Bhagavad-bhakti is so strong. In many places it is stated in the śāstra.
- dharmaḥ svanuṣṭhitaḥ puṁsāṁ
- viṣvaksena-kathāsu yaḥ
- notpādayed yadi ratiṁ
- śrama eva hi kevalam
- (SB 1.2.8)
So there are different varieties of religious system, but if you execute your particular type of religious system very perfectly, but the result—if you do not become attached to Kṛṣṇa, your love for Kṛṣṇa is not awakened—then simply by performing such ritualistic ceremony or rules and regulation of your religious system, if you do not become, develop yourself to love God, then it is all useless waste of time. It has no meaning. That is the test, how to become, how to advance in loving service of the Lord. That is the. . . Then you are religious, you are philosopher, you are great man, you are everything. Otherwise, if you do not awaken your dormant love for Kṛṣṇa, or God, then all such labor is useless. Śrama eva hi kevalam. Dharmaḥ svanuṣṭhitaḥ puṁsāṁ viṣvaksena-kathāsu yaḥ, notpādayed yadi (SB 1.2.8). By performing religious ceremonies or following the religious principle, the test is how one has become advanced in the loving service of the Lord. This is required. And his example is very strong, that surā-kumbham ivāpagāḥ. Surā-kumbha, the pot which contained liquor, it cannot be purified. Therefore it is so strictly prohibited about liquor. So,
- sakṛn manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayor
- niveśitaṁ tad-guṇa-rāgi yair iha
- na te yamaṁ pāśa-bhṛtaś ca tad-bhaṭān
- svapne 'pi paśyanti hi cīrṇa-niṣkṛtāḥ
- (SB 6.1.19)
Therefore Rūpa Gosvāmī has recommended that "Somehow or other, you become Kṛṣṇa conscious." Yena tena prakāreṇa manaḥ kṛṣṇe niveśayet. That is the recommendation of Rūpa Gosvāmī: "Somehow or other, you engage your mind in Kṛṣṇa." Then your life will be successful. Somehow or other. Do anything, but you remember Kṛṣṇa. That is the instruction in the Bhagavad-gītā also. Yudhyasva mām anusmara (BG 8.7): "You fight; at the same time, you remember Me." "How it is possible? I am busy, and I have to remember Kṛṣṇa?" Sometimes this argument is put forward. But that argument is not strong. Rūpa Gosvāmī has given very nice example that a woman, if she is attached to some man and she has a fixed-up time to meet the man at some place or at some hour, so she may be engaged in household affairs very busily, but she is expecting, "When that hour will come?" This is very factual example. The mind is there, "When that meeting will take place?" Similarly, you can remember Kṛṣṇa. The. . . It is a crude example, but it is possible that you be busy in so many ways, but at the same time you can remember Kṛṣṇa. That is wanted. That is Kṛṣṇa conscious. We have no objection. You do business, you do this, you do that. But if you can always remember Kṛṣṇa, then your life is successful. It doesn't matter. Yena tena prakāreṇa manaḥ kṛṣṇe niveśayet (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.4). And if you remember always Kṛṣṇa, that means you are becoming purified. You are purified immediately.
So that is required. Prāyaścitta and other things, they may be temporarily. . . That is. . . We are discussing this point. The real point is that nārāyaṇa-parāṅmukham. Without thinking of Nārāyaṇa or Kṛṣṇa or Viṣṇu, no other method will be able to purify you. There are many places. . . Vīta-rāga-bhaya-krodhā, man-manā. . . What is that verse? Vīta-rāga-bhaya-krodhā, mām upāśritāḥ (BG 4.10). . . The simple process to become purified. And that simple process is this chanting. Chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, this name "Kṛṣṇa" is reminding me. I must hear and I must chant with the tongue. Then you keep yourself always in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Our method is very simple. It doesn't require much education or to become rich or become beautiful or become. . . to take birth in high family. No. In any condition. Ahaituky apratihatā (SB 1.2.6). If you want to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, there is no impediment in the world. You can, walking on the street, you can chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. That will keep you purified. No other method. This is the purport of this verse.
- prāyaścittāni cīrṇāni
- nārāyaṇa-parāṅmukham
- na niṣpunanti rājendra
- surā-kumbham ivāpagāḥ
- (SB 6.1.18)
So this purificatory process. . . Bhakti means purificatory process. We are impure. Because we are impure, therefore we are undergoing so many tribulations, so many miserable condition of life. Otherwise we are spirit soul, ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). Our position is ānandamaya. Ānandamaya, the Vedānta-sūtra says, ānandamaya. "By nature, spirit soul is ānandamaya, always full of jolly." You see Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is full of jolly. Always you see pictures of Kṛṣṇa, either He is playing with the cowherds boy or either He is killing some demon, He is laughing, very sportively He is killing. And what to speak of with the gopīs and Rādhārāṇī? Because He is sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1), always full of happiness and bliss. And we are also part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore our position is the same, maybe in small scale. The position is the same, ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). Ānandamaya. So why we should be morose? Why we should be unhappy? Because we are now at the present moment covered with the sinful reaction of our life. So if we purify ourself. . . Tapasā brahmacaryeṇa (SB 6.1.13), we have already discussed, or that will be discussed later. The human life is meant for that. Purify. Don't keep yourself unclean. Purify. Then you regain your original, spiritual life. That is the only business.