"There are many regulative principles in the sastras and directions given by the spiritual master. These regulative principles should act as servants of the basic principle -- that is, one should always remember Krishna and never forget Him."
(Srila Prabhupada, purport, Sri Caitanya Caritamrita, Madhya 22.113)






Darshan from Sri Vrindavan Dhaam - April 14, 2012

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Everything is bound by time, but the maha mantra is eternal. So many things change in our life and it's just amazing what can change but somehow or other this chanting never changes. It's constant and is always there because the name Krsna is Krsna Himself, who descends from the spiritual world and who's not bound by time. Therefore this is the one constant thing in life that stays and everything else may crumble with time. But this doesn't crumble. Rather, every time we chant the mantra, it will never be lost and at each time we chant the Hare Krsna mantra it piles on top of each other and just builds up and in this way our chanting will just gain in strength, in depth and gradually it will take over everything. At that stage one becomes transcendental.

- HH Kadamba Kanana Swami (March 2012)

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The lower modes of material nature are particularly entangling us, more and more in the material energy. It is said that the mode of ignorance are those kinds of activities, which are detrimental to a person's progress. Activities of laziness; eating things that are not edible; sleeping more then required; dreaming, illusion, madness; lack of cleanliness; dishonesty and anger – these are all symptoms of ignorance.
So tama-guna in that way is damaging. Raja-guna is a state where we are always eager to enjoy. We are always eager to manipulate things for our enjoyment. This is rajas. So one should not think that:

'To be very active is rajas'.
When one is very active in devotional service, then we should not say:
'Why are you so passionate?'
That's not passionate, since it means that we have this desire to enjoy. To be active in devotional service is very favourable, and to be eager, very alert to serve and take every opportunity to serve is exactly what we require! Not that we become so much in goodness:
'This is service is too passionate for me.'
That is actually passion because, then we want to enjoy the service:
'I enjoy this type of service but not that type of service.'

No, service is as is required. So the mode of goodness means that we are simply prepared to be humble, to be an instrument and to be a servant, in a real sense, and to work for the benefit of Krishna – His mission and His vaisnava and so on. The gradually one can reach the 'visuddha-sattva' stage. 'Visuddha-sattva' is the stage when one is not interested in personal form of enjoyment, but one naturally becomes peaceful.
Vasudeva the father of Krishna is described as the embodiment of that state, of pure goodness. Sometimes the state of Vasudeva is synonymous with pure goodness. It's that consciousness of pure goodness of Vasudeva and Krishna which has manifested Himself in that consciousness. So importance is that when the heart has become purified, then Krishna can enter, and then He can be seated within the heart. Then one can live in that worship and in the service of Krishna all the time. Then our chanting also becomes enlivening experience instead of a struggle!

- HH Kadamba Kanana Swami

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From this verse we can understand the meaning of initiation and the duties of a disciple and spiritual master. The spiritual master never instructs his disciple, "Take a mantra from me, pay me some money, and by practicing this yoga system you will become very expert in materialistic life." This is not the duty of a spiritual master. Rather, the spiritual master teaches the disciple how to give up materialistic life, and the disciple's duty is to assimilate his instructions and ultimately follow the path back home, back to Godhead, from whence no one returns to this material world.

Srila Prabhupada [SB 6.5.21 Purport]

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The following section is taken from Chapter 16 of Adi-kanda of Caitanya Bhagavat, translated by Kusakratha Prabhu. It discloses *unique* direct teachings of Haridas Thakur to conditioned souls.

When he came there, with a glance of mercy Haridasa looked at all the prisoners. Seeing Haridasa Thakura's feet, everyone bowed down to offer respect. Haridasa's eyes were lotus flower. His face was a moon. His arms reached to his knees. His every feature was charming and handsome. No one was like him. Devotedly bowing down before Haridasa, the prisoners manifested all the symptoms of ecstatic love for Lord Krsna (sattvika- bhava). Seeing the advanced devotional service of the prisoners, Haridasa mercifully smiled at them. Smiling, he happily spoke this hidden benediction: "Stay. Stay as you are. May you always be as you are now." Not understanding the hidden meaning of these words, the prisoners became a little unhappy at heart. Then Haridasa mercifully explained the true meaning of that hidden benediction.

