Why should we try to get Kṛṣṇa? Because if we can get the complete reality, we can get everything. By getting Whom, we get all; by knowing Whom, we know all—that is Kṛṣṇa. We will have no want of anything else. All our desires will be fulfilled and all our problems solved. So how can we get Kṛṣṇa? This is described by the abhidheya of bhakti, the practice of devotion.

One of Kṛṣṇa’s unlimited names is Hṛṣīkeśa. That means He is the enjoyer of all sense organs and their objects. Now if we do not engage our senses in the transcendental service of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, then unholy things will enter our minds through those senses. That is why we have to stop them from engaging in material matters, so that mundane thoughts will not come into our minds. This can only be achieved by using our senses for the pleasure of the Lord under the guidance of a realized soul. Then, when Kṛṣṇa is satisfied, He can give us the opportunity to see Him. That is called bhakti. This is the abhidheya, the method of spiritual practice as propagated by Caitanya Mahāprabhu and substantiated by the Vedas. Only by loving another person can we increase our love for him or her. Similarly, if we want to increase our love for Kṛṣṇa, we have to practice loving Him.

Those who say that Ultimate Reality has no form and potencies are misguiding the whole world. He may not have a material form, but He does have one that is transcendental. If there is no form in the cause, then there can be no form in the effect either. God has infinite form and He can also take initiative. We can never find happiness independent of Him, but if we simply take shelter of Him, all our problems will be solved in a moment.

What is the definition of bhakti? The following definition has been given in the scripture Nārada Pañcarātra:

sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ
tat-paratvena nirmalam
hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-
sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate

The word upādhi refers to the identities a person has acquired as a result of his previous actions. For example, if someone has a university degree, this will be the result of his own previous actions. Someone may think he has become an advocate, or a doctor, but these are external identifications. The real self is something different. Because of our previous actions we were born in different castes and different countries. But our castes and nationalities are all upādhis. If we engage in further actions on the basis of this ego, it will be karma, material activities for which we will get an opposite reaction, and not bhakti;.

What is karma and what is bhakti? It is very difficult to differentiate one from the other. Simply stated, whenever we do anything with a sense of material ego, the results go to the material ego. When we take the merits of our actions for our own self, it is called karma—it is not bhakti. The results of all our actions should go to the Supreme Lord, not to our own pocket. Someone may work throughout the day and night inciting an observer to say, “This person is a very good servitor.” But if he is doing this work to satisfy his own material ego, then it is not bhakti. For it is said, “sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ.” We should be completely free from all kinds of material identification. Vinirmuktaṁ means there should not be even a scent of material ego. If there is even a touch of material ego, there is no question of bhakti—it will be karma.

“I am from India, I am of such and such caste”—these are examples of material ego. There is no goodness in this world; all is amaṅgala, unholy. We become unholy when we think we are of this world. Anything done with the unholy ego is unholy. So we should have no connection with this world by completely freeing ourselves of this ego. This condition is very difficult to achieve.

However, just to be free from ego is not enough. Jñānīs, or knowledge-seekers also want to give up the ego. They want emancipation; they want to merge themselves with brahman, the impersonal formless aspect of God. But we cannot perform bhakti just by divesting ourselves of the worldly material ego. “Tat-paratvena nirmalam”: We should give ourselves to Him. We have to sincerely feel that we belong to Kṛṣṇa and the guru in our hearts, not just mouth the words. Then we shall become sanctified, nirmalam. This is confirmed by another definition of bhakti that is given in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.1.11):

anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ
jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam
ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānu-
śīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamā

“This is the best devotion, or uttamā bhakti:: One should be free of non-devotional desires of  any kind. All kinds of sin should be removed from the heart. We should not be entangled with jñāna and karma, knowledge aimed at liberation and reward-seeking activity. This is not helpful for getting pure devotion. And we should submit to a true devotee. ānakūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlanaṁ—we have to act only for the satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa.”

