The Power of Hare Krishna Mahamantra
Kurma Dasa: Srila Prabhupada had agreed to speak that evening at the Wayside Chapel, a centre started by the Reverend Ted Noffs in the red-light district of Kings Cross to minister to drug addicts and prostitutes. A sponsor from the chapel with an afro haircut and dressed as a hippy, met Prabhupada at the temple in the evening and accompanied him to the chapels theatrette. The tiny hall consisted of a ground floor dais slightly raised above the ground floor seats, with rows of very steep balcony seats all around. Some devotees had come early to the hall and had completely decorated the platform with flowers and topped it with a small cushion. Prabhupada arrived, accompanied by a large group of devotees who danced and swayed in kirtana procession. It was obvious from the beginning that it was not a submissive audience. Webster from The Domain was there, accompanied by many of his raucous associates. During the fervent kirtana, Prabhupada sat on the small dais playing karatals and encouraging the members of the audience to chant. But most appeared unmoved. Some could not even refrain from smoking. After the kirtana, a devotee stood and asked if those smoking could extinguish their cigarettes. Webster turned to his companions with a sneer, You can't smoke, but they're lighting incense. Srila Prabhupada sat patiently as the Reverend Ted Noffs gave a long, drawn-out introduction.
Then Prabhupada spoke. He began by thanking the audience for giving him the opportunity to place before them his views on the sankirtana movement. Prabhupada drew the distinction between religion and dharma. Krishna consciousness, he explained, was not a religion. "Religion, especially when understood as 'a kind of faith', could change. Today, you are Christian; tomorrow, you can become Hindu. Dharma, however, the permanent occupation of the living entity, did not change". The permanent business of the living entity, Prabhupada explained carefully, was service. Prabhupada's preaching was bold. "Is there anyone here who can say that I am not servant of anyone?" No, that is not possible. Everyone is servant. That is the definition given by Lord Caitanya. Jivera svarupa haya nitya krishna dasa: A living entity is eternally servant of God. Prabhupada described the practical benefits of chanting Hare Krishna. This chanting process Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare is simple. Even a child can chant. We have got experience. When we hold meetings, unless someone is very obstinate, he joins and chants the Hare Krishna mantra and dances also with ecstasy. He doesn't require to understand what is the Hare Krishna mantra, but because it is a spiritual vibration, it appeals to the spirit soul, and immediately he becomes ecstatic. That is the process. So by chanting Hare Krishna, the mirror of your heart becomes cleansed so that you can see. Just like a mirror, when it is dusty, you cannot see your face nicely. Similarly, when our heart is contaminated with material infection, we cannot understand our real position. But if we chant this Hare Krishna mantra then it will be possible to understand, to see our constitutional position. If you chant this Hare Krishna mantra then there is no expenditure and there is no loss. Just like we requested you while our students were chanting to join with us. What was the loss? But if you do not do, then how we can help you? We are not asking you to pay something to chant this mantra. It is free, it is open. You have to simply chant Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna and see the result. Why don't you do that? We are not asking any payment. You are not losing anything. Why don't you make this experiment? But it is our obstinacy. Then what can be done. But if you chant, you will see the result very quickly. Within a week you will see. That is our request. Ceto-darpana-marjanam. If you chant, then the dirty things which have accumulated in your heart since a long association with this material world will be gradually cleansed, and you will be able to see what you are.
Prabhupada nicely explained this gradual process of 'seeing what you are?.' Just like the moon rises from a line. On the pratipat day, on the first moon, you will see just like a line, but gradually it develops, develops, develops, and it becomes a full moon, very beautiful. Similarly, if you chant this Hare Krishna mantra, then your first vision of yourself, your constitutional position will be visible, just like a line of the moon. But if you go on you will find one day it is a full moon and brilliant, very soothing and nectarean. You'll taste your life as very sublime, blissful and hopeful. So our method is very simple, and it is very sublime. And it is not that we are dreaming. Practically it is happening in every part of the world. We have got so many branches all over the world, and in each and every branch you will find devotees like this.
Prabhupada indicated his disciples in the audience. At least 24 devotees, up to 100 devotees we have got. In America, my students, these boys and girls, they have been known as 'Hare Krishna people', bright-faced people. You can compare their faces with others, how they are feeling happy and blissful. That's a fact. It is not a story. So the method is simple: Simply chanting Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. So why don't you accept this formula? You have nothing to lose, but the gain is very great. So our request is that here is a nice place. You assemble here. You chant Hare Krishna mantra and see the result. That is our request. And if you want to know more, if you don't believe that the Hare Krishna mantra is powerful, and if you want to know about this movement through science, philosophy, logic, we have got ample books. We have already published at least 12 books. You try to understand. If you want to understand this movement through science and philosophy, we are ready. But if you can take it as a simple method without any expenditure, without any loss, then chant Hare Krishna. You will be benefited. That is our request. I don't wish to take much of your time, but our method is very simple, and your life will be sublime. There is no loss. The gain is very great. So if you like, you can take it. Thank you very much.
During question time, people didn't raise their hands and wait to be recognised, but rather shouted out their unsubmissive questions. Finally, Webster shouted cynically: "What good is this chanting? It saves you from death!" Prabhupada answered forcibly. Taking advantage of the shocked silence, Srila Prabhupada indicated for the devotees to start kirtana. A basket of Simply Wonderfuls were distributed, and the program was over. Prabhupada posed for a photograph with the ReverendTed Noffs, who then escorted Prabhupada to the car. So, what do you do here? Prabhupada asked him. We help kids with drugs, answered the Reverend. In the car, Prabhupada turned to Bali-mardana with wide eyes. They give them drugs?, taking the Reverend's comment to mean that the Chapel supplied drugs to the addicts.
Caru: The thing that really struck me with the two programs at Sydney Grammar School and the Wayside Chapel was Prabhupada's expertise in judging time and circumstance. To the Kings Cross people at the Chapel he spoke in a very elementary way, as if he was speaking to twelve-year-olds. But at the Sydney Grammar School when he was actually speaking to twelve-year-olds, he spoke as if he was speaking to mature adults. So materially, it seems like a mis calculation, that he should have reversed it, all these middle-aged sophisticates at the Wayside Chapel should have been addressed in a very sophisticated, cosmopolitan way, and the children should have been addressed in a very basic, elementary way that you're not this body. But Prabhupada did it just the opposite because he saw the nature of the soul. He saw that the children, because of their lack of so-called sophistication, were actually much more pure and receptive to higher concepts of spiritual life. Thus he was able to speak to them from the 13th Chapter of the Bhagavad-gita, dealing with technicalities of the body, the field, and the knower of the field. On the other hand, the people at the Wayside Chapel were very spiritually undeveloped, offensive and unsubmissive, so therefore he gave them as much as they could understand, which wasn't much.
Reference: The Great Transcendental Adventure by Kurma Dasa
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