View source for Srila Prabhupada, is it true that our advancement in devotional services... Is it influenced a lot by our past karma, how many sinful activities we have committed?

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{{compiler|Visnu Murti|Rishab}}
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{{first|04Dec09}}
{{last|25Jul12}}
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[[Category:Questions asked to Srila Prabhupada]]
[[Category:Questions asked to SP... 1975]]
[[Category:Questions On... Spiritual Advancement]]
[[Category:Questions On... Karma - Action and Reaction]]
[[Category:Questions On... Sin, Morality, Good, Evil]]
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<div id="Conversations_and_Morning_Walks" class="section" sec_index="5" parent="compilation" text="Conversations and Morning Walks"><h2>Conversations and Morning Walks</h2>
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<div id="1975_Conversations_and_Morning_Walks" class="sub_section" sec_index="8" parent="Conversations_and_Morning_Walks" text="1975 Conversations and Morning Walks"><h3>1975 Conversations and Morning Walks</h3>
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<div id="MorningWalkJuly21975Denver_0" class="quote" parent="1975_Conversations_and_Morning_Walks" book="Con" index="120" link="Morning Walk -- July 2, 1975, Denver" link_text="Morning Walk -- July 2, 1975, Denver">
<div class="heading">No, no, no. Bhakti is not under karma. Bhakti is under your good will. If you accept to surrender to Kṛṣṇa, you can do that without being checked by anything else. Simply you have to will, "Yes, Kṛṣṇa. You are asking me. So long I did not do. From this day I do." That will depend upon you.
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<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Morning Walk -- July 2, 1975, Denver|Morning Walk -- July 2, 1975, Denver]]: </span><div class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Prabhupāda: That example is given, vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya ([[Vanisource:BG 2.22 (1972)|BG 2.22]]). Just like your dress, when it is useless, you throw it away and take another dress. It is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. Vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya gṛhṇāti naraḥ aparāṇi. You accept another set of dress. Clearly explained. (break) ...also very scientific. Just like according to your last life's desires, you have got this dress, this body. So it is going on, going on, going on. Now you are creating another set of desires in this life. So you require a different dress. Then you begin another satisfaction of your desires. This is going on. Karmāṇa daiva-netreṇa: ([[Vanisource:SB 3.31.1|SB 3.31.1]]) by your karma, you are creating a situation. Just like the criminal, he has created a situation; he cannot live anymore outside the jail. "Come on, here." He will go in automatically. So they do not know how nature is working. It is clearly said, prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni ([[Vanisource:BG 3.27 (1972)|BG 3.27]]). "Nature is working, and that nature is working," mayādhyakṣeṇa ([[Vanisource:BG 9.10 (1972)|BG 9.10]]), "under My superintendence." Everything is there. Mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram. Jagat, it is changing, always changing. How it is changing? Under the direction of God. Mayādhyakṣeṇa.</p>
<p>Devotee (1): Only Kṛṣṇa is doing everything then.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Yes. Kṛṣṇa is not like you that when you are given some business, you become embarrassed. That is the difference between Kṛṣṇa and you. He never becomes embarrassed.</p>
<p>Devotee (1): Śrīla Prabhupāda, is it true that our advancement in devotional services... Is it influenced a lot by our past karma, how many sinful activities we have committed?</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: No, no, no. Bhakti is not under karma. Bhakti is under your good will. If you accept to surrender to Kṛṣṇa, you can do that without being checked by anything else. Simply you have to will, "Yes, Kṛṣṇa. You are asking me. So long I did not do. From this day I do." That will depend upon you.</p>
<p>Devotee (2): Not that if I was more sinful, I would make less advancement than somebody who is more pious.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Whatever you may be, simply surrender and everything is finished. Ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣ... ([[Vanisource:BG 18.66 (1972)|BG 18.66]]). Even if you are sinful, Kṛṣṇa will give you release, "All right. You have surrendered. That's all right." That is wanted. If you reserve something and cheat Kṛṣṇa, "Now I am surrendering," Kṛṣṇa is very intelligent. "You have still reservation. No." (break)</p>
<p>Devotee (1): ...it's easier to surrender to Kṛṣṇa.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Yes, in sattva-guṇa one can see, one can understand his position. (break)</p>
<p>Devotee (2): Does he experience the miseries of the gross body when he's in sattva-guṇa, in the mode of goodness? Does he experience hunger and thirst, those things like that?</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Gross body means no hunger?</p>
<p>Devotee (2): When a person's in sattva-guṇa, he's not so much feeling the pain...</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: He is not disturbed by the rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa. That is sattva-guṇa. Naṣṭa-prayeṣv abhadreṣu ([[Vanisource:SB 1.2.18|SB 1.2.18]]). He can be disturbed by rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa, but when he is in sattva-guṇa, he is not so much disturbed. And if he increase and go to the pure sattva-guṇa, suddha-sattva, then he is no more disturbed. At that time he can understand what is God. (break) ...you are strongly situated in sattva-guṇa, the other base qualities cannot disturb you. Tadā rajas-tamo-bhāvāḥ kāma-lobhādayaś ca ye ([[Vanisource:SB 1.2.19|SB 1.2.19]]). Other guṇa means lusty desires and greediness. This thing will be finished when you are strongly situated in sattva-guṇa. Then you go advance more and more. (break) ...hear about Kṛṣṇa, to chant about Kṛṣṇa, means cleansing, cleansing the dirty things of rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa. (break) ...world is going on on rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa. Very minute quantity of population are by sattva-guṇa.</p>
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