SB 1.6.34 – Narada Muni said: “It is personally experienced by me that those who are always full of cares and anxieties due to desiring contact of the senses with their objects can cross the ocean of nescience on a most suitable boat — the constant chanting of the transcendental activities of the Personality of Godhead”.
PURPORT BY SRILA PRABHUPADA
The symptom of a living being is that he cannot remain silent even for some time. He must be doing something, thinking of something or talking about something. Generally the materialistic men think and discuss about subjects which satisfy their senses. But as these things are exercised under the influence of the external, illusory energy, such sensual activities do not actually give them any satisfaction.
On the contrary, they become full with cares and anxieties. This is called Maya, or what is not. That which cannot give them satisfaction is accepted as an object for satisfaction. So Narada Muni by his personal experience, says that satisfaction for such frustrated beings engaged in sense gratification is to chant always the activities of the Lord.
The point is that the subject matter only should be changed. No one can check the thinking activities of a living being, nor the feeling, willing or working processes. But if one wants actual happiness, one must change the subject matter only.
Instead of talking of the politics of a dying man, one might discuss the politics administered by the Lord Himself. Instead of relishing activities of the cinema artists, one can turn his attention to the activities of the Lord with His eternal associates.
The almighty Personality of Godhead, by His causeless mercy, descends on the earth and manifests activities almost on the line of the worldly men, but at the same time extraordinarily, because He is almighty. He does so for the benefit of all conditioned souls so that they can turn their attention to transcendence.
By doing so, the conditioned soul will gradually be promoted to the transcendental position and easily cross the ocean of nescience, the source of all miseries. The whole idea is that without devotional service of the Lord, neither the yoga system nor dry philosophical speculation can ever become successful. For one who takes to Krishna Consciousness, the most valuable thing becomes very easy to obtain.
Pure devotional service of the Lord, without being tinged with fruitive work, mystic yoga or speculative philosophy, is the foremost procedure to attain self-realization. It is true that by practicing restraint of the senses by the yoga system one can get relief from the disturbances of desire and lust, but this is not sufficient to give satisfaction to the soul, for this [satisfaction] is derived from devotional service to the Personality of Godhead.
This is confirmed by Lord Brahma: “Those who, even while remaining situated in their established social positions, throw away the process of speculative knowledge and with their body, words and mind offer all respects to descriptions of Your personality and activities, dedicating their lives to these narrations, which are vibrated by You personally and by Your pure devotees, certainly conquer Your Lordship, although You are otherwise unconquerable by anyone within the three worlds.” (SB 10.14.3)
Actually Krishna being omnipotent is unconquerable, but it is said that he is not only obtained but conquered through pure devotional service. It is generally very difficult to realize the Supreme Personality of Godhead and His one name is ‘Ajita’, ‘He whom no can conquer’ yet He is easily obtained by one who is constantly engaged in devotional service.
As stated by Lord Krishna, “For one who always remembers Me without deviation, I am easy to obtain, O son of Prtha, because of his constant engagement in devotional service” (BG 8.14).
We can go step by step, following the other yoga systems of knowledge (jnana yoga), fruitive activity (karma yoga) or the eight-fold yoga system or we can take the direct elevator of Bhakti-yoga and reach the top most position.
To attain love for the Supreme Lord Krsna, one has to pass through all the different stages of yoga, but one who chants the Hare Krishna Maha Mantra (Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare) can easily be promoted to the platform of devotional service without any previous qualifications and irrespective of the social status.
This is confirmed by Yama Dev while instructing his agents (yamadutas): “The chanting of the holy name is able to uproot the reactions of the greatest sins. Therefore the chanting of the Sankirtana is the most auspicious activity in the entire Universe”. (SB 6.3.31)
Therefore the great authorities and scriptures recommend that we abandon all attempts to measure the Supreme. It is completely useless to try to understand God by our limited knowledge, and an intelligent person understands this. We should become submissive and understand that our position is that of a very insignificant segment in this creation. As confirmed by Arjuna: “O great one, greater even than Brahaa, You are the original creator.
Why then should we not offer our respectful obeisances unto You? O limitless one, God of gods, refuge of the universe! You are the invincible source, the cause of all causes, transcendental to this material manifestation”. (BG 11.37).
Sri Arjuna received the ancient Vedic science of Bhagavad-Gita not due to any material opulence or qualification. His only qualification was his being a pure and submissive devotee of the Lord. So in this process we only have to become submissive to attract the attention of God. Full Chapter
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