Krishna Consciousness

At the beginning of the 20th centruy, the Bengali poet Hemachandra wrote, "There are so many countries rising in prominence: this land, that land - Japan is a very small country, but it is rising like the sun. Only India is under eternal slumber." When he mentioned the other part of the world, he said "America is rising forcefully, as if he is coming to swallow the whole world. Sometimes he is shouting as if with a war cry, and the whole world is shivering. His enthusiasm is so intense and great that he wants to snatch the world from the solar system, and give it a new shape, a new molding." America has been mentioned in this way by Hemachandra. In the same way, Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja came to give the world a new shape through Krishna consciousness. He once said, "We must go there and build it in a new way - with Krishna consciousness."

What is Krishna consciousness? Krishna consciousness means real love and beauty. Real love and beauty must predominate; not selfishness, or exploitation. Generally, whenever we see beauty, we think that beauty is to be exploited, but actually, beauty is the exploiter, beauty is the master and beauty is the controlling principle.

And what is love? Love means sacrifice for others. We should not think that sacrifice is to be exploited by us. Who is to be the recipient of sacrifice? Is it our party? No. We are in the group of those who sacrifice themselves: the predominated negative party, Mahabhava's party. The underlying principle of love is sacrifice, but sacrifice for whom? And who is the beneficiary? Love is the beneficiary. Everyone should contribute from there. "Die to live." With this spirit we should combine and work for real love and beauty.

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Return to Hare Krishna

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Ref: "The Search for Sri Krishna - Reality the Beautifull" by Bhakti Raksaka Srila Sridhara Deva Goswami

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