According to our Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas, this is śraddhā. What is that? Kṛṣṇa is asking, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). He's asking, demanding. So when we have faith in the words of Kṛṣṇa: "Yes, Kṛṣṇa says sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekam. Yes, I shall do," then śraddhā begins. Otherwise, there is no śraddhā. That is the beginning of śraddhā. Ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu-saṅgaḥ. If you have got faith in these words of Kṛṣṇa, that "Yes, whatever Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇam . . . accept it," then śraddhā begins. Otherwise there is no śraddhā. Ordinary śraddhā is . . . they are going this temple or another, Kālī's temple or Durgā's temple. They say that "Everyone is all right." Yata mata tata patha: "Whatever you like." That is not śraddhā; that is whims. And śraddhā means when you firmly believe on the words of Kṛṣṇa, that Kṛṣṇa said, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). Therefore Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī said, śraddhā-śabde viśvāsa kahe sudṛḍha niścaya (CC Madhya 22.62). Kṛṣṇa said that "Give up everything, I shall give you . . ." "Yes, it is fact. Why shall I bother with . . .?" That is śraddhā. Viśvāsa kahe sudṛḍha niścaya. Sudṛḍha means very firm faith. Not flickering faith.
When you have got this kind of śraddhā, naturally, the next stage will be "How to keep my śraddhā, firm faith in Kṛṣṇa?" Then you have to mix with devotees who are keeping constantly in Kṛṣṇa's service. Therefore this temple is required, that devotees will always be engaged in Kṛṣṇa's service, and those who have got śraddhā, they will come and see how the devotees are engaged, how they have sacrificed their life only for serving Kṛṣṇa. That is sādhu-saṅga (CC Madhya 22.83). Ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu-saṅgaḥ (CC Madhya 23.14-15). Therefore we have constructed this big house. Why? The people, the ignorant, the rascals, they may, if they have little faith, they may come, live here, take whatever prasāda is available and mix with these devotees. Ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu-saṅgaḥ. And if he mixes with the devotees, gradually his bad habits, anartha . . . No: bhajana-kriyā. Next stage is that "The devotees are serving Kṛṣṇa. They are also shaven-head, they have got neck beads, and they're chanting. Why not myself?" This is called bhajana-kriyā.
Then they approach, "Sir, why not initiate me?" "No, we put some regulative principles. If you accept . . ." This is bhajana-kriyā. Then automatically, anartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt. All nonsense habits, which are not required, anartha . . . Just like smoking: anartha, unnecessary. Does it mean that if one does not smoke he'll die? But you'll see in the whole world, millions and trillions of dollars' cigarette is selling. Anartha. Unnecessary. Does it mean that if I do not eat meat I shall die? I have seen in the Western countries—I observe everything—they eat meat very little. But because everyone is eating little meat, big, big slaughterhouses are being maintained. They can give up. A little piece of meat very easily he can give up. He can take this panir. But this rascal will not do that, because he's a rascal. He'll eat meat, and for this eating meat you have to maintain thousands and thousands of, what is called, organized slaughterhouse. And you have to kill. Killing means he's being implicated in sinful activities. Anartha, unnecessary. So we restrict this.
Sex life is all right, required. Be a gentleman, get yourself married, live husband and wife peacefully. Have two and three children. Now they're making forcefully that you cannot have more than two children—sterilize. This is rascaldom. Teach him that he'll not have sex life more than twice or thrice in life. But no. Tṛpyanti neha kṛpaṇā bahu-duḥkha-bhājaḥ (SB 7.9.45). The sex life is so strong that one has produced one child and he has suffered . . . The child has to be taken at night, it is crying, and then you have to give him milk, and so on, so on, so on. He has suffered, but he has no sense, "Why again child?" The answer: tṛpyanti neha kṛpaṇā bahu-duḥkha-bhājaḥ. He knows that after this sex life, illegal or legal, there are so much trouble. Therefore brahmacārī is very safe life: no trouble. But those who are not trained up, they are suffering. But they do not know how to stop this suffering, because he's not trained up as brahmacārī. "All right, make it sterilized." Contraceptive method. Kill the child. More and more and more and more implicated. Bahu-duḥkha-bhājaḥ. He does not know, or she does not know, "By killing the child what risk I am going to take." Bahu-duḥkha-bhājaḥ. Behind this killing of child so much trouble is there. But he's rascal; he does not know, either the mother or the father.
So in this way, if we do not take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness we'll be more and more implicated. You cannot avoid. That is not possible. The God's nature is working so nicely. I have given you several times the example that if you infect some disease, it must develop and you must have to suffer. There is no excuse. Similarly, if you are associating with the modes of ignorance and you are committing some sins, the effect you must have to suffer. Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya sad-asad-janma-yoniṣu (BG 13.22). Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). Prakṛteḥ, the nature, God's machine, is working so perfectly that it will act. You cannot avoid. Therefore we should be very careful how anartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt. For our spiritual advancement of life we must have the sense that "Why we should accept unnecessary things which is not at all important?" The four things are restricted: no illicit sex, no meat-eating, no gambling, no intoxication. Nobody dies. But it is a habit. It is a habit.
So in this way we have to mold our life, and the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is the best process. Therefore those who are sinful, those who are atheist, they have become little afraid of this movement. Therefore we have got so many enemies, and now in India especially the papers are criticizing us in so many ways. In other countries also. So we have to face this danger. It is not danger. We don't care for their criticism. But if we remain sincere in our actions, there will be no, I mean to say, obstacles. Ahaituky apratihatā (SB 1.2.6). It is ascertained that Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, apratihatā. It cannot be checked, provided if you remain to the principles. What is that principle? Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje (SB 1.2.6). If you stick to the principle of bhakti-yogam, then ahaituky apratihatā. Nobody can check you. You'll make progress.