spiritual advancement | The Hare Krishna Movement

Faith in Krishna and the Spiritual Master

17 Oct 2026 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Guru & Disciple, guru-tattva, spiritual advancement, Spiritual Master, Spiritual Practice Tags: A. C. Bhakthvedanta Swami Prabhupada, Krishna, Krsna, spirituality

One time a devotee asked Srila Prabhupada, “‘”what is the most important sloka” and Srila Prabhupada replied:

yasya deve parā bhaktir yathā deve tathā gurau.
tasyaite kathitā hy arthāḥ prakāśante mahātmanaḥ.

“Only unto those great souls who have implicit faith in both the Lord and the spiritual master are all the imports of Vedic knowledge automatically revealed.” ((Śvetāśvatara Upanisad 6.23)

I was reading one letter Srila Prabhupada wrote to Jaya Govinda back in 1969, wherein Jaya Govinda was expressing some weakness in his faith, and Srila Prabhupada replied with such compassion, patience, and kind understanding.

…Of course, weakness in Krishna Consciousness we should always feel. That is a good symptom. We should never think that we are strong enough. But the source of strength is Krishna and His manifest representative, the Spiritual Master. We get this instruction from Caitanya-caritmrta that we receive the seed of Krishna Consciousness through the Spiritual Master and Krishna. Therefore, we should serve both simultaneously for continuous supply of spiritual vitality.

…When you came from India to Germany you told me that you felt complete satisfaction being in Germany, having a good engagement for serving Krishna. But at present you express that you may not be feeling that satisfaction intact. If you would explain to me why you are feeling like that, then I can help you.

… But in all circumstances we should have our staunch faith in Krishna and the Spiritual Master. Then we will never be shaken off. (Letter to Jaya Govinda October 15, 1969)

There is one nice verse in the Caitanya-caritmrta which describes this sentiment of faith:

“I firmly believe in these words of My spiritual master, and therefore I always chant the holy name of the Lord, alone and in the association of devotees. That holy name of Lord Krsna sometimes causes Me to chant and dance, and therefore I chant and dance. Please do not think that I intentionally do it. I do it automatically“. (Cc. Ādi 7.95-96)

Purport

A person who cannot keep his faith in the words of his spiritual master but acts independently never receives the authority to chant the holy name of the Lord. It is said in the Vedas:

yasya deve parā bhaktir yathā deve tathā gurau
tasyaite kathitā hy arthāḥ prakāśante mahātmanaḥ

“Only unto those great souls who have implicit faith in both the Lord and the spiritual master are all the imports of Vedic knowledge automatically revealed.” This Vedic injunction is very important, and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu supported it by His personal behavior. Believing in the words of His spiritual master, He introduced the sankirtan movement, just as the present Krsna consciousness movement was started with belief in the words of our spiritual master. He wanted to preach, we believed in his words and tried somehow or other to fulfill them, and now this movement has become successful all over the world. Therefore faith in the words of the spiritual master and in the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the secret of success. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu never disobeyed the orders of His spiritua master and stopped propagating the saṅkīrtana movement. Śrī Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvati Gosvāmī, at the time of his passing away, ordered all his disciples to work conjointly to preach the mission of Caitanya Mahāprabhu all over the world. Later, however, some self-interested, foolish disciples disobeyed his orders. Each one of them wanted to become head of the mission, and they fought in the courts, neglecting the order of the spiritual master, and the entire mission was defeated. We are not proud of this; however, the truth must be explained. We believed in the words of our spiritual master and started in a humble way—in a helpless way—but due to the spiritual force of the order of the supreme authority, this movement has become successful.

Eternal Servants (Sanatana-dharma)

04 Mar 2026 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Bob Dylan, spiritual advancement, Spiritual Life, Uncategorized Tags: ac-bhaktivedanta, devil, eternal-servants, gotta-serve-somebody, hinduism, Krishna, Krsna, lord, philosophy, religion, sanatan-dhama, spirituality, Srila Prabhupada

click on image to enlarge

I remember some years ago (1979), Bob Dylan released this song entitled “Gotta Serve Somebody”. I’m sure many of you remember it.

[Chorus]
But you’re going to have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You’re going to have to serve somebody
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you’re going to have to serve somebody

I chose to serve the Lord, Krishna. Service ts our eternal nature, our dharma. And like Bob says “You’re going to have to serve somebody”

The following are some quotes from the Srimad Bhagavatam, ant the Bhagavad-gita, on our eternal relationship (sanātana-dharma) with the Lord.

