty, or tasty, or something like that. Similarly, originally, as spirit soul, our consciousness is uncontaminated, but due to our association with the matter at the present moment, our consciousness is contaminated. Therefore we have got so many varieties of consciousness. Disagreements between one person to another is due to this contaminated consciousness. I think some way; you think otherwise. Therefore we do not agree. But originally, your consciousness and my consciousness were one. And what is that one? That conscious, pure consciousness, is “God is great, and I am His eternal servant.” That is pure consciousness. As soon as we want to imitate or artificially want to become one with God, immediately the contamination begins. There is a Bengali verse in which it is stated that,
krsna bhuliya jiva bhoga vancha kare
pasate maya tare japatiya dhare
The English translation is that “When an individual soul forgets his eternal relationship with God and tries to lord it over the material nature or resources, that condition, that forgetful condition, is called maya, or illusion.” So at the present moment, especially in this age, the forgetfulness of our eternal relationship with God is very strong. And by chanting this transcendental sound, Hare Krsna, the first installment is that our heart or the mind becomes cleansed of all dirty things. This is not a theoretical proposition, but it is a fact. If you go on chanting this mantra, Hare Krsna, it is not difficult. Although it is pronounced in Sanskrit language, everyone can chant it just like in this meeting we began to chant, and you also joined with us. Here, all my students, they are all Americans. None of them are Indian, but still, they have learned it very nicely, and it is not difficult. And there is no expenditure.
So what is this Hare Krsna? Hare means the energy of the Lord, and Krsna means the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So it is a prayer. There are three words only: Hare, Krsna and Rama, three words. That has been arranged in sixteen words: Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. So our movement is that we request you to take up these sixteen words- not sixteen words, three words, Hare, Krsna, Rama. But is is arranged in such a way that there are sixteen words. So anyone can take it by heart, these three words, and chant it. It is universal. And if you think that “Oh, Krsna is the name of Hindu god,” if you have got any objection, then you may not chant Krsna, but you must have a name for God. Just like somebody, the Muhammadans, call Allah, the Jews call jehovah, or somebody calls something. That doesn’t matter. If you think that “Why shall I chant the Indian name Krsna, Sanskrit name Krsna?” so Lord Caitanya says that there are millions and billions of names of God. If you think that this Krsna name is not very suitable, you can accept any name. That doesn’t matter.
Our proposition is you chant God’s name. That is our proposal. Therefore it is universal. If you like, you can chant jehovah or you can chant Allah, but we request you that you chant God’s name. Is it very difficult? It is not at all difficult. Lord Caitanya said that there are innumerable names of God according to different languages, different countries, different societies. And each and every one of them has the potency of God Himself. If there is any God, so God is Absolute; therefore there is no difference between His name and He Himself. Just like in the material world, in the world of duality there is difference between the name “water” and the substance water. The name water is different from the substance water. If you are thirsty, if you simply chant, “Water, water, water, water,” your thirstiness will not be quenched. You require the substance water. That is material, but spiritually, the name Krsna or the name Allah or the name jehovah is as good as the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Therefore if you chant Hare Krsna… You may inquire why we are chanting Hare Krsna. Hare Krsna, this name, was chanted by Lord Caitanya, who introduced this movement five hundred years ago in India. We are following the footprints of Lord Caitanya. Because He chanted Hare Krsna, therefore we are chanting Hare Krsna. But Lord Caitanya has recommended that God has innumerable names, and any one of them can be chanted, and there is no hard and fast rules and regulations for chanting. It is not that you have to prepare yourself or you have to educate yourself or you have to adjust yourself for chanting. No. Everyone. Just like immediately we began to chant. You were not prepared, but you joined with us, you clapped with us, you danced with us. So similarly, there is no preoccupation or any rules and regulation. You simply chant. And this is very easy. While walking, you can chant whatever name you like. We like Krsna. We chant always: Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. While walking the streets, while you are going in the bus, and whatever, even while working with your hands, you can chant. There is no loss on your part. There is no expenditure on your part, but the gain is very great. Why don’t you try it? Try it. That is our request.
