“Move in the direction of perfection”
Bhakti Bhringa Govinda Swami: People come to ISKCON and everybody is enthusiastic. Something that attracts them to Krishna Consciousness causes an awakening of their faith. And all of us have had different experiences of what impelled us to take up the process of surrender to Krishna. And many people they start by reading the literature [Srila Prabhupada’s books in this context], but after sometime, they just don’t read any longer. And then the problem start to come, and we know that there are many different types of problems that devotees experience. Sometimes devotees lose taste, sometimes devotees just retire from doing devotional service because they need to get their taste elsewhere.
But the idea of coming to Krishna Consciousness is to undertake these activities which will bring us to the stage of perfection. We are idealists, because we have heard that this is the process we can follow to become free from defects and become perfect. And the essential part of that process is to know Krishna.
And to know Krishna we have to read about Krishna. Krishna says: if you want to do that you always have to hear from Me.
Lately a lot of times devotees listen lectures of good devotees. But how many of you devotees listen to Prabhupada’s lectures on a regular basis? [devotees raising hands] Well, that’s good cause then you can hear from Srila Prabhupada. A lot of people [raised their hands], it’s good that you can listen to Srila Prabhupada because then you can understand the real command of the philosophy of Krishna Consciousness that Prabhupada has.
Often times when you hear his lectures - every sentence that he tells will be substantiated by a quote from shastra. When you hear that you become… at least when I hear those lectures I become so overwhelmed. You know, I will never possess the understating of my spiritual master nor will I be able to speak like my spiritual master, often I pray “Prabhupada, let me speak like you in a very clear, very shastric, very understandable way.”
That, my dear devotees, means you have to read the books. Sometimes I ask devotees who’s been devotees for 20-25 years :
- How many times have you read Bhagavad Gita in 25 years?
- One time. Or two times…
- Have you read Srimad Bhagavatam?
- No…
So what to speak of Nectar of Devotion, Ishopanishad and Upadeshmrita and many other books. This is a real point that has me worried. Because when devotees, when they don’t absorb themselves in advancing in Krishna Consciousness - often times they just go in the opposite direction.
Even though one may be doing a lot of service. But if their consciousness is not vibrating with the knowledge, with the learning for Krishna Consciousness - they are not really advancing so nicely in devotional service. […]
We have seen examples of perfect people. Now it’s time that we actually start thinking that we are in Krishna consciousness because we want(!) to become perfect.
Of course we love the sankirtan mission. You can’t become perfect unless you do sankirtan, because Caitanya Mahaprabhu bestows great mercy upon the people who engage in sankirtan. But at the same time that mercy will help us to have the realizations when we study the books, chanting the Holy Name, so its real serious.
I’ve had too many people fall away, and generally I don’t say this and I don’t preach this so much, but it’s a reality. That when disciples behave sinfully I receive the karma. We have heard that and it’s a shastric fact. And I can honestly say that I experience that. So that’s why I’m not trying to make anyone feel guilty or to make people cry or something like that. But it’s a reality. And therefore that’s why I’m requesting everybody to move in the direction of perfection.