## Chapter II It Is the Duty of the Devotee to Preach ### 1. The brahmacārī must daily collect alms for the spiritual master: > sāyaṁ prātaś cared bhaiksyaṁ gurave tan nivedayet **The brahmacārī should go out morning and evening to collect alms, and he should offer all that he collects to the spiritual master.** *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/7/12/5|7.12.5]]* ### 2. It is the duty of every disciple to preach: Spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness is Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission; therefore His sincere devotees must carry out His desire.... The devotees of Lord Caitanya must preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness in every village and town in the world. That will satisfy the Lord. It is not that one should act whimsically for his own personal satisfaction. This order comes down through the *paramparā *system, and the spiritual master presents these orders to the disciple so that he can spread the message of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. It is the duty of every disciple to carry out the order of the bona fide spiritual master and spread Lord Caitanya's message all over the world. *— Cc. *Madhya *[[cc/madhya/16/64|16.64]]* ### 3. Lord Caitanya's order to preach: > yāre dekha, tāre kaha 'kṛṣṇa'-upadeśa āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra' ei deśa [Cc Madhya [[cc/madhya/7/128|7.128]]] **"Instruct everyone to follow the orders of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa as they are given in Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. In this way become a spiritual master and try to liberate everyone in this land."** *— Cc. *Madhya *7.128* ### 4. Lord Caitanya instructs everyone to preach: In this Age of Kali, people cannot follow the instructions of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and therefore the Lord Himself takes the part of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya to teach personally how to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. He asks everyone to follow Him and to become a guru to deliver the fallen souls of Kali-yuga. > yāre dekha, tāre kaha 'kṛṣṇa'-upadeśa āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra' ei deśa **"Instruct everyone to follow the orders of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa as they are given in *Bhagavad-gītā *and *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. *In this way become a spiritual master and try to liberate everyone in this land." (*Cc. Madhya* [[cc/madhya/7/128|7.128]])** *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/8/1/16|8.1.16]]* ### 5. Lord Caitanya advised His followers to preach: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu advised His followers to increase the numbers of Vaiṣṇavas.... It is Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's wish that everyone should become a Vaiṣṇava and *guru. *Following the instructions of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and His disciplic succession, one can become a spiritual master, for the process is very easy. One can go everywhere and anywhere to preach the instructions of Kṛṣṇa. *Bhagavad-gītā *is* *Kṛṣṇa's instructions; therefore the duty of every Vaiṣṇava is to travel and preach *Bhagavad-gītā, *either in his country or a foreign country. *— Cc. *Madhya *[[cc/madhya/24/277|24.277]]* ### 6. Lord Caitanya orders that the devotee should preach: A devotee must carry out the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, *yāre dekha, tāre kaha 'kṛṣṇa'-upadeśa* [*Cc *Madhya* *[[cc/madhya/7/128|7.128]]]*. *Every devotee, therefore, should spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness by preaching, asking whomever he meets to accept the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Lord says, *sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja:* [*Bg* [[bg/18/66|18.66]]] "Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me." This is the order of the Lord, who speaks as the supreme emperor. Everyone should be induced to accept this order, for this is victory (*dig-vijaya*). And it is the duty of the soldier, the devotee, to impress upon everyone this philosophy of life. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/9/11/25|9.11.25]] (IX:2, p 127)* ### 7. A devotee who tries to preach is first class: As far as the field of spiritual activities is concerned, when a devotee is self-satisfied and does not preach the glories of Kṛṣṇa, he is not considered a first-class devotee. A devotee who tries to preach, who has compassion upon innocent persons who have no knowledge of Kṛṣṇa, is a superior devotee. In his prayer to the Lord, Prahlāda Mahārāja said that he was not personally interested in liberation from this material world; rather, he did not wish to be liberated from this material condition until all fallen souls are delivered. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/4/17/26|4.17.26]]* ### 8. Lord Caitanya orders that all accept and distribute Kṛṣṇa consciousness: **"Since the tree of devotional service is transcendental, every one of its parts can perform the action of all the others. Although a tree is supposed to be immovable, this tree nevertheless moves. All the parts of this tree are spiritually cognizant, and thus as they grow up they spread all over the world. I am the only gardener. How many places can I go? How many fruits can I pick and distribute? It would certainly be a very laborious task to pick the fruits and distribute them alone, and still I suspect that some would receive them and others would not. Therefore I order every man within this universe to accept this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement and distribute it everywhere. I am the only gardener. If I do not distribute these fruits, what shall I do with them? How many fruits can I alone eat? By the transcendental desire of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, water has been sprinkled all over the tree, and thus there are innumerable fruits of love of Godhead. Distribute this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement all Over the world. Let people eat these fruits and ultimately become free from old age and death."