So the benefit will be that gradually you shall understand what you are. The whole civilization, modern civilization, is going on under a wrong impression that “I am this body.” In Srimad-Bhagavatam it is said that “One who goes on with the concept of the body, he is no better than an ass or cow.” Yasyatma-buddhih kunape tri-dhatuke… [SB 10.84.13]. It is a very long verse. But actually we are not this body. So if we chant this mantra, Hare Krsna, then I can understand what I am. And as soon as I understand that I am not this body, then my activities become different, because at the present moment I am acting on the concept of my life as this body. Because this body is born of a particular place in a particular country, therefore I am saying that “I am American,” or “Indian,” or “China” or “German,” due to this body. And because I have got relationship with some woman with this body, therefore I accept the woman as my wife. There are hundreds of thousands of women, but the woman who has got relationship with this body is my wife. There are thousands and millions of children, but one child who has got intimate relation with this body I call my son. So if the body falsely identified, then we can understand that our identification with this world is also false.
The real identification is, as it is stated in the Vedic literature, aham brahmasmi: “I am Brahman.” “I am Brahman” means “I am spirit soul. I am not this matter.” So this misconception has to be removed. Of course, it is not possible that everyone will understand or everyone will be able to understand it, but even a certain percentage of the human society can understand, immediately there is solution of so many problems- to understand aham brahmasmi. And how that solution is made, that is described in the Bhagavad-gita.
This Bhagavad-gita is the science of God. Just like in your Christian Bible or any other scriptures, Muhammadan or Christian or Jews or Buddhists… So aham brahmasmi means that “I am spirit soul,” this realization. As soon as this realization is there, then the other things immediately follow. What is that? Brahma-bhutah prasannatma [Bg. 18.54]. Immediately one becomes cheerful.
So long we have got this bodily concept of life, we cannot be cheerful. Full of anxiety. And as soon as we understand that “I am not this body; I am spirit soul,” the next moment you will be cheerful. There will be no anxiety. I am full of anxiety because on account of this bodily concept of life. Just like one man has got very costly motorcar, and he is running the car on the street. He is very careful so that there may not be any accident in the car, the car may not break. So much anxiety. But a man who is walking on the street, he has no such anxiety. Why the man in the car is so anxious? Because he has identified himself with the car. If the car, if there is any accident to the car, if the car breaks, he thinks, “I am gone. Oh, my car is gone.” Although he is different from car, he thinks like that due to identification, false identification. Similarly, because we are falsely identified with this body, therefore we have got so many problems of life. So if we want to make solution of the problems of life, then we have to understand what I am. And unless this question arises in your mind- not only in your mind, everyone’s mind- then we should, we must consider that whatever we are doing, that is our defeat because we are doing everything in false consciousness.
In the Srimad-Bhagavatam it is said, parabhavas tavad abodha-jatah. Abodha-jatah means one who is born fool. Every one of us is a born fool. Why? From the beginning of our life I know that “I am this body,” although I am not this body. Therefore we are all born fools, everyone. And therefore, according to Vedic civilization, one has to take his second birth. One birth is made possible by conjugation of the father and mother. That birth is called animal birth. Janmana jayate sudrah. Everyone, by birth, is sudra, or the lowest class of man. And samskarad bhaved dvijah: “By reformation, one becomes twice-born.” And what is that reformation? By understanding oneself, “What I am.” Samskarad bhaved dvijah, veda-pathad bhaved viprah: “And after twice, after his second birth, if he tries to understand the spiritual science, the science of God, then he is called vipra.” Vipra means quite congnizant. And brahma janatiti brahmanah: “And when he understands that he is Brahman, he is spirit soul, then he becomes a brahmana.” Perhaps you have heard that in India the brahmanas are called the topmost men of the society. Why? Because he knows that “I am Brahman; I am not this matter.” Brahma janatiti brahmanah. So by understanding Brahman your position will be that prasannatma, you’ll be joyful, na socati na kanksati, you will never lament any loss, neither you will hanker after any so-called gain, na socati na kanksati, samah sarvesu bhutesu, and you will look every living entity on the same level. Mad-bhaktim labhate param [Bg. 18.54]. In that stage of realization, you can understand what is God and what is your relationship with God.
Therefore this movement is that one understands himself what he is. It is, of course, very plain question and answer. The other day we had some lectures in a, one Sunday school, and I called one, a small boy, and I asked him that “What is this?” He said, “It is my hand, it is my head, it is my leg, it is my body, it is my pants, it is my…” And I asked him, “Where you are? You are simply saying ‘my, my, my,’ and where you are?” So similarly, everyone can understand that what I am? If you think yourself, if you meditate on yourself, if you see your hand, “Am I this hand?” you will say, “No, it is my hand.” “Am I this leg?” You will say, “No, it is my leg.” “Am I this head?” “No, it is my head.” Then where you are? So that person who is thinking within that “It is my hand, it is my head, it is my leg, it is my pant, it is my coat,” that you are. So have you seen that thing? You have seen your father, you have seen your mother or you have seen your son. But have you seen the real father who is within the body of the father? Have you seen the real son which is in the body of the son? No. Then your whole conception of education, your whole conception of living condition and problems- in the false world. Therefore this movement is required at the present moment in the world. Ceto-darpana-marjanam [Cc. Antya 20.12].
