How to Practice
Krishna Consciousness at Home
- Krsna Consciousness at Home
- How to Chant Hare
Krsna
- Setting Up Your Altar
- Prasadam: How to Eat
Spiritually
- How to Prepare and
Offer Prasadam
- Everyday Life:
The Four Regulative Principles
- Engagement
in Practical Devotional Service
- Additional
Devotional Principles
- In Closing
Krishna Consciousness is gradual process. You may
advance as slowly or rapidly as you desire.You can accept
whatever level of practice that is comfortable for you.
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Krsna Consciousness at Home
From what we've read in Sri Isopanisad it's clear how
important it is for everyone to practice Krishna
consciousness, devotional service to Lord Krishna. Of
course, living in the association of Krishna devotees in
a temple or asrama
makes it easier to practice devotional service. But, if
you're determined, you can follow at home the teachings
of Krishna consciousness and thus convert your home into
a temple.
Spiritual life, like material life, means practical
activity. The difference is that whereas we perform
material activities for the benefit of ourselves or those
we consider ours, we perform spiritual activities for the
benefit of Lord Krishna
under the guidance of the scriptures and the spiritual master. The
key is to accept the guidance of the scripture and the
guru. Krishna declares in the Bhagavad Gita that a
person can achieve neither happiness nor the supreme
destination of life--going back to Godhead, back to Lord
Krsna--if he or she does not follow the injunctions of
the scriptures. And how to follow the scriptural rules by
engaging in practical service to the Lord--that is
explained by a bona fide spiritual master. Without
following the instructions of a spiritual master who is
in an authorized chain of disciplic succession coming
from Krsna Himself, we cannot make spiritual progress.
The practices outlined here are the timeless practices of
bhakti-yoga as
given by the foremost spiritual master and exponent of
Krsna consciousness in our time, His Divine Grace A. C.
Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, founder-acarya of the
International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON).
The purpose of spiritual knowledge is to bring us
closer to God, or Krsna. Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita
(18.55), bhaktya mam abhijanati: "I can be known
only by devotional service." Knowledge guides us in
proper action. Spiritual knowledge directs us to satisfy
the desires of Krsna through practical engagements in His
loving service. Without practical application,
theoretical knowledge is of little value.
Spiritual knowledge is meant to direct us in all
aspects of life. So we should try to organize our lives
in such a way as to follow Krsna's teachings as far as
possible. We should try to do our best, to do more than
is simply convenient. Then it will be possible for us to
rise to the transcendental plane of Krsna consciousness,
even while living far from a temple. .
The first principle in devotional service is to chant
the Hare Krsna maha-mantra
(maha means "great"; mantra means "sound
that liberates the mind from ignorance"):
Hare
Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama,
Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare
You can chant these holy names of the Lord anywhere
and at any time, but it is best to set a specific time of
the day to regularly chant. Early morning hours are
ideal.
The chanting can be done in two ways: singing the
mantra, called kirtana (usually done in a group), and
saying the mantra to oneself, called japa (which
literally means "to speak softly"). Concentrate
on hearing the sound of the holy names. As you chant,
pronounce the names clearly and distinctly, addressing
Krsna in a prayerful mood. When your mind wanders, bring
it back to the sound of the Lord's names. Chanting is a
prayer to Krsna that means
"O energy of the Lord [Hare], O all-attractive
Lord Krishna O Supreme Enjoyer [Rama], please engage me
in Your service." The more attentively and sincerely
you chant these names of God, the more spiritual progress
you will make.
Since God is all-powerful and all-merciful, He has
kindly made it very easy for us to chant His names, and
He has also invested all His powers in them. Therefore
the names of God and God Himself are identical. This
means that when we chant the holy names of Krishna and
Rama we are directly associating with God and being
purified. Therefore we should always try to chant with
devotion and reverence. The Vedic literature states
that Lord Krsna is personally dancing on your tongue when
you chant His holy name.