At the last stage of one’s life, one should be bold enough not to be afraid of death. But one must cut off all attachment to the material body and everything pertaining to it and all desires thereof. (SB 2.1.15)

The foolishness of gross materialism is that people think of making a permanent settlement in this world, although it is a settled fact that one has to give up everything here that has been created by valuable human energy. Great statesmen, scientists, philosophers, etc., who are foolish, without any information of the spirit soul, think that this life of a few years only is all in all and that there is nothing more after death. This poor fund of knowledge, even in the so-called learned circles of the world, is killing the vitality of human energy, and the awful result is being keenly felt. And yet the foolish materialistic men do not care about what is going to happen in the next life. The preliminary instruction in the Bhagavad-gītā is that one should know that the identity of the individual living entity is not lost even after the end of this present body, which is nothing but an outward dress only. As one changes an old garment, so the individual living being also changes his body, and this change of body is called death. Death is therefore a process of changing the body at the end of the duration of the present life. An intelligent person must be prepared for this and must try to have the best type of body in the next life. The best type of body is a spiritual body, which is obtained by those who go back to the kingdom of God or enter the realm of Brahman. (from purport)

Full text and purports

Don’t Be A Crazy Fellow…Be Patient and Return Home

18 Dec 2020 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Caaitanya-caritamrta, Science of Self Realization, spiritual advancement Tags: A. C. Bhakthvedanta Swami Prabhupada, clutches of maya, Krishna, maya, peace and happiness, self realization, Spiritual Life, Srila Prabhupada

“Be patient and return home. Don’t be a crazy fellow. By and by you will be able to cross the ocean of material existence. You should not make yourself a showbottle devotee and become a false renunciant. For the time being, enjoy the material world in a befitting way and do not become attached to it. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu continued: “Within your heart, you should keep yourself very faithful, but externally you may behave like an ordinary man. Thus Kṛṣṇa will soon be very pleased and deliver you from the clutches of māyā.” (Sri Caitanya-caritamrta: Madhya-lila Chapter 16, Text 237-239)

I have always liked this verse, it is sage advise for anyone practicing spiritual life (self-realization), in this age. “Within your heart, you should keep yourself very faithful, but externally you may behave like an ordinary man.” It is not that everyone who is interested in practicing Krishna Consciousness must artificially renounce the world, shave their head, put on robes, become a nun or monk, and live in a temple. No the instruction is here; “enjoy the material world in a befitting way and do not become attached to it.”

The peace and happiness for which we are all hankering for life after life, moment after moment, we will get when our desires become purified, and dovetailed with the Lord. One who desires sense gratification, the enjoyment of material satisfaction, will never be happy. That is not possible. If you want peace, if you want happiness, if you want perfection in your life, then just begin to dovetail your desires, activities, and potentials with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Then you will see what real happiness is, and can tell who is really crazy.

Full Text and purports

Spiritual Advancement – The Simple Method

15 Jun 2019 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in Padmapani das, spiritual advancement, Uncategorized Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Krishna consciousness, Padmapani das, Prabhupada connect, spiritual advancement, Srila Prabhupada

srilaprabhupada1

Spiritual Advancement – The Simple Method
by Padmapani Prabhu

Sometimes it appears very difficult to make advancement in Krsna consciousness, and we become impatient. If we expect immediate results and they aren’t forthcoming, we can easily become discouraged. For those of us who are unable to live in a temple (or even near a temple), this is especially true. So what’s the solution?

In November of 1969, while speaking in London’s Conway Hall, Srila Prabhupada stated the following:

“The process is very simple. Just keep a picture of Lord Caitanya with His associates. Lord Caitanya is in the middle, accompanied by His principal associates — Nityananda, Advaita, Gadadhara, and Srivasa. One simply has to keep this picture. One can keep it anywhere. It is not that one has to come to us to see this picture. Anyone can have this picture in his home, chant this Hare Krsna mantra, and thus worship Lord Caitanya. That is the simple method. But who will capture this simple method? Those who have good brains. Without much bother, if one simply keeps a picture of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu at home and chants Hare Krsna, then one will realize God. Anyone can adopt this simple method. There is no expenditure, there is no tax, nor is there any need to build a very big church or temple. Anyone, anywhere, can sit down on the road or beneath a tree and chant the Hare Krsna mantra and worship God. Therefore it is a great opportunity.”

In this brief statement, Srila Prabhupada underlines the simplicity and accessibility of Krsna consciousness for everyone. Nothing fancy is required. Srila Prabhupada says here that one simply has to chant Hare Krsna, and keep a picture of Lord Caitanya and His associates (Sri Panca-Tattva) in his or her home. “That is the simple method,” he declares. But who will take to it? “Those who have good brains.”