krishna/articles/2012/013

So we have got the power to be awakened. Sva-tejasa. That power we have got, but we have to awaken it by good association, by sadhu, sadhu-sanga [Cc. Madhya 22.83]. Sadhu-sanga is good association. Then we are awakened. Adau sraddha tatah sadhu-sangah [Cc. Madhya 23.14-15]. If we have little faith that we require awakening of spiritual consciousness, we should not sleep under the spell of this material consciousness... A little faith will help us. It is said in the Bhagavad-gita, svalpam apy asya dharmasya trayate mahato bhayat. Mahato bhayat. There is great dangerous position. That we do not know because we are sleeping. If a man is sleeping and somebody is coming to kill him, he does not know that "Somebody is coming to kill me. Immediately I will be dead." There are so many cases of murder while a man is sleeping. Similarly, in this sleeping state of ignorance, that "I am this body," "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," "I am Christian," there is greatest danger. So somebody required. A man is sleeping, and another man is coming to kill him. A third person is required to awaken: "Mr. such and such, get up, get up, get up! The man is coming to kill you." So the ear is open, although the man is sleeping, all other parts of the body, limbs of the body are inactive. So the ear is open. So therefore the Vedic mantras are called sruti. We have to hear the mantra, Vedic mantra. Just like if a man is bitten by snake, he is caused to hear the snake charmer's mantra -- still there are -- so that he can become awakened. And it is said in the Canakya Pandita sloka, mantrausadhi-vasah sarpah. Mantra is powerful still -- by mantra, a snake-bitten person can be brought into life. There are still some snake charmers in the villages. In our Mayapura there is a Muhammadan, he can cure the snake-bitten case by mantra still.

So this mantra is required, the Vedic mantra, to hear mantra. This chanting of these verses is also hearing the Vedic mantra. So we should take chance, and the most important mantra is maha-mantra. Maha-mantra. We are sleeping, but this maha-mantra, Hare Krsna, if we hear somehow or other... Therefore the greatest beneficial activity or welfare activity is to chant this Hare Krsna maha-mantra so that others can hear. But unfortunately, when we chant loudly, others they think, "It is nuisance." That is the difficulty. But actually it is the process of awakening: "Get up, get up, get up, get up." Ceto-darpana-marjanam. If we hear this mantra, Hare Krsna maha-mantra, then the mistaken ideas... Ceto-darpana-marjanam: [Cc. Antya 20.12] cleansing the mirror of the heart.

Ref: Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.26.20 -- Bombay, December 29, 1974.