{"On_the_Way_to_Krsna-1973_book_SCAN#p0001": "", "On_the_Way_to_Krsna-1973_book_SCAN#p0002": "ONTHEWAYTO\n\nKRSKA\n•\n\n•\n\n•\n\nHIS DIVINE GRACE\nA.C. BHAKT IVEDANTA\nSWAMI PRABHUPADA\nFounder-Acarya\nof the lnternati,onal Society\nfor Krishna Consciousness\n\nThe Bhaktivedanta Book Trust\nNew York· Los Angeles· London- Bombay\n\n", "On_the_Way_to_Krsna-1973_book_SCAN#p0003": "© 1973 by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.\nAll rights reserved\n\nLibrary of Congress Catalog Card Number: 72-84842\nInternational Standard Book Number: 0-912776-39-0\n\nReaders interested in the subject matter of this\nbook are invited by the International Society for\nKrishna Consciousness to correspond with its Secretary.\n\nInternational Society for Krishna Consciousness\n3959 Landmark Street\nCulver City, California 90230\n\nFirst Printing, 1973: 100,000\nPrinted in the United States of America\nby ISKCON Press\n\n", "On_the_Way_to_Krsna-1973_book_SCAN#p0004": "OTHER BOOKS\nby A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada\n\nBhagavad-gita As It Is\nSrimad-Bhagavatam, Cantos 1-3 (6 V ols.)\nTeachings of Lord Chaitanya\nThe Nectar of Devotion\nEasy Journey to Other Planets\nKm1a Consciousness: The Topmost Yoga System\nKr$Oa, The Supreme Personality of Godhead (2 Vols.)\nTranscendental Teachings of Prahlad Maharaj\nTranscendental Teachings of Caitanya Mahaprabhu\nThe Perfection of Yoga\n\nBeyond Birth and Death\nRaja-vidya: The King of Knowledge\nElevation to Kr�r:1a Consciousness\nBack to Godhead Magazine (Founder)\n\nComplete catalogue is available upon request.\n\n", "On_the_Way_to_Krsna-1973_book_SCAN#p0005": "contents\n1. Throughway to Happiness\n\n5\n\n2. The Way of Chanting and Knowing Kr�f}a\n3. Seeing Kr�f}a Everywhere and Always\n4. The Roads of the Foolish and the Wise\n5. Steering Toward the Supreme\n\n65\n\n32\n50\n\n16\n\n", "On_the_Way_to_Krsna-1973_book_SCAN#p0006": "1\n\nThroughway to Happiness\nEvery one of us is searching after happiness, but\nwe do not know what real happiness is. We see so\nmuch advertised about happiness, but practically\nspeaking we see so few happy people.This is because\nso few people know that the platform of real happiness is beyond temporary things. It is this real happiness that is described in Bhagavad-gTta by Lord Kr�Qa\nto Arjuna.\nHappiness is generally perceived through our sense&\nA stone, for instance, has no senses and cannot\nperceive happiness and distress. Developed consciousness can perceive happiness and distress more intensely than undeveloped consciousness. Trees have consciousness, but it is not developed. Trees may stand\nfor a long time in all kinds of weather, but they have\nno way of perceiving miseries. If a human being were\nasked to stand like a tree for only three days or even\nless, he would not be able to tolerate it. The conclusion is that every living being feels happiness or\ndistress according to the degree of development of\nhis consciousness.\nThe happiness that we are experiencing in the\nmaterial world is not real happiness. If one asks a\ntree, \"Are you feeling happy?\" the tree, if it could,\nmight say, \"Yes, I am happy, standing here all year.\nI'm enjoying the wind and snowfall very much, etc.\"\nThis may be enjoyed by the tree, but for the human\nbeing it is a very low standard of enjoyment. There\n\n", "On_the_Way_to_Krsna-1973_book_SCAN#p0007": "On the Way to Kr�r:ta\n\n6\n\nare different kinds and grades of living entities, and\n\ntheir conceptions and perceptions of happiness are\n\nalso of all different types and grades. Although one\nanimal may see that another animal is being slaugh·\n\ntered, he will go right on chewing grass, for he has\n\nno\n\nknowledge\n\nto\n\nunderstand\n\nthat\n\nhe\n\nmay be\n\nnext. He is thinking that he is happy, but at the next\n\nmoment he may be slaughtered.\n\nIn this way there are different degrees of happi­\n\nness. Yet of all of them, what is the highest happiness? Sri Kr�.t;�.a'tells Arjuna:\n\nsukham iityantikam yat tad\nbuddhi-griih yam atindriyam\nvetti yatra na caiviiyam\nsthitas calati tattvata�\n\"In that joyous state (samiidhi), one is situated in\n\nboundless trapscendental happiness and enjoys him­\n\nself through transcendental senses. Established thus,\none never departs from the truth.\" (Bg. 6.21)\n\nBuddhi means intelligence; one has to be intelli­\n\ngent if he wants to enjoy. Animals do not have really\ndeveloped intelligence and so cannot enjoy life as a\n\nhuman being can. The hands, the nose, the eyes, the\n\nother sense organs and all the bodily parts may be\n\npresent on a dead man, but he cannot enjoy. Why\n\nnot? The enjoying energy, the spiritual spark, has\nleft, and therefore the body has no power. If one\n\nlooks further into the matter with a little intelligence,\n\nhe can understand that it was not the body that was\nenjoying at all but the small spiritual spark that was\nwithin. Although one may think that he is enjoying\n\n", "On_the_Way_to_Krsna-1973_book_SCAN#p0008": "Throughway to Happiness\n\n7\n\nby the bodily sense organs, the real enjoyer is that\nspiritual spark. That spark always has the potency of\nenjoyment, but it is not always manifest due to being covered by the material tabernacle. Although we\nmay not be aware of it, it is not possible for the body\nto experience enjoyment without the presence of\nthis spiritual spark. If a man is offered the dead body\nof a beautiful woman, will he accept it? No, because\nthe spiritual spark has moved out of the body. Not\nonly was it enjoying within the body, but it was\nmaintaining the body. When that spark leaves, the\nbody simply deteriorates.\nIt follows that if the spirit is enjoying, it must\nhave its senses also, otherwise how can it enjoy? The\n\nVedas confirm that the spirit soul, although atomic\nin size, is the actual enjoying agent. It is not possible\nto measure the soul, but that is not to say that it is\nwithout measurement. An object may seem to us to\nbe no bigger than a point and may seem to have no\nlength or width, but when we perceive it under a\nmicroscope we can see that it has both length and\nwidth. Similarly, the soul also has its dimensions,\nbut we cannot perceive them. When we buy a suit\nor dress, it is made to fit the body. The spiritual\nspark must have form, otherwise how is it the material body has grown to accomodate it? The conclusion is that the spiritual spark is not impersonal.\nIt is an actual person. God is an actual person, and\nthe spiritual spark, being a fragmental part of Him,\nis also a person. If the father has personality and individuality, the son also has them; and if the son\nhas them, we can conclude that the father has them.\n\n", "On_the_Way_to_Krsna-1973_book_SCAN#p0009": "r-�\n8\n\nOn the Way to K{�J,la\n\nSo how can we, as sons of God, assert our personality and individuality and at the same time deny\nthem to our Father, the Supreme Lord?\nAfindriyam means that we have to transcend\nthese material senses before we can appreciate real\nhappiness. Ramante yogino 'nante s atyananda c id\n-\n\n­\n\natmani: the yogis who are aspiring after spiritual life\nare\n\nalso tasting\n\nenjoyment\n\nby\n\nfocusing on the\n\nSupersoul within. If there is no pleasure, if there is\nno enjoyment, then what is the point of going to so\nmuch trouble to control the senses? What kind of\npleasure are the yogis relishing if they are taking so\nmuch trouble? That pleasure is ananta-endless. How\nis this? The spirit soul is eternal, and the Supreme\nLord is eternal; therefore reciprocation of their loving exchanges is eternal. One who is actually intelligent will refrain from the flickering sensual enjoyment of this material body and fix his enjoyment in\nspiritual life. His participation in spiritual life with\nthe Supreme Lord is called rasa-lila.\nWe have often heard of Knn').a's rasa-lila with the\ncowherd girls in V rndavana. That is not like ordinary\nexchanges that take place between these material\nbodies. Rather it is an exchange of feelings through\nspiritual bodies. One has to be somewhat intelligent\nto understand this, for a foolish man, who cannot\nunderstand what real happiness is, seeks happiness in\nthis material world. In India there is the story of a\nman who did not know what sugarcane was and was\ntold that it was very sweet to chew. \"Oh, what does\nit look like?