By Narasimha das
The following narrative is an example of how logic can be used to preach Krishna consciousness. Logic is accepted as evidence in the process of sankhya–yoga, which is a spiritual science originally taught by Lord Kapila Deva and Sri Matsya Avatar.
Recently I met a man who challenged me, saying, “I read on the internet that there are now 32 concocted variations of the Hare Krishna movement. This makes me think that it’s just another crazy cult. Before, I had some interest in the Krishna movement, but now I don’t trust it.”
I told this man that the internet is full of gossip and misinformation and he could better judge the authenticity of the movement by reading Srila Prabhupada’s original books.
He then mentioned he had also read on the internet that the books had been changed.
I told him the originals versions were still available if he was serious to learn the truth about the process and mission of Krishna consciousness.
He wasn’t convinced. “How could something genuine and potent create such a plethora of bogus cults?” he asked.
“First of all,” I explained, “you may consider that just because there are several unauthorized versions of the Hare Krishna mission, this doesn’t mean they are all bogus. It may be that most are bogus but not all. To understand which ones are genuine, you need the good fortune to get the association of sincere practitioners. To understand who is genuine you need to study Srila Prabhupada’s many books.”
This man was still suspicious. He said, “Life is too busy and short for such lengthy research. I just wanted a simple formula and mantra to go with.”
“Well,” I said, “the Hare Krishna Mantra is the simple mantra you need. But for the quickest results you need to chant it according the simple formula Srila Prabhupada and Lord Chaitanya instructed.”
“Otherwise… what?” he challenged. “It’s not authorized? It’s useless?”
“Not useless,” I said, “but less quickly effective than when chanted according the instructions of a self-realized soul.” Continue reading →