(These are quick notes that have not yet been properly edited. I'm just placing this text here so I'll be able to easily reference it in the future.)
We would like to start a regular get-together with our youth group to discuss and study the following topics:
Becoming Krishna Conscious
How to:
1) Think of pleasing Krishna, moment to moment.
2) Chant Krishna's names constantly, attentively, avoiding offenses.
3) Serve Krishna's Devotees--Guru, Tulasi, Vaishnavas.
4) Serve Krishna's Deity, Temple and Holy Places.
5) Serve (read / study) Bhagavad-gita, Srimad-Bhagavatam, etc.
6) Spread Krishna's Glories: Tell everyone you meet about Krishna.
Motto: Be Krishna Conscious: Always Remember Krishna and Never Forget Him.
We will systematically study and discuss The Nectar of Instruction, Srila Prabhupada's translation and commentary of Srila Rupa Goswami's Sri Upadeshamrita, alongside The Nectar of Devotion (Sri Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu), Bhagavad-gita As It Is, Srimad-Bhagavatam and Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita.
We will discuss the benefits of following, and try to implement in our own lives:
The Krishna Diet
Hear about Krishna - Shravanam.
Glorify Krishna - Kirtanam.
Remember Krishna - Krishna Smaranam.
Serve Krishna's Lotus Feet - Pada Sevanam.
Worship Krishna - Archanam.
Offer prayers to Krishna - Vandanam.
Become Krishna's servant - Dasyam.
Consider Krishna to be your best friend - Sakhyam.
Surrender everything unto Krishna (serve Krishna with body, mind and words) - Atma-nivedanam.
Prahlada Maharaja said: Hearing and chanting about the transcendental holy name, form, qualities, paraphernalia and pastimes of Lord Vishnu, remembering them, serving the lotus feet of the Lord, offering the Lord respectful worship with sixteen types of paraphernalia, offering prayers to the Lord, becoming His servant, considering the Lord one's best friend, and surrendering everything unto Him (in other words, serving Him with the body, mind and words) -- these nine processes are accepted as pure devotional service. One who has dedicated his life to the service of Krishna through these nine methods should be understood to be the most learned person, for he has acquired complete knowledge. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 7.5.23)
More specifics:
We will try to:
Study, become mindful of, and avoid the various offenses to the Holy Name, to the Deity... (See Nectar of Devotion.)
Mold our lives to work for Guru and Krishna. We will ask ourselves at the end of each day, "Have I pleased Guru / Krishna today?" That will be our measure of success.
Feed our bodies only Krishna Prasadam (that includes all sensory input, including food, music, movies, association.)
Avoid the six vices. Lust, anger, greed, illusion, madness, envy.
Avoid / reject those things unfavorable to devotional service of Krishna. Such as: 1) eating more than necessary or collecting more funds than required; (2) overendeavoring for mundane things that are very difficult to obtain; (3) talking unnecessarily about mundane subject matters; (4) practicing the scriptural rules and regulations only for the sake of following them and not for the sake of spiritual advancement, or rejecting the rules and regulations of the scriptures and working independently or whimsically; (5) associating with worldly-minded persons who are not interested in Krishna consciousness; and (6) being greedy for mundane achievements. (NOI 2)
Accept those things favorable. Such as: (1) being enthusiastic, (2) endeavoring with confidence, (3) being patient, (4) acting according to regulative principles (such as shravanam, kirtanam, vishnoh smaranam [SB 7.5.23] — hearing, chanting and remembering Krishna), (5) abandoning the association of non-devotees, and (6) following in the footsteps of the previous ācāryas. (NOI 3)
Practice the six exchanges of love among devotees: Offering gifts in charity, accepting charitable gifts, revealing one's mind in confidence, inquiring confidentially, accepting prasada, and offering prasada.
Daily Meditations: "I am not this body. Noting is Mine. I am Yours, Krishna. I belong to You. This body belongs to You. "My" time belongs to You. All of my so-called possessions belong to You. Everyone and everything belongs to You. Please engage me in Your service."
Aspire towards cultivatinge / developing the 26 Qualities of a devotee of Krishna. (1) He is very kind to everyone. (2) He does not make anyone his enemy. (3) He is truthful. (4) He is equal to everyone. (5) No one can find any fault in him. (6) He is magnanimous. (7) He is mild. (8) He is always clean. (9) He is without possessions. (10) He works for everyone's benefit. (11) He is very peaceful. (12) He is always surrendered to Krishna. (13) He has no material desires. (14) He is very meek. (15) He is steady. (16) He controls his senses. (17) He does not eat more than required. (18) He is not influenced by the Lord's illusory energy. (19) He offers respect to everyone. (20) He does not desire any respect for himself. (21) He is very grave. (22) He is merciful. (23) He is friendly. (24) He is poetic. (25) He is expert. (26) He is silent.
"Peacefulness, self-control, austerity, purity, tolerance, honesty, knowledge, wisdom and religiousness —these are the natural qualities by which the brāhmanas work." (BG 18.42)
Cultivate real knowledge as defined by Krishna in Bhagavad-gita.
Study the great contribution of Krishna conscious literature that Srila Prabhupada translated and commentated for us, from Srimad-Bhagavatam to Chaitanya-charitamrita, Bhagavad-gita As It Is, Nectar of Devotion (Srila Rupa Goswami's Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu), with essential verses such as:
anyābhilāshitā-shūnyam jñāna-karmādy-anāvritam
ānukūlyena krishnanushīlanam bhaktir uttamā
[Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Madhya 19.167]
"One should render transcendental loving service to the Supreme Lord Krishna favorably and without desire for material profit or gain through fruitive activities or philosophical speculation. That is called pure devotional service."
Keep in mind that Srila Prabhupada used "Krishna Consciousness" in close association with "pure devotional service." If we become conscious of Krishna, act for Krishna, it will soon become "pure" devotional service. The pure process in and of itself, if practiced sincerely under the guidance of our guru, in the association of other Vaishnavas, will purify our motivations and soon we'll be chanting to please Krishna, working to please Krishna, dancing to please Krishna, eating to please Krishna... and thinking about our own sense pleasure less and less.
We will discuss the importance of accepting, and taking shelter of, a spiritual master. Pleasing Krishna, in all humility, means to follow His instructions. Krishna says: "Accept a guru. Surrender unto him. Be guided by him on the path of devotional service." (BG 3.34)
In the Adi Purana, Krishna tells Arjuna that those who claim to be His devotees are not His devotees. But those who are the devotees of His devotees, are indeed His devotees.
Try to please Krishna by pleasing His devotees. How to please Krishna's devotees? Surrender our false egos and submit for humble service to His devotees, beginning with our guru. When His devotees are pleased, Krishna is pleased. When our guru is pleased, Krishna is pleased.
With all of his accomplishments, whenever he was praised, Srila Prabhupada would simply say "My only credit is that I have tried to follow the instructions of my spiritual master."
We will always wear this mantra around our necks:
trinad api su-nicena, taror iva sahishnuna
amanina mana-dena, kirtaniyah sada harih
One who thinks himself lower than the grass, who is more tolerant than a tree, and who does not expect personal honor yet is always prepared to give all respect to others can very easily always chant the holy name of the Lord. (Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Adi 17.31)
We will commit to chanting a fixed number of rounds of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, attentively, while trying to avoid the offenses.