This will cleanse the status of your mental condition. Ceto-darpana-marjanam bhava-maha-davagni-nirvapanam. And as soon as you understand yourself, then the whole problem- social, political, economical- everything will be solved. Bhava-maha-davagni-nirvapanam sreyah-kairava-candrika-vitaranam. And gradually you shall realize your transcendental life. Your transcendental life is joyful. Ananda-mayo ‘bhyasat. Transcendental life means always full of joy, joyful. That is our nature. We are hankering after joyful life, but we do not know where to hanker, how to get it. By nature we are joyful. It is said in the Vedanta-sutra, anandamayo ‘bhyasat: “By nature a living entity is joyful.” But my joyfulness is covered by this material understanding. So I have to remove this material understanding; then again I shall become joyful.
So this movement is very scientific movement, and we have got authoritative statements. You cannot defy authority, authority.
As an authority, minister of this Unitarian Church, in one place he has denied authority, and in another place he has quoted so many authorities. So many authorities he has quoted. Why? If you deny authority, then why you quote other authority? So you cannot defy authority. This is not possible. From the beginning of your life, when you were child, you asked your parents, “Mother, father, what is this?” Why? That is the beginning of life. You cannot go even a step without authority. You are governed by authority. You are running your car by authority- “Keep to the right.” Why? Why don’t you defy it? So authority we have to obey. But the difficulty is: who is authority? That we require to learn who is actually authority. So authority means who has no mistakes, who has no illusion, who does not cheat, and whose senses are perfect. That is authority. That is the definition of authority. A conditioned soul who… Just… “To err is human.” Any human being is sure to commit mistakes. However learned he may be, however advanced he may be, he must commit mistake. Therefore this word is, “To err is human.” And one must be illusioned. And there is cheating propensity of every man. Even a child, he wants to cheat. The mother asks, “Oh, what is in your hand?” Oh, the child says, “No, mother, nothing,” although the mother can see he has got something. So the cheating propensity is there. And above all, your senses are imperfect. You are proud of your eyes: “I want to see.” What you can see? If the light is off, your seeing power is immediately gone. If there is no sun, your seeing power is gone. Therefore we see under conditions. Therefore imperfect.
So you cannot get perfect knowledge by imperfect senses, by speculative knowledge. You have to accept authority. Just like if you want to know who is your father, the authority is your mother. The mother says, “Here is your father.” You have to accept. You cannot make research. Mother is the last authority, who is your father. Similarly, we have to accept authority, and if the authority is not a conditioned soul, if he is liberated soul, if he is not a cheater, if his senses are not imperfect, if he does not make any mistakes, if he is not in illusion, if you receive knowledge from that authority, then your knowledge is perfect. That is the process.
So we have got such authoritative, I mean to say, literature, Vedic literatures. You can test it by your reason, by your arguments, by your philosophical talks, everything. Religion without philosophical basis, without scientific basis, is sentiment. That religion based on philosophy and science, that is right. So Bhagavad-gita is that book. Any question, any inquiry, any doubt- all the answers are there, and very nicely. Just like one or two verse I shall explain to you. In one place Bhagavad-gita says that…, the Lord says that,
sarva-yonisu kaunteya
sambhavanti murtayo yah
tasam mahad yonir brahma
aham bija-pradah pita
[Bg. 14.4]
The Lord says that there are eight hundred, er, 8,400,000 species of life, different forms of life, species of life. There are aquatics, there are plants, trees, worms, germs, then birds, beasts, and at last, the human species of life, only 400,000’s. So Krsna says that “All the species of life- never mind whether he is man or he’s a dog, he’s a cat- he’s a living entity, and I am the seed-giving father of all living entities.” Now, how nice, you can understand simply. This verse, if you can understand, then you can have some idea of universal brotherhood. If you want to make universal brotherhood, you must find out the center- the universal father. So these questions and answers are there, and we have got the science of God, the education of science of God, Srimad-Bhagavatam. So these books are meant for human society, and if you take advantage of the knowledge imparted in this book and if you chant this Hare Krsna mantra, you will see how your life becomes improved, how you become full of knowledge, full of bliss, and how you advance in your eternal life.
