Caitanya Mahāprabhu has given us this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, that all pāpas will be finished. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇam (CC Antya 20.12, Śikṣāṣṭaka 1). If one chants Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra offenselessly, just according to regulation, then he is anta-gataṁ pāpam. Anta-gatam.
Yeṣām anta-gataṁ pāpaṁ janānāṁ puṇya-karmaṇām. So Kṛṣṇa says, yeṣām anta-gataṁ pāpaṁ janānāṁ puṇya-karmaṇām. One who has finished all sinful reaction. This can be done. But we have our ten kinds of offenses. Nāmno balād yasya hi pāpa-buddhir (Padma Purāṇa, Brahma Khaṇḍa 25.15-18). This Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra will finish all my sinful reaction, that is a fact. As soon as I chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, immediately my sinful reaction finished. But that does not mean that, "Because I chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, then let me, from morning to evening, let me do all kinds of sinful reaction and sinful activities, and I shall chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, everything will be finished."
Just like in Christian religion there is a faith that confession, weekly confession. That is nice. When you confess your sinful activities before the higher authorities, before the representative of God, Lord Jesus Christ, or Lord . . . God, or Kṛṣṇa, your sinful activities are finished. That's all right. But that does not mean that you shall go again, and again commit sinful activities, and again come at the end of the week and finish your business. No. This is not meant. One should be conscious.
Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu, when He accepted Jagāi-Mādhāi . . . they were very sinful. But He simply asked the condition that, "From this day no more sinful activities. You accept this, then I accept you." They promised, "Yes. Whatever we have done, no more." That should be the . . . confess, God can excuse, and that is not difficult job.
God can excuse any amount of sinful activity. But after confessing, after being freed, if I again commit sinful activities, oh, that is the greatest sin. That is the greatest sin. One should be ashamed of that, "I . . . God has excused me. Again I shall? So I am so shameless." But this business is going on. No. That should not be. Nāmno balād yasya hi pāpa-buddhiḥ.
So we should not think that because we are chanting we can act all kinds of sinful activities. No. The chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa will give you protection, but you should not take advantage of. But if by accident or by unintentionally if you commit some . . . by habit, that is also excused. That is also stated in the Bhagavad-gītā: api cet su-durācāro bhajate mām ananya-bhāk, sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ (BG 9.30). That is accidental. Not that willful sinful activities should be done and it should be, I mean to say, neutralized by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. No. Then you are spoiling your time. That should not be done.
So yeṣām anta-gataṁ pāpam. So without being freed from sinful activities, nobody can take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The method is easy. You can get out of sinful activities. But don't commit again. If you think that, "I shall ignite fire and pour water again," then what is the use of? Simply waste of time. So that should not be done.
So, parāvare brahmaṇi dharmato vrataiḥ. So one should execute Kṛṣṇa consciousness, dharmataḥ, in right path, and vrataiḥ. Bhajante māṁ dṛḍha-vratāḥ. Just like today, ekādaśī-vrata. Vrataiḥ. This ekādaśī-vrata is required. Just see. Here it is that "You have performed all the vratas."
The purpose of ekādaśī-vrata is that today we should not eat much usual food, grains. The actual prescription is fasting. Nirjala-ekādaśī. Nirjala means there are many devotees who does not take even water. Water, drinking water, according to śāstra, it is taking food. It is drinking of food or no food. We can take both ways.
So sometimes drinking of water is excused as upavāsa also. But there are many devotees who don't even . . . drink even a drop of water. Whole day and night they fast and observe ekādaśī-vrata. And the night is called harivāsara. Harivāsara means the whole night they would chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma . . . this is called vrata. Dṛḍha-vrata. Dṛḍha-vrata. Dṛḍha means very firm, steady.
But Kṛṣṇa is so kind that He has given us so many concession. But we should be . . . because there are some concession, better we should not take advantage of the concession, but we should be very steady and strong in our conviction and perform devotional service strictly. That is nice. Vrataiḥ. Dharmato vrataiḥ. Parāvare brahmaṇi dharmato vrataiḥ snātasya (SB 1.5.7). Snātasya means taking bath. Just like if you . . . of course, in your country there is no such thing, but in India they take bath in the Ganges. Completely dip. Just like you sometimes take bath in the ocean. So snātasya. Snātasya. Snātasya means completely taking bath in dharmato vrataiḥ. Fresh, refreshed.