nonsense: do whatever you like and become advanced

[Guest guest]

On one side a person should cultivate Krsna consciousness, and on the other

he should try to give up all his bad habits. Both sides must be there if he

wants to advance. For example, when a person is diseased the doctor

prescribes some medicine, and at the same time he instructs the patient in

what to eat and what not to eat. That is the proper way of treatment. It is

not that the patient can eat whatever he likes and if he simply takes the

medicine he will be cured. Similarly, it is nonsense to think that you can

do whatever you like and if you simply chant Hare Krsna you will become

spiritually advanced. You have to practice tapasya by voluntarily accepting

a little inconvenience. For instance, we have instructed that everyone in

our Krsna consciousness society must give up illicit sex, meat-eating,

intoxication, and gambling. In addition, all our students must rise early in

the morning (before four), take a bath, attend mangala-arati, and study the

scriptures. These are all austerities, in which we voluntarily give up

things we may like and accept things we may not like. Of course, if a person

takes to Krsna consciousness seriously, Krsna helps him become qualified in

all these matters.

 

>From Dharma, the Way of Transcendence