\" he asked. ''It looks just like a bamboo\nrod,\" someone said. So the foolish man began to\n\n'l\n\n", "On_the_Way_to_Krsna-1973_book_SCAN#p0010": "Throughway to Happiness\n\n9\n\nchew all kinds of bamboo rods. How can he begin to\nexperience the sweetness of sugarcane? Similarly, we\nare trying to get happiness and pleasure, but we are\ntrying for them by chewing this material body; therefore there is no happiness and no pleasure. For the\ntime being there may be some little feeling of pleasure, but that is not actual pleasure, for it is temporary. It is like a show of lightning which we may see\nflashing in the sky that may momentarily seem like\nlightning, but the real lightning is beyond that. Because a person does not really know what happiness\nis, he deviates from real happiness.\nThe process for establishing oneself in real happiness is this process of Kn;Qa consciousness. By Kf�Qa\nconsciousness we can gradually develop our real\nintelligence and naturally enjoy relishing spiritual\nhappiness as we make spiritual progress. As we begin\nto\n\nrelish\n\nspiritual\n\nhappiness, we proportionately\n\nabandon material happiness. As we make progress in\nunderstanding the Absolute Truth, we naturally become detached from this false happiness. If somehow\nor other one is promoted to that stage of Kr�Qa consciousness, what is the result?.\n\nyam labdhvii ciiparam liibham\nmanyate niidhikam tata�\nyasmin sthito na du�khena\ngurur-iipi viciilyate\n\"Upon gaining this, he thinks there is no greater\ngain. Being situated in such a position, one is never\nshaken, even in the midst of greatest difficulty.\"\n(Bg. 6.22)\n\n", "On_the_Way_to_Krsna-1973_book_SCAN#p0011": "\"'\n10\n\nOn the Way to ��Qa\n\nWhen one attains that stage, other achievements\nappear insignificant. In this material world we are\ntrying to achieve so many things-riches, women,\nfame, beauty, knowledge, etc.-but as soon as we are\nsituated in Kr��J.a consciousness we think, \"Oh, no\nachievement is better than this.\" Kr�Q.a consciousness\nis so potent that a little taste can save one from the\ngreatest danger. As one begins to relish the taste of\nKr�Q.a consciousness, he begins to see other so-called\nenjoyments and attainments as flat and tasteless.\nAnd if one is situated firmly in Kr�Q.a consciousness,\nthe greatest danger cannot disturb him. There are so\nmany dangers in life because the material world is a\nplace of danger. We tend to close our eyes to this,\nand because we are foolish we try to adjust to these\ndangers. We may have many dangerous moments in\nour lives, but if we are training ourselves in Kr�Q.a\nconsciousness and preparing ourselves to go home,\nback to Godhead, we will not care for them. Our\nattitude will then be: \"Dangers come and go-so let\nthem happen.\" It is very difficult to make this kind\nof adjustment as long as one is on the materialistic\nplatform and is identifying with the gross body,\nwhich is composed of perishable elements. But the\nmore one advances in Kr�Q.a consciousness, the more\nhe becomes free from bodily designations and this\nmaterial entanglement.\n\nIn Sr\"\"imad-Bhiigavatam the material world is com­\n\npared to a great ocean. Within this material universe\nthere are millions and billions of planets floating in\nspace, and we can just imagine how many Atlantic\nand Pacific Oceans are there. In fact, the whole mate-\n\n", "On_the_Way_to_Krsna-1973_book_SCAN#p0012": "Throughway to Happiness\n\nll\n\nrial universe is likened to a great ocean of misery, an\nocean of birth and death. In order to cross this great\nocean of nescience, a strong boat is needed, and that\nstrong boat is the lotus feet of Kr�l)a. We should\nimmediately get aboard that boat. We should not\nhesitate, thinking that Kr�l)a's feet are very small.\nThe whole universe is simply resting on His leg. For\none who takes shelter of His feet, it is said that the\nmaterial universe is no more significant than a puddle\nof water found in the impression of a calf's hoofprint. There is certainly no difficulty in crossing over\nsuch a small puddle.\n\ntam vidyad du�kha-sarhyogaviyogarh yoga-samjnitam\n\"This indeed is actual freedom from all miseries arising from material contact.\" (Bg. 6.23)\nWe are entangled in this material world due to uncontrolled senses. The yoga process is meant to control these senses. If somehow we can manage to control the senses, we can turn our face to actual spiritual happiness and make our lives successful.\n\nsa niscayena yoktavyo\nyogo 'nirvirzrw�cetasa\nsahkalpa-prabhavan kamarhs\ntyaktva sarvan ase�atal!\nmanasaivendriya-gramam\nviniyamya samantata�\nsanai� sanair uparamed\nbuddh yii dhrti-grhitayii\n\n", "On_the_Way_to_Krsna-1973_book_SCAN#p0013": "l1l\n\nOn the Way to K{�Qa\n\n12\n\niitma-sarhstham mana� krtva\nna kiiicid api cintayet\nyato yato niscalati\nmanas caiicalam asthiram\ntatas tato niyamyaitad\natmany eva vasarh nayet\n\"Dne should engage oneself in the practice of yoga\nwith undeviating determination and faith. One should\nabandon, without exception, all material desires born\nof false ego and thus control all the senses on all sides\nby the mind. Gradually, step by step, with full conviction, one should become situated in trance by\nmeans of intelligence, and thus the mind should be\nfixed on the Self alone and should think of nothing\nelse. From whatever and wherever the mind wanders\ndue to its flickering and unsteady nature, one must\ncertainly withdraw it and bring it back under the\ncontrol of the Self.\"\nThe mind is always disturbed. It is going sometimes this way and sometimes that way. By yoga\npractice we literally drag the mind to Kr�f]a consciousness. The mind strays from Kn;Qa consciousness to so\nmany exterior objects because from time immemorial, life after life, that has been our practice. Due to\nthis, there may be great difficulty in the beginning\nwhen\n\none tries\n\nto\n\nfix\n\nhis mind in Krgta con­\n\nsciousness, but these difficulties can all be overcome.\nIt is because the mind is agitated and not fixed on\nKr�Qa that it goes from one thought to another. For\ninstance, when we are engaged in work, memories of\nevents that happened ten, twenty, thirty or forty\n\n", "On_the_Way_to_Krsna-1973_book_SCAN#p0014": "Throughway to Happiness\n\n13\n\nyears ago may suddenly come to our mind for no\napparent reason. These thoughts come from our subconscious, and because they are always rising, the\nmind is always agitated. If we agitate a lake or a\npond, all the mud from the bottom comes to the\nsurface. Similarly, when the mind is agitated so many\nthoughts arise from the subconscious that have been\nstored there over the years. If we do not disturb a\npond, the mud will settle to the bottom. This yoga\nprocess is the means to quiet the mind and allow all\nthese thoughts to settle. For this reason there are so\nmany rules and regulations to follow in order to keep\nthe mind from becoming agitated. If we follow the\nrules and regulations, gradually the .mind will come\nunder control. There are so many don't's and so\nmany do's, and if one is serious about training the\nmind, he has to follow them. If he acts whimsically,\nwhat is the possibility of the mind being controlled\"?\nWhen the mind is fin�lly trained to the point where\nit will think of nothing but Kr�Q.a, it will attain\npeace and will become very tranquil.\n\nprasanta-manasam hy enam\nyoginam sukham uttamam\nupaiti santa-rajasam\nbrahma-bhiitam akalma�am\n\"The yogi whose mind is fixed on Me verily attains\nthe highest happiness. By virtue of his identity with\nBrahman, he is liberated; his mind is peaceful, his\npassions are quieted, and he is freed from sin.\"\n(Bg. 6.27)\n\n", "On_the_Way_to_Krsna-1973_book_SCAN#p0015": "14\n\nOn the Way to Kr�J).a\nThe mind is always concocting objects for happi­\n\nness. I am always thinking, \"This will make me hapPY,\" or \"That will make me happy. Happiness is\nhere. Happiness is there.\" In this way the mind is\ntaking us anywhere and everywhere. It is as though\nwe are riding on a chariot behind an unbridled horse.\nWe have no power over where we are going but can\nonly sit in horror and watch helplessly. As soon as\nthe mind is engaged in the Kr�J).a consciousness process-specifically by chanting Hare Kr�Q.a, Hare Kr�Q.a,\nKr�Q.a Kn;Q.a, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama,\nRama Rama, Hare Hare-then the wild horses of the\nmind will gradually come under our control. We must\nengage in Kr�Q.a's service every moment of our lives\nin order to keep the restless and turbulent mind from\n\ndragging us from one object to another in a vain\nsearch for happiness in the temporary material world.\nyunjann evarh sadiitmiinarh\nyogT vigata-kalma�a�\nsukhena brahma-sarhsparsam\natyantam sukham asnute\n\n\"Steady in the Self, being freed from all material\ncontamination, the yogi: achieves the highest perfectional stage of happiness in touch with the supreme\nconsciousness.\" (Bg. 6.28)\nKr�Q.a serves as a patron for one who is devoted to\nHim. When one is in difficulty, his patron saves him.\nAs stated in Bhagavad-gftii, Kr�J).a is the real friend of\nevery living entity, and we have to revive our friendship with Him. The method for reviving this friendship is the process of Kr�Q.a consciousness. By prac-\n\nll\n\n", "On_the_Way_to_Krsna-1973_book_SCAN#p0016": "Throughway to Happiness\n\n15\n\ntice of Krgta coiiJSciousness, mundane passionate\nhankering will\n\ncome\n\nto a stop. This passionate\n\nhankering keeps us divorced from Kr�t:ta. Kr�t:ta is\nwithin us and is waiting for us to turn to Him, but\nwe are too busy passionately eating the fruits of the\ntree of material desire. This passionate compulsion\nto enjoy these fruits must stop, and we must situate\nourselves in our real identity as Brahman-pure spirit.\n\n", "On_the_Way_to_Krsna-1973_book_SCAN#p0017": "2\n\nThe Way of Chanting\nand Knowing Kr?rJd\nHare\n\nKr�va,\n\nHare\n\nKr�va,\n\nKr�va\n\nKr� va,\n\nHare\n\nHare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare\nHare. This is transcendental sound vibration. It will\nhelp us to cleanse the dust from the mirror of the\nmind. At the present moment we have accumulated\nso much material dust on the mirror of the mind,\njust as on Second Avenue (New York City) there is\ndust and soot over everything due to the heavy\ntraffic. Due to our manipulation of material activities,\na great deal of dust has collected over our mind's\nclear mirror, and as a consequence we are unable to\nsee things in perspective. This vibration of transcendental sound (the Hare Kr�va mantra) will cleanse\naway this dust and enable us to see clearly our real\nconstitutional position. As soon as we come to\nunderstand \"I am not this body; I am spirit soul,\nand my symptom is consciousness,\" we will be able\nto establish ourselves in real happiness. As our consciousness is purified by this process of chanting\nHare Krso.a, all our material miseries will disap p ear.\nThere is a fire that is always blazing over this material world, and everyone is trying to extinguish it,\nbut there is no possibility of extinguishing this fire of\n\nthe miseries of material nature unless we are situated\n\nin our pure consciousness, in our spiritual life.\nOne of the purposes for Lord Krso.a's descent or\nappearance in this material world is to extinguish the\n\n,11\n\n", "On_the_Way_to_Krsna-1973_book_SCAN#p0018": "The Way of Chanting and Knowing Kr�va\n\n17\n\nfire of material existence for all living entities by setting forth the dharma.\n\nyada yada hi dharmasya\ngliinir bhavati bharata\nabhyutthanam adharmasya\ntadatmanarh srjamyaham\nparitrar-aya sadhunarh\nvinasaya ca du�krtam\ndharma-sarhsthapanarthaya\nsambhavami yuge yuge\n\"Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, 0 descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion-at that time I descend\nMyself. In order to deliver the pious and to annihilate\nthe miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles\nof religion, I advent Myself millennium after millennium.\" (Bg. 4. 7-8)\nIn this verse the word dharma is used. This word\nhas been translated into English in various ways.\nSometimes it is translated as \"faith,\" but according\nto Vedic literature, dharma is not a kind of faith.\nFaith may change, but dharma cannot be changed.\nThe liquidity of water cannot be changed. If it is\nchanged-if, for instance, water becomes solid-it is\nactually no longer in its constitutional position. It is\nexisting unde� a certain qualifying condition. Our\n\ndharma or constitutional position is that we are part\nand parcel of the Supreme, and this being the case,\nwe have to dovetail or subjugate our consciousness\nto the Supreme.\n\n", "On_the_Way_to_Krsna-1973_book_SCAN#p0019": ".-r\n\n18\n\nOn the Way to Kr�Q.a\nThis position of transcendental service to the\n\nSupreme Whole is being misused due to material contact. Service is implicit in our constitutional position.\nEveryone is a servant, and no one is a master. Everyone is serving someone or other. Although the President may be the chief executive of the state; still he\nis serving the state, and when his services are no longer required, the state disposes of him. To think to oneself, \"I am the master of all I survey,\" is called miiyii,\nillusion. Thus in material consciousness our service is\nbeing misused under various designations. When we\ncan become free from these designations, that is to\nsay when the dust has been cleared from the mirror\nof the mind, we will be able to see ourselves in our\nactual position as eternal servants of Kr�Q.a.\nOne should not think that his service in the material world and his service in the spiritual atmosphere\nare the same. We may shudder to think, \"Oh, after\nliberation will I still be a servant?\" This is because\nwe have experience that being a servant in the material world is not very enjoyable, but transcendental\nservice is not like this. In the spiritual world there is\nno difference between the servant and the master.\nHere, o f course, there is distinction, but in the\nabsolute worW everything is one. For instance, in\n\nBhagavad-g\"itii we can see that Kr�Qa has taken the\nposition of servant as the chariot driver of Arjuna.\nIn his constitutional position, Arjuna is the servant\nof Kr�Q.a, but in behavior we can see that sometimes\nthe Lord becomes the servant of the servant. So we\nshould he careful not to carry materialistic ideas into\nthe spiritual realm. Whatever we have materially ex-\n\n", "On_the_Way_to_Krsna-1973_book_SCAN#p0020": "The Way of Chantin g and Knowing Kr�l}.a\n\n19\n\nperienced is but a perverted reflection of things in\nspiritual life.\nWhen our constitutional position or dharma is\n\ndeteriorated due to the contaminations of matter, the\nLord Himself comes as an incarnation or sends some\n\nof His confidential servitors. Lord Jesus Christ called\n\nhimself the \"son of God,\" and so is a representative\n\nof the Supreme. Similarly, Mohammed identified\n\nhimself as a servant of the Supreme Lord. Thus when­\n\never there is a discrepancy in our constitutional\n\nposition, the Supreme Lord either comes Himself or\n\nsends His representative to inform us of the real\nposition of the living entity.\n\nTherefore, one should not make the mistake of\n\nthinking that dharma is a created faith. In its proper\n\nsense, dharma cannot be divorced from the living\n\nentity at all. It is to the living entity what sweetness\n\nis to sugar, or saltiness is to salt, or solidity is to\n\nstone. In no case can it be cut off. The dharma of the\n\nliving entity is to serve, and we can easily see that\nevery living entity has the tendency to serve himself\nor others. How to serve Kn;l)a, how to disentangk\n\nourselves from materialistic service, how to attain\nKr�ua consciousness and become free from material\n\ndesignations is all taught as a science by Sri Kr�l)a in\nBhagavad-gTta.\n\nThe word siidhu in the verse quoted above, begin­\n\nning paritraraya sadhunam refers to a holy man or a\n\nsaintly person. A saintly person is tolerant, very kind\nto everyone, is a friend to all living entities, is no\n\none's enemy and is always peaceful. There are twentysix basic qualifications for a holy man, and in the\n\n", "On_the_Way_to_Krsna-1973_book_SCAN#p0021": "On the Way to K{�l}a\n\n20\n\nBhagavad-gitii we find that Sri l(rl)qa Himself gives\nthe following verdict:\napi cet suduriicaro\nbhajate miim ananya-bhiik\nsiidhur eva sa mantavyaft\nsamyag vyavasito hi saft\n\"Even if one commits the most abominable actions,\nif he is engaged in devotional service, he is to be considered saintly because he is properly situated.\"\n(Bg. 9.30)\nOn the mundane platform, what is morality for\none person is immorality for another, and what is\nimmorality for one person is morality for another.\nAccording to the Hindu conception, the drinking of\nwine is immoral, whereas in the Western world, wine\ndrinking is not co.nsidered immoral but is a common\nthing. So morality is dependent on time, place, circumstance, social position, etc. There is, however, a\nsense of morality and immorality in all societies. In\nthis verse Krl)qa points out that even if one is engaged\nin immoral acts but at the same time is fully in\nKr�r:ta consciousness, he is to be considered a siidhu\nor a saint. In other words, although a person may\nhave some immoral habits due to his past association,\nif he is engaged fully in Krl)qa consciousness, these\nhabits are not to be considered important. Whatever\nthe case, if one becomes Krll11a conscious, he will\ngradually be purified and will become a siidhu. As\none progresses in executing Krl)qa consciousness, his\nbad habits diminish, and he attains to saintly perfection.\n\nj,\n\n", "On_the_Way_to_Krsna-1973_book_SCAN#p0022": "The Way of Chanting and Knowing Kr�1,1a\n\n21\n\nIn this regard there is the story of a thief who\nwent on a pilgrimage to a holy town, and on route\nhe and the other pilgrims stopped to rest overnight at\nan inn. Being addicted to stealing, the thief began\nmaking plans to steal the other pilgrims' baggage,\nbut he thought, \"I'm going on a pilgrimage, so it\ndoesn't seem appropriate that I should steal this baggage. No, I shall not do it.\" Nonetheless, due to his\nhabit, he could not keep his hands off the baggage.\nSo he picked up one person's bag and placed it in\nanother place, and then another person's bag and\nplaced it elsewhere. He spent all night placing different bags\n\nin different places, but his conscience\n\nbothered him so that he could not take anything\nfrom them. In the morning, when the other pilgrims\nawoke, they\n\nlooked around\n\ncouldn't find them.\n\nfor\n\ntheir bags and\n\nThere was a great row, and\n\neventually, one by one, they began to find the bags\nin various places. After they were all found, the\nthief explained: \"Gentlemen, I am a thief by occupation. Being that I am habituated to stealing at\nnight, I wanted to steal something from your bags,\nbut I thought that since I am going to this holy\nplace, it is not possible to steal. So I may have rearranged the baggage, but please excuse me.\" This\nis the characteristic of a bad habit. He does not want\nto commit theft anymore, but because he is habituated, sometimes he does. Thus Kr�r:ta says that one\nwho has decided to refrain from his immoral habits\nand make progress in Kr�J)a consciousness is to be\nconsidered a siidhu, even if out of past habit or by\nchance he yields to his fault. In the next verse we find\n\nthat S ri Kr�J)a says:\n\n", "On_the_Way_to_Krsna-1973_book_SCAN#p0023": "On the Way to Kw].a\n\n22\n\nk,siprarit bhavati dharmiitma\nsasvac-chiintirh nigacchati\nkaunteya pratijiin\"ihi\nna me bhakta{z prarzasyati\n\"He quickly becomes righteous and attains lasting\n\npeace. 0 son of Kunti, declare it boldly that My\ndevotee never perishes.\" (Bg. 9.31)\n\nBecause or1e has committed himself to Kr�oa con­\n\nsciousness, it is proclaimed here by Sri Kr�oa that\n\nwithin a very short time he will become saintly. One\n\nmay pull the plug out of an electric fan, and the fan\n\nmay still go on even though the juice has been dis­\n\nconnected, but it is understood that the fan will\n\nsoon come to a stop. Once we take shelter of the\n\nlotus feet of Kr�oa, we turn the switch of f for our\n\nkarmic activities, and although these activities may\nstill revolve, it is to be understood that they will\n\nquickly diminish. It is a fact that whoever takes to\n\nKrsoa\n\nconsciousness\n\ndoes not have to endeavor\n\nindependently to become a good man. All the good\n\nqualifications will automatically come. It is stated in\n\nSrimad-Bhagavatam that one who has attained Kr�oa\n\nconsciousness has simultaneously attained all good\nqualities. On the other hand, if a person is devoid of\n\nGod consciousness and yet has many good qualities,\n\nhis good qualities are to be considered useless, for\n\nhe will not in any way be prohibited from doing that\nwhich is undesirable. If one is devoid of Kr�J.la con­\n\nsciousness, he is sure to commit mischief in this\nrna\n\nterial world.\n\n", "On_the_Way_to_Krsna-1973_book_SCAN#p0024": "L\n\nThe Way of Chanting and Knowing Kr�Qa\n\n23\n\njanma karma ca me divyam\nevarh yo vetti tattvata[t\ntyaktva deharh punar janma\nnaiti mam eti so 'rjuna\n\"One who knows the transcendental nature of My\nappearance and activities does not, upon leaving the\nbody, take his birth again in this material world,\nbut attains My eternal abode, 0 Arjuna.\" (Bg. 4.9)\nThe mission for which Kn;pa appears is here fur ther explained. When He comes with some mission,\nthere are some activities. Of course there are some\nphilosophers who do not believe that God comes as\nan incarnation. They say, \"Why should God come\nto this rotten world?\" But from Bhagavad-g'ita we\nunderstand otherwise. We should always remember\nthat we read Bhagavad-g'ita as scripture, and whatever is spoken in Bhagavad-g'ita must be accepted,\notherwise there is no reason in reading it. In\n\nG'ita\n\nKrsua says that He has come as an incarnation with a\nmission, and along with His mission there are some\nactivities. We can see, for example, that Krsua is active as chariot-driver for Arjuna and engages in so\nmany activities on the battlefield of Kuruksetra. Just\nas when there is war one person or nation may side\nwith another person or nation and show partiality,\nLord Krso.a on the battlefield shows some partiality\nand sides with Arjuna. Actually Krsua is not partial\nto anyone, but externally it appears that He is partial. This partiality, however, should not be accepted\nin the ordinary sense.\n\n", "On_the_Way_to_Krsna-1973_book_SCAN#p0025": "On the Way to Kr�t:Ia\n\n24\n\nIn this verse Kn;o.a also points out that His descent\ninto the material world is transcendental. The word\n\ndivyam means transcendental. His activities are not in\nany way ordinary. Even today, in India, at the end of\nAugust the people are accustomed to celebrating\nKr�o.a 's birthday, regardless of sect, just as in the\nWestern world Jesus Christ's birthday is celebrated at\nChristmas.\n\nKr�o.a's birthday is called ]anmii§tam\"i,\n\nand in this verse Kr�o.a uses the word janma in referring to \"My birth.\" Because there is birth, there\nare some activities. Krso.a's birth and activities are\ntranscendental, which means they are not like ordinary births and activities. One may ask how it is that\nHis activities are transcendental. He is born, He takes\npart in a battle with Arjuna, he has a father by the\nname of Vasudeva and a mother Devaki and a family\n-what can be considered transcendental? Krso.a says,\n\nevarh yo vetti tattvata{t-we must know of His birth\nand activities in truth. When one knows of Krso.a's\nbirth and activities in truth, the result is: tyaktvii\n\ndeharh punar janma naiti miim eti so rj u na\n'\n\n-\n\nwhen he\n\nleaves this material body, he is not born again but\ngoes directly to Krso.a. This means that he becomes a\nliberated soul. He goes to the eternal spiritual world\nand attains his constitutional position full of bliss,\nknowledge and eternality. All this can be obtained\nsimply by knowing in truth the transcendental nature of Krso.a's birth and activities.\nOrdinarily when one quits the body he has to take\nup another body. The lives of the living entities are\ngoing on simply due to the living entities' changing\ndress from one body to another-transmigration of\n\n", "On_the_Way_to_Krsna-1973_book_SCAN#p0026": "The Way of Chantin g and Knowing ��l).a\n\n25\n\nthe soul-according to the work of the living entities.\nAt the present moment we may think that this material body is our actual body, but it is like a dress. In\nreality we do have an actual body, a spiritual body.\nThis material body is superficial compared to the\nreal spiritual body of the living entity._ When this\nmaterial body becomes old and worn out, or when\nit is rendered useless by some accident, we put it\naside as we might put aside a soiled or ruined suit and\ntake up another material body.\nviisamsi firr-iini yathii vihiiya\nnaviini grhriiti naro 'pariir-i\ntathii saririir-i vihiiya firr.iiny\nanyiini samyiiti naviini dehi\n\"As a person puts on new garments, giving up old\nones, similarly, the soul accepts new material bodies,\ngiving up the old and useless ones.\" (Bg. 2.22)\nIn the beginning the body is the size of a pea.\nThen it grows to become a baby, then a child, a\nyoung boy, a youth, a grown man and an old man,\nand finally, when it becomes useless, the living entity changes into another body. The body is therefore always changing, and death is simply the ultimate\nchange of the present body.\n\n-\n\n. ·\n\ndehino 'smin yathii dehe\nkaumiiram yauvanani jarii\ntathii dehiintara-praptir\ndhiras tatra na muhyati\n\"As the embodied soul continually passes, in this\nbody, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul\n\n", "On_the_Way_to_Krsna-1973_book_SCAN#p0027": "r\n26\n\nOn the Way to Kr�Qa\n\nsimilarly passes into another body at death. The selfrealized soul is not bewildered by such a change.\"\n(Bg. 2.13)\nAlthough the body is changing, the dweller within\nthe body remains the same. Although the boy grows\ninto manhood, the living entity within the body is\nnot changed. It is not that the self who was there as\na boy has gone away. Medical science agrees that at\nevery moment the material body is changing. Just as\nliving entities are not bewildered by this, an enlightened man is not bewildered when the body undergoes its ultimate change at death. But a person who\ndoes not understand things as they are laments. In\nthe material condition we are simply changing bodies\nall the time; that is our disease. It is not that we always change to a human body. We may change to an\nanimal body or a demigod body depending on our\nactivities. According to the Padma Puriir;w there are\n\n8,400,000 species of life. We can take on any of them\nat death. But Kr�Sl}a promises that one who knows\nHis birth and activities in truth is freed from this\ncycle of transmigration.\nHow does one understand Kr��a's birth and activities in truth? This is explained in the Eighteenth\nChapter of Bhagavad-gitii:\nbhaktyii miim abhijiiniiti\nyiiviin yas ciismi tattvata�\ntato miirh tattvato jiiiitvii\nvisate tad-anantaram\n\"One can understand the Supreme Personality as He\nis only by devotional service. And when one is in full\n\n", "On_the_Way_to_Krsna-1973_book_SCAN#p0028": "The Way of Chanting and Knowing Kr�11a\n\n27\n\nconsciousness of the Supreme Lord by such devotion,\nhe can enter into the kingdom of God.\" (Bg. 18.55)\nHere again the word tattvata[l, \"in truth,\" is used.\nOne can understand the science of Kr�l}a in truth by\nbecoming a devotee. He who is not a devotee, who\ndoes not strive for Krsna consciousness, cannot understand. At the be���ing of the Fo�rth Chapter\nalso Kr�l}a tells Arjuna (Bg. 4.3) that He is explaining\nthis ancient science of yoga to him because Arjuna\nis \"My devotee and My friend.\" For one who simply\nmakes\n\nan academic study of\n\nBhagavad-gitii,\n\nthe\n\nscience of Kn;Q.a remains a mystery. Bhagavad-gita is\nnot a book that one can just purchase from the bookstore and understand by scholarship alone. Arjuna\nwas not a great scholar, nor a V edantist, nor a philosopher nor a brahmar;w, nor a renunciate; he was a\nfamily and military man. But still Kn;Q.a selected him\nto be the recipient of Blwgavad-g'ita and the first\nauthority in the disciplic succession. Why? \"Because\nyou are My devotee.\" That is the qualification to\nunderstand\n\nBhagavad-gita as it is and Kn;Q.a as He\n\nis-one must become KrsQ.a conscious.\nAnd what is this KrsQ.a consciousness? That is the\nprocess of cleansing the dust from the mirror of the\nmind through the chanting of Hare KrsD.a, Hare\nKr�Q.a, KrsD.a KrsD.a, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare\nRama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. By chanting this mantra and by hearing Bhagavad-gita, we can gradually\nattain to KrsD.a consciousness. Isvara[t sarva-bhutanam- KrsD-a is always present within our heart. The\nindividual soul and the Supersoul are both sitting in\nthe tree of the body. The individual soul\n\nL\n\n(fiva) is\n\n", "On_the_Way_to_Krsna-1973_book_SCAN#p0029": "II\n\nOn the Way to Kr�Q.a\n\n28\neating\n\nthe\n\nfruit of the tree, and the Supersoul\n\n(Paramatma) is witnessing. As the individual soul be­\n\ngins the process of devotional service and gradually\n\nbegins to develop his Kr�oa consciousness, the Super­\n\nsoul who is seated within begins to help him dust all\n\nthe impurities from the mirror of the mind. Kr�oa is\na friend to all saintly persons, and the attempt to be­\n\ncome Kr�oa conscious is a saintly endeavor. Sravartarh\n\nk\"irtanam- by chanting and hearing one can come to\n\nunderstand the science of Kf�oa and thereby come to\nunderstand Krsoa. And upon understanding Kf�Qa,\n\none can, at the moment of death, go immediately to\nHis abode in the spiritual world. This spiritual world\n\nis described thus in Bhagavad-g\"it\"ii:\n\nna tad bhasayate suryo\n\nna sasanko na pavaka[l\n\nyad gatva na nivartante\n\ntad dhiima paramarh mama\n\n\"That abode of Mine is not illumined by the sun or\n\nmoon, nor by electricity. One who reaches it never\nreturns to this material world.\" (Bg. 15.6)\n\nThis material world is always dark; therefore we re­\n\nquire the sun, moon and electricity. The Vedas en­\n\njoin us not to remain in this darkness but to transfer\n\nourselves to the world of illumination, the spiritual\n\nworld. The word darkness has a twofold meaning; it\nnot only means without light, but it means ignorance .\n\nThe Supreme Lord has manifold energies. It is not\n\nthat he comes to this material world to perform ac­\n\ntivities. It is stated in the Vedas that the Supreme\n\nLord has nothing to do. In Bhagavad-g\"ita Sri Krsoa\n\nalso says:\n\n", "On_the_Way_to_Krsna-1973_book_SCAN#p0030": "The Way of Chanting and Knowing Kr�Qa\n\n29\n\nna me piirthasti kartavyam\ntri,su loke,su kincana\nniinaviiptam avaptavyam\nvarta eva ca karma(li\n\n\"0 son of Pftha, there is no work prescribed for Me\nwithin all the three planetary systems'. Nor am I in\nwant of anything, nor have I need to obtain anything-and yet I am engaged in work.\" (Bg. 3.22)\nWe should therefore not think that Krso.a is required to descend upon this material world and engage in so many activities. No one is equal to or\ngreater than Krso.a, and He has all knowledge naturally. It i� not that He has to undergo penances to\nacquire knowledge or that He at any time has to receive knowledge or attain knowledge. At all times\nand in all conditions He is full of knowledge. He may\nbe speaking Bhagavad-gTtii to Arjuna, but at no time\nwas He ever taught Bhagavad-gitU. One who can\nunderstand that this is Krs1.1a's position does not have\nto return to the cycle of birth and death in this material world. Being under the influence of illusion, we\nspend our lifetimes trying to make adjustments to\nthis material atmosp here, but this is not the purpose\nof human life. Human life is meant for understanding\nthe science of Krso.a.\nOur material needs are these: the problem of eating, of mating, of sleeping, of defending ourselves\nand of acquiring sense gratification. These are common both to human beings and to animals. The\nan imals are busily engaged trying to solve these prob­\n\nlems, and if we are also only engaged in solving them\n\nhow are we any different from the animals? The\n\n", "On_the_Way_to_Krsna-1973_book_SCAN#p0031": "f\n;I\n\n.. 10\n\n30\n\nOn the Way to Kr�J].a\n\nhuman being, however, has a special qualification\n\nwhereby he can develop transcendental KrsQa con­\n\nsciousness, but if he does not avail himself of this, he\n\nis in the animal category. The defect of modern civilization is that it puts too much stress on solving\n\nthese survival problems. As spiritual living beings it is\n\nincumbent upon us to extricate ourselves from this\nentanglement of birth and death. We should there­\n\nfore be careful not to miss the special opportunity\n\nof human life. Sri Krstia Himself comes to deliver\nBhagavad-gitii and to help us to become God con­\n\nscious. Indeed, this very material creation is given\nto us to utilize for this cultivation. But if after re­\n\nceiving this chance and this gift of human life we do\n\nnot utilize them to develop Krsua consciousness, we\nshall be missing this rare opportunity. The process\n\nfor cultivation is very simple: sraval)am k\"irtanam­\n\nhearing and chanting. We have nothing to do other\n\nthan listen, and by listening carefully, enlightenment\nis sure to come. Kr�J!a will surely help, for He is\n\nseated within. We only have to make the effort and\nspare a little time. We will not need anyone to ask\n\nus whether we are making progress. We will know it\n\nautomatically, just as a hungry man knows that he\n\nhas been satisfied by a full meal.\n\nActually this process of Kr�qa consciousness or\n\nself-realization is not very difficult. Kr�qa taught it\n\nto Arjuna in Bhagavad-gita, and if we understand\n\nBhagavad-gitii just as Arjuna did, we will have no\n\nproblem in coming to the perfectional state. But if\n\nwe try to interpret Bhagavad-gita according to our\nown mundane academic mentality, we spoil it all.\n\n", "On_the_Way_to_Krsna-1973_book_SCAN#p0032": "The Way of Chanting and Knowing Kr�l}.a\n\n31\n\nAs stated before, this chanting of Hare Kn;J;ta is a\nprocess by which all contaminations due to material\nassociation are removed from the mirror of the mind.\nThere is no need for external help in reviving our\nKrsua consciousness, for Krsoa consciousness is dormant within the self. In fact, it is the very quality of\nthe self. We have only to invoke it by this process.\nKrso.a consciousness is an eternal fact. It is not a\ndoctrine or set of beliefs imposed by some organization. It is within all living entities, whether they be\nhuman being or animal. When Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu was passing through the jungles of South\nIndia some five hundred years ago, He chanted Hare\nKrsoa, and all the animals-the tigers, elephants and\ndeer-joined Him in dancing to the holy names. Of\ncourse this depends on the purity of the chanting.\nAs we progress in chanting, purification is sure to\ncome.\n\n", "On_the_Way_to_Krsna-1973_book_SCAN#p0033": "1\n\n•I\n\n3\n\nSeeing Kr$r:1d\nEverywhere and Always\nIn our practical life, Krstta instructs us how to in­\n\nvoke Kr�Q.a consciousness. It is not that we are to\nstop executing our duty or to cease from activity .\n\nRather, activities have to be conducted in Kr�Q.a con­\n\nsciousness. Every one has a vocation in life, but with\nwhat consciousness does he enter upon it? Every one\n\nis thinking, \"Oh, I must have a vocation in order to\n\nmaintain my family.\" Society, the government or the\n\nfamily have to be satisfied, and no one is free from\n\nsuch consciousness. One has to be in proper con­\n\nsciousness to execute any activity nicely . He whose\nconsciousness is agitated, wl]_o is like a madman, can­\n\nnot execute any duty . We- should execute our duty\nproperly , but we should do it thinking to satisfy\n\nKfsQa. It is not that we have to change our process of\n\nwork, but we do have to understand for whom we\n\nare working. Whatever activity we have to do we\nmust execute, but we should not be carried away by\n\nkama, desire. The Sanskrit word kama is used to in­\n\ndicate lust, desire or sense satisfaction. Sri K{sQa\n\ninstructs that we should not work for the satisfaction\n\nof kama or our own lust. The whole teaching of\n\nBhagavad-gita is based on this p6nciple.\n\nArjuna wanted to satisfy his senses by refraining\n\nfrom fighting with his relatives, but Krstta spoke to\nhim to convince him to execute his duty for the sat­\n\nisfaction of the Supreme. Materially it may seem very\n\n", "On_the_Way_to_Krsna-1973_book_SCAN#p0034": "Seeing ��Q.a Everywhere and Always\n\n33\n\npious that he is giving up his claim for a kingdom and\nrefusing to kill his relatives, but Kn;o.a did not approve of this because the principle for Arjuna's decision was to satisfy his own senses. One's business\nor occupation need not be changed-as A� una's was\nnot changed-but one does have to change his consciousness. In order to change this consciousness,\nhowever, knowledge is required. That knowledge is\nknowing \"I am part and parcel of Krso.a, the superior energy of Krso.a.\" That is real knowledge.\nRelative knowledge may teach us how to repair a\nmachine, but real knowledge is knowing our position\nas being integral with Krso.a. Being part of flim, our\npleasure, which is partial, is dependent on the whole.\nFor instance, my hand can take pleasure when it is\nattached to my body and serves it It does not take\npleasure in serving another's body. Because we are\npart of Krso.a, our pleasure is in serving Him. \"I cannot be happy serving you,\" everyone is thinking. \"I\ncan only be happy serving myself.\" But no one knows\nwho the self is. That self is Krso.a.\n\nmamaiviimso fiva-loke\njiva-bhuta{l saniitana{l\nmana(�, �a�thiinindriyii[li\nprakrti-sthiini karflati\n\"The living entities in this conditioned world are My\neternal, fragmental parts. Due to conditioned life,\n.\nthey are struggling very hard with the six senses,\nwhich include the mind.\" (Bg. 15.7)\nThe\n\njivas,\n\nor living entities, are now detached\n\nfrom the whole due to material contact It is there.\n\n--\n\n", "On_the_Way_to_Krsna-1973_book_SCAN#p0035": "34\n\nOn the Way to Kr�t:la\n\nfore necessary for us to strive to attach ourselves\nagain through the latent Krsoa consciousness that is\nwithin us. Artificially, we are trying to forget Krsoa\nand live independently, but this is not possible.\nWhen we strive to live independent of Krsoa, we\ncome under the influence of the laws of material\nnature. If one thinks he is independent of Krsoa, he\nbecomes dependent on the illusory energy of Krsoa,\njust as if one thinks that he is independent of the\ngovernment and its regulations, he becomes dependent on the police force. Everyone is trying to become independent, and this is called maya, illusion.\nIndividually, communally, socially, nationally, or\nuniversally, it is not possible to become independent.\nWhen we come to realize that we are dependent, we\nwill have attained knowledge. Today so many people\nare striving for peace in the world, but they do not\nknow how to implement that peace formula. The\nUnited Nations has been striving for peace for so\nmany years, but still war is going on.\n\nyac capi sarva-bhutanam\nbijam tad aham arjuna\nna tad asti vina yat syan\nmaya bhutam caracaram\n\"Furthermore, 0 Arjuna, I am the generating seed of\nall existences. There is no being-moving or unmoving-that can exist without Me.\" (Bg. 10.39)\nKrsoa is thus the proprietor of everything, the\nultimate beneficiary and the receiver of the results\nof everything. We may consider ourselves to be the\nproprietors of the fruits of our labor, but this is a\n\n", "On_the_Way_to_Krsna-1973_book_SCAN#p0036": "...._\n\nSeeing ��t;J.a Everywhere and Always\n\n35\n\nmisconception. We must come to understand that\nKr��la is the ultimate proprietor of the fruits of all\nour works. Hundreds of people may be working in\nan office, but they understand that whatever profit\nthe business makes belongs to the proprietor. As soon\nas a teller at the bank thinks, \"Oh, I have so much\nmoney. I am the proprietor. Let me take it home\nwith me,\" his trouble begins. If we think that we\ncan use whatever wealth we have amassed for our\nown sense gratification, we are acting out of kama,\nlust. But if we come to understand that everything\nwe have belongs to Krsu.a, we are liberated. We may\nhave the same money in our hands, but as soon as w�\nthink that we are the proprietor, we are under the\ninfluence of miiyii One who is situated in the consciousness that everything belongs to Kr�l).a is an\nactual learned man.\n\n\"isiiviisyam idarh s arvam\nyat kinca jagatyiim jagat\ntena tyaktena bhunjithii\nmii grdhaf:t kasya svid dhanam\n\"Everything animate or inanimate that is within the\nuniverse is controlled and owned by the Lord. One\nshould therefore accept only those things necessary\nfor himself, which are set aside as his quota, and one\nmust not accept other things, knowing well to whom\n\nthey belong.\" (Sri lsopani�ad, Mantra 1)\n\nThis consciousness of i\"s av iis ya-everything belongs\nto Krsu.a-must be revived, not only individually but\nnationally and universally. Then there will be peace.\nWe often tend to be philanthropic and altruistic, and\n\n", "On_the_Way_to_Krsna-1973_book_SCAN#p0037": "r36\n\nOn the Way to Kr�Q.a\n\nwe strive to be friends with our countrymen, with\nour families and with all the peoples of the worldbut this is based on a wrong conception. The real\nfriend is Kr�Q.a, and if we want to benefit our family,\nnation or planet, we will work for Him. If we have\nour family's welfare in mind, we will try to make all\nmembers Kr�Q.a conscious. There are so many men\ntrying to benefit their families, but unfortunately\nthey do not succeed. They do not know what the\nreal problem is. As the Bhagavatam says, one should\nnot attempt to become a father, or mother, or teacher unless he is able to save his children from death,\nfrom the grip of material nature. The father should\n\nbe in knowledge of Kr�Q.a, and he should be determined that the innocent children who are entrusted\nto him will not have to undergo the cycle of birth\nand death again. He should be resolved to train his\nchildren in such a way that they will no longer have\nto be subjected to the painful cycle of birth and\ndeath. But before one can do this, he has to make\nhimself expert. If he becomes expert in Kr�Q.a consciousness, he can help not only his children but his\nsociety and nation. But if he himself is bound by ignorance, how can he unite others who are similarly\nbound? Before one can make others free, he must be\nfree himself. Actually no one is a free man, for everyone is under the spell of material nature, but one who\nis surrendered to Kr�Qa cannot be touched by miiyii.\nHe, of all men, is free. If one places himself in sunlight, there is no question of darkness. But if one\nplaces himself in artificial light, it may flicker and go\nout. Krsr;ta is just like sunlight. Where He is present,\n\n", "On_the_Way_to_Krsna-1973_book_SCAN#p0038": "Seeing K{§r;ta Everywhere and Always\n\n37\n\nthere is no question of darkness and ignorance. The\nwise men, the mah a tmiis , understand this.\n\naham sarvasya prabhavo\nmatta� sarvam pravartate\niti matva bhajante mam\n\nbudha bhava-samanvita�\n\"I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds.\nEverything emanates from Me. The wise who know\nthis perfectly engage in My devotional service and\nworship Me with all their hearts.\" (Bg. 10.8)\nIn this verse the word budha is used, which indicates a wise man or one who is learned. What is his\nsymptom? He knows that Krsu.a is the fountainhead\nof everything, of all emanations. He knows that whatever he sees is but an emanation of Ktsu.a. In the\nmaterial world, sex life is the most prominent factor.\nSexual attraction is found in all species of life, and\none may ask where it comes from. The wise man\nunderstands that this tendency is in Krsoa and that\nit is revealed in His relationships with the damsels of\n\nV raja. Whatever is found in this material world can\nalso be found in perfection in Krsu.a. The difference\nis that in the material world everything is manifest in\na perverted form. In Krsu.a all of these tendencies\nand manifestations ex ist in pure consciousness, in\nspirit. One who knows this, in full knowledge, becomes a pure devotee of Krsu.a.\n\nmahiitmanas t u miim piir tha\ndaivim prakrtim iisrita�\n\nbhajanty ananya-manaso\njniitvii bhutadim avyayam\n\n", "On_the_Way_to_Krsna-1973_book_SCAN#p0039": "On the Way to Knl}a\n\n38\n\nsatatarh kirtayanto marh\nyatantas ca drcjha-vrata�\nnamasyantas ca marh bhaktya\nnitya-yukta upasate\n\"0 son of Prtha, those who are not deluded, the\ngreat souls, ·are under the protection of the divine\nnature. They are fully engaged in devotional service\nbecause they know Me as the Supreme Personality\nof Godhead, original\n\nand\n\ninexhaustible.\n\nAlways\n\nchanting My glories, endeavoring with great determination, bowing down before Me, these great souls\nperpetually\n\nworship Me with devotion.\"(Bg.9.13-\n\nl4).\nWho is the great soul, the mahatma? It is he who\nis under the influence of the superior energy. At present we are under the influence of Kr�qa's inferior\nenergy. As living entities, our position is marginalwe\n\ncan\n\ntransfer\n\nourselves to either of the two\n\nenergies. Krsoa is fully independent, and because we\nare part and parcel of Him we also have this quality\nof independence. Therefore we have a choice as to\nwhich energy we will function under. Because we are\nignorant of the superior nature, we have no alternative but to remain in the inferior nature.\nSome philosophies propound that there is no nature other than the one we are presently experiencing\nand that the only solution to this is to nullify it and\nbecome void. But we cannot be void because we are\nliving entities. It does not mean that we are finished\njust because we cha�ge our bodies. Before we can get\nout from the influence of m aterial nature, we have\n\n", "On_the_Way_to_Krsna-1973_book_SCAN#p0040": "Seeing Kt�r;ta Everywhere and Always\n\n39\n\nto understand where our place actually is, where we\nare to go. If we do not know where to go, then we\nwill simply say, \"Oh, we do not know what is superior and inferior. All we know is this, so let us stay\nhere and rot.\" Bhagav ad g'itii however, gives us infor-\n\n,\n\nmation of the superior energy, the superior nature.\nWhat Krsua speaks, He speaks for all eternity; it\ndoes not change. It does not matter what our present\noccupation is or what Arjuna's occupation was-we\nonly have to change our consciousness. At present\nwe are guided by the consciousness of self-interest,\nbut we do not know what our real self-interest is.\nActually we do not have self-interest, but sense interest. Whatever we are doing, we are doing to satisfy\nthe senses. It is this consciousness that has to be\nchanged. In its place we must implant our real selfinterest-Krsua consciousness.\nHow is this done? How is it possible to become\nKrsua conscious in every step of our life? Actually\nKrsna makes it very easy for us:\nraso 'ham apsu kaunteya\nprabhiismi sasi-suryayofl,\nprarwvafl, sarva-vede;;u\nsabdafl, khe pauruflam nr.su\n\n\"0 son of Kunti [ Arjuna] , I am the taste of water,\nthe light of the sun and the moon, the syllable om\nin the Vedic mantras; I am the sound in ether and\nability in man.\" (Bg. 7.8)\nIn this verse Sri Krsua is describing how we can\nbecome Krsua conscious fully, in all stages of life.\n\n", "On_the_Way_to_Krsna-1973_book_SCAN#p0041": "40\n\nOn the Way to K�1,1a\n\nAll living entities must drink water. The taste of\nwater is so nice that when we are thirsty nothing\nbut water seems to do. No manufacturer can create\nthe pure taste of water. We can thus remember Krsoa\nor God when we drink water. No one can avoid drinking water every day of his life, so God consciousness\nis there-how can we forget?