This is the general meaning of the verse, but its real significance is to point us in the direction of Rādhārāṇī, the most perfect form of Kṛṣṇa’s potency. She is the highest devotee, and we have to take shelter of Her and Her extensions, the sakhīs and mañjārīs (girlfriends and maidservants). When, like them, we have given ourselves completely to Kṛṣṇa, then whatever we do after that will be devotion.

The different devotional practices, or sādhanās, have been explained in Śrīmad Bhāgavatam. Now there are two general kinds of sādhanā according to which we can practice bhakti: vaidhī bhakti and rāgānugā bhakti. Vidhi means rule or regulation. For those who have no natural love for Śrī Kṛṣṇa, vaidhī bhakti is appropriate. There are many conditioned souls who have no taste for worshiping Kṛṣṇa, because they have no feeling of relationship with Him. When one has a relationship with somebody, there is an automatic impetus to serve or love that person. Parents do not need to be taught to love their children. The tendency is there due to their natural relationship. However, very few of us have any feeling of relation with the Supreme Lord, so there are vidhis, rules and regulations. We are told : “He is the Supreme Lord. He is the Creator and Sustainer. It is our duty to worship Him.” Most of us have no spontaneous liking for worship, but will practice devotion because it is the injunction of the scriptures. Thus for ordinary aspirants, vaidhī bhakti is applicable.

Rāgānugā means spontaneous attraction. Those devotees whose attraction to Kṛṣṇa is inborn are called ragātmikā-bhaktas. They are the original associates of Lord Kṛṣṇa. No conditioned soul can become ragātmikā. But as conditioned souls we can have a relation with rāgānugā bhakti. Rāgānugā-bhaktas also have spontaneous love for Kṛṣṇa, but they have developed it through sādhanā. If we can associate with them, then we might automatically develop a spontaneous love for Kṛṣṇa that is very intense. But such cases are exceptional.

At present we worship the deities of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa on the altar according to many rules and regulations, our love being restricted by the injunctions of the scriptures. In fact, however, Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa are the only possible objects of spontaneous love. The Vrajavāsīs, the inhabitants of Kṛṣṇa’s transcendental realm Vṛndāvana think that Kṛṣṇa is subservient to them. And the highest form of spontaneous devotion is found in Kṛṣṇa’s absolute counterpart, Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī and her personal associates, the gopīs. If we take the mantra from the subordinates of Rādhārānī, the sakhīs and mañjarīs—then this mantra will take us to Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa in their mood of service. At present, however, we have just started sādhanā and will not have this realization. We are thus eligible to perform vaidhī bhakti, but ultimately, if we go on practicing, then the desire to serve Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa intimately will rise up automatically from the core of our heart. The rāgānugā-bhaktas also follow the aṅgas or limbs of vaidhī bhakti, but with intense love. If we practice sincerely, eventually such intense desire to serve will spontaneously arise from within. We have to be patient, and for now we have to continue practicing according to the guidelines of vaidhī bhakti.

Vaidhī bhakti consists of sixty-four principal limbs of devotion. Of these, nine are specified as essential in Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (7.5.23-24).

śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ
smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam
arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyaṁ
sakhyam ātma-nivedanam

We have to hear about Kṛṣṇa. And, after hearing, we have to chant about Kṛṣṇa. We have to know about His transcendental name, form, qualities and pastimes. After we know about these we can speak about them. But first we have to go to those who have received this knowledge through the preceptorial channel. By listening to them, those transcendental sounds will come through our ears and touch and awaken our real self. That is the only way. We have to hear, śravaṇa, from an awakened soul and not from a professional platform speakers. After hearing we have to chant, kīrtana. And there are other forms of sādhanā, like smaraṇa, or remembrance. A devotee engages all his senses in the service of Śrī Kṛṣṇa.