** *— Cc. *Ādi *[[cc/adi/9/32|9.32-39]]* ### 9. Serious students of the Kṛsṇa consciousness movement must preach devotional service all over the world: Serious students of this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement must understand their great responsibility to preach the cult of Vṛndāvana (devotional service to the Lord) all over the world.... I am very hopeful that some of our students can take up this responsibility and render the best service to humanity by educating people in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. *— Cc. *Madhya *[[cc/madhya/23/104|23.104]]* ### 10. Devotees should rise from the neophyte stage to the preaching platform: Everyone is eligible to become Kṛṣṇa's devotee. One simply has to be trained according to the approved process. It is the work of Kṛṣṇa's confidential devotees to turn everyone into a *kṛṣṇa-bhakta. *If the confidential devotees do not take up the task of elevating everyone to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then who will do it? Those who claim to be devotees but do not engage in Kṛṣṇa's service to elevate all living creatures to Kṛṣṇa consciousness are to be considered *kaniṣṭha-adhikārīs *(people in the lowest stage of devotional service). When one rises to the second platform of devotional service, his business is to propagate Kṛṣṇa consciousness all over the world. Those who are active in the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement should not remain in the neophyte stage but should rise to the platform of preachers, the second platform of devotional service. Devotional service is so enchanting that even the first-class devotees *(uttama-adhikārīs) *also come down to the second platform to preach and render service to the Lord for the benefit of the whole world. *— Cc. *Madhya *[[cc/madhya/24/205|24.205]]* ### 11. The devotee's interest is to actively preach Kṛsṇa consciousness: He [the devotee] is not interested in so-called meditation in the Himalayas or the forest. Rather, his interest is in the busiest part of the world, where he teaches people Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement was started for this purpose.... The members of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement are not at all interested in so-called meditation in the Himalayas or the forest, where one will only make a show of meditation, nor are they interested in opening many schools for *yoga *and meditation in the cities. Rather, every member of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is interested in going door to door to try to convince people about the teachings of *Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, *the teachings of Lord Caitanya. That is the purpose of the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement. The members of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement must be fully convinced that without Kṛṣṇa one cannot be happy. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* [[sb/7/9/44|7.9.44]]* ### 12. After being saved, the devotee should preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness: ****Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu also advised Vāsudeva to preach about Kṛṣṇa and thus liberate living entities. **As **a result, Kṛṣṇa would very soon accept him as His devotee.**** Although Vāsudeva Vipra was a leper and had suffered greatly, still Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu cured him. The only return the Lord wanted was that Vāsudeva preach the instructions of Kṛṣṇa and liberate all human beings. That is the process of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. Each and every member of this Society was rescued from a very abominable condition, but now they are engaged in preaching the cult of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.... If one wants to be recognized as a devotee by Kṛṣṇa, he should take to preaching work, following the advice of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Then one will undoubtedly attain the lotus feet of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself, without delay. *— Cc. *Madhya* [[cc/madhya/7/148|7.148]]* ### 13. Lord Caitanya wants his followers to preach all over the world: **"Dear Lord, Your personal associates, devotees, wander all over the world to purify even the holy places of pilgrimage. Is not such activity pleasing to those who are actually afraid of material existence?"** There are two kinds of devotees. One is called *goṣṭhyānandī *and the other *bhajanānandī. *The word *bhajanānandī *refers* *to the devotee who does not move but remains in one place. Such a devotee is always engaged in the devotional service of the Lord. He chants the *mahā-mantra *as taught by many *ācāryas *and sometimes goes out for preaching work. The *goṣṭhyānandī *is* *one who desires to increase the number of devotees all over the world. He travels all over the world just to purify the world and the people residing in it. Caitanya Mahāprabhu advised: *pṛthivīte āche yata nagarādi grāma/ sarvatra pracāra haibe mora nāma. *[*CB Antya-khaṇḍa* 4.126] Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu wanted His followers to move all over the world and preach in every town and village. In the Caitanya-sampradāya those who strictly follow the principles of Lord Caitanya must travel all over the world to preach the message of Lord Caitanya, which is the same as preaching the words of Kṛṣṇa—*Bhagavad-gītā *and *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. *The more the devotees preach the principles of *kṛṣṇa-kathā, *the more people throughout the world will benefit. Devotees like the great sage Nārada who travel all over to preach are called *goṣṭhyānandī. *Nārada Muni is always wandering throughout the universe just to create different types of devotees. Nārada even made a hunter a devotee. He also made Dhruva Mahārāja and Prahlāda devotees. Actually all devotees are indebted to the great sage Nārada, for he has wandered both in heaven and in hell. A devotee of the Lord is not even afraid of hell. He goes to preach the glories of the Lord everywhere—even in hell—because there is no distinction between heaven and hell for a devotee. nārāyaṇa-parāḥ sarve na kutaścana bibhyati svargāpavarga-narakeṣv api tulyārtha-darśinaḥ **"A pure devotee of Nārāyaṇa is never afraid of going anywhere and everywhere. For him heaven and hell are one and the same." (*Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/6/17/28|6.17.28]])** Such devotees, wandering all over the world, deliver those who are actually afraid of this material existence. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/4/30/37|4.30.37]]* ### 14. The devotee's duty is to preach Kṛsṇa consciousness for the benefit of those suffering the pangs of material existence: The word *ātmaupamyena *refers to thinking others to be like oneself. One can very intelligently conclude that without devotional service, without becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious, one cannot be happy. Therefore the duty of all devotees is to preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness everywhere all over the world, because all living entities without Kṛṣṇa consciousness are suffering the pangs of material existence. To preach Kṛṣna consciousness is the best welfare activity. Indeed, it is described by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu as *para-upakāra, *work for the true benefit of others. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* [[sb/7/7/53|7.7.53]]* ### 15. All devotees must preach: When a person actually revives his consciousness with thoughts of Kṛṣṇa by the mercy of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he revives his spiritual life and becomes addicted to the service of the Lord. Only then can he act as an *ācārya. *In other words, everyone should engage in preaching, following in the footsteps of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. In this way one will be very much appreciated by Lord Kṛṣṇa and will quickly be recognized by Him. Actually a devotee of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu must engage in preaching in order to increase the followers of the Lord. By thus preaching actual Vedic knowledge all over the world, one will benefit all mankind. *— Cc. *Madhya* [[cc/madhya/7/153|7.153]]* ### 16. One should preach to relieve Lord Caitanya's anxiety for the fallen souls: **"How will these yavanas be delivered? To My great unhappiness, I do not see any way."** **Haridāsa Ṭhākura replied, "My dear Lord, do not be in anxiety. Do not be unhappy to see the condition of the yavanas in material existence."** These words of Haridāsa Ṭhākura are just befitting a devotee who has dedicated his life and soul to the service of the Lord. When the Lord is unhappy because of the condition of the fallen souls, the devotee consoles Him, saying, "My dear Lord, do not be in anxiety." This is service. Everyone should adopt the cause of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to try to relieve Him from the anxiety He feels. This is actually service to the Lord. One who tries to relieve Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's anxiety for the fallen souls is certainly a most dear and confidential devotee of the Lord. *— Cc. *Antya *[[cc/antya/3/51|3.51-52]]* ### 17. The devotee must preach; this will help him advance in self-realization: **"If a living entity is developed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and is merciful to others, and if his spiritual knowledge of self-realization is perfect, he will immediately attain liberation from the bondage of material existence."** In this verse the word *dayā jīveṣu, *meaning mercy to other living entities, indicates that a living entity must be merciful to other living entities if he wishes to make progress in self-realization. This means he must preach this knowledge after perfecting himself and understanding his own position as an eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa. Preaching this is showing real mercy to living entities. Other types of humanitarian work may be temporarily beneficial for the body, but because a living entity is spirit soul, ultimately one can show him real mercy only by revealing knowledge of his spiritual existence. As Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, *jīvera 'svarūpa' haya**—**kṛṣṇera 'nitya-dāsa.'* [Cc Madhya[[cc/madhya/20/108-109|20.108]]]. "Every living entity is constitutionally a servant of Kṛṣṇa." One should know this fact perfectly and should preach it to the mass of people. If one realizes that he is an eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa but does not preach it, his realization is imperfect. Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura therefore sings, *duṣṭa mana, tumi kisera vaiṣṇava? pratiṣṭhāra tare, nirjanera ghare, tava hari-nāma kevala kaitava. *"My dear mind, what kind of Vaiṣṇava are you? Simply for false prestige and a material reputation you are chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa *mantra *in a solitary place." In this way people who do not preach are criticized. There are many Vaiṣṇavas in Vṛndāvana who do not like preaching; they chiefly try to imitate Haridāsa Ṭhākura. The actual result of their so-called chanting in a secluded place, however, is that they sleep and think of women and money. Similarly, one who simply engages in temple worship but does not see to the interests of the mass of people, or cannot recognize devotees, is called a *kaniṣṭha-adhikārī:* > arcāyām eva haraye pūjāṁ yaḥ śraddhayehate na tad-bhakteṣu cānyeṣu sa bhaktaḥ prākṛtaḥ smṛtaḥ (*SB *[[sb/11/2/47|11.2.47]]) **A devotee who faithfully engages in the worship of the Deity in the temple but does not behave properly toward other devotees or people in general is called a prākṛta-bhakta, a materialistic devotee, and is considered to be in the lowest position.** *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/4/29/1b|4.29.1b]]* ### 18. One should preach all over the world: The Lord is always ready to help the fallen souls, but because they are fools and rascals, they do not take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and abide by the instructions of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore although Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is personally the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa, He comes as a devotee to preach the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. *Yāre dekha, tāre kaha 'kṛṣṇa'-upadeśa* [*Cc *Madhya* *[[cc/madhya/7/128|7.128]]]*. *One must therefore become a sincere servant of Kṛṣṇa. *Āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra' ei deśa *(Cc. *Madhya *[[cc/madhya/7/128|7.128]]). One should become a *guru *and spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness all over the world, simply by preaching the teachings of *Bhagavad-gītā.* *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/7/9/41|7.9.41]]* ### 19. The duty of the disciple is to distribute the transcendental message for others' welfare, without material motive: The life of a sincere devotee of the Lord is thus explained in a nutshell by Nārada Muni by his personal example. Such a devotee, after his initiation by the Lord or His bona fide representative, takes very seriously chanting of the glories of the Lord and traveling all over the world so that others may also hear the glories of the Lord. Such devotees have no desire for material gain. They are conducted by one single desire: to go back to Godhead. This awaits them in due course on quitting the material body. Because they have the highest aim of life, going back to Godhead, they are never envious of anyone, nor are they proud of being eligible to go back to Godhead. Their only business is to chant and remember the holy name, fame and pastimes of the Lord and, according to personal capacity, to distribute the message for others' welfare without motive of material gain. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/1/6/26|1.6.26]]* ### 20. The devotee should preach kṛṣṇa-kathā for the benefit of human society: In the impure state of a living being, the respective senses are fully engaged in mundane affairs. If the ear is not engaged in the service of the Lord by hearing about Him in the *Bhagavad-gītā *or in the *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, *certainly the holes of the ear will be filled up with some rubbish. Therefore the messages of the *Bhagavad-gītā *and the *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *should be preached all over the world very loudly. That is the duty of a pure devotee who has actually heard about them from the perfect sources.... There are hundreds and thousands of sources for distributing mundane news of the world, and people of the world are also receiving them. Similarly, the people of the world should be taught to hear the transcendental topics of the Lord, and the devotee of the Lord must speak loudly so that they can hear. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/2/3/20|2.3.20]]* ### 23. As servants of society, devotees of the Lord travel everywhere to preach: The servants of the Lord are actually the servants of society. They have no interest in human society other than to enlighten it in transcendental knowledge; they are interested in imparting knowledge of the relationship of the living being with the Supreme Lord, the activities in that transcendental relationship, and the ultimate goal of human life.... Without this knowledge, the human life is baffled. The servants of the Lord, Viṣṇu, are entrusted with this responsible work, and so they wander over the earth and to all other planets in the universe. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/3/4/25|3.4.25]]* ### 22. Lord Caitanya personally demonstrated the importance of preaching: **To deliver all fallen souls, the Lord traveled from country to country. He personally tasted the transcendental pleasure of devotional service, and He simultaneously spread the cult of devotion everywhere.** Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu personally traveled to different regions of India to spread the *bhakti *cult throughout the country.... By His personal behavior He has given an example for devotees to follow. That is, one should broadcast the cult of devotional service.... A Vaiṣṇava is especially interested in *para-upakāra, *doing good to others. Prahlāda Mahārāja was also interested in this. He did not want to be delivered alone; rather he wanted to deliver all fallen souls, who are bereft of knowledge of *bhakti *and who misuse their intelligence for the temporary benefit of the material body. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu also wanted His mission spread all over the world. > pṛthivīte āche yata nagarādi-grāma sarvatra pracāra haibe mora nāma [*CB Antya-khaṇḍa* 4.126] "In every town and village, the chanting of My name will be heard." Following in His footsteps, we are trying to broadcast His message throughout the world. By His mercy, people are taking this movement very seriously. Indeed, our books are extensively distributed in the Western countries, especially in America and Europe.... The followers of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu may therefore take this movement seriously and broadcast it throughout the world, from village to village and from town to town, just as Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Himself did. *— Cc. *Madhya* [[cc/madhya/25/264|25.264]]* ### 23. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is based on becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious and making others Kṛsṇa conscious: **"My dear child, continue dancing, chanting and performing saṅkīrtana in association with devotees. Furthermore, go out and preach the value of chanting kṛṣṇa-nāma for by this process You will be able to deliver all fallen souls."