Thank you very much. If any question, you can make. (end)
About the Author
HDG A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada Founded the Hare Krishna Movement in 1966 in New York. In only 11 years he spread the movement all over the world. He wrote more than 80 books including Bhagavad-gita As It Is, Srimad-Bhagavatam, Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Sri Isopanisad. Prabhupada's books constitute a complete library of Vedic philosophy, religion, literature and culture.
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Dear Prabhu,
Ref your response, U are still missing my point. I am looking for responses to FAQ (Frequently asked Questions). What u are suggesting is for me to read those massive collection of Prabhupad’s books to answer a simple question. It is like using a sledge hammer to kill a fly. Companies use these scripts, as not all are quick in finding the answers in those volumes and volumes of Prabhupad’s books. So devotees who have mastered all those books would be able to give a short, like a 30 to 1 minute responses to the FAQ. I would not where to start. If u have attended one of those Toastmasters meetings, it is like those scenarios. Where people will jump u with questions, and one is asked to give short responses like in the Toastmasters club.
Hare Krishna
There is no short cut to becoming Krishna conscious. You have to read Prabhupada’s books. That is the course. How would you like to have a doctor who never read any of the medical literature, never attended any of the lectures, never passed any of the exams, etc.? So if you want to become Krishna conscious you have to study the books. If you want to preach you have to study the books. If you want to become a devotee you have to study the books. So this is the point. Once devotees have studied the books they will by Krishna conscious and they will be able to answer the questions. This is the way, this is Krishna consciousness. We have to study it. Otherwise why do you think Srila Prabhupada spent so much time and effort writing his books? It is so we can read them and become Krishna conscious. So we have to do that.
I am trying to compile like a one minute or two minutes responses whenever I do Sankirtana, which happens weekly in the weekends, to typical questions like :
what is this?
why are u chanting?
I am a Christian?
etc
etc
Thus, if I can compile the responses and have it ready and be spontaneous in my responses, would a good idea.
Hare Krishna
Hare Krishna
Krishna consciousness is not about learning lines. It is not a mechanical thing like that. We have to become Krishna conscious and then automatically Krishna will guide us and we will always know exactly what to say at the right time. There will be no problem. So become Krishna conscious. 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. This is the starting point for Krishna consciousness. Then, when you are fully engaged like this, whenever someone asks you a question, Krishna will help you with the answer and you will always be able to give the perfect answer according to the time, situation and person you are speaking to.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Dear Prabhu,
Thank u for your response, while I agree with u but it will take time to achieve that. Now we are actively in the field doing book distribution and chanting, and of course meet tons of curious people wondering what we are doing, thus having a one minute script response would be ideal. else 10 different Prabhus and Matajis might give contradictory responses to the same question, and that would not look good for KC. And importantly, we are rookies to KC thus not that knowledgeable or well read in all the books by Prabhupad.
Hare Krishna Prabhu
Krishna consciousness is not scripted. Basic things every devotee should know. Everyone should be attending Bhagavatam class in the morning and every morning the speaker should be going over the basic points of the philosophy. It is not rocket science. It is very simple. We are not the material body, we are spirit souls. Our eternal occupation is to serve Krishna. We have rejected Krishna and come to the material world to try to be happy separately from Krishna. And it is not working out very well for us. Just look around at all these people, do you think they are really happy? No. Why? Because they are not Krishna conscious…
So the point is teach the devotees Krishna consciousness in the Bhagavatam class and get them to read Srila Prabhupada’s books and chant Hare Krishna and they will be perfectly qualified to explain it to the interested members of the general public. It is not done with scripts. Telemarketing is done with scripts. Krishna consciousness is done with love for Krishna and Srila Prabhupada.
