Hare Krsna
Please accept my humble obeisance. All glories to Srila Prabhupada
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupada
If we adopt the path of renunciation, we can get freedom from the propensity for enjoying material life. But if we try to swallow the bait of renunciation like a fish, then our death is inevitable. When we face difficulty on the path of sense gratification, we take to discussions of literature like the Upanishads and other philosophical works to attain liberation. By studying the Upanishads, one becomes inspired to give up material enjoyment and accept a life of dry renunciation. At that time we think that renunciation is a coveted object and material enjoyment is miserable. In such a mood, we feel that we need to renounce everything. But when one thinks too much of renunciation, he commits spiritual suicide. That is why Srimad Bhagavatam (11.20.8) has stated, na nirvinno natisakto bhakti yogasya siddhidah, that to achieve perfection in devotional service one should neither become too attached nor too detached. To render devotional service, one doesn't have to be too attached or too detached. Both are unnecessary. We have to perform devotional service to the lotus feet of Sri Krishna. The first level of devotional service is to chant the holy name of the Lord. Sri Chaitanyadeva has said that everyone should perform sri-krsna-sankirtana. When many people gather together and congregationally chant the holy name, it is called sankirtana. It is said, bahubhir militva yat kirtanam tat sankirtanam, `When many are assembled together to chant the Lord's glories, the chanting is called sankirtana'. If someone says, "I will sit in a solitary place and meditate," this is against the instructions of Sri Chaitanyadeva. The wordbahu means `many'. Chanting should be done in the association of many devotees. There are different paths to attain salvation, but we do not know which one to follow. When we sit down in a closed room and try to meditate, many material propensities and thoughts begin to disturb us. In fact, we are compelled to think about our previously accumulated experiences. In this way, we invite our own ruination. Different people have got different mentalities. The performance of sankirtana can regulate people's minds and make them Krishna Conscious. When we glorify the Lord together, we are actually helping one another. In the process of meditation, however, we are unable to get anyone's help. If we are not deaf, if we have a proper set of ears, we can understand how important sankirtana is. It is completely spiritual.
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