śravaṇādi-kriyā tāra svarūpa-lakṣaṇa
taṭastha-lakṣaṇe upajāya prema-dhana
(Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya, 22.107)

Svarūpa-lakṣaṇa  means the original characteristic of a śuddha-bhakta. A pure devotee will always speak about Kṛṣṇa and always hear about Kṛṣṇa. As fish and other aquatic animals cannot survive without water, śuddha-bhaktas cannot survive without speaking about Kṛṣṇa, hearing about Kṛṣṇa. That is their life. When we engage in śravaṇaṁ and kīrtanaṁ with a śuddha-bhakta, the concomitant result will be love for Kṛṣṇa. This love is innate in the nature of every living being. We cannot awaken it through penance and austerities, but this eternal nature of the self will automatically be awakened if we keep the association of śuddha-bhaktas.

Caitanya Mahāprabhu in turn selected five principal forms of devotion: bhāgavata-śravaṇa, mathurā-vāsa, śrī-mūrti-sevana, sādhu-saṅga, and nāma-kīrtana. We should listen (śravaṇa) to the transcendental narrations about the Lord as found in Śrīmad Bhāgavatam. We should hear these narrations from śuddha bhaktas and in that way have association with them, sādhu-saṅga. And we should stay (vāsa) in a holy place like Mathurā or Vṛndāvana where Kṛṣṇa performed His earthly pastimes. We have to stay in the transcendental realm. A place where devotees sing the glories of Supreme Lord is also considered as a transcendental realm. And we should worship (sevana) Śrī Kṛṣṇa in His Form as a mūrti (deity) on the altar with firm faith. Among these principal forms of devotion, however the foremost emphasis is given to nāma-kīrtana. Chanting the holy names of Kṛṣṇa without offences quickly removes all afflictions and bestows the ultimate goal of life, Kṛṣṇa prema. We will now discuss these five principal forms of devotion in more detail.

Caitanya Mahāprabhu propagated Divine Love based on the teachings of the Vedas and Śrīmad Bhāgavatam. Caitanya Mahāprabhu was an erudite scholar. According to Śrī Caitanya, the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam is the quintessence of all scriptures. Vyāsadeva, the compiler of the Vedas, stated in the Garuḍa Purāṇa that the significance of the Vedas has been retained and enhanced in Śrīmad Bhāgavatam.

How can we know about Kṛṣṇa? We can only know about Him through the ears and not through the eyes. We can hear about the real form of Kṛṣṇa from the sādhus, but unfortunately we think we have no time for hearing about the Lord. The noble king Parīkṣit Mahārāja heard from the sage Śukadeva Gosvāmī continuously for seven days without taking any food, without sleeping, going to bed, or even drinking water. Then he was able to attain the ultimate goal of life. But if we have no time to hear, how can we acquire knowledge about the ultimate goal? Even if you want to get material knowledge, you have to go to the appropriate teachers and hear from them. Likewise, there is no way to gain transcendental knowledge other than the ear. Of all our senses, it is the nearest to the soul.

It is said in the scriptures that bhakti can be  achieved by the association of a bona fide śuddha-bhakta, a pure devotee. And who will get the association of a śuddha- bhakta? Those who have knowingly or unknowingly served Śrī Kṛṣṇa accumulate a number of impressions in their psyche. These impressions develop into śraddhā, faith, and this faith in turn creates the impetus to go to a śuddha-bhakta to hear about the Supreme Lord. These previous impressions, which we call sukṛti, are the original cause of devotion. They are eternal and not material good deeds.

Now a śuddha-bhakta cannot have material desires. But for argument’s sake, if any śuddha-bhakta wants and tries to get any of the temporary things of this world, God will put some obstacle in his way. If by mistake or ignorance a pure devotee desires to attain the heavenly planets or any of the things connected to the material realm, God will put obstacles in his path. Does this mean that God is not gracious to such a devotee? No, that is His compassion, His kindness, because He knows that the wealth of this world is poison to His devotee. The devotee has no real need for it. If we want to enjoy, we must come into contact with the temporary things of this world. But we cannot enjoy the Supreme Lord; we cannot enjoy the guru, or Bhagavān. We can only enjoy non-eternal things. When God sees his devotee is going to pursue non-eternal things, seeking the poisonous wealth of this world with the spirit of enjoying, He will not allow him to do so. Only those who have no ulterior motives can understand this. They can understand the compassion of the śuddha-bhakta, the pure devotee, and Supreme Lord. But those who have got ulterior motives think that they have been blessed when the Supreme Lord or Gurudeva fulfills their base desires. Only those who have no other desire can understand the actual mercy of Bhagavān.

Caitanya Mahāprabhu has taught us in His Śikṣāṣṭakam:

na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ
kavitāṁ vā jagadīśa kāmaye
mama janmani janmanīśvare
bhavatād bhaktir ahaitukī tvayi

“I do not want wealth. I do not want followers or salvation, and I don’t want material knowledge. Please give me exclusive devotion to Your lotus feet. I want nothing else.”

If we want anything else besides this, repentance will automatically follow. When we get the association of the sādhus, real sādhus, we will be rescued from this world, its births and deaths and its threefold afflictions. Kṛṣṇa sends His own person to rescue us.

When we are attached to Śrī Kṛṣṇa, we will be emancipated, delivered from māyā. But Kṛṣṇa does not talk to us; His murti stands silently on the altar. Out of many, many devotees, He might have spoken to somebody, but He does not speak to me. On the other hand, I know my body is perishable. I also know that other bodies are perishable, transitory, that they will not remain. Even so, in spite of knowing that they are temporary, I can exchange thoughts with them. Because we can speak and exchange thoughts with the living beings of this world, we become attached to them and our relations with them. But Kṛṣṇa is only standing there silently, so how can we get attachment for Him? This is our problem.

Kapila Bhagavān shows us the solution. The mūrti of the Supreme Lord may not be speaking to you, but you can see the śuddha-bhaktas, the sādhus (saints); you can speak to them and exchange thoughts with them.

prasaṅgam ajaraṁ pāśam
ātmanaḥ kavayo viduḥ
sa eva sādhuṣu kṛto
mokṣa-dvāram apāvṛtam
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 3.25.20)

If you have the association of a śuddha-bhakta, a pure devotee, then you will be rescued. The śuddha-bhakta is always moving in this world.

Now there are six ways of associating with sādhus. This has been stated by Rūpa Gosvāmī in his Upadeśāmṛta:

dadāti pratigṛhṇāti
guhyam ākhyāti pṛcchati
bhuṅkte bhojāyate caiva
ṣaḍ-vidhaṁ prīti-lakṣaṇam

When we love somebody, what do we do? We give something that is dear to us and we accept that which is offered to us in return. It is a give and take. We open our hearts to that person, and we listen to his heartfelt words. We serve him, feeding him with varieties of good food, and we accept the same in return. This is the way we associate with people in friendship. Now if we relate in this way with people who are in bondage, we will become attached to worldly things. But if we engage in such exchanges with sādhus it will lead to love for Kṛṣṇa. If we give the sādhu  something of this world, he accepts it and then engages it in the service of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Then, after sanctifying it in this way, he gives it back to us as prasāda, divine remnants.

I was told by my spiritual master that if you use donations given for another purpose for yourself, you are taking poison. You should give everything to guru and Vaiṣṇava and that poison will be destroyed by them. They have this power because they have been reinstated in their real selves. We do not that everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa, but they do.

Caitanya Mahāprabhu directed Tapan Miśra to give Sanātana Gosvāmī a cloth. Sanātana Gosvāmī told the Lord that he would not accept a new cloth, but wanted one that had previously been worn by a devotee so that it would be prasāda.

Next we should open our hearts to the devotee— “guhyam ākhyāti pṛcchati..” If we do not open our hearts, then the sādhu will not open his either; he will not speak about the esoteric aspects of bhajana or spiritual practice. He will only speak openly when he has examined a person and found him to be fit. We should therefore not be afraid to speak openly of our frailties. In this way, we will develop a heart-to-heart relation with the sādhu.

