To the Hungarian Devotees, from India

Letter to the Hungarian Devotees from India, 29 March 2002

[…] My main desire is to see the devotees nicely advance, become more and more Krsna conscious as this is our main business. And it is easy to become Krsna conscious when we are chanting Hare Krsna, studying Srila Prabhupada’s books and learning to become real vaisnavas. We shouldn’t just dress as vaisnavas as anyone can do that, but rather become genuine devotees. Trinad api sunicena taror eva sahisnuna. Become humble sadhus, who know the Absolute  Truth, Krsna, and someone who has so much taste from this experience that he wants to offer others this transcendental delight. This is what sankirtana or preaching is. Preaching doesn’t mean that I sell something with which I am not connected, a book, the holy name, a temple, but that I am giving something that gives me so much taste and joy, and about which I have so much understanding and conviction. I am giving to others because I think that it is so wonderful. The most important thing is that the devotees are situated in good Krsna consciousness and then everything will take place. Then there will be preaching and so many things. This is the main business of everyone: how will we be Krsna conscious. That is why we are the Krsna Consciousness movement.

[…] The devotees are very valuable and we should value them while they are living, not just after they pass away. And we shouldn’t just value them but get to know them. I often see and hear the complaint from others that devotees are missing the personal relationships, friendship among each other. We communicate well as devotees, ask someone to do a certain service, or we preach to each other, but to give that sense of experience to each other that this person is actually my friend, and I care about him, and he is not just a devotee but a devotee who is a person, and I am trying to get to know his personality and relate to it. This will not happen with everyone but among those who will know each other as friends. This kind of personal relationship then develops and results in something we are all after, the experience of love. Everyone comes to Krsna Consciousness to learn to love and to be loved. We want to love Krsna, but that is such an elevated thing and the foundation of that love is love for the devotees. And it is something we need to learn. Therefore Rupa Gosvami says that if you love someone you show it. How? Dadati pratighrihnati guhyam akhyati pricchati…When there is the priti-laksana, when love is expressed then the whole thing becomes a dynamic experience. […] We should develop personal relationships, openness and trust so that we are satisfied on all levels in Krsna Consciousness. We shouldn’t think that there is something better somewhere else. […]