Tied to the World of Miseries by an Uncontrolled Tongue

An uncontrolled tongue is the worst enemy of anyone who wants to achieve genuine happiness. Overeating causes one to become lazy and sleepy. It causes one to get sick. It makes one fat and unhealthy and shortens one's duration of life. Therefore instead of living to eat, we should eat to live. If we take as our food only Krishna prasadam, the remnants of vegetarian foodstuffs which have been offered to Lord Sri Krishna with love and devotion, we will be totally satisfied with just that quantity of food which is necessary to keep us healthy and fit. We will become free from the desire to overindulge the tongue, and by engaging our tongues nicely in Krishna's service in this way the dormant love of God sleeping within our hearts will become awakened. This is why Srila Prabhupada has introduced us to the wonderful glories of Krishna prasadam. He has taught us a wonderful song which we sing every morning called Gurvastakam (Eight Prayers Glorifying the Spiritual Master). The fourth verse is as follows:

catur-vidha-śrī-bhagavat-prasāda-
svādv-anna-tṛptān hari-bhakta-saṅghān
kṛtvaiva tṛptiṁ bhajataḥ sadaiva
vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam

"The spiritual master is always offering Krishna four kinds of delicious food [analyzed as that which is licked, chewed, drunk, and sucked]. When the spiritual master sees that the devotees are satisfied by eating bhagavat-prasada, he is satisfied. I offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of such a spiritual master."

This process is so sublime and easy. By engaging in the pleasing activity of eating Krishna prasadam (also known as bhagavat-prasada) we please our spiritual master. When our spiritual master is pleased Krishna becomes pleased. And when Krishna becomes pleased with us we experience perfect happiness.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Srila Prabhupada Blesses Us With Krishna Prasadam

Answers by Citing the Vedic Version:

Question: Requirements for Becoming a Disciple?

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

I have been enjoying listening to your lectures and reading your emails for a while now. I am particularly grateful for the course you have developed, and I signed up for it a few weeks ago. It is perfect as I was missing my Bhakti Sastri studies (I studied two modules while I was on summer holidays last year).

I wanted to read and hear more and eventually be able to meet your grace. Can you please tell me what requirements you have for aspiring disciples? For your information I have been chanting a minimum 16 rounds for nearly three years. I have been following the four regulative principles for longer than that.

Thank you so much for inspiring me so much. I am so elated to get to know a disciple of Srila Prabhupada with such a wonderful preaching spirit. Lately whenever I read or hear a lecture there is often a message to seek out a spiritual master. I am very serious about dedicating this one life to Krishna consciousness. I look forward to your guidance in this matter.

Your aspiring servant

Priya

Answer: Be Serious to Follow Srila Prabhupada's Teachings

I am very happy to learn that you are serious about following the wonderful teachings of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the most powerful spiritual master for delivering the fallen souls of this age. His teachings, if followed strictly, will enable the follower to become spiritually perfect in their present life and return back to home, back to Godhead at the time of death.

Those who want to become my disciples must be fully dedicated to chanting at least 16 rounds daily of the Hare Krishna mahamantra and strictly avoiding illicit sex, meat eating, intoxication, and gambling. They also should be well read in Srila Prabhupada's books and take every opportunity to share this liberating knowledge with others.

Regarding your inquiry about seeking a spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada often quotes the following verse:

tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta
jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam
śābde pare ca niṣṇātaṁ
brahmaṇy upaśamāśrayam

"Any person who is seriously desirous of achieving real happiness must seek out a bona fide spiritual master and take shelter of him by initiation. The qualification of a spiritual master is that he must have realized the conclusion of the scriptures by deliberation and arguments and thus be able to convince others of these conclusions. Such great personalities, who have taken complete shelter of the Supreme Godhead, leaving aside all material considerations, are to be understood as bona fide spiritual masters."--Srimad-Bhagavatam 11.3.21

I would like to meet you at the earliest possible time to give you further personal guidance. Will it possible for you to attend my Vyas Puja celebration on October 26 in Kaunas, Lithuania?

Sankarshan Das Adhikari