Looking at the Cultural Background 101
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 Krsna life and soul are rare
sudurlabha mahatmas. They are not ordinary mahatmas.

By the grace of Lord Caitanya that highest perfectional status of life is
being distributed very freely. The effect is also very encouraging; other-
wise, how are boys and girls without any background of Vedic culture
quickly occupying the posts of rare mahdtmas simply by vibrating this
transcendental sound, Hare Krsna? 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 siitra of the Veddnta-stitra, i.e., andvrttih
Sabdat (‘‘By sound vibration one becomes liberated’’].

One has to learn by the result (phalena pariciyate). Our students are or-
dered to act like this, and they are not falling down. That they are remain-
ing on the platform of pure spiritual life without hankering to culture the
above principles of avidyd, 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-tyaga [‘‘renunciation of all the fruits of one’s work’’] is
explained in the Bhagavad-gita by the Lord Himself in the words sarva- ;
dharman parityajya mam ekam Saranam vraja: ‘‘Give up everything and
simply surrender unto Me [Krsna].’’ The Hare Krsna mantra means ‘‘O
Supreme Energy of Krsna and O Lord Krsna, please engage me in Your
eternal service.”’ So we have given up everything and are simply engaged
in the service of the Lord. What Krsna orders us to do is our only engage-
ment. We have given up all resultant actions of karma, jfidna, and yoga;
and that is the stage of pure devotional service, bhaktir uttama.

Yours sincerely,
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
February 25, 1970
Swami A. C. Bhaktivedanta
Founder- Acdrya
International Society for Krishna Consciousness
