The Hare Krishna Lifestyle

 

Accepting the Hare Krishna lifestyle means having a sane, clean, enlightened, happy life and a very bright future in the next life. It is based on the teachings of the Vedic scriptures and spiritual masters. One worships, glorifies, and serves Lord Sri Krishna while avoiding drugs, alcohol, promiscuity, nonvegetarian food, and gambling. According to the Vedas, suffering in this life and the next life is due to ignorance. People do not know that many of their activities are producing adverse reactions according to the laws of nature or karma. Any person who accepts that he or she is an eternal servant of The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, and tries their best to follow the path given by the Lord in the Vedas and taught by the spiritual masters in disciplic succession is liberated from the cycle of birth and death in the material world. It may appear that such a person is of defective character but he/she will quickly advance and attain Krishna very soon. We have been in this material world for an inconceivably long time so even a few more births is relatively soon.

Japa

 Japa is chanting the Hare Krishna Maha Mantra, hare krishna hare krishna krishna krishna hare hare / hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare. In ISKCON Srila Prabhupada set the standard that devotees should chant at least 16 rounds of japa per day. Without chanting on the Krishna bead one starts on the first bead next to the Krishna bead chanting the mantra once per bead to the other end then start at the end bead going back in the other direction etc. There are 108 beads on a strand of japa beads, so one chants the full mantra 108 x 16 times a day. One should also chant the Pancha-tattva Maha Mantra once at the beginning of each round: sri-krishna-chaitanya prabhu-nityananda sri-advaita gadadhara srivasadi-gaura-bhakta-vrinda. 

The Three Modes of Material Nature

 

As per Vedic philosophy, as jivas or spirit souls we are always under the influence of God's energy. The liberated souls are under the influence and protection of the Divine Nature and the prominent symptom is that they love the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This love of Godhead avails happiness trillions of times greater than the love of this material world. The fallen souls are under the influence of the material energy or maya. This is also called the illusory energy. By eternal constitution we are loving servants of God, not independent enjoyers. The illusory energy facilitates the illusion of being an independent enjoyer, but this illusory "enjoyment" is temporary and not fully satisfying to the soul. The illusory energy is actually functioning as three energies called the three modes of material nature. The three modes are 1) goodness 2) passion and 3) ignorance or darkness. In the mode of goodness one can see things as they are. In the mode of passion one is not sure what is right or wrong. In the mode of ignorance one considers irreligion to be religion and religion to be irreligion. A complete course on this subject matter is found in Bhagavad-gita Chapters 14 and 18. Please click here for the complete Bhagavad-gita As It Is, translation and explanations (purports) by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, founder-acharya of The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON).  

FAQ

 

Q: What is the difference between a Krishnaite and a Vaishnava? A: A Krishnaite is a Vaishnava whose ultimate goal is Krishna, the original Vishnu. ---- Q: Do you believe in reincarnation? A: Yes, reincarnation or transmigration of the soul is discussed extensively in the Vedas. One principal citation is from Bhagavad-gita 2.13: "As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. A self-realized soul is not bewildered by such a change." This process takes place throughout different species of life and different planets (heavenly, earthly, and hellish) perpetually until one is transferred to one of the planets of the transcendental eternal nature where is no death. ---- Q: How can one be transferred to the transcendental nature? A: By the process of Krishna consciousness, aka Bhakti-yoga or devotional service to Krishna. One gradually advances from beginner to the stage of perfection in Krishna consciousness where one is able to see Lord Krishna always and feel unlimited happiness; and to go to His Supreme Abode/planet in the next life. A very special benefit of the process of Bhakti-yoga is that whatever progress we make in this life is never lost, and just by beginning the process one is guaranteed at least a human body in the next life. "In this endeavor there is no loss or diminution, and a little advancement on this path can protect one from the most dangerous type of fear." -Bhagavad-gita 2.40

Hear from Srila BV Narayan Goswami Maharaj - Sri Baladeva Prabhu

https://youtube.com/shorts/2V3oKgckKtQ?si=Grjx3ll7uaWiPIX1 

Remembering Sripad Aindra Prabhu

https://youtu.be/yX54pMMqKeg?si=4PyvEahx85iFAqDt 

ISKCON Mayapura Darshan

https://youtube.com/shorts/Mzcv3U3l-Lg?si=AFn175DEmE8Ag_VN 

Hear from Srila BV Narayan Goswami Maharaj

https://youtube.com/shorts/5VlIo8n05ZQ?si=fU3zl8whck2Ex4Gb 

Hear from Srila Prabhupada

https://youtube.com/shorts/-ivt_SA2s5c?si=WXU2WMCpYkxCcP0v 

Hear from Srila Prabhupada

https://youtube.com/shorts/CTAOWwuTmtY?si=EWWUF523K6ct-Cyq 

Hear from Srila BV Narayan Goswami Maharaj

 https://youtu.be/ZAT9WGvHQZ4?si=l3KulvrHK1yDL_Sm

Hear from Srila BV Narayan Goswami Maharaj

https://youtube.com/shorts/_Scp2HFCci8?si=eq2qKO9aX_2bjOfX 

Hear from Srila BV Narayan Goswami Maharaj

https://youtube.com/shorts/oiOToSaYm-s?si=L-lVn6AKiYwUPAL4 

Hear from Srila Prabhupada

https://youtube.com/shorts/ehsiXgAzsgQ?si=khYaZZpcy0Ve16Vs 

Hear from Srila Prabhupada

https://youtube.com/shorts/ll_rOl6oZbQ?si=afhHXMEW9B3tEXM5 

Why some people leave the process of Krishna consciousness

https://youtu.be/UEdB_YLwrhI?si=xLwGQXjAdItgVqh9 

Sri Narada Muni, the Eternal Space Traveler

  Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has sung:

