Prabhupāda: So one has to make his determination. Ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānu-śīlanam (CC Madhya 19.167). This bhakti... Ānukūlyena means Kṛṣṇa wants. You serve. You supply. This is ānukūla. Now He says, Kṛṣṇa: man-manā bhava mad-bhakta. Now you become always engaged in thinking of Kṛṣṇa. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare... That is man-manā, always thinking of Kṛṣṇa. Because thinking of Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa, there is no difference. Kṛṣṇa is absolute. As soon as you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, as soon as you remember Kṛṣṇa, that means Kṛṣṇa is on your tongue, dancing. Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa... Abhinnatvād nāma-nāminoḥ. Therefore by constant company with Kṛṣṇa, puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ. Śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ (SB 1.2.17). If you simply hear about Kṛṣṇa, then you become pious. Puṇya-śravaṇa. Simply by hearing, you become pious. You haven't got to arrange for great, great sacrifices, tons of ghees. No. Simply by hearing Kṛṣṇa-kathāḥ, you'll be purified. These are the statements of great personalities, Caitanya Mahāprabhu:
- ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇaṁ
- śreyaḥ-kairava-candrikā-vitaraṇaṁ vidyā-vadhū-jīvanam
- ānandāmbudhi-vardhanaṁ prati-padaṁ pūrṇāmṛtāsvādanaṁ
- paraṁ vijayate śrī-kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtanam
- (CC Antya 20.12)
Śrī-kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtana is so nice that Kṛṣṇa says, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). Why don't you become, always think of Kṛṣṇa? Where is the loss? If you are walking on the street or going on bus or on your car, if you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, what is your heavy loss? Is there any loss? Why don't you do it? Try it. There is no loss. And if there is any gain, why don't you try it? For nothing, without any loss. These Europeans and American boys, they are chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. They are more enlightened, so far material civilization is concerned. But in their country, almost all young men, as a hobby, they have taken a bead and chanting. Our, the George Harrison, the famous Beatle, he is supplying beads and bags to his friends: "Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa." And he has written in his record that "Anyone who is friend of Kṛṣṇa, I am his friend." What he has written?
Gurukṛpā: "Any friend of Kṛṣṇa is friend of mine."
Prabhupāda: Eh?
Gurukṛpā: "Any friend of Kṛṣṇa is friend of mine."
Prabhupāda: Yes. Anyway... So we Indians, why you are over gentlemen? They're also gentlemen, they're also Europeans. But why you are afraid, why you are ashamed to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra even on walking, even going on...? What is the harm? This is the purpose of Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra movement, that anyone can chant. A child can chant. A old man can chant. A rich man can chant. A poor man can chant. There is no tax. But see the result. See the result. Kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ.
- tṛṇād api sunīcena
- taror api sahiṣṇunā
- amāninā mānadena
- kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ
- (CC Adi 17.31)
This is the Caitanya Mahāprabhu's order, that "Always chant Hare Kṛṣṇa." The śāstra says,
- harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalaṁ
- kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā
- (CC Adi 17.21)
In this age, especially, we cannot execute any other process of religious method. This is... We can, but at the present moment, it is very difficult. The best things is, as it is recommended in the Bṛhan-nāradīya Purāṇa-many other purāṇas also, in Upaniṣad,
- hare nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalaṁ
- kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā
- (CC Adi 17.21)
And in the Bhagavad-gītā also you'll find,
- satataṁ kīrtayanto māṁ
- yatatantaś ca dṛḍha-vratāḥ
- namasyantaś ca māṁ bhaktyā
- tuṣyanti ca ramanti ca
- (BG 9.14)
Satataṁ kīrtayanto mām. Anyone who is chanting, he's mahātmā. He's mahātmā. Chanting. So these, these boys, although they're very young, but because they're chanting, always, they're mahātmās. Mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ, bhajanty ananya-manaso (BG 9.13). Kṛṣṇa says, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). So this is the process in this age. You can chant. There is no loss, but there is much gain. Why don't you try it?