** It is another ambition of the spiritual master to see his disciples not only chant, dance and follow the regulative principles but also preach the *saṅkīrtana *movement to others in order to deliver them, for the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is based on the principle that one should become as perfect as possible in devotional service oneself and also preach the cult for others' benefit. *— Cc. Ā*di* [[cc/adi/7/92|7.92]]* ### 24. An advanced and empowered devotee preaches: "A person who has attracted the attention of the spiritual master by his sincere service likes to dance and chant with similarly developed Kṛṣṇa conscious devotees. The spiritual master authorizes such a devotee to deliver fallen souls in all parts of the world. Those who are not advanced prefer to chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa *mantra *in a solitary place." ...everyone should endeavor to preach the cult of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu in all parts of the world and thus become successful in spiritual life. One who is not very expert in preaching may chant in a secluded place, avoiding bad association, but for one who is actually advanced, preaching and meeting people who are not engaged in devotional service are not disadvantages. A devotee gives the nondevotees his association but is not affected by their misbehavior. Thus by the activities of a pure devotee even those who are bereft of love of Godhead get a chance to become devotees of the Lord one day. *— Cc. *Ādi* [[cc/adi/7/92|7.92]]* ### 25. The duty of all sane men is to save the people in general: Parīkṣit Mahārāja ... anxiously wanted to know from Śukadeva Gosvāmī how humanity can be saved from gliding down to hell.... Intelligent men must take advantage of these instructions. Unfortunately, however, the entire world is lacking Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and therefore people are suffering from the grossest ignorance and do not even believe in a life after this one. To convince them of their next life is very difficult because they have become almost mad in their pursuit of material enjoyment. Nevertheless, our duty, the duty of all sane men, is to save them. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/6/1/6|6.1.6]]* ### 26. One should preach about the importance of human life throughout the world: The followers of Vedic literature ... are privileged to glorify the Lord by following the directions of Vedic literature. After realizing the glories of human life, such people should take up the mission to spread the importance of human life throughout the whole world. This is the mission of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/5/6/13|5.6.13]]* ### 27. Preachers go door to door to enlighten the people in general: The great saint Jaḍa Bharata described both the miserable condition and the means to get out. The only way out of it is association with devotees, and this association is very easy. Although unfortunate people also get this opportunity, due to their great misfortune they cannot take shelter of pure devotees, and consequently they continuously suffer. Nonetheless, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement insists that everyone take to this path by adopting the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa *mahā-mantra. *The preachers of Kṛṣṇa consciousness go from door to door to inform people how they can be relieved from the miserable conditions of material life. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* [[sb/5/14/39|5.14.39]]* ### 28. Devotees of Lord Caitanya take the responsibility to preach: **The devotees who have taken shelter of the lotus feet of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu take the responsibility for distributing nectarean devotional service all over the world. They are like clouds pouring water on the ground that nourishes the fruit of love of Godhead in this world. The devotees eat that fruit to their heart's content, and whatever remnants they leave are eaten by the general populace. Thus they live happily.** *— Cc. *Madhya* [[cc/madhya/25/276|25.276]]* ### 29. The duty of saintly persons is to reestablish the principles of religion: **At the end of every four yugas, the great saintly persons, upon seeing that the eternal occupational duties of mankind have been misused, reestablish the principles of religion.** From Satya-yuga to Kali-yuga, the principles of religion and occupational duty gradually deteriorate.... At the end of Kali-yuga, the principles of religion, or the occupational duties of humanity, are almost lost. Indeed, in this Kali-yuga we have passed through only five thousand years, yet the decline of *sanātana-dharma *is* *very prominent. The duty of saintly persons, therefore, is to take up seriously the cause of *sanātana-dharma *and try to reestablish it for the benefit of the entire human society. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement has been started according to this principle.... Therefore, following in the footsteps of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who five hundred years ago inaugurated the movement of *saṅkīrtana, ... *we are trying to introduce this movement, according to superior orders, all over the world. Now, if the inaugurators of this movement strictly follow the regulative principles and spread this movement for the benefit of all human society, they will certainly usher in a new way of life by reestablishing *sanātana-dharma, *the eternal occupational duties of humanity. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/8/14/4|8.14.4]]* ### 30. Followers of the śāstra endeavor to preach: **Advaita Ācārya was always absorbed in thoughts of how to deliver the fallen souls of the entire world. "The entire world is full of nondevotees," He thought. "How will they be delivered?"