Lord Chaitanya and the Acharyas on 64 rounds

[Guest guest]

> THH PERFECTION OF LIFE IS TO GET THE DEGREE OF LAKSESVARA FROM LORD

> CAITANYA THOSE WHO DON'T CHANT 1,00,000 NAMES DAILY WILL DEVELOP MATERIAL

> DESIRES AND BECOME INCAPABLE OF SERVING EVEN THE MOST MERCIFUL & LIBERAL

> INCARNATION OF LORD ACCORDING TO SRILA SARASVATI THAKURA.

 

According to Srila Prabhupada, 16 + 4 = BTG

(16 rounds + 4 regulative principles = Back to Godhead)

 

If you continue in this way, and strictly follow the four regulative

principles, making sure to chant at least sixteen rounds on the beads,

daily, it is without a doubt that at the end of this lifetime, you can go

back home, back to Godhead. (Letter to: Amogha -- Bombay 26 December, 1972)

 

Indian: [break] ...initiated devotee, and he follows those four regulative

principles and chants sixteen rounds, will he go back to Godhead?

Prabhupada: Oh, yes. Mam evaisyasi asamsaya. Krsna says. Man-mana bhava

mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru mam evaisyasi asamsaya [bg. 18.65].

Asamsaya, without any doubt. Indian: But by taking initiation, will that

speed up the process? Prabhupada: Yes. (Morning Walk -- June 18, 1976,

Toronto)

 

Now you must agree to very rigidly follow the rules and regulations, i.e.

chanting sixteen rounds of beads daily, rising early and attending Mangala

Arati, observing the four principles, attending the classes, eating only

bhagavata prasadam as well as working under the instruction of my

representatives, such as your GBC representative and Temple President, and

if you follow this procedure very strictly then your life will be glorious

and you will go back to Home, back to Godhead, this I can guarantee. (Letter

to: Ghanasyama -- Sydney 16 February, 1973)

 

Now you must all carefully follow these four regulative principles (1) No

meat eating, (2) No illicit sex life, (3) No intoxication, (4) No gambling.

Always be sure to chant minimum sixteen rounds daily. Study my books

carefully, go for sankirtana and engage in Deity worship in the temple. You

are all very sincere boys and girls and now I request you to make your life

successful for going back to home, back to Godhead. (Letter to: Sons and

daughters, -- Los Angeles 8 May, 1973)

 

Please always follow the four regulative principles and chant minimum

sixteen rounds per day. Study my books very carefully and prepare yourself

fully for going back to home, back to Godhead. (Letter to: Arjuna -- Dallas

20 May, 1973)

 

Thus it is the duty of the acarya to publish books that will help future

candidates take up the method of service and become eligible to return home,

back to Godhead, by the mercy of the Lord. In our Krsna consciousness

movement, this same path is being prescribed and followed. Thus the devotees

have been advised to refrain from four sinful activities -- illicit sex,

intoxication, meat-eating and gambling -- and to chant sixteen rounds a day.

These are bona fide instructions. Because in the Western countries constant

chanting is not possible, one should not artificially imitate Haridasa

Thakura, but should follow this method. Krsna will accept a devotee who

strictly follows the regulative principles and the method prescribed in the

various books and literatures published by the authorities. The acarya gives

the suitable method for crossing the ocean of nescience by accepting the

boat of the Lord's lotus feet, and if this method is strictly followed, the

followers will ultimately reach the destination, by the grace of the Lord.

This method is called acarya-sampradaya.(SB 10.2.31 Purport)

 

God wants you to come back home and live peacefully. If you do not do that,

then you will have to undergo the severe punishments of transmigrating from

one body to another. And there are 8,400,000 bodies in which you will have

to suffer. And you can see that they are suffering. So don't misuse this

human form of life; don't give way to the sense gratification. Have a little

tapasya. Not severe tapasya, not like Nara-narayana. They went to the

Himalayas and underwent severe, very severe, just like Dhruva Maharaja. In

this age it is not possible; therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu has given you a

concession. You take these sixteen words, Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna

Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. Chant these

sixteen rounds. If you can increase, all right, or these sixteen rounds. And

observe these four principles -- no illicit sex, no gambling, no

meat-eating, no intoxication. Is it very difficult? But we are not even

prepared to undergo such a little tapasya, penance. What is that difficulty?

We don't eat meat, and instead we get nice other food. So what is the

difficulty? If we don't become hogs and enjoy senses like hogs without

discrimination of mother, sister and daughter, if we become attached to one

wife and enjoy life, what is the difficulty? No, although I have got my

wife, I am implicated with others' wives; I have got husband, I am

implicated with others' husbands. No tapasya. They are not prepared for any

kind of tapasya. They want cats' and dogs' lives. Therefore their next life

is waiting, cats and dogs. So this is the position. Nara-narayana, They

underwent severe penances just like Dhruva Maharaja. But in this age it is

not possible. But at least observe these short penances, little penances,

and chant Hare Krsna, and make your life successful. What is the difficulty?

But we are not still prepared. And still we do not take it very seriously,

because our past life is so sinful that even coming to Krsna consciousness

we are being disturbed. Our sinful activities are so strong that even coming

to the point of Krsna consciousness we are falling down, again falling down.

So be careful, be cautious, and execute your duty as Krsna conscious people.

You will be happy. (Lecture: Srimad-Bhägavatam 1.3.9 -- Los Angeles,

September 15, 1972)

 

And keep this, I mean to say, situation, atmosphere, always, and follow the

regulative principles, chant sixteen rounds. You'll remain always happy,

because although we are in Los Angeles, we have nothing to do with the

material atmosphere of Los Angeles. Therefore a devotee who lives with Krsna

or in Krsna consciousness, he does not live in the material world. He always

live in the spiritual world. That is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita. Mam

cavyabhicarini-bhakti-yogena yah sevate: "Anyone who is engaged in

bhakti-yoga with Krsna," sa gunan samatityaitan brahma-bhuyaya kalpate [bg.

14.26], "such person is always above these material modes of nature." Our

difficulty or miserable condition of life is due to being under the material

laws of nature. So it is very simple method, and you are all intelligent

boys and girls in the Western country, and I am very, happy that you have

taken it seriously. And continue this. You'll never be unhappy. And not only

here but also, as Krsna said, man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam

namaskuru [bg. 18.65], if you simply practice these four principle -- always

think of Krsna, man-mana, or become Krsna's devotees and offer Krsna

obeisances and worship Krsna -- these four... We are teaching these four

principle in the temple, how to worship Krsna how to serve Krsna, how to

become Krsna's devotee, and how to think of Krsna twenty-four hours. And if

we do this, there is guarantee. Krsna says, mam eva esyasi asamsaya:

"Without any doubt, you will come to Me. You will go back to home, back to

Godhead." (Arrival Address -- Los Angeles, July 8, 1974)