the 4 regulations

[bhavini 0]

Even in this kali yuga, is it possible to get salvation just by chanting? Is it absolutely necessary that one has to follow the 4 regulations properly in order to attain God in this yuga as well. Basicly I just want to know what sort of a person does God accept. What is counted as a sin in this yuga and what isn't.

[Dervish 0]

Harer Nama Harer Nama Harer Nama Eva Kevalam

Kalau Nasty eva Nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha

 

"In this age of quarrel and hypocrisy the only means of deliverance is chanting the holy name of the Lord. There is no other way. There is no other way. There is no other way."

 

It is said emphatically three times "there is no other way".

 

The 4 principles are like pillars. They alone cannot make up the process, but it's a beginning, to build upon. If you build without this foundation, it will be due for crumbling. All the acts prohibited in the four regulative principles lead to a life bereft of true spirituality.

[livingentity 0]

Also, meat-eating, gambling, intoxication and illicit sex are the four pillars of sinful life. Think about it...

 

The 4 principles are like pillars. They alone cannot make up the process, but it's a beginning, to build upon. If you build without this foundation, it will be due for crumbling. All the acts prohibited in the four regulative principles lead to a life bereft of true spirituality.

 

 

Chanting will clean the heart and eventually you will have not desire to perform any of the four pillars of sin.

 

Beware of the maha-offense of thinking, "Oh I am chanting now and that will counter-act the fact that I am doing all kinds of nonsense sinful things."

[Kulapavana 0]

salvation is relatively cheap. but we are actually trying to develop love of God and enter His pastimes. that is the essence of our sampradaya.

 

you may be able to get salvation just by chanting of the Holy Name - it is up to Krishna. but to develop love of God one has to lead a pure life, and the 4 regs are it's pillars.

 

do not be troubled if you may not be able to follow the process fully at this time. keep on chanting and you will get stronger and develop higher taste. Hare Krishna!

[Guest guest]

Even in this kali yuga, is it possible to get salvation just by chanting?

•••only in this kali yuga we can go back to godhead only by chanting.. in other yugas it is extremely more difficult, we are very lucky

 

Is it absolutely necessary that one has to follow the 4 regulations properly in order to attain God in this yuga as well.

•••our only duty is to chant hare krishna mahamantra, everything starts from hare krishna and ends in hare krishna. The principles have to be viewed as helps for getting the pure chant of hare krishna, not as a goal in itself. So, with the advice of the spiritual master, it has to be found the subtle line between repression and diligence. We cannot arrive at the pure devotion if we are attached to sex, violent food, gambling, intoxicating.. but also if we have the mind completely disturbed by an austerity too difficult to bear. So it is necessary to be honest with ourselves, Let's remember that no sin, no wrong beahviour, no broken principle that can prevent us to chant hare krishna.

 

Basicly I just want to know what sort of a person does God accept.

•••everyone is accepted and deeply loved by krishna, even if krsna is impartial, in a sense the most appreciated are the sincere ones and the ones who serve and love his pure devotees, Through the vaishnavas we find krishna

 

What is counted as a sin in this yuga

•••a sin is to have forgotten god, a major sin is to offend the devotees of the lord, the biggest disgrace is to lose the association of devotees, a very very big sin is to act as an hypochrite.. to show spiritual advancement not having any. In our world the most negative kind of human is the so called integralist, religious fanatic... in bhagavad gita they are called "mitya acharya"

 

the most positive thing is to do like arjuna, to remain in our karma, in the path given by us by the material energy (ultimately .. krishna) and to change the object of our work, to act and work for krishna and not for our gratification.. in this way we will get gradually pure devotion

 

.. to understand what for us is sin and what is saint it is essential a bona fide present vaishnava spiritual master

[Govindaram 1]

 

Hare Krishna

 

(Mode of ignorance).First floor-*ping*

(Mode of passion).Secound floor-*ping*

(Mode of goodness).Third floor-*kerching*

 

By following Four regs, you can come to the stage of understanding Lord Sri Krishna, in it's place you put Harinama. simple eh?..don't forget about Mr.Free will /images/graemlins/smirk.gif

 

'just do it'-(jaya prabhupada)

[bhavini 0]

thanks for your replies, I understand what I have to do now

[Guest guest]

please explain it to me !

[livingentity 0]

The personality of Kali begged for mercy when King Pariksit was preparing to kill him. So the king gave Kali permission to reside in places where gambling, drinking (intoxication), prostitution (illicit sex) and animal slaughter were performed.

 

Kali wanted more so the king also gave him permission to live where there is gold because whereever there is an excess of gold (wealth) there are all the four pillars of sin which are above mentioned.

 

From this we should understand that those who are seeking spiritual well being should never come in contact with the four sinful activities - gambling, illicit sex, intoxication and meat eating.

 

This story is told in Srimad Bhagavatam so you can see that Srila Prabhupada was instructing us from authorized sources (as always) for our spiritual well being.

[bhavini 0]

Well in order to live a pious life, it is necessary to abstain from those four sinful activities. It is necessary that if one wants Krishna then their activities must be pure and along with that we must chant the maha mantra as a way of progressing spitually and as a way of preventing us from becoming tempted.

 

If what I've said is incorrect, please can someone correct me.

[yasodanandana 0]

it is not incorrect.. maybe the focus has to put more on mahamantra.

In this world is not possible to stop committing sins, but it is possible to free us from material bondage and go back to godhead chanting hare krishna (that is what we call spiritual advancement).

So regulative principle, avoiding temptation, becaming pious has a meaning because being more "clean" we chant more hare krishna with less offences. If our goal is to stop sins every our effort, austerity, wrata is useless, maya is krishna, she's more powerful than us, if our goal is to chant mahamantra we surely will stop committing sins.. krsna is more powerful than maya..

 

a complete sinner, breaking 2,3,4,400 regulative principles but chanting hare krishna, will go back to godhead soon or later..... one who avoid sins without chanting will remain eternally in this material world

 

[Govindaram 1]

 

In Kali-yuga, people cannot undergo severe austerities like those mentioned herein--drinking only water and eating only air for many months. One cannot imitate such a process. But at least one must undergo some austerity by giving up four unwanted principles, namely illicit sex, meat-eating, intoxication and gambling. Anyone can easily practice this tapasya, and then the chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra will be effective without delay. One should not give up the process of austerity.

 

Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.5.27-28

 

[Govindaram 1]

<font color="blue"> "Anyone can easily practice this tapasya, and then the chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra will be effective without delay" </font color>

[Govindaram 1]

<font color="red">A.C.Bhaktivedanta Prabhupada

</font color>

Letter to: Dhananjaya, Bombay, 31 December, 1972

Therefore Rupa Gosvami has introduced this system of regulative principles which I have taught to you also. These regulative principles, such as rising before 4 a.m. for mangala aratrika, chanting 16 rounds minimum on beads daily, reading books, going for the street sankirtana, preaching to anyone and everyone, offering the prasadam, like that, these principles of devotional service are there to safeguard us from maya's attack by keeping us always enthusiastic. If we strictly observe these principles, we shall remain always enthusiastic. These are the sources and the maintainers of our enthusiasm to serve Krishna. As soon as someone is not following them regularly, it may be certain that his enthusiasm will gradually disappear. Therefore, my request to you is that under any and all circumstances that you yourself shall without fail stick to these principles and make certain that all of the devotees in your charge are also following them strictly.

<font color="blue"> --- </font color>

Letter to: Dayananda, Allston, Mass, 1 May, 1969

As you continue to follow the regulative principles and thereby as you continue to advance in your understanding of Krishna Consciousness, you will find that your attraction for Krishna and spiritual life will increase more and more.

<font color="blue"> --- </font color>

Letter to: Revatinandana, Bombay, 15 December, 1974

As soon as one discontinues his staunch following of the regulative principles such as no meat eating, no illicit sex, no intoxication, no gambling, rising early before 4:00, coming to mangala arati, chanting at least 16 rounds, etc., then his spiritual life is hampered and there is a chance that at any time he may become a victim of maya.

<font color="blue"> --- </font color>

Letter to: Kisora, Bombay, 23 December, 1974

Please follow all of our regulative principles, such as rising early, attending classes and without fail chant 16 rounds and follow our 4 regulative principles. Without these things your spiritual life will be hampered.

<font color="blue"> --- </font color>

Letter to: Amarendra, Johannesburg, 21 October, 1975

You will find enclosed 4 brahmana threads and you should perform fire-sacrifice for all of the new initiates stressing the responsibility involved. Everyone must follow the four regulative principles and chant minimum of 16 rounds japa daily. There is no question of falldown if one seriously follows these principles.

<font color="blue"> --- </font color>

Morning Walk, Vrndavana, August 13, 1974, (new98)

Prabhupada: No, after catching them from the forest, they kept within the bars, and no eating for at least one week. Then the trainer comes, only whips. He comes and open the door (indistinct) (makes crying noise). Already he is hungry, weak, and he is whipped. In this way, he becomes fearful. As soon as the man comes, he becomes fearful. Then he gives him little food. In this way-after all it is animal-he thinks that "This man is my God. He can save me, he can kill me." Then he takes to him. Whatever he says, he will take. Similarly, if you do not give the ingredients for sense enjoyment, the mind will be controlled. That is the beginning.

<font color="blue"> --- </font color>

Morning Walk, May 20, 1975, Melbourne

Prabhupada: Yes, no illicit sex, no...This is the method, and chanting is the process. Then you will remain strong. And if you neglect, then you become weak. To remain strong is not difficult, but we don't want to remain strong. That is our decision. Otherwise it is not difficult. But we don't want to remain strong. We voluntarily become weak. Then maya catches, "Come on."

<font color="blue"> --- </font color>

Letter to: Candravali, Ahmedabad, 13 December, 1972

Raise your family to be exemplary Vaisnavas by yourself following the regulative principles and rigidly chanting Hare Krishna mantra, and without any doubt they and yourself will become all of you firmly situated on the path back to home, back to Godhead.

<font color="blue"> --- </font color>

The Nectar of Instruction text 3.Purport (excerpts)

In this Krishna consciousness movement there are four basic regulative principles, forbidding illicit sex, meat-eating, gambling and intoxication. A devotee must be very enthusiastic about following these principles.

---

In addition to these four prohibitions (yama), there are positive regulative principles (niyama), such as the daily chanting of sixteen rounds on japa-mala beads. These regulative activities must be faithfully performed with enthusiasm.

<font color="blue"> --- </font color>