Next, we should feed the sādhu with great devotion and love. The śuddha-bhakta sees that Kṛṣṇa is the only enjoyer and that all things belong to Him, and so he offers them to the service of Kṛṣṇa, and after making the offering he will give you prasāda. If you take the prasāda with the knowledge that you are taking the Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s remnants, you will be rescued from the clutches of māyā.

This is the way that we should associate with sādhus. If we engage in such exchanges with the conditioned souls, the sleeping jīvas of the world, we will become attached to them. So it is far more beneficial to cultivate such relations with a sādhu. But simply remaining near the body of a sādhu is not associating with him. Bugs and mosquitoes may come into close contact with the sādhu, but what are they doing? They are sucking his blood. To exploit the sādhu in such a way is not associating with him. You have to follow the mentality of the sādhu, the thoughts of the sādhu. The sādhu thinks about the service of Kṛṣṇa and, if we follow that, then we can associate with him even when we are a thousand miles away. On the other hand, without that consciousness, we may be physically very  close to him, even sleep in the same bed, but never gain any sādhu-saṅga. The sadhu is for the service of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa; we have to follow this idea of his. Actual association means remaining in contact with the sādhu in a serving mood.

Then Mother Devahūti asked, “You have advised us to associate with the sādhu. But who is sādhu? Please describe the qualities by which we can recognize a sādhu.” Kapila Bhagavān replied that sādhus have two kinds of qualities: the svarūpa-lakṣaṇa and taṭastha-lakṣaṇa. Svarūpa means original or actual; so the svarūpa-lakṣaṇa refers to the quality without which no person can become a real sādhu. The real sign of the sādhu is that he does everything only for the satisfaction of the Lord. When this characteristic of the devotee is present, then the other qualities, the taṭastha-lakṣaṇa, will follow. What are these secondary characteristics? Kapila says:

titikṣavaḥ kāruṇikāḥ
suhṛdaḥ sarva-dehinām
ajāta-śatravaḥ śāntāḥ
sādhavaḥ sādhu-bhūṣaṇāḥ
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 3.25.21)

Titikṣavaḥ. A sādhu will be tolerant and forgiving. Why? They have no desire except the service of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. If you have any other desire besides this service you cannot be tolerant. This is the meaning of the third verse of Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s Śīkṣāṣṭakam:

tṛṇād api sunīcena
taror api sahiṣṇunā
amāninā mānadena
kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ

“We should be more humble than a blade of grass, more tolerant than a tree; we should give respect to all and not want any respect from others.”

This is the general meaning of this verse. Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Ṭhākur pointed out that those who have a misconception of self can never become more humble than a blade of grass; they can never do Hari-kīrtana and perform bhakti-yoga. One who has a misconception of self will have bodily desires. He will have the desire for kaṇaka, kāminī and pratiṣṭhā—the desire for wealth, the attraction for sex, and the greed for respect, name and fame. When an obstacle to fulfilling his desires arises, he will be enraged. He will become unbalanced and intolerant. Outwardly he may show respect and tolerance, but it will be hypocritical. To become a sādhu is not so easy. A person with these qualities is rarely to be found.

Kāruṇikāḥ. The sādhus will be gracious, they will have compassion for all the jīvas of this world. The sādhu sees Kṛṣṇa and that all is connected with Kṛṣṇa, so he naturally loves all living beings of the world equally. According to their qualifications, sādhus may understand the behavior of guru and Vaiṣṇava in somewhat different ways, but their love is equal for all. They know the root cause of our affliction is forgetfulness of our relation with the Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa.

We are always sleeping—the nature of the body is that it is sleeping—but we should fight against this lethargy, otherwise we cannot worship Kṛṣṇa properly. We may sleep all day and all night, but still we are drowsy. But look at the way the Gosvāmīs performed bhajana. They knew that we may leave this body at any moment and so they asked themselves, “Why we should spoil our time?” Worship of Kṛṣṇa means to hear about Kṛṣṇa. Hearing about Kṛṣṇa is bhakti, speaking about Kṛṣṇa is bhakti. This is our life. We should not spoil our time but should hear such things repeatedly.