He said, "I have given you a blessing. But, not understanding its meaning, you are now unhappy. I did not give you a bad benediction. Please give this some thought and try to understand it. Now your hearts are attached to Lord Krsna. Please remain like that at every moment. Always gather together, chant Krsna's names, and remember Krsna. Remain like this at every moment. Never hurt anyone. Never trouble anyone. Instead, always think of Krsna and always, in a plaintive voice, call out 'Krsna!' Forget about material pleasures. Flee the company of wicked men. If you stay with material pleasures you will not attain love for Lord Krsna. Stay far away from materialists. Always think of Lord Krsna. A heart attached to sense pleasures brings only trouble. Sense pleasures are a trap that catches men and women. Sense pleasures lead to destruction. By divine arrangement a fortunate person attains the association of sincere devotees. He turns from material senses pleasures and worships Lord Krsna. However, if one commits offenses, he will return to materialistic life. Please hear about this. The benediction that I spoke did not mean, `May you remain prisoners.' Rather, day and night I give the benediction, `May you forget material sense pleasures'. Playing with words, I actually gave that benediction. Please do not feel even half a sesame-seed's worth of unhappiness. I place a glance of mercy on all spirit souls. 'May you attain firm devotion to Lord Krsna ' is the real benediction I give to you. Please don't worry. In two or three days you will be released from prison. This I tell you. Stay in a situation of material happiness, or stay in any situation, but do not forget these truths."

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Letter to: Krsna dasa Vrindaban 7 November, 1972.
72-11-07 My Dear Krsna dasa, .

Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated October 30, 1972, and I have noted the contents. It appears that you are again constantly disturbed by the same nonsense doubts. These things are not very important, we may not waste our time with these insignificant questions. If we are seeking to find out some fault, maya will give us all facility to find any small thing and make it very big, that is maya. But such questions as yours: why there is so-called discrepancy between the views of Bhagavat and modern scientists regarding the moon and other planets, and whether Hitler is good or bad man, these are most insignificant matters, and for anyone who is sincerely convinced that Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, for him these questions do not arise. Our information comes from Vedas, and if we believe Krishna, that vedaham samatitani vartamanani carjuna bhavisyani ca bhutani mam tu veda na kascana [Bhagavad-Gita. 7.26] that He knows everything, and "vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyo vedanta-krd veda-vid eva caham [Bhagavad-Gita. 15.15],'' that Krishna is non-different from Vedas, then these questions do not arise. .

But because you have asked me, I am your spiritual master, I must try to answer to your satisfaction. Yes, sometimes in Vedas such things like the asura's decapitated head chasing after Candraloka, sometimes it is explained allegorically. Just like now we are explaining in 4th Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam the story of King Puranjana. Just like the living entity is living within this body, and the body is described there as city with nine gates, the intelligence as the Queen. So there are sometimes allegorical explanations. So there are many things which do not corroborate with the so-called modern science, because they are explained in that way. But where is the guarantee that modern science is also correct?

So we are concerned with Krishna Consciousness, and even though there is some difference of opinion between modern science and allegorical explanation in the Bhagavat, we have to take the essence of Srimad-Bhagavatam and utilize it for our higher benefit, without bothering about the correctness of the modern science or the allegorical explanation sometimes made in Srimad-Bhagavatam. But this is a fact that in each and every planet there is a predominant deity, as we have got experience in this planet there is a president, so it is not wonderful when the predominating deity fights with another predominating deity of another planet. The modern science takes everything as dead stone. We take it for granted that everything is being manipulated by a person in each and every affair of the cosmology. The modern scientists however could not make any progress in the understanding of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, therefore we do not accept modern science as very perfect.

We take Krishna's version: gam avisya ca bhutani dharayamy aham ojasa pusnami causadhih sarvah somo bhutvah rasatmakah [Bhagavad-Gita. 15.13] "I become the moon,'' and "yac chandramasi yac cagnau," (ibid, 12) "I am the splendor of the moon,'' and "jyotisam api taj jyotis," [Bhagavad-Gita. 13.18] "I am the source of light in all luminous objects," so no one is able to give us the correct information than Krishna, that you should know.

Regarding Hitler, so Hitler may be good man or bad man, so what does he help to our Krishna Consciousness movement? But it is a fact that much propaganda was made against him, that much I know, and the Britishers are first-class propagandists. And I have heard that his officers did everything without informing him, just like in our ISKCON there are so many false things: "Prabhupada said this, Prabhupada said that.'' But we have nothing to do with Hitler in our Krishna Consciousness. Do not be deviated by such ideas "Jnanam jneyam jnana-gamyam,'' (ibid), Krishna is knowledge, He is the object of knowledge, He is the goal of knowledge, and yo mam evam asammudho janati purusottamam sa sarva-vid bhajati mam [Bhagavad-Gita. XV, 19] "Whoever knows Me as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, without doubting, is to be understood as the knower of everything, and he engages himself therefore in devotional service'' -- this is the understanding of advanced devotee, so my best advice to you is to agree to come to this understanding. .

Your ever well wisher, .
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

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