Universal Remedy for All Ills

This article, "Universal Remedy for All Ills," was published in The Hindu, February 18, 1972, in Chennai, India.

MADRAS. Feb. 18. 

The distinct feature of a human being, in contrast to the beasts, is his inherent capacity to understand, think of and meditate on God, take steps to get himself identified with the Supreme Being, by adopting the processes described in scriptural literature and get himself spiritually elevated. In the Bhagavad Gita, Sri Krishna has shown the way for one to get freed from worldly bondage by "Prapatti", under which a devotee offers unconditional surrender before Sri Krishna realising that He is the factual enioyer of all worldly activities. On his part, he rigidly follows the codes of good conduct. 

Years aso, Chaitanya culled out from the Shastras that in this age of Kali (characterised by quarrels and indiscipline) when mental distraction was high and almost none was serious about spiritual perfection, the "Great Chant of Deliverance" (Hare Krishna) alone was the most effective means of reaching God. lt is a standard and recognised mode of worship and ecstatic repetition of God's name will cleanse the heart, make one feel that he is the child of God and make him get over the feelings of caste, etc. 

Sri Bhaktivedanta Prabhupada, the leader of the Society for Krishna Consciousness, told a press gathering on Wednesday that the movement, which was not something new, only urged the people to take to the service of Sri Krishna. The task was not simple but the Lord Himself had said that none was dearer to Him than the one who undertook with confidence to preach His message. The Krishna Mantram was a universal remedy for all ills. Everyone was originally a Krishna conscious entity, but due to association with worldly influenees, he had become "adulterated." Disciples of the Krishna cult were held together by mutual agreement to accept the principles of devotional service as the goal of life.