Don’t be weak. You should have very strong faith in bhakti and in our Guru-parampara. Don’t be weak. If there is no Vaisnava association, then they have left Srimad-Bhagavatam, Caitanya-caritamrta, Gita, and so many books. We can associate with them in their absence. But when this jivanta-bhagavata, when the living bhagavata is there, then we should try to go and listen to them.
Perhaps we are here only for a very short time. If we are going to the Philippines, then we are only here tommorow and the day after tommorow, for only two or three days. But if we are not going, then