Sometimes we say, “Oh I have already heard all these things.” In fact we have not really heard. Caitanya Mahāprabhu had heard the story of Prahlāda Mahārāja a hundred times and still requested His associates to speak about him. Such accounts are not composed of material sound; they cannot become stale. You can have the taste of spiritual ambrosia at every moment by listening to them. So we have to give up all our nescience and start Kṛṣṇa bhajana without a moment’s delay.

karau harer mandira-mārjanādiṣu
śrutiṁ cakārācyuta-sat-kathodaye
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, 9.4.18)

A devotee engages his ears in hearing about the glories of Kṛṣṇa from a śuddha-bhakta. A śuddha-bhakta who has dedicated his life for the service of Śrī Kṛṣṇa can speak about the glories of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. This is sat-kathā. Those who are platform speakers have some other motive. When they speak about Kṛṣṇa, their aim is to get some money, name and fame, and so on. That is not Hari-kathā. Hari-kathā can only be spoken by a bonafide sādhu.

mukunda-liṅgālaya darśane dṛśau
tad-bhṛtya-gātra-sparśe ’ṅga-saṅgamam
ghrāṇaṁ ca tat-pāda-saroja-saurabhe
śrīmat-tulasyā rasanāṁ tad-arpite
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, 9.4.19)

“Mukunda-liṅgālaya darśane dṛśau. The sādhu engages his eyes in seeing the temple where the deities are worshiped and for the darśana of the deity. He engages his body in touching the Lord’s deity form so that transcendental devotion may enter into him. If he finds a nice fragrant flower, he does not smell it but first offers it to the Supreme Lord, and afterwards he takes it as prasāda. Pādau hareḥ kṣetra-padānusarpaṇe. The sādhu engages his feet and legs for the service of Śrī Kṛṣṇa by circumambulating the transcendental realm of the Supreme Lord and for bringing the articles for pūjā. In this way we should engage all our senses in the service of Śrī Kṛṣṇa.”

We can understand according to our individual capacity. A śuddha-bhakta sees Kṛṣṇa directly; he speaks with Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa also moves with him, but not with us because we have got some sort of connection with this body, and bodily attachment is there. We cannot see because our eyes are not pure. We need prema-netra , devotional eyes that have been soothed with divine love. We can only see Kṛṣṇa with devotional eyes.

It is not so easy to have darśana of Kṛṣṇa for  we can only see with spiritual, devotional eyes. We have the enjoying spirit; we are filled with lust. When the enjoying spirit pushes us to satisfy our senses, we come into contact with finite things, matter. We have thus suffered in death’s prison for millions of years. This is our inheritance. However, when the eyes are for Kṛṣṇa only, then Kṛṣṇa will appear. So the śuddha-bhaktas, uttama-bhaktas, the best devotees, see Kṛṣṇa everywhere. And they only take prasāda. They do not take what cannot be offered to Kṛṣṇa. They always think about Kṛṣṇa; pure devotees of the Lord have a liking for only remembrance and kīrtana. Day and night, they will hear about Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s transcendental name, form, attributes and pastimes from the lotus mouths of the devotees.

We should not see others’ defects. If we want to rectify things, we should first see to our own defects. A real Vaiṣṇava or devotee is like a swan, a haṁsa. The haṁsa has the capacity to take the milk out from a mixture of milk and water. Vaiṣṇavas are paramahaṁsas. They see the good qualities in others and not the bad. All the sleeping conditioned jīvas have both good and bad qualities. Only realized souls have no bad qualities. Even so, they see the good qualities of others and ignore the bad. We, the conditioned jīvas, see the bad qualities and ignore the good. This is one reason we are in bondage. We need some rectification if we are to awaken from our state of bondage. The guru and Vaiṣṇava who have love for their disciples may sometimes correct them for their own good. They may control or chastise them, but that sort of chastisement or speaking of harsh words to the novice is not a reaction to the obstruction of their own ego desires or kāma. The śuddha-bhaktas have no kāma, so if perchance they should punish, they do so out of love.

Some people direct their anger or krodha to the sādhu, but we should not do this. To vilify a sādhu is a big offence and very detrimental to our spiritual welfare. To stop such offences, pure devotees may express anger, but this for the spiritual benefit of the person who is committing the offence and not for some personal egoistic purpose. Not everyone is entitled to show anger in this way. The śuddha-bhaktas or sad-gurus, who have love for the jīvas, are entitled to do so. They can punish for they can do real good for others. We need their grace. Without the grace of Hari we cannot get the sādhu, and without the grace of the sādhu we cannot get Hari. If you are very keen to get the service of Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa will come to you in the form of the sādhu. When you have the sincere desire to serve Kṛṣṇa you will get the knowledge to recognize who is a real sādhu and who is not. God is within you and He will help you to find the sādhu. He will give you faith and the capacity to understand. A sincere soul will never be deceived.

In many cultures, time is divided into four periods: the ages of gold, silver, bronze and iron. In the Vedas these are called satya, tretā, dvāparā and kali, respectively. Others may attribute different lengths of time to these ages, but the idea is the same: infinite time has been divided into four, recurring ages. As these ages pass we see a gradual deterioration of the human condition from happiness and innocence to sorrow and ignorance. It reaches its nadir in the present kali-yuga, the iron age. In this black age, persons will be mostly irreligious and therefore it is very difficult to find a bona fide guru. The Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa saw the plight of humanity in this black age, so He took the complexion and mode of worship of Rādhārāṇi and appeared as Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Rādhā is Kṛṣṇa’s absolute counterpart; She is His best devotee and He has taken Her attitude to become Kṛṣṇa Caitanya.

Caitanya Mahāprabhu said that the root cause of our affliction is forgetfulness of our relation with the Supreme Lord. We have to remember Him; if we can remember Him, there will be no afflictions. How we can do this? Through meditation? In this kali-yuga the method of meditation will not be successful because the enslaved jīvas’ minds are restless. The mind is always jumping about like a monkey so how can we meditate? Nothing but worldly things will come to our mind. Simply by closing our eyes we are not meditating. We close our eyes and off we go to London. This is inevitable because the mind is like a storehouse of impressions that have entered it through the senses. When we try to meditate, these impressions come back up to the surface again.

We are attached to worldly things and this is the source of our bondage. In order to become free from this bondage, we should offer the objects of our attachment to the service of Kṛṣṇa. This is the only way we can transcend our worldly attachments. The purpose is to concentrate on the transcendental object of worship, Lord Kṛṣṇa.

In the satya-yuga, meditation was possible. The people of this age had purity, compassion, and respect for truthfulness. But in the tretā-yuga, these qualities diminished and the method of meditation on the Supreme Lord ceased to be possible. So the sages prescribed yajña, sacrifice. In the dvāparā-yuga, however, people could not utter the mantras correctly so the sages and scriptures prescribed worship of the deity-form of the Lord. You have to engage all the senses to worship the deity. The goal is to develop concentration on the object of worship, and in order to do so you have to engage all your senses in the service of the deity. In the kali-yuga, however, we are so diseased that we cannot even perform proper pūjā. In this age, our physical and mental health is very fragile. We are all diseased and since a diseased person is prohibited from worship, how can we perform proper pūjā? So the Lord said, “You can perform Harināma, you can chant the Holy Name. I shall appear in this world as Harināma and give all power to Harināma.”

By chanting the Holy Name you can get the highest thing. In the kali-yuga, Truth means the Holy Name. The Holy Name is the Supreme Truth. Kṛṣṇa appears in this kali-yuga as the Name. So take shelter of the Name. The Name and the Named are one. Chant the Holy Name in the company of a śuddha-bhakta.

