There's Nothing Sweeter than Krishna's Name

4 January 2013--I rose early after a few hours sleep on this twelve hour overnight flight from Auckland, New Zealand to Santiago, Chile to relish the sweet nectar of Krishna's holy name. With japa beads in hand I joyfully chanted 16 rounds of japa mala, which is 1,728 repetitions of the Hare Krishna mantra. As I absorbed my mind in Krishna's holy name I was remembering and awed by the fact that there is nothing sweeter anywhere in the entire universe than the sound of Krishna's name. There is no amount of wealth, fame, money, power, sex enjoyment, or eating enjoyment that can in any way compare even to the slightest degree to the sweet transcendental vibration of Krishna's most sublime name. Someday when the world realizes this there will be a new, unimaginably splendorous dawning of global peace and prosperity. May that day come immediately. I live for this.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Answers by Citing the Vedic Version:

Question: Why You Advise to Give Up Sinful Activities?

Dear Gurudeva,

Namaste.

I would like to ask the following questions:

Why do you advise prohibitions like strictly avoid illicit sex, meat eating, intoxication, and gambling?

Is it not imparting stimulant to negative thinking? Is it not forcing your own rules with negative thoughts on life of devotees?

Instead why not advise them to endeavor to develop divine properties, conduct and actions conducive to divinity?

Yours in yoga

Janardan Mali

Answer: Spiritual Perfection Requires Sinlessness

Your idea to guide people to be divine without instructing them how to avoid activities that contaminate the consciousness is completely impractical. One cannot cultivate divine conduct while he is simultaneously engaging in sinful activities. To do so is like trying to light a fire while at the same time pouring water on it.

You are quite wrong to think that we imposing some concocted rules on our students. We are guiding our students how to follow the regulative principles of freedom so that they can pure devotees of Krishna and go back to Godhead. It is clearly stated in the Manu-samhita (5.56) as follows:

na māṁsa-bhakṣaṇe doṣo
na madye na ca maithune
pravṛttir eṣā bhūtānāṁ
nivṛttis tu mahā-phalā

"It may be considered that meat-eating, intoxication and sex indulgence are natural propensities of the conditioned souls, and therefore such persons should not be condemned for these activities. But unless one gives up such sinful activities, there is no possibility of achieving the actual perfection of life."

Instead of finding fault with the genuine system of bhakti yoga coming from Lord Krishna through the guru parampara channel authorized by Krishna Himself, you should learn how to follow this system and become yourself spiritually perfect. Even if you go on speculating for millions of years, you will not be able to attain genuine liberation.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari