Samsara Chakra
Life after life, going around in the cycle of birth and death is called Samsara. Enduring the miseries of life, the spirit soul wanders in search of happiness. By some good fortune and causeless mercy from the Lord, the soul may meet someone who can get them off of this ferris wheel of birth and death. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said in Caitanya Caritamrta Madhya 19.151:
brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva
guru-kṛṣṇa-prasāde pāya bhakti-latā-bījaAccording to their karma, all living entities are wandering throughout the entire universe. Some of them are being elevated to the upper planetary systems, and some are going down into the lower planetary systems. Out of many millions of wandering living entities, one who is very fortunate gets an opportunity to associate with a bona fide spiritual master by the grace of Kṛṣṇa. By the mercy of both Kṛṣṇa and the spiritual master, such a person receives the seed of the creeper of devotional service.
When we meet a genuine spiritual master and surrender to them, they become our savior to take us out of this cycle of birth and death. We must follow the instructions of such a spiritual master as that is the only way to attain love of God. It is told in the scriptures that this process of devotional service begins by hearing and chanting. We hear from the spiritual master and then we repeat by chanting. The mantra given for this age of Kaliyuga is the mahamantra. All the potency of the Lord has been invested by Him in the holy names, Lord Krishna says in Bhagavad-gītā (7.19):
bahūnāṁ janmanām ante
jñānavān māṁ prapadyate
vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti
sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ“After many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare.” The word mahātmā means “broad-minded.” One who cannot understand Kṛṣṇa is not broad-minded but cripple-minded. If one becomes broad-minded, then by the grace of Kṛṣṇa one can understand Kṛṣṇa.
This Hare Krishna mahamantra opens up the pathway to Krishna. It makes us open minded as it cleanses our heart from all of the misgivings and vices from many many previous births. But one may ask why is it not happening? Why am I not progressing in my devotional life? I have been chanting this mantra for so many years, maybe even lifetimes, and nothing is happening?
My spiritual master, Srila Pran Krsna Das Babaji, gives one very important instruction. He says that we can chant this mantra in two ways. One is with attachment and one is with detachment. When we normally chant, our attachment is to material things going on in our mind, and there is no attachment to Krishna or His holy names. That’s one way. The other way is to chant with complete detachment to the world, as if no one exists in the world except for you, while keeping complete attachment to Lord Krishna and His holy names. This is the secret to attaining prema, Love of God. Coming from Sri Gurudev’s lotus mouth, this is realized knowledge. One must immediately leave behind all worries and chant the holy names, with full confidence. In the words of saintly devotees: There is no other way!!!
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare