Tirtha in Prison Questions and Answers, 1 & 2

1. Why is the acceptance of a spiritual master or guru given such importance in Krsna consciousness? If God is in the heart of every living being, why can't we just pray to Him and receive the same result?

Answer: The realm we seek is beyond the purview of the material senses. Therefore. our knowledge must come from one who is himself not limited by material defects. Only someone who is completely spiritualized and in the line of disciplic succession can deliver such transcendental knowledge to us. Because Krsna, God, is in the heart of every living being. He certainly hears our sincere prayers. When we sincerely call out to Him He directs us to His bona fide representative in the person of the spiritual master. All spiritual knowledge or information must be delivered to us through the agency of a pure, authentic, qualified teacher who is in the line of disciplic succession, free from the defects of material conditioning. These defects include imperfect senses, the tendency to cheat, the tendency to commit mistakes and being subject to fall into illusion. Due to such defects we must diligently seek out a competent teacher who is free from such material defects found in ordinary conditioned souls. So long as we are conditioned ourselves, there is no chance of extracating oneself from the conditioned state.

In bookstores today there are many varieties of scriptures, which to the untrained candidate, may appear authorized. Many are authored by persons who, while posing as great scholars and learned men, are under the sway of defective material reasoning. So long as one remains on the conditioned platform, there is no chance of independently liberating oneself or others from conditioned life. Otherwise, our predicament remains akin to the blind leading the blind. However, once we make the connection with a genuine spiritual master who has personally realized the essence of all scriptures and presents this message as it is, without personal motivation or interpretation, we can immediately begin the process of self realization.

Of the 8.400.000 species of life, 400.000 are humans, scattered about across many planets within the universe. In this world alone, out of many millions and billions of humans, few are truly interested in spiritual life, or self realization. Only the intelligent person is interested in self realization. Among such seekers, few are fortunate enough to meet a pure devotee or his representative. The pure devotee is that person who is completely dedicated to serving the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord. Thus the pure devotee is competent and qualified to act as the bona fide representative of the Supreme Lord.

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2. Prison life is characterized as a forced exile, separated from normal, free society, where its supposed worst persons are kept isolated from the greater society. With such a brand placed on prisoners who are themselves forced to associate with other such persons, how can someone in this situation remain focused in Krsna consciousness and not become depressed by their surroundings?

Answer: The material world holds countless varieties of temporary happiness and distress. To the extent that we mistakenly identify with our bodies and the various situations arising from contact with these bodies, the more we will suffer or enjoy in relative terms of happiness and distress. In truth, the entire material cosmos is a reformatory for those wayward souls who wish to enjoy separately from Krsna. Thus, the government run prison system is merely another layer within the existing prison of the material world. To become free from the shackles of prison life we must first acknowledge our precarious situation. Generally when we are forcibly restricted we experience a type of mental pain or anguish. And it is this pain that often provides the initial prompting for us to enact a closer examination of our situation with an aim toward extricating ourselves from such a bleak situation. This shows intelligence, for only a fool would wish to further immerse himself in a situation of continual, prolonged suffering. Therefore, an intelligent person will seek out the best means of gaining release from such an imprisoned existence.

Through the chanting of Krsna's holy names we are simultaneously making all necessary atonement and enacting reformation for our past deeds. The holy name frees us from the reactions of our past transgressions while changing our inner hearts, thus allowing us to attain complete reformation. The powerful process of chanting Krsna's holy names is described as antiseptic and prophylactic. Antiseptic by curing us of our material disease. Prophylactic by preventing further transgressions through reforming our hearts from within.

In prison we are surrounded by persons of various mentalities. By being Krsna conscious we automatically set the best possible example for everyone's ultimate benefit. Likewise, the Krsna consciousness person is the enemy of no one. If we associate with others on the basis of Krsna consciousness, we can give them our good association while remaining insulated and separate from any negative influences. Allowing others to benefit from our association means giving ourselves on the higher level of Krsna consciousness.

Therefore, even in the midst of overwhelmingly negativity, if we remain focused on Krsna through His holy names, we will find complete safety and security.

Your worthless servant,
Tirtha dasa