nārada-muni, bājāya vīṇā,
‘rādhikā-ramaṇa’-nāme
nāma amani, udita haya,
bhakata-gīta-sāme

amiya-dhārā, variṣe ghana,
śravaṇa-yugale giyā
bhakata-jana, saghane nāce,
bhariyā āpana hiyā

mādhurī-pūra, āsaba paśi’,
mātāya jagata-jane
keha vā kāṅde, keha vā nāce,
keha māte mane mane

pañca-vadana, nārade dhari’,
premera saghana rola
kamalāsana, nāciyā bale,
’bola bola hari bola’

sahasrānana, parama-sukhe,
’hari hari’ bali’ gāya
nāma-prabhāve, mātila viśva,
nāma-rasa sabe pāya

śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāma, rasane sphuri’,
purā’la āmāra āśa
śrī-rūpa-pade, yācaye ihā,
bhakativinoda dāsa

The purport of this song is that Nārada Muni, the great soul, plays a stringed instrument called a vīṇā, vibrating the sound rādhikā-ramaṇa, which is another name for Kṛṣṇa. As soon as he strokes the strings, all the devotees begin responding, making a very beautiful vibration. Accompanied by the stringed instrument, the singing seems like a shower of nectar, and all the devotees dance in ecstasy to the fullest extent of their satisfaction. While dancing, they appear madly intoxicated with ecstasy, as if drinking the beverage called mādhurī-pūra. Some of them cry, some of them dance, and some of them, although unable to dance publicly, dance within their hearts. Lord Śiva embraces Nārada Muni and begins talking in an ecstatic voice, and seeing Lord Śiva dancing with Nārada, Lord Brahmā also joins, saying, “All of you kindly chant ‘Hari bol! Hari bol!’ ” The King of heaven, Indra, also gradually joins with great satisfaction and begins dancing and chanting “Hari bol! Hari bol!” In this way, by the influence of the transcendental vibration of the holy name of God, the whole universe becomes ecstatic. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says, “When the universe becomes ecstatic, my desire is satisfied. I therefore pray unto the lotus feet of Rūpa Gosvāmī that this chanting of harer nāma [Adi 17.21] may go on nicely like this.”

Lord Brahmā is the guru of Nārada Muni, who is the guru of Vyāsadeva, and Vyāsadeva is the guru of Madhvācārya. Thus the Gauḍīya-Mādhva-sampradāya is in the disciplic succession from Nārada Muni. The members of this disciplic succession—in other words, the members of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement—should follow in the footsteps of Nārada Muni by chanting the transcendental vibration Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. They should go everywhere to deliver the fallen souls by vibrating the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra and the instructions of Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Caitanya-caritāmṛta. That will please the Supreme Personality of Godhead.  (From Srila Prabhupada's Purport to Srimad Bhagavatam 6.5.22)

Bhagavad Gita 9.14

satatam kirtayanto mam

yatantas ca drdha-vratah

namasyantas ca mam bhaktya

nitya-yukta upasate

Always chanting My glories, endeavoring with great determination, bowing down before Me, these great souls perpetually worship Me with devotion.

We Cannot Imitate Haridasa Thakura

https://youtube.com/shorts/JwNrPNfzSjg?si=cHs7n96-H1D2rqIR 

The Qualities of a Vaishnava

 

Anyone who has developed unalloyed, unflinching devotional service unto the Lord develops his original good qualities as spirit soul. The spirit soul, as part and parcel of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, has all the good qualities of the Lord. When the spirit soul is contaminated by the material modes of nature, one is considered good or bad with reference to the material qualities. But when one is transcendental to all material qualities, all the good qualities come out. These qualities of a devotee, twenty-six in number, are listed as follows: (1) kind to everyone, (2) does not quarrel with anyone, (3) fixed in the Absolute Truth, (4) equal to everyone, (5) faultless, (6) charitable, (7) mild, (8) clean, (9) simple, (10) benevolent, (11) peaceful, (12) completely attached to Kṛṣṇa, (13) has no material hankering, (14) meek, (15) steady, (16) self-controlled, (17) does not eat more than required, (18) sane, (19) respectful, (20) humble, (21) grave, (22) compassionate, (23) friendly, (24) poetic, (25) expert, (26) silent. The Lord is satisfied by development of the transcendental qualities of the living entity and not by artificial performance of sacrifices and mystic yoga. In other words, unless one is fully qualified to become a pure devotee of the Lord, one cannot expect to be liberated from material entanglement.  (-from Srila Prabhupada's commentary on Srimad Bhagavatam 4.20.16)