When you chant alone, it is best to chant on japa
beads (available from the Bhaktivedanta
Book Trust). This not only helps you fix your
attention on the holy name, but it also helps you count
the number of times you chant the mantra daily. Each
strand of japa beads contains 108 small beads and one
large bead, the head bead. Begin on a bead next to the
head bead and gently roll it between the thumb and middle
finger of your right hand as you chant the full Hare
Krsna mantra. Then move to the next bead and repeat the
process. In this way, chant on each of the 108 beads
until you reach the head bead again. This is one round of
japa. Then, without chanting on the head bead, reverse
the beads and start your second round on the last bead
you chanted on. One round can average between 5-7
minutes.
Initiated devotees vow before the spiritual master to
chant at least sixteen rounds of the Hare Krsna mantra
daily. But even if you can chant only one round a day,
the principle is that once you commit yourself to
chanting that round, you should try to complete it every
day without fail. When you feel you can chant more, then
increase the minimum number of rounds you chant each
day--but don't fall below that number. You can chant more
than your fixed number, but you should maintain a set
minimum each day. (Please note that the beads are sacred
and therefore should never touch the ground or be put in
an unclean place. To keep your beads clean, it's best to
carry them in a special bead bag, also available from the
Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.)
Aside from chanting japa, you can also sing the Lord's
holy names in kirtana. While you can sing alone, kirtana
is generally performed with others. A melodious kirtana
with family or friends is sure to enliven everyone.
ISKCON devotees use traditional melodies and instruments,
especially in the temple, but you can chant to any melody
and use any musical instruments to accompany your
chanting. As Lord Caitanya said, "There are no hard
and fast rules for chanting Hare Krsna." One thing
you might want to do, however, is order some kirtana and
japa audio tapes from the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.
You'll likely find that japa and kirtana are more
effective when done before an altar. Lord Krsna and His
pure devotees are so kind that they allow us to worship
them even through they're pictures. It's something like
mailing a letter: You can't mail a letter by placing it
in just any box; you must use the mailbox authorized by
the government. Similarly, we cannot imagine a picture of
God and worship that, but we can worship the authorized
picture of God, and Krishna accepts our worship through
that picture.
Setting up an altar at home means receiving the Lord
and His pure devotees as your most honored guests. Where
should you set up the altar? Well, how would you seat a
guest? An ideal place would be clean, well lit, and free
from drafts and household disturbances. Your guest, of
course, would need a comfortable chair, but for the
picture of Krsna's form a wall shelf, a mantelpiece, a
corner table, or the top shelf of a bookcase will do. You
wouldn't seat a guest in your home and then ignore him;
you'd provide a place for yourself to sit, too, where you
could comfortably face him and enjoy his company. So
don't make your altar inaccessible.
What do you need to set up your altar? Here are the
essentials:
- A picture of Srila Prabhupada.
- A picture of Lord Caitanya
and His associates.
- A picture of Sri Sri Radha-Krsna.
In addition, you may want:
- an altar cloth,
- water cups (one for each picture),
- candles with holders,
- a special plate for offering food,
- a small bell, incense,
- an incense holder,
- nd fresh flowers, which you may offer in vases or
simply place before each picture.
If you're interested in more elaborate Deity worship, email us here.
The first person we worship on the altar is the
spiritual master. The spiritual master is not God. Only
God is God. But because the spiritual master is His
dearmost servant, God has empowered him, and therefore he
deserves the same respect as that given to God. He links
the disciple with God and teaches him the process of
bhakti yoga. He is God's ambassador to the material
world. When a president sends an ambassador to a foreign
country, the ambassador receives the same respect as that
accorded the president, and the ambassador's words are as
authoritative as the president's. Similarly, we should
respect the spiritual master as we would God, and revere
his words as we would His.
There are two main kinds of gurus: the instructing
guru and the initiating guru. Everyone who takes up the
process of bhakti-yoga as a result of coming in contact
with ISKCON owes an immense debt of gratitude to Srila Prabhupada. Before
Srila Prabhupada left India in 1965 to spread Krsna
consciousness abroad, almost no one outside India knew
anything about the practice of pure devotional service to
Lord Krishna. Therefore, everyone who has learned of the
process through his books, his Back to Godhead magazine,
his tapes, or contact with his followers should offer
respect to Srila Prabhupada. As the founder and spiritual
guide of the International Society for Krishna
Consciousness, he is the instructing guru of us all.