Of course we do have ‘scripts’ for selling books. We call them book distribution mantras. So in that sense scripts are useful. Sometimes on book distribution you are quite exhausted and don’t seem to have any inspiration so you can fall back on the book distribution mantras and almost mechanically go through the process of selling books to the people and then suddenly you get enlivened again and everything is flowing like magic…
So yes. I do appreciate your point about the scripts but I have never heard of any devotee needing a script to answer the basic questions the general public ask about Krishna consciousness. These things every devotee should already know an easily be able to answer. So the thing is if your devotees don’t know these things teach the devotees and then the devotees will be able to teach the people.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Hare Krishna Prabhu,
While I agree with u, but we have book distribution going on in a big way especially at the Smithsonian Mall, Washington D.C., where all the people from all over the U.S. and the world, come to visit the Museums for free, and thus most of them pass our location, chanting and distributing. And u can imagine people approaching u from all sides where u are standing, and while grabbing a pamphlet,and pop these questions, and need a 30 second or one minute response, which one should be able to provide without hesitation, like a parrot. Thus this is not going to be a lecture or talk. If companies, just like mine, have used scripts very successfully for their business needs, while are we trying to reinvent the wheel, I feel, that we should just a copy a method that works, and time available, one can refine it further or read more on that subject.
When u have a crowd of a few people from all sides crowding u and popping a quick question, one has no time to think out a response. Thus a standard script.
The Indians mentality is always to reinvent the wheel, whereas the successful Japanese copy it and then refine it and call it their own.
Hare Krishna
Yes Prabhu, of course you are correct. For book distribution we have book distribution mantras. We have ‘scripts’, if you like. Book distribution is broken down into a few steps. You are there in the middle and all the people are rushing around you. You can not sell them a book unless you can stop them. It is virtually impossible to sell a book to a person while they are walking fast. So the first step is to stop the person. So we have mantras, or scripts, to do this. You can only sell a book to one person at a time so you pick a person, look them in the eyes, catch there attention and ask them a question. That is the way. The question catches their attention and they have to stop and think about it and answer it. So the very standard one is “Are you from Washington DC or out of town?” So of course it does not matter, but they stop and they listen to the question and they answer it. They, no matter what they answer, you say ‘Fabulous, amazing!’, like they have answered the question correctly, like they just won the lottery. So the whole point of that script is to stop the person. So now he is not walking anymore, he is standing there, a bit bewildered, wondering what you are going to say next. Then the second step is to get the book in his hands. Because people are much more likely to buy the book if it is in their hands. This process is nicely explained by Vaiseshika Prabhu in the following video:
https://krishnatube.com/video/69/selling-the-bhagavad-gita-on-its-own-merits-book-distribution-seminar-part-6-vaishasheka-dallas-2006/
So I strongly suggest you watch this video and learn all the standard book distribution mantras and teach them to your team.
So I think what you are talking about is book distribution mantras, that is what we call them, and devotees already have many, and as you say it is best to learn the existing tried, tested and proven book distribution mantras rather than try to reinvent the wheel.
In Krishna consciousness we are into knowledge descending through the Parampara, disciplic succession. So we can learn the book distribution mantras also like this, through the disciplic succession, from book distributors who have already perfected the art.
Of course every distributor has his own ways and adjustments but the best place to start is with the standard tried and tested book distribution mantras.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Hare Krishna Prabhu,
I have attended the presentations by Vaiseshika Prabhu and he is doing an awesome job, but I am at ground zero of answering the faq by those who grab a pamphlet and pop the questions.
And in an actual environment, one does not have the time to formulate the response on the spot, thus the need for a ready made script, and as u say, with more readings of the books and listening to His lectures, one will make slight adaptations.
It is these scripts that I am looking for. Which has to be a standard 30 second or 1 minute response as we distribute the books.
And in our team, we sometimes have someone who is knowledgeable and experienced enough to spend more time with the person and do the preaching. While others, like me, concentrate on distributing the pamphlets to all those who have heard the sankirtana and the Maha Mantra, being chanted in the background, and are willing to accept them.
At times, it is about 30 seconds after their flashing past me, or hearing the Kirtans, that they rush back to grab the book, or stop to ask quick questions, thus ideally it will be good to have standard responses to their faq.
I have tried to make a note of their questions, but find it hard doing multi tasking, holding and juggling the books and watching the passers by to distribute the books who have heard the Maha mantra being chanted in the background.
Hope to compile these questions once we resume the harinams at the Mall this coming Spring, as due to the weather we had to take a break, while chanting and catching up the reading at home.
Hare Krishna
Hare Krishna Prabhu
What you are really looking for, I think, is book distribution mantras.
You should take the time and watch the whole program at:
https://krishnatube.com/video/69/selling-the-bhagavad-gita-on-its-own-merits-book-distribution-seminar-part-6-vaishasheka-dallas-2006/
Everything you are looking for, all the lines you need, are there in that presentation.
