It is better to chase the rhinoceros.

Thought For the Day

The Ultimate Self Realization Course

"Godhead is light. Nescience is darkness. Where there is Godhead there is no nescience."

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It Is Better to Chase the Rhinoceros

August 7 2025

In his wonderful book, Chasing Rhinos with the Swami, my beloved Godbrother Shyamasundar Prabhu, writes:

The Mantra Rock event stands out for me as the first time I "chased a rhinoceros" with the Swami. Swamiji had explained in a lecture that Krishna most appreciates devotees who risk the most on His behalf. And if you risk everything for Krishna, He must personally intervene to remove obstacles to your risky service. In this regard the Swamiji said: "It is better to chase the rhinoceros. If you fail, no can say he has failed--everyone knows you cannot capture a rhinoceros--but if you succeed, ohhh, they will say he has done the impossible."

Shyamasundar fully embraced this principle and accomplished many wonderful things to expand the Krishna consciousness movement in it earliest days. He and the devotees in San Francisco were able to the pull off the seemingly impossible task of producing the Mantra Rock Concert. This concert collected thousands of dollars for the impoverished ISKCON center and solidly established chanting the Hare Krishna mantra as part of the hippie movement. (It was one of the San Francisco hippies who the following year introduced me to the Hare Krshna mantra.)

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Don't Be Afraid to Try for the Impossible

Rhino

Mantra Rock Concert Poster

Rock Concert

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Transcendental Reply

Dear Srila Gurudeva,
Please accept my humble obeisance srila gurudeva,
all glories to srila Prabhupada,

Hare Krishna,

Your grace mentioned in Thought for the Day that we should stop advertisements of meat eating, smoking etc. I daily pray to Sri Krishna that my husband should not smoke. Even he is fed up of his bad habit and wants to be free from smoking. What else can I do except for praying?

Yours obediently,
S.

Answer

From: Austin, Texas USA

My Dear S,

Please accept my blessings.
All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Praying is nice. But also do something practical. Let’s say for example he smokes 10 cigarettes a day. After smokes nine when he is ready to light up the 10th give him the chance to trade the 10th cigarette for a nice sweet ball. If he agrees you can throw away that cigarette and let him enjoy the sweetball. In this you can get him started on the path of reducing his smoking. If he agrees to this, let me know and I will let you know what is the next step.

I hope this meets you in the best of health and in a cheerful mood.

Your ever well-wisher,
Sankarshan Das Adhikari

How I Came to Krishna Consciousness

In a world obsessed with money, fame, and fleeting pleasures—leading nowhere but to the grave or the crematorium—I walked away. Life felt so meaningless, I couldn’t stand it. This is the true story of how I turned my back on the American materialistic dream and discovered something far greater: Krishna consciousness. A gripping journey of inner revolution and a call to awaken a world civilization on the edge of collapse.

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