\nSimilarly, when there is some illumination, that is\nalso KrsQa. The original effulgence in the spiritual\nsky, the\n\nbrahmajyoti, emanates from the body of\n\nKrst1a. This material sky is covered. The very nature\nof the material universe is darkness, which we experience at night. It is being artificially illuminated\nby the sun, by the reflected light of the moon, and\nby electricity. Where is this illumination coming\n\nfrom? The sun is being illumined by the brahmajyoti, or the bright effulgence of the spiritual world.\n\nIn the spiritual world there is no need for sun, moon\nor electricity because there everything is illuminated\n\nby the brahrrwjyoti. On this earth, however, we can\n\nremember Krsoa whenever we see some illumination\nfrom the sun.\n\nWhen we chant the Vedic mantras which begin\n\nwith\n\nom,\n\nwe can also remember Krsoa. Om, like\n\nHare KrsQa, is also an address to God, and om is also\n\nKrsoa. Sabda� means sound, and whenever we hear\n\nany sound we should know that it is a vibration of\nthe original sound, the pure spiritual sound om or\nHare Krsoa. Whatever sound we hear in the material\nworld is but a reflection of that original spiritual\n\nsound om. In this way when we hear sound, when we\n\n", "On_the_Way_to_Krsna-1973_book_SCAN#p0042": "Seeing Kr�l).a Everywhere and Always\n\n41\n\ndrink water, when we see some illumination, we can\nremember God. If we can do this, then when will we\nnot remember God? This is the process of KrsQ.a consciousness. In this way we can remember KrsQ.a\ntwenty-four hours a day, and in this way KrsQ.a is\nwith us. Of course KrsQ.a is always with us, but as\nsoon as we remember this, His presence is factual\nand is felt.\nThere are nine different processes for associating\nwith God, and the first method of association is\nsravapam-hearin�. By reading Bhagavad-gTtii we hear\nthe speeches of Sri KrsQ.a, which means that we are\nactually associating with KrsQ.a or God. (We should\nalways remember that when we speak of KrsQ.a, we\nrefer to God.) Inasmuch as we associate with God and\nas we go on hearing the words of KrsQ.a and His\nnames, the contamination of material nature is reduced. In understanding that KrsQ.a is sound, illumination, water, and so many other things, it becomes\nimpossible to avoid KrsQ.a. If we can remember KrsQ.a\nin this way, our association with Him is permanent.\nAssociation with KrsQ.a is like association with\nsunshine. Where there is sunshine, there is no contamination. As long as one is out in the ultraviolet rays of\nthe sun, he will not be diseased. In western medicine,\nsunshine is recommended for all kinds of diseases,\nand according to the Vedas a diseased man should\nworship the sun for cure. Similarly, if we associate\nwith KrsQ.a in KrsQ.a consciousness, our maladies are\ncured. By chanting Hare KrsQ.a we can associate with\nKrsQ.a, and we can see the water as KrsQ.a, the sun\n\n", "On_the_Way_to_Krsna-1973_book_SCAN#p0043": "On the Way to ��J}.a\n\n42\n\nand the moon as KrsJ)a, and we can hear Kn>J)a in\nsound and taste Him in water. Unfortunately, in our\npresent condition we have forgotten KrsQa. But now\nwe have to revive our spiritual life by remembering\nHim.\nThis process of sravar-am k\"irtanam-hearing and\nchanting-was approved by Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. When Lord Caitanya was speaking with\nRamananda Raya, a friend of the Lord's and a\ngreat devotee, the Lord questioned him about the\nmethods of spiritual realization. Ramananda recom­\n\nmended varr-asrama-dharma,\n\nsannyasa, the renunci­\n\nation of work, and so many other methods, but Lord\nCaitanya said, \"No, all of these are not so good.\"\nEach time Ramananda Raya suggested something,\n. Lord Caitanya rejected it, requesting a better method\nfor spiritual development. Finally Ramananda Raya\nquoted a Vedic aphorism which recommended that\none give up all unnecessary endeavor in mental\nspeculation for understandingGod because by speculation it is not possible to arrive at the ultimate\ntruth. Scientists, for instance, may speculate about\ndistant stars and planets, but they can never come to\nany conclusions without experience. One may go on\nspeculating throughout his life and never reach any\nconclusions.\nIt is especially useless to speculate about God.\n\nTherefore Snmad-Bhagavatam recommends that all\nsorts of speculation should be given up. It is recommended instead that one become submissive, realizing that not only is he an insignificant creature,\nbut that this earth is only one small point in the\n\n", "On_the_Way_to_Krsna-1973_book_SCAN#p0044": "Seeing ��l).a Everywhere and Always\n\n43\n\ngreat universe. New York City may seem very large,\nbut when one realizes that the earth is such a small\nspot, and that on the earth the United States is just\nanother small spot, and that in the United S tates\nNew York City is but a small spot, and that in New\nYork the individual is only one out of millions, then\none can understand that he is not so very important\nafter. all. Realizing our insignificance in the face of\nthe universe and God, we should not be artificially\npuffed-up but should be submissive. We should be\nvery careful not to fall prey to the frog philosophy.\nOnce there was a frog in a well, and upon being informed of the existence of the Atlantic Ocean by a\nfriend, he asked the\n\nfriend,\n\n\"Oh, what is this\n\nAtlanti� Ocean?\"\n\"It is a vast body of water,\" his friend replied.\n\"How vast? Is it double the size of this well?\"\n\"Oh no, much much larger,\" his friend replied.\n\"How much larger? Ten times the size?\" In this\nway the frog went on calculating. But what is the\npossibility of his ever understanding the depths and\nfar reaches of the great ocean? Our faculties, experience, and powers of speculation are always limited.\nWe can only give rise to such frog philosophy. There­\n\nfore Snmad-Bhiigavatam recommends that we give\n\nup the method of speculation as a waste of time in\ntrying to understand the Supreme.\nAfter giving up speculation, what should we do?\n\nBhiigavatam recommends that we become submissive\n\nand hear the message of God submissively. This mes­\n\nsage may be found also in the Bhagavad-gitii and\nother Vedic literatures, in the Bible or the Koran-in\n\n", "On_the_Way_to_Krsna-1973_book_SCAN#p0045": "44\n\nOn the Way to Knn�a\n\nany bona fide scripture-or it may be heard from a\nrealized soul. The main point is that one should not\nspeculate but should simply hear about God. What\n\nwill be the result of such hearing? Regardless of what\none is-whether he be a poor or rich man, an American, European or Indian, a briihmafla, sudra or whatever-if one but hears the transcendental word of\nGod, the Lord, who can never be conquered by any\npower or force, will be conquered by love. Arjuna\nwas a friend of Kr�r;ta's, but Kr�r;ta, although the\nSupreme Godhead, became Arjuna's chariot driver,\na menial servant. Arjuna loved Kr�r;ta, and Kr�r;ta reciprocated his love in this way. Similarly, when\nKr�r;ta was a child, He playfully took the shoes of\nHis father, Nanda Maharaja, and put them on His\nhead. People may try very hard to become one with\nGod, but actually we can surpass that-we can become father of God. Of course God is the father of\nall creatures, and He has no father Himself, but He\naccepts His devotee, His lover , as a father. Kr�r;ta\nagrees to be conquered by His devotee out of love.\n\nAll one has to do is hear the message of the Lord very\ncarefully.\n,\nIn the Seventh Chapter of Bhagavad-gl:tii Sri Kr�r;ta\ngives additional ways in w!tich He can be perceived in\nevery step of life:\npur yo gandha/.t prthivyam ca\ntejas ciismi vibhavasau\njivanam sarva-bhiite�u\ntapas ciismi tapasvi§u\n\"I am the original fragrance of the earth, and I am\nthe heat in fire. I am the life of all that lives, and I_\nam the penances of all ascetics.\" (Bg. 7.9)\n\n", "On_the_Way_to_Krsna-1973_book_SCAN#p0046": "Seeing Kr�Qa Everywhere and Always\n\n45\n\nThe words purtyo gandha� refer to fragrances. Only\nl