Looking at the Cultural Background
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last to be the cause of all causes and all that is. That sort of great soul is very rare. So those who have surrendered to Kṛṣṇa life and soul are rare  sudurlabha mahātmās . They are not ordinary  mahātmās .
By the grace of Lord Caitanya that highest perfectional status of life is being distributed very freely. The effect is also very encouraging; otherwise, how are boys and girls without any background of Vedic culture quickly occupying the posts of rare  mahātmās  simply by vibrating this transcendental sound, Hare Kṛṣṇa? And simply on the basis of this chanting, the majority of them (those who are very sincere) are steady in devotional service and are not falling down to the four principles of material sinful life, namely (1) meat eating, (2) illicit sexual connection, (3) taking of intoxicants, including coffee, tea, and tobacco, and (4) gambling. And that is the last  sūtra  of the  Vedānta-sūtra , i.e.,  anāvṛttiḥ śabdāt  [“By sound vibration one becomes liberated”].
One has to learn by the result ( phalena paricīyate ). Our students are ordered to act like this, and they are not falling down. That they are remaining on the platform of pure spiritual life without hankering to culture the above principles of  avidyā , or sense gratification, is the test of their proper understanding of the  Vedas . They do not come back to the material platform, because they are relishing the nectarean fruit of love of God.
Sarva-phala-tyāga  [“renunciation of all the fruits of one’s work”] is explained in the  Bhagavad-gītā  by the Lord Himself in the words  sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekam śaraṇam vraja : “Give up everything and simply surrender unto Me [Kṛṣṇa].” The Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra means “O Supreme Energy of Kṛṣṇa and O Lord Kṛṣṇa, please engage me in Your eternal service.” So we have given up everything and are simply engaged in the service of the Lord. What Kṛṣṇa orders us to do is our only engagement. We have given up all resultant actions of  karma ,  jñāna , and  yoga ; and that is the stage of pure devotional service,  bhaktir uttamā .
Yours sincerely, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
February 25, 1970
Swami A. C. Bhaktivedanta Founder- Ācārya  International Society for Krishna Consciousness