I believe, one of the foremost principles in devotee care is faith. And of course, there are many other activities that are required to protect faith. It’s not just preaching and not just preaching to devotees, correcting devotees and training devotees, but another very important element for promoting faith is to be a good example.
July 23, 2020, Mayapura, from Gauranga dasa's interview with Niranjana Swami on devotee care
One of the anarthas is not to be aware of the pitfalls of devotional service. It’s called tattva-vibrahma. It’s an anartha. It’s not to know, what the pitfalls are and to stay ignorant of it. The best way to clear that anartha is to know what are the pitfalls so that we can consciously try to avoid them while engaged in sadhana. Therefore, sometimes we have to bring out these painful topics.
August 19, 2012, Boston
Therefore, daily hearing and chanting about Krsna is supposed to serve as a constant reminder, and in the beginning stages it is a process of purification, but gradually, as one advances on the path, it becomes very relishable. And relish - that is of course, as we said, in the more advanced stages of relishing that sweet taste of Krsna’s name, form, qualities and pastimes, but it works. It works, when the motive is correct.
August 19, 2012, Boston
Therefore, there is so much emphasis, “Yes, come to class!” – “No, not to class. I am too busy doing this, doing that.” “No, this is it. This is what it is all for – to sit in front of Radha-Gopivallabha and hear and chant about Them, that’s what it’s all about, that’s what the building is here for, otherwise what’s the value?” It’s not here to run around, working hard, doing this, doing that and forgetting the whole goal. So, this is the importance of being a sadhaka and actually putting emphasis on hearing and chanting. And I think my time is up...
August 19, 2012, Boston
Prabhupada says, “Familiarity breeds contempt.” Prabhupada even said that about his own disciple who was very close to him. He said, “Actually he became too familiar, and familiarity breeds contempt.” And what happens? In the same way you become too familiar and start thinking, “They are ordinary people, they are doing…” and then you don’t want to associate with them anymore. But when you associate with each other by hearing and chanting, these feelings can be put aside because there's a higher goal, a higher objective. Not only that, it’s purifying. It’s very purifying. And what comes out is the feeling like, “Wow, there is some benefit being around these people. I don’t have to hide in my room all the time and try to avoid them in the hallway.”
August 19, 2012, Boston
What allows us to see each other for who we really are (or should be) is seeing others as devotees who want to become purified by the process of hearing and chanting about Krsna. When we associate with each other on that platform, it is very purifying. What happens is that friendship begins to strengthen, there is a bonding because there is communality between everybody. “Yes, we are all in this together. We are all in this together! We are all trying to become purified by hearing and chanting about Krsna.”
August 19, 2012, Boston
We tend to see people according to the roles we play in social intercourse. If we're not careful, we start thinking, “He does this, he does that. I don’t like the way he does that, I don’t like the way she does this”, and we start categorizing people according to the habits we don’t like about them. Because we play different social roles and because the material world is not completely harmonious, we become disharmonious. We avoid doing anything together which would break down this barrier, and which would allow us to see each other as a servant of Krsna.
August 19, 2012, Boston
That is the Lord’s mission, and those who are sincere servants of the Lord they continue His mission by discussing His activities and pastimes in this world in the association of others, who are eager to hear such transcendental narrations. The more one goes on hearing the more that desire is awakened within the heart to tell others, and then the Lord's mission continues. So that is the Lord’s mission, and that’s how it’s applied in a very general way to the process of hearing and chanting.
August 19, 2012, Boston
Sometimes devotees say, “Yes, I work with devotees in the same place. We do the same business together”, and things like that. But what do they talk about? They talk about taxes; they talk about profit, this and that. Yes, there is some association, but what is association? Association is mac-citta mad-gata-prana bodhayantah parasparam (Bg10.9) hearing and discussing topics related to Lord Krsna. That is association. Therefore, when one actually begins to associate on this platform, then the whole paradigm of day to day identifying with one another according to the different roles we play in the material world, the whole paradigm gets smashed.
August 19, 2012, Boston
In all of these stages, from sraddha to prema, pure love of God, there is always hearing about Krsna, except that it becomes deeper, it becomes thicker, it becomes more relishable, and therefore devotees never give up this process of hearing and chanting. But most important in the beginning stage, there must be hearing. That is devotional service.
August 19, 2012, Boston