** Śrīla Advaita Ācārya sets the standard for *ācāryas *in the Vaiṣṇava-sampradāya. An *ācārya *must always be eager to deliver the fallen souls.... One who knows the conclusion of the *śāstras, *follows in the footsteps of his predecessors and endeavors to preach the *bhakti *cult all over the world is to be considered an *ācārya.* *— Cc. *Antya *[[cc/antya/3/223|3.223]]* ### 31. Followers of Lord Nityānanda must preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness: **When Lord Nityānanda returned to Bengal to preach the cult of bhakti, love of Godhead, He began touring all over the country. For two purposes—to spread the cult of bhakti and to defeat and subdue the atheists—Lord Nityānanda, the most dedicated devotee of the Lord, moved throughout the country.** Lord Kṛṣṇa appears in every millennium for two purposes, namely to deliver the devotees and kill the nondevotees. His devotees also have two similar purposes—to preach the *bhakti *cult of Kṛṣṇa consciousness and defeat all kinds of agnostics and atheistic demons. Nityānanda Prabhu carried out the order of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu in this way, and those who strictly follow Nityānanda Prabhu perform the same activities. *— Cc. *Antya *[[cc/antya/3/148|3.148-149]]* ### 32. One should preach; that is real nonviolence: Nonviolence is generally taken to mean not killing or destroying the body, but actually nonviolence means not to put others into distress. People in general are trapped by ignorance in the material concept of life, and they perpetually suffer material pains. So, unless one elevates people to spiritual knowledge, one is practicing violence. One should try his best to distribute real knowledge to the people, so that they may become enlightened and leave this material entanglement. That is nonviolence. *— Bg. [[bg/13/8-12|13.8-12]]* ### 33. Understanding the purpose of the Lord, the devotee preaches: **Bewildered by the modes of material nature, the ignorant fully engage themselves in material activities and become attached. But the wise should not unsettle them, although these duties are inferior due to the performers' lack of knowledge.** Men who are ignorant cannot appreciate activities in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and therefore Lord Kṛṣṇa advises us not to disturb them and simply waste valuable time. But the devotees of the Lord are more kind than the Lord because they understand the purpose of the Lord. Consequently they undertake all kinds of risks, even to the point of approaching ignorant men to try to engage them in the acts of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, which are absolutely necessary for the human being. *— Bg. [[bg/3/29|3.29]]* ### 34. A brāhmaṇa must preach: These different orders of society and grades of spiritual advancement are conceived in terms of qualification. It is confirmed in the *Bhagavad-gītā *that the four social orders and the four spiritual orders are created by the Lord Himself, in terms of different individual qualities. As the different parts of the body have different types of activities, so the social orders and spiritual orders also have different types of activities in terms of qualification and position.... one has to act according to his position, and by such activities one must either satisfy the Supreme Personality or else fall down from his position. For example, a *brāhmaṇa *who is born out of the head of the Lord has as his business to preach the transcendental Vedic sounds, or *śabda-brahma. *Because the *brāhmaṇa *is* *the head, he has to preach the transcendental sound, and he also has to eat on behalf of the Supreme Lord. According to Vedic injunctions, when a *brāhmaṇa *eats it is to be understood that the Personality of Godhead is eating through him. It is not, however, that the *brāhmaṇa *should simply eat on behalf of the Lord and not preach the message of the *Bhagavad-gītā *to the world. Actually, one who preaches the message of the *Gītā *is* *very dear to Kṛṣṇa, as is confirmed in the *Gītā *itself. Such a preacher is factually a *brāhmaṇa....* *— NOD Ch. 2* ### 35. One who preaches the gospel of Bhagavad-gītā is perfect in pure devotional service: Kṛṣṇa wants everyone to surrender unto Him, and devotional service means preaching this gospel all over the world. The Lord says openly in *Bhagavad-gītā *([[bg/18/69|18.69]]): *na ca tasmān manuṣyeṣu kaścin me priya-kṛttamaḥ. *One should preach the gospel of *Bhagavad-gītā *for the benefit of all. *Bhagavad-gītā *is* *spoken by the Lord so that human society can be perfectly organized from all angles of vision—politically, socially, economically, philosophically and religiously. From any point of view, human society can be reformed by the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement; therefore one who spreads this philosophy of Kṛṣṇa consciousness for the benefit of all conditioned souls in the universe is perfect in pure devotional service. *— Cc. *Madhya *[[cc/madhya/19/167|19.167]]* ### 36. Pure devotees preach and deliver conditioned souls: The Ganges water is celebrated as being able to eradicate all kinds of sinful reactions. In other words, when a person takes his bath in the Ganges, he becomes freed from all life's contaminations. The Ganges water is celebrated in this way because it emanates from the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Similarly, those who are directly in touch with the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and who are absorbed in the chanting of His glories are freed from all material contamination. Such unalloyed devotees are able to show mercy to the common conditioned soul. Śrīla Vṛndāvana dāsa Ṭhākura has sung that the devotees of Lord Caitanya are so powerful that each one of them can deliver a universe. In other words, it is the business of devotees to preach the glories of the Lord and deliver all conditioned souls to the platform of *śuddha-sattva, *pure goodness. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/4/24/58|4.24.58]]* ### 37. The greatest service is preaching; a Vaiṣṇava is recognized by his preaching work: **"If one releases a conditioned soul or imprisoned person according to religious principles, he himself is also released from material bondage by the Supreme Personality of Godhead."** The greatest service one can render to the Lord is to try to infuse devotional service into the heart of the conditioned soul so that the conditioned soul may be released from conditional life. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has said that a Vaiṣṇava is recognized by his preaching work—that is, by convincing the conditioned soul about his eternal position.... It is the living entity's eternal position to serve the Lord; therefore to help one get release from material bondage is to awaken one to the dormant understanding that he is the eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa. *— Cc. *Madhya *[[cc/madhya/20/6|20.6]]* ### 38. The test of a Vaiṣṇava is how many Vaiṣṇavas he has made: Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura said that the position of a Vaiṣṇava can be tested by seeing how good a touchstone he is—that is, by seeing how many Vaiṣṇavas he has made during his life. A Vaiṣṇava should be a touchstone so that he can convert others to Vaiṣṇavism by his preaching, even though people may be fallen like the hunter. There are many so-called advanced devotees who sit in a secluded place for their personal benefit. They do not go out to preach and convert others into Vaiṣṇavas, and therefore they certainly cannot be called *sparśa-maṇi, *advanced devotees. *Kaniṣṭha-adhikārī *devotees cannot turn others into Vaiṣṇavas, but a *madhyama-adhikārī *Vaiṣṇava can do so by preaching. *— Cc. *Madhya *[[cc/madhya/24/277|24.277]]* ### 39. Performing daily rituals of devotional service is not enough—one must preach, and in such preaching not be concerned for success or failure: The favorable conditions for discharging devotional service are that one should be very enthusiastic in serving the Lord. The Lord in His form of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu wanted the cult of devotional service to the Lord to be preached all over the world, in every nook and corner, and therefore a pure devotee's duty is to discharge this order as far as possible. Every devotee should be very enthusiastic, not only in performing his daily rituals of devotional service, but in trying to preach the cult peacefully by following in the footsteps of Lord Caitanya. If he is not superficially successful in such an attempt, he should not be deterred from the discharge of his duty. Success or failure has no meaning for a pure devotee because he is a soldier in the field. Preaching the cult of devotional service is something like declaring war against materialistic life.... A devotee should see to the right discharge of devotional service under the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master and should not stick only to the formalities. Under the direction of the bona fide spiritual master ... one should see how much service is being executed, and not simply in the matter of rituals. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/2/8/21|2.8.21]]* ### 40. Contrary to the order of Lord Caitanya, some of His modern so-called followers do not preach: It is the desire of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu that the benevolent activities of the *saṅkīrtana *movement which was inaugurated five hundred years ago in Navadvīpa be spread all over the world for the benefit of all human beings. Unfortunately, there are many so-called followers of Caitanya Mahāprabhu who are satisfied simply to construct a temple, make a show of the Deities, collect some funds and utilize them for eating and sleeping. There is no question of their preaching the cult of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu all over the world, but even though they are unable to do so, if anyone else does it they become envious. This is the condition of the modern followers of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. The Age of Kali is so strong that it affects even the so-called followers of Lord Caitanya. At least the followers of Caitanya Mahāprabhu must come out of India to preach His cult all over the world, for this is the mission of Lord Caitanya. The followers of Lord Caitanya must execute His will with heart and soul, being more tolerant than the trees and humbler than the straw in the street. *— Cc. Ā*di *[[cc/adi/9/47|9.47]]* ### 41. There must be an organized effort to turn nondevotees into devotees: ... the only reformation that is necessary in society is to make an organized effort to turn the citizens into devotees of the Lord, and thus all good qualities of the denizens of heaven will overtake them in their own way. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/1/11/19|1.11.19]]* ### 42. The mission of all genuine devotees is to preach: **All glories and success to Śrīla Nārada Muni because he glorifies the activities of the Personality of Godhead, and so doing he himself takes pleasure and also enlivens all the distressed souls of the universe.** No one is happy here within the universe, and what is felt as happiness is *māyā's* illusion. The illusory energy of the Lord is so strong that even the hog who lives on filthy stool feels happy.... Śrīla Nārada Muni, in order to enlighten the miserable inhabitants, wanders everywhere. His mission is to get them back home, back to Godhead. That is the mission of all genuine devotees of the Lord following the footsteps of that great sage. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/1/6/38|1.6.38]]* ### 43. A sādhu is meant to preach: *A sādhu *like Vidura is meant to awaken such blind persons [like Dhṛtarāṣṭra] and thus help them go back to Godhead, where life is eternal. Once going there, no one wants to come back to this material world of miseries. We can just imagine how responsible a task is entrusted to a *sādhu *like Mahātmā Vidura. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/1/13/23|1.13.23]]* ### 44. The duty of enlightened souls is to deliver the fallen ones: Vidura particularly came to enlighten Dhṛtarāṣṭra and to give him a lift to the higher status of spiritual cognition. It is the duty of enlightened souls to deliver the fallen ones, and Vidura came for that reason. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/1/13/14|1.13.14]]* ### 45. A saintly person desires everyone to become Kṛṣṇa conscious: Because everyone is under the delusion of *māyā *and is forgetful of his prime duty, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, a saintly person always desires that everyone become a saintly person. It is the function of a saintly person to invoke Kṛṣṇa consciousness in every forgetful man. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/3/22/7|3.22.7]]* ### 46. Devotees must preach all over the world, as ordered by the spiritual master: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's devotional cult teaches one not to sit down in one place but to spread the devotional cult all over the world. The Lord dispatched Sanātana Gosvāmī and Rūpa Gosvāmī to Vṛndāvana to excavate and renovate the holy places and from there establish the cult of *bhakti. *Therefore Vṛndāvana was given to Sanātana Gosvāmī and Rūpa Gosvāmī as their place of residence. Similarly, everyone in the line of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's devotional cult should accept the words of the spiritual master and thus spread the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. They should go everywhere, to all parts of the world, accepting those places as *prabhu-datta deśa, *the places of residence given by the spiritual master or Lord Kṛṣṇa. The spiritual master is the representative of Lord Kṛṣṇa; therefore one who has carried out the orders of the spiritual master is understood to have carried out the orders of Kṛṣṇa or Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu wanted to spread the *bhakti *cult all over the world *(pṛthivīte āche yata nagarādi grāma* [*CB Antya-khaṇḍa* 4.126]*). *Therefore devotees in the line of Kṛṣṇa consciousness must go to different parts of the world and preach, as ordered by the spiritual master. That will satisfy Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. *— Cc. *Antya* [[cc/antya/4/144|4.144]]* ### 47. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement has been set up to distribute knowledge: Knowledge is meant for distribution. Although there is already much scientific knowledge, whenever scientists or philosophers awaken to a particular type of knowledge, they try to distribute it throughout the world, for otherwise the knowledge gradually dries up and no one benefits from it. India has the knowledge of *Bhagavad-gītā, *but unfortunately, for some reason or other, this sublime knowledge of the science of God was not distributed throughout the world, although it is meant for all of human society. Therefore Kṛṣṇa Himself appeared as Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and ordered all Indians to take up the cause of distributing the knowledge of *Bhagavad-gītā *throughout the entire world. *Yāre dekha, tāre kaha 'kṛṣṇa'-upadeśa/ āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra' ei deśa. *"Instruct everyone to follow the orders of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa as they are given in *Bhagavad-gītā *and *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. *In this way become a spiritual master and try to liberate everyone in this land." (Cc. *Madhya *[[cc/madhya/7/128|7.128]])* *Although India has the sublime knowledge of *Bhagavad-gītā, *Indians have not done their proper duty of distributing it. Now, therefore, the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement has been set up to distribute this knowledge as it is, without distortion. Although previously there were attempts to distribute the knowledge of *Bhagavad-gītā, *these attempts involved distortion and compromise with mundane knowledge. But now the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, without mundane compromises, is distributing *Bhagavad-gītā *as it is, and people are deriving the benefits of awakening to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and becoming devotees of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Therefore the proper distribution of knowledge has begun by which not only will the whole world benefit, but India's glory will be magnified in human society. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/10/2/19|10.2.19]]* ### 48. In our Kṛsṇa consciousness movement, all our activities are concentrated on book distribution: The word *kriyāsu, *meaning "by manual labor" or "by work," is important in this verse. One should engage in practical service to the Lord. In our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement all our activities are concentrated upon distributing Kṛṣṇa literature. This is very important. One may approach any person and induce him to read Kṛṣṇa literature so that in the future he may also become a devotee. Such activities are recommended in this verse.... Such activities will always remind the devotees of the Lord's lotus feet. By fully concentrating on distributing books for Kṛṣṇa, one is fully absorbed in Kṛṣṇa. This is* samādhi.* *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* [[sb/10/2/37|10.2.37]]* ### 49. A sādhu's duty is to enlighten others: Caitanya Mahāprabhu has stated that He wants every village in the entire world to be a center for Kṛṣṇa consciousness so that people can take advantage of *sādhus *and in turn become *sādhus. *This is the mission of this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.... At the same time, we have to take compassion upon fallen souls by going from town to town to enlighten others in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This is a *sādhu's *duty. *— TLK Ch. 11, text 24*