The second picture on your altar should be one of the
panca-tattva (Lord Caitanya and His four leading
associates). Lord Caitanya is the incarnation of God for
this age. He is Krsna Himself, descended in the form of
His own devotee to teach us how to surrender to Him,
specifically by chanting His holy names and performing
other activities of bhakti-yoga. Lord Caitanya is the
most merciful incarnation, for He makes it easy for
anyone to attain love of God through the chanting of the
Hare Krishna mantra.
And of course your altar should have a picture of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krishna with His
eternal consort, Srimati
Radharani. Srimati Radharani is Krsna's spiritual
potency. She is devotional service personified, and
devotees always take shelter of Her to learn how to serve
Krsna.
You can arrange the pictures in a triangle, with the
picture of Srila Prabhupada on the left, the picture of
Lord Caitanya and His associates on the right, and the
picture of Radha and Krsna (slightly larger than the
others, if possible) on a small raised platform behind
and in the center. Or you can hang the picture of Radha
and Krsna on the wall above the altar.
Carefully clean the altar each morning. Cleanliness is
essential in Deity worship.
Remember, you wouldn't neglect to clean the room of an
important guest, and when you establish an altar you
invite Krsna and His pure devotees to reside as the most
exalted guests in your home. If you have water cups,
rinse them out and fill them with fresh water daily. Then
place them conveniently close to the pictures. You should
remove flowers in vases as soon as they're slightly
wilted, or daily if you've offered them at the base of
the pictures. You should offer fresh incense at least
once a day, and, if possible, light candles and place
them near the pictures when you're chanting before the
altar.
Please try the things we've suggested so far. It's
very simple, really: If you try to love God, you'll
gradually realize how much He loves you. That's the
essence of bhakti-yoga.
Prasadam: How to Eat
Spiritually
By His immense transcendental energies, Krsna can
convert matter into spirit. If we place an iron rod in a
fire, before long the rod becomes red hot and acts just
like fire. In the same way, food prepared for and offered
to Krishna with love and devotion becomes spiritualized.
Such food is called Krsna prasadam, which means "the
mercy of Lord Krsna."
Eating prasadam is a fundamental practice of bhakti
yoga. In other forms of yoga one must artificially
repress the senses, but the bhakti-yogi can
engage his or her senses in a variety of pleasing
spiritual activities, such as tasting delicious food
offered to Lord Krsna. In this way the senses gradually
become spiritualized and bring the devotee more and more
transcendental pleasure by being engaged in devotional
service. Such spiritual pleasure far surpasses any kind
of material experience.
Lord Caitanya said
of prasadam, "Everyone has tasted these foods
before. However, now that they have been prepared for
Krishna and offered to Him with devotion, these foods
have acquired extraordinary tastes and uncommon
fragrances. Just taste them and see the difference in the
experience! Apart from the taste, even the fragrance
pleases the mind and makes one forget any other
fragrance. Therefore one should know that the spiritual
nectar of Krsna's lips must have touched these ordinary
foods and imparted to them all their transcendental
qualities."
Eating only food offered to Lord Krsna is the
perfection of vegetarianism. In itself, being a
vegetarian is not enough; after all, even pigeons and
monkeys are vegetarians. But when we go beyond
vegetarianism to a diet of prasadam, our eating becomes
helpful in achieving the goal of human life--reawakening
the soul's original relationship with God. In the
Bhagavad-gita Krsna says that unless one eats only food
that has been offered to Him in sacrifice, one will
suffer the reactions of karma.
For a free on-line Krishnatarian cookbook try HERE.
As you walk down the supermarket aisles selecting the
foods you will offer to Krsna, you need to know what is
offerable and what is not. In the Bhagavad-gita, Lord
Krsna states, "If one offers Me with love and
devotion a leaf, a flower, a fruit, or water, I will
accept it." From this verse it is understood that we
can offer Krishna foods prepared from milk products,
vegetables, fruits, nuts, and grains. (Try here for a
complete cookbook on-line.) Meat, fish, and eggs are not
offerable. And a few vegetarian items are also
forbidden--garlic and onions, for example, which are in
the mode of darkness. (Hing, or asafetida, is a tasty
substitute for them in cooking and is available at most
Indian groceries.) Nor can you offer to Krsna coffee or
tea that contain caffeine. If you like these beverages,
purchase caffeine free coffee and herbal teas.
While shopping, be aware that you may find meat, fish,
and egg products mixed with other foods; so be sure to
read labels carefully. For instance, some brands of
yogurt and sour cream contain gelatin, a substance made
from the horns, hooves, and bones of slaughtered animals.
Also, make sure the cheese you buy contains no rennet, an
enzyme extracted from the stomach tissues of slaughtered
calves. Most hard cheese sold in America contains rennet,
so be careful about any cheese you can't verify as
rennetless.
Also avoid foods cooked by non-devotees. According to
the subtle laws of nature, the cook acts upon the food
not only physically but mentally as well. Food thus
becomes an agent for subtle influences on your conscious.
The principle is the same as that at work with a
painting: a painting is not simply a collection of
strokes on a canvas but an expression of the artist's
state of mind, which affects the viewer. So if you eat
food cooked by non-devotees-employees working in a
factory, for example--then you're sure to absorb a dose
of materialism and karma. So as far as possible use only
fresh, natural ingredients.
In preparing food, cleanliness is the most important
principle. Nothing impure should be offered to God; so
keep your kitchen very clean. Always wash your hands
thoroughly before entering the kitchen. While preparing
food, do not taste it, for you are cooking the meal not
for yourself but for the pleasure of Krsna. Arrange
portions of the food on dinnerware kept especially for
this purpose; no one but the Lord should eat from these
dishes. The easiest way to offer food is simply to pray,
"My dear Lord Krsna, please accept this food,"
and to chant each of the following prayers three times
while ringing a bell:
1. Prayer to Srila Prabhupada:
nama om visnu-padaya krsna-presthaya bhutale
Srimate bhaktivedanta-svamin iti nomine namas te
sarasvate deve gaura-vani-pracarine nirvisesa sunyavadi
pascyatya desa tarine
"I offer my respectful obeisances unto His Divine
Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, who is very
dear to Lord Krsna, having taken shelter at His lotus
feet. Our respectful obeisances are unto you, O spiritual
master, servant of Bhaktisiddhanta
Sarasvati Gosvami. You are kindly preaching the
message of Lord Caitanya deva and delivering the Western
countries, which are filled with impersonalism and
voidism."
2. Prayer to Lord Caitanya:
namo maha-vadanyaya krsna-prema-pradaya te
krsnaya krsna-caitanya-namne gaura-tvise namah
"O most munificent incarnation! You are Krishna
Himself appearing as Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu. You
have assumed the golden color of Srimati Radharani. and
You are widely distributing pure love of Krsna. We offer
our respectful obeisances unto You."
3. Prayer to Lord Krsna:
namo brahmanya-devaya go-brahmana-hitaya ca
jagad-dhitaya krsnaya govindaya namo namah
"I offer my respectful obeisances unto Lord
Krsna, who is the worshipable Deity for all brahmanas the well-wisher of
the cows and the brahmanas and the benefactor of the
whole world. I offer my repeated obeisances to the
Personality of Godhead, known as Krsna and Govinda."
Remember that the real purpose of preparing and
offering food to the Lord is to show your devotion and
gratitude to Him. Krsna accepts your devotion, not the
physical offering itself. God is complete in Himself--He
doesn't need anything--but out of His immense kindness He
allows us to offer food to Him so that we can develop our
love for Him.
After offering the food to the Lord, wait at least
five minutes for Him to partake of the preparations. Then
you should transfer the food from the special dinnerware
and wash the dishes and utensils you used for the
offering. Now you and any guests may eat the prasadam.
While you eat, try to appreciate the spiritual value of
the food. Remember that because Krsna has accepted it, it
is non-different from Him, and therefore by eating it you
will become purified.
Everything you offer on your altar becomes prasadam,
the mercy of the Lord. The flowers, the incense, the
water, the food--everything you offer for the Lord's
pleasure becomes spiritualized. When we offer the Lord
something with genuine love and devotion, He enters into
the offering, and thus the remnants are non-different
from Him. So you should not only deeply respect the
things you've offered, but you should distribute them to
others as well. Distribution of prasadam is an essential
part of Deity worship.
There are four pillars upon which human society rests.
If these pillars are destroyed then our whole
civilization is destroyed. These pillars are: mercy,
truthfulness, austerity and cleanliness. Everyone
appreciates these qualities. to protect these four
pillars there are four regulative principles of freedom.
By breaking the four regulative principles, you destroy
these pillars and by destroying these pillars you destroy
humanity. If you find it difficult to fully practice
these principles, don't worry. It can be a gradual
process. Please study the Siksa
growth steps to see how one can gradually rise to the
level of fully following these principles
1. No eating meat, fish, or eggs. Killing animals
destroys the quality of mercy One turns one's body into a
graveyard by consuming dead animals. These foods are
saturated with the modes of passion and ignorance and
therefore cannot be offered to the Lord. A person who
eats these foods participates in a conspiracy of violence
against helpless animals and thus stops his spiritual
progress dead in its tracks.
2. No gambling. Truthfulness is destroyed by gambling.
This is quite obvious. Gambling turns a person into a
liar, a cheat. Gambling invariably puts one into anxiety
and fuels greed, envy, and anger.
3. No use of intoxicants. We know many arguments
against the use of intoxicants. It is not a very
difficult thing to understand because anyone with a sane
mind will accept that taking intoxicants is physically,
mentally and spiritually bad. It destroys the principle
of austerity because the reason people take to drugs is
that they want to avoid their suffering in the material
world- they do not want to face that austerity. Drugs,
alcohol, and tobacco, as well as any drink or food
containing caffeine, cloud the mind, over-stimulate the
senses, and make it impossible to follow the principles
of bhakti-yoga.
4. No illicit sex. Cleanliness is destroyed by illicit
sex. Many horile diseases have originated from
uncontrolled sex. The scriptures teach that sex is the
most powerful force binding us to the material world.
Anyone serious about advancing in Krsna consciousness
should minimize sex. Actually sex is a substitute for
pure love. If we awaken our pure love of God, the taste
is so relishable that sex becomes a tasteless, trivial
act that leaves one empty and unfulfilled.
By following these principles, you are not repressing
yourself, but are elevating yourself to a superior
platform.
Everyone must do some kind of work, but if you work
only for yourself you must accept the karmic reactions of
that work. As Lord Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita (3.9),
"Work done as a sacrifice for Visnu [Krsna] has to
be performed. Otherwise work binds one to the material
world."
You needn't change your occupation, except if you're
now engaged in a sinful job such as working as a butcher
or bartender. If you're a writer, write for Krsna; if
you're an artist, create for Krsna; if you're a
secretary, type for Krsna. You may also directly help the
temple in your spare time, and you should sacrifice some
of the fruits of your work by contributing a portion of
your earnings to help maintain the temple and propagate
Krsna consciousness. Some devotees living outside the
temple buy Hare Krsna literature and distribute it to
their friends and associates, or they engage in a variety
of services at the temple. There is also a wide network
of devotees who gather in each other's homes for
chanting, worship, and study. Contact us to find is there
is a temple or program near you.
There are many more practices that will help you
become Krsna conscious. Here are two vital ones:
Studying Hare Krsna literature. Srila Prabhupada , the
founder-acarya of ISKCON, dedicated much of his time to
writing books such as the Srimad-Bhagavatam, the source
of the chapter describing the fate of the sinful family
man. Hearing the words--or reading the writings-of a
realized spiritual master is an essential spiritual
practice. So try to set aside some time every day to read
SrIla Prabhupada's books. You can get a free catalog of
available books and tapes from the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.
Associating with devotees. Srila Prabhupada
established the Hare Krsna movement to give people in
general the chance to associate with devotees of the
Lord. This is the best way to gain faith in the process
of Krsna consciousness and become enthusiastic in
devotional service. Conversely, maintaining intimate
connections with non-devotees slows one's spiritual
progress. So try to visit the Hare Krsna center nearest
you as often as possible. Contact us
to find is there is a temple or program near you.
The beauty of Krishna consciousness is that you can
take as much as you're ready for. Krsna Himself promises
in the Bhagavad-gita (2.40), "There is no loss or
diminution in this endeavor, and even a little
advancement on this path protects one from the most
fearful type of danger." So bring Krsna into your
daily life, and we guarantee you'll feel the benefit.
Hare Krsna!
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Last modified: January 24, 1997
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