The Holy Name is not a material sound. You will find the thing referred to by a material sound is different from the sound itself. The word “water” refers to the substance water. The word “water” is different from this substance. Thus we cannot quench our thirst by simply uttering the word “water.” By way of contrast, Kṛṣṇa and the name of Kṛṣṇa are one and the same. Caitanya Mahāprabhu has written:

ceto-darpaṇa mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-
dāvāgni-nirvāpanaṁ
śreyaḥ-kairava-candrikā-vitaraṇaṁ
vidyā-vadhū-jīvanam
anandāmbudhi-vardhanaṁ prati-padaṁ
pūrṇāmṛtāsvādanaṁ
sarvātma-snapanaṁ paraṁ vijayate
śrī kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtanam

Utter Kṛṣṇa’s name from the core of your heart—Hare Kṛṣṇa. You will get everything. Your mind will be sanctified. All difficulties will be removed by uttering His Name. This is the first attainment. Once all difficulties have been removed, you will no longer be confronted by the forest fire of material life. There is a forest fire throughout the whole world because everybody has a false ego and thinks he or she belongs to this world. But if we love Kṛṣṇa, then we see that every living being is related to Kṛṣṇa and we love them because of this relation. Parents need not be taught to love their children. They love them automatically because of their relation. So we have to take shelter of Śrī Kṛṣṇa.

In Goloka Vṛndāvana, everyone is drowned in the ānanda. At every step they experience the sweetest ever-increasing ecstasy, because everybody’s target is to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. Their center is one. If you draw different circles with a single center, there will be no intersection. But if they have different centers, the circles will intersect, and there will be clashes. As long as there are different groups and different centers, we cannot stop fighting in this world. This material forest fire can be extinguished by Harināma, by chanting the mahāmantra:

hare kṛṣṇa hare kṛṣṇa, kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa hare hare
hare rāma hare rāma, rāma rāma hare hare

We should chant the Holy Name without wanting anything other than the service of guru and Kṛṣṇa. What is the meaning of Śri-Kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtana? Saṅkīrtana means to sing and chant about the transcendental glories, names, forms, attributes, and pastimes of Śrī Kṛṣṇa entirely, exhaustively, and fully. We have to perform saṅkīrtana properly, avoiding the tenfold offences.

Ten main offences in the chanting of the Holy Name are listed in the Padma Purāṇa. The principal offence is to disgrace the sadhus and to think of the guru as an ordinary human being. How can Śrī Kṛṣṇa tolerate it if we discredit or disparage those who are dear to Him? How can the Lord tolerate it if we commit offences to their lotus feet? If we commit offences to their lotus feet, than how can the Lord tolerate it? It is the greatest offence, and we should take every step to avoid making it.

We should always analyze ourselves and our own defects for this will help us to rectify ourselves. The greatest drawback of the conditioned souls, the enslaved jīvas, is that in themselves they only see good qualities while in others they only see defects. But we should not see the defects of the Vaiṣṇavas and devotees even if they have some. We should rather look to our own defects while taking care to observe the qualities of others. Then we can make progress. The tendency to find fault leads us to commit offences to the Vaiṣṇavas. This is why Caitanya Mahāprabhu has taught us the way to perform Śri  Kṛṣṇa saṅkīrtana: We should be more humble than a blade of grass, more tolerant than a tree, give respect to all others, and not demand any respect for ourselves. If we chant the mahāmantra with this attitude from the core of the heart, we will achieve our eternal welfare. Then we will get the knowledge that we are of Kṛṣṇa and that we are His eternal servants.

hare kṛṣṇa hare kṛṣṇa, kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa hare hare
hare rāma hare rāma, rāma rāma hare hare

We must cry to Rādhārānī and Kṛṣṇa from the core of our heart. If we do, then Kṛṣṇa will come to us immediately. He is within us, and He has given all power to His name. If we utter His name in consciousness of our relation to Him, we will be submerged in the ocean of ānanda and Kṛṣṇa prema. After that, whenever we utter the Name we will experience infinite, complete ambrosia at every step. Hare Kṛṣṇa.