So please watch this a few times, take notes of the lines that Vaiseshika Prabhu is teaching in this video and just repeat these exact same lined to the people you meet on the street and you will be selling 20 or 30 Bhagavad-gitas a day at least, no problems.
Hardly any of the devotees at this presentation at Dallas ISKCON had distributed Prabhupada’s books before but after this presentation they learned how to do it and then Dallas became one of the biggest book distributing temples in the US again. So these ‘book distribution mantras’ work. So you have to learn them.
It is not exactly that we answer the questions of the people. A book distributor takes charge of the person he is selling a book to and leads them through a path, or script, if you like, which will result in them purchasing the book. So there are standard objections the people may come up with and we have standard answers for dealing with those objections, etc.
But everything is in this video. So I suggest you watch it and take notes at least 3 or 4 times:
https://krishnatube.com/video/69/selling-the-bhagavad-gita-on-its-own-merits-book-distribution-seminar-part-6-vaishasheka-dallas-2006/
Everything you need to know how to become an empowered book distribution, it is in this video.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Hare Krishna ,
Is it enough to praise only krishna rather than all deities i mean we have 9 other avatar’s of vishnu . why only Krishna? why not matsya, kurma, varaha, narasimha, parshurama, vamana, srirama, buddha. If lord is supreme then why does he create good and bad and why does he take avatar’s why imean why not he enjoys
Hare Krishna
Krishna includes everything so when we glorify Krishna we are automatically glorifying all of Krishna’s expansions also. So we only need to glorify Krishna, that includes glorifying everyone else.
Krishna did not create anything bad. We create the bad by misuse of our independence. Nothing is bad if it is used in the service of Krishna. So when we take things and use them for our own selfish reasons then we create the bad. Bad is not a creation of Krishna, it is our creation.
Krishna incarnates in different forms or Avatars for various reasons and it is a very big subject matter and if you want to study it in detail I suggest you read Srila Prabhupada’s translation of Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Adi-Lila.
It would take a long time to explain and I do not have space here so please read Prabhupada’s books for the full answer.
Hare krishna,
I want to ask that what we have to do so that we never have to take animal birth…………….if we become krishna conscious would it help to have next birth nice………what I have to do so that In every birth I should get ISKCON GREAT KNOWLEDE………..I am very happy that I have get such a great knowledge………in this birth…
Hare Krishna Saksham
If you don’t want to take animal birth then you have to not act like an animal. Our actions create our consciousness and our consciousness at the time of death creates our next body. So if we are in animal consciousness at the time of death our next body will be an animal body, if we are in human consciousness we will get a human body and if we are in Krishna consciousness we will not get another material body, instead we will return back home back to Godhead, back to Krishna’s planet Goloka Vrindavan in the spiritual sky which is eternal, full of knowledge and full of ever-increasing transcendental bliss.
So the idea of becoming Krishna conscious is that you will be Krishna conscious at the time of death and then you will not have to take birth in the material world again. This is the goal. The goal is not to come back in the material world in a better body.
The material world is always going to be a miserable place full of death and suffering, no matter what body we come back into it as. So we have to give up this idea of trying to come back into the material world in a better body and instead strive to become really actually Krishna conscious so we can remember Krishna at the time of death and go back home back to Godhead. This is the goal.
As far as if you come back in the material world again even in human form it is very unlikely indeed that you will be able to get any contact with a pure devotee of Krishna. It is not ISKCON that you are attracted to, it is Srila Prabhupada. It is Srila Prabhupada who is delivering the pure transcendental knowledge that you are attracted to. But this access to a pure devotee of Krishna is very, very, very rare. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu states that a living entity is wandering from one body to another and even from one universe to another for millions and millions of births but only one fortunate living entity gets the chance to associate with a pure devotee of Krishna. So this opportunity that we have now to associate with Srila Prabhupada, a pure devotee of Krishna, is a very rare chance. It is not available in every birth. Rather last week I was listening to Srila Prabhupada and he said that if we do not become fully Krishna conscious in this life we will have to wait millions and millions of years for another chance.
So it is true that once we have begun Krishna consciousness that will continue eventually, but we may not have the facilities to continue it for many, many, many births. So the idea is that if we have any intelligence at all we must take the teachings of Srila Prabhupada very, very seriously and make Srila Prabhupada’s mission our mission in life and in this way become pure devotees of Krishna in this life and at the time of death we will remember Krishna and go back home back to Godhead. This we have to do… Not make plans to come back in the material world in a better condition…
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa