Religion

Imported quote 16110

As stated in Bhagavad-gita, bhoktaram yajna-tapasam sarva-loka-mahesvaram: any loka, or planet, to which one wants to go is the property of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the enjoyer of the performance of sacrifice. The purpose of yajna is to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In this age, as we have explained many times, the yajna of chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra is the only sacrifice that can satisfy the Supreme Lord. When the Lord is satisfied, one can fulfill any desire, material or spiritual. Bhagavad-gita (3.14) also says, yajnad bhavati parjanyaḥ: by offering sacrifices to Lord Visnu, one can have sufficient rainfall. When there is sufficient rainfall, the earth becomes fit to produce everything (sarva-kama-dugha mahi). If one can utilize the land properly, one can get all the necessities of life from the land, including food grains, fruits, flowers and vegetables. Everything one gets for material wealth is produced from the earth, and therefore it is said, sarva-kama-dugha mahi (Bhag. 1.10.4). Everything is possible by performing yajna. Therefore although Purūrava desired something material, he factually performed yajna to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Lord is adhoksaja, beyond the perception of Purūrava and everyone else. Consequently, some kind of yajna must be performed to fulfill the desires of the living entity. Yajnas can be performed in human society only when society is divided by varnasrama-dharma into four varnas and four asramas. Without such a regulative process, no one can perform yajnas, and without the performance of yajnas, no material plans can make human society happy at any time. Everyone should therefore be induced to perform yajnas. In this age of Kali, the yajna recommended is sahkirtana, the individual or collective chanting of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra. This will bring the fulfillment of all necessities for human society. (More...)

Imported quote 16190

Please accept my blessings. I thank you very much for your letter dated June 22, 1968, and I have noted the contents. The suggestion of constructing New Vrindaban as I've suggested in Hayagriva's letter is the only method by which we can become successful in constructing the New Vrindaban scheme. But if you have got impediments in the matter, as you say that the proprietor of the land is of different views, then I do not know how you'll be able to construct it freely according to our idea. Mr. Rose may be very good man, but he does not know what is sectarian and what is non-sectarian. But at least you should know that Krishna is non-sectarian. Krishna claims that He is the seed-giving Father of all the 8,400,000 species of life visible within the material creation. They may be of different forms-some of them are aquatics, some of them are vegetables, plants, some of them are worms, some of them are birds, some of them are beasts, some of them are human beings. Krishna claims that all of them are His begotten sons. Neither Krishna claims Himself that He is an Indian or a Ksatriya, or a Brahmin, or white or black; He claims that He is the Enjoyer of everything that be, He is the Proprietor of all the planets and the creation, and He is the intimate friend of all living entities. He never claims that one should offer Him very valuable things to satisfy Him; or very delicious foodstuffs should be offered to Him-but He says that even a little bit of leaf, a little bit of fruit, and water, you offer to Him with devotion and love, and He accepts and eats such things. So it is a fact that Krishna is universal. Krishna is non-sectarian, and therefore if Mr. Rose actually wants to have some institution, he must know how that non-sectarian institution is possible. So factually, Krishna Consciousness is non-sectarian movement. There is no sectarian question. But if somebody without understanding this non-sectarian philosophy thinks otherwise, he himself becomes immediately sectarian. I therefore think that you should try to convince Mr. Rose about our philosophy of Krishna Consciousness, and let him become actually non-sectarian. Without understanding Krishna everyone is sectarian, and combination of such non-Krishna Consciousness persons will never create any institution of non-sectarian nature. That is not possible. If Mr. Rose is serious to give facility for a non-sectarian institution in that part of the country, he should understand Krishna and this philosophy thoroughly. Our Krishna Consciousness movement is no religious movement as it is generally understood. Our propaganda is to make people feel for Krishna or God, and become engaged in His transcendental loving service. Anyone who has a concept of God will agree to this philosophy. There are many sectarian religions where acceptance of God is there, but there is no love for God. So we are teaching love for God. That means Krishna Consciousness is the post-graduate class for all religious sects. We do not protest the Christians, or Mohammedans, or Jews, or any other religious sect, that there is no idea of God conception in their religions. More or less in every religion the God conception is there. But, nobody tries to love God. Just like in Christian religion, they go to church everyday and tries to exact bread from God, but they never try how to please God. And because this love of God, and the process is not thoroughly instructed, therefore they have come to the stage of understanding that God is dead. At the present moment in many Christian churches, this philosophy is being taught, that God is dead. But so far we are concerned, we cannot accept this philosophy, that God is dead. But we preach on the other hand, that God is not only not dead, but He can be approached finally face to face. And the method is very simple, chanting the Holy Name of God-Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare. Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. This process is standard, and tested. So far it's test is concerned, you know very well about it because in this part of the world, all my disciples are non-Hindu, and non-Indians. But still they have taken to this mantra, Mahamantra, very seriously and they are deriving good result out of it. So there is no question about its genuine presentation. We should therefore push on this movement in the same simple manner as we are doing. That everyone should come and sit together and chant this Holy Name Hare Krishna. If this system is taken as sectarian, then I am sure your attempt for organizing New Vrindaban under the care of Mr. Rose will not be successful. The best thing will be to chant Hare Krishna, call all the neighbors in that part of the state, and gradually develop their taste for it. Then try to endeavor to do something for developing New Vrindaban. For the present, live as simply as possible, without any endeavor to develop that part into New Vrindaban, or do it peacefully as you have mentioned, but you must continue to chant Hare Krishna, at least you and Hayagriva, and ask everybody to join you. At least Mr. Rose cannot object to this performance of Kirtana because he wants to give facility to all sects. So even if he takes it that our Krishna Consciousness movement is also a particular type of sect, certainly he will not have any objection. Therefore, the conclusion is that you must regularly hold Krishna Kirtana, now, and even as in our other centers they are doing. And live peacefully without any exaggeration, and try to convince people about the non-sectarian nature of Krishna Consciousness. I think that will make you successful in this great adventure. Before the advent of Lord Caitanya, nobody had exhibited the practical way of developing love of Godhead, and the process is open to everyone, therefore this is simple, non-sectarian, and sublime. (More...)

So at least people will appreciate these boys. They do not smoke, they do not drink, they have no illicit sex life, they do not kill to satisfy the tongue. They are satisfied with natural food. And their ideals are very good. Who'll deny it? And the asset! They cannot estimate how much the devotee is in contact with Krsna the Supreme. They have no estimating power. So they will appreciate these external features. While I was going to Hawaii one clergyman was talking with me, and he said, "Swamiji, I have seen that your disciples have very nice glowing faces." "Yes certainly, they must be making spiritual progress." So it is not difficult. It is very easy. If you take to this, you have everything sublime, and your life becomes sublime. You don't have to give up anything. The material needs are there: eating, sleeping, mating and defending. That is not forbidden. But adjust it for Krsna consciousness. We cannot allow eating and mating like animals, cats and dogs, no. That is not possible. You'll eat and you'll mate, but just like human beings, civilized men. What is the distinction between animal and man, if we behave like animals? Krsna, God, is pure. So if you keep yourself in an impure condition of life then how can you make progress towards purity, the highest perfection of purity? In the Tenth Chapter of Bhagavad-gita Arjuna is accepting Krsna as the purest of all: Param brahma param dhama pavitram paramam bhagavan. If you are going to reach the purest of all, how can you remain impure? And this voluntary restraint means tapasya. The Sanskrit word tapasya means voluntarily restraining or accepting some suffering condition. But that is not actually a suffering condition. Just like a patient. A doctor says, "You cannot take it." But he mentally thinks, "Oh, the doctor has restricted this. I am suffering." Actually he is being cured, but he thinks that he is suffering. And when he's cured, he says, "Oh, the doctor is a good friend. He told me not to indulge in this. Now I am cured." So tapasya means voluntarily accepting some so-called suffering. That is required to make advancement in Krsna consciousness: voluntary acceptance of so-called suffering. That suffering is for transcendental realization. That is good. It means your existence will be purified. And to purify existence means to advance in realizing unlimited happiness. And what is the disease? Disease means limitation of eating, limitation of sleeping, limitation of mating. Everything limited. A diseased man cannot have sex life unlimitedly. There is restriction. That restriction is for curing him. And the cure means he enjoys. Whatever you think is enjoyment must be unlimited. Eternal happiness, unending happiness. So to acquire unending, eternal happiness, if you have to accept some voluntary suffering in this life, you should do that. (More...)

It has been stated that Vyasadeva had been concerned with religiosity, which involves preparing oneself for being elevated to the spiritual platform. Vyasadeva had outlined dharma, or religious faith, as meaning to very punctually go to a church or temple, execute all ritualistic ceremonies very rigidly and follow religious rules and regulations. In this way a materialistic man can gradually be purified. But if at the end a person does not develop love for God, then the rituals are simply useless labor and empty formality. The objective of religion is not material happiness. The objective of religion is Krsna. When religious rituals are followed for the goal of material happiness, all the prescriptions and regulations are simply a waste of time. Thus Vyasadeva could be said to have actually encouraged materialistic activities. The sacrifices he described in the scriptures were presented with the understanding that everyone comes into this material world in order to satisfy his senses. So in order for people to enjoy sense gratification while at the same time following the codes of religion, the Vedas were prepared. Now Narada told Vyasadeva that he had actually encouraged sense gratification in the name of religion. We commonly see that when someone is involved in some basically illicit activity, he may try to find sanction for it within his religion. "My religion says I can do it. I can eat meat. I can smoke. I can have sex. It is sanctioned in my religion." If scriptures are presented in material terms, people who seek authoritative approval for their sinful activities will screw out false meanings from them. And he who compiles such scriptures is to blame. That sort of religiosity in which the object is to achieve material happiness by following regulative principles will not help one, and Narada condemned this religiosity as abominable. "If you simply stick to this principle, because you are an authority, people will understand that this is religion. People will think that religion is nothing more than this." Even if one becomes very expert in executing religious performances, that does not mean that he can be elevated to the spiritual platform. Such performances may be a little helpful for rising to the spiritual platform, but unless one actually engages in the service of the Lord he cannot achieve perfection. Narada Muni said, "Therefore, now please write literature that will attract people to Krsna, the Supreme Lord. Thus far you have only given an official understanding of Krsna. You have indicated that God is great or all-powerful, but people are not attracted because you have distracted their attention to the improvement of their material condition." (More...)

At first Nanda Maharaja did not answer his son, thinking that He could not understand the intricacies of sacrifice, but when Krsna persisted in His plea, Nanda replied that they were performing the sacrifice because it was traditional. This shows that Nanda Maharaja was not a whimsical person, for any genuine spiritual practice must have the sanction of previous authorities who have passed down spiritual knowledge. In the case of the Indra sacrifice, however, the object of worship was a demigod, and therefore Krsna suggested that the sacrifice be stopped. He had two reasons for doing so. One was that He wanted to discourage demigod worship because its object is material benefit, which is always temporary. Only a less intelligent person engages himself in religion for material benefit. The other reason is that even if one wants material things, he should approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead directly. Krsna Himself is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and He asks for surrender and devotional service unto Him. According to all learned spiritual masters, our rightful position is to serve Him. (More...)

Imported quote 20093

I have already mentioned about this Mantra in my previous letter and I beg to confirm it further that the Name "Krishna'' even up to the foreign words like God and Allah, if they at all aim at the Supreme Personality-then the Name is as much holy and potential as perfect is the Supreme Lord-because in the Absolute Realm or Spiritual Nature everything is identical with everything as all of them are qualitatively spiritual and therefore pure, eternal, liberated and perfect. (More...)

For all practical purposes if we systematically preach to chant the holy name of Godhead, I think no body even the religious fanatic will take objection to it. Every human being has a conception of the supreme truth. That conception is presented in some concrete shape. If therefore the Mussulman or the Christian denies to chant the name of Rama or Krishna we may ask him to chant the name of Allah or God respectively and I think therefore there will be no objection even by the Buddhists if we simply ask them to chant the name of Lord of Buddha in the systematic way. (More...)

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