Hare Krishna Dear Devotees,

I wish to share some of my personal experiences in Krishna Consiousness.

Thanks to Krishna's mercy and Prabhupad's mercy and the mercy of deciples of Jayapataka Swami Maharaj, deciples of Bhaktivikas Swami Maharaj, deciples of Radhanath Swami Maharaj and deciples of Sankarshan Das Adhikari, I have been elavated from a fear of lethargic suffering like that of a ghost's consciousness to a fear of anxious ecstasy like that of a devotee's consciousness!

Krishna has reciprocated with me countless times, some of them were miraculous and some were general symptoms of progress in sadhana. I'll try to share some of both which I feel would inspire others.

• The first time I came to an ISKCON Temple for the purpose of seeking God, I herd a voice within my heart saying, "everything you searched for is here".
• I believed that Krishna will protect me just as He protected Prahlad Maharaj if I chanted the Maha Mantra, so whenever street dogs start barking at me or come near me as if to attack, I would chant and the dogs would maintain a distance from me even if they don't stop barking.
• Once I got deviated from ISKCON not understanding the system of serving superior dhiksha gurus through senior shiksha gurus from a local temple. In my foolish search for associating with superior vaishnavas, I ended up believing in a person who concocted his own ways of serving Krishna. This made me fall down so much that I became literally mad diagnosed with multiple psychiatric issues. And just by chanting the maha mantra and with the help of psychiatric medicine which was also Krishna's mercy, my mental health was recovered.
• I struggled several years unable to control my senses and oversleeping and thus be unable to attend mangala aratis regularly or do anything substantial to advance in Krishna Consiousness. But by the seeked advice of senior devotees, I got to know that by eating satvik food and that too, by taking dinner before 7 PM, I'll be able to control my sleep. This has actually worked within a few weeks of practicing it and with regulated eating times, I was able to control my senses as well.

These are indeed Krishna's sweet reciprocations. So I request devotees who hear about or experience no considerable effects in chanting or in Krishna Consiousness to not give up hope. The very fortune to chant, even if there are no realized effects, is in itself appreciated by all vaishnavas and also association with vaishnavas is recommended for progress in Krishna Consiousness.

Your Servant,

Vignesh Arumuga Chelvan