How to Avoid Artificial Renunciation

One who sees everything as the energy of Krishna and engages everything in Krishna's service is properly situated in renunciation. And on the other hand, one who rejects everything not seeing everything's relationship with Krishna is imperfect and incomplete in his renunciation. So, whatever position you now find yourself in within this material world, see it as the arrangement of Krishna and use it in His service to please Him. You don't need to quit your job or give up your family to awaken your dormant Krishna consciousness, the unlimited bliss within you. All you have to do is regularly chant the holy names of God and give up sinful activities such as meat eating, illicit sex, intoxication, and gambling. By these simple, blissful disciplines you will gradually experience how the Supreme Lord is within everything and how everything is within Him, and you will become fully qualified to enter His transcendental kingdom at the time of death.

Answers by Citing the Vedic Version

Question: Process for Getting a Saintly Child?

I wanted to know whether one is destined to leave his body at a particular time and whether the cause of his death is also predestined.

Also, I am married and my wife and I are planning to have a child. Do we have to notify any senior devotees or spiritual masters? What is the process of this samskara?

Please bless us in having a pure devotee of the Lord take birth and who will serve Srila Prabhupada's mission. We would love to have a son.

Thank you

A.S.

Answer: Follow Prabhupada's Instructions

The time and cause of death is predestined for everyone, except for those who have fully surrendered themselves unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who then takes personal charge of the time and means of passing out of the body for His pure devotee.

The proper formula for having a saintly child who can dedicate his life to serving the Lord's mission is that the husband and wife should both be initiated disciples of the bona fide spiritual master and first receive the spiritual master's blessings and permission before trying to have a child.

The samskara (purificatory) process as given by Srila Prabhupada is that once a month just after the wife's menstrual cycle the husband and wife should both chant 50 rounds of Hare Krishna mahamantra japa mala. Then they may have sexual intercourse for trying to have a child. This can be repeated once a month until the wife becomes pregnant. Other than trying once a month for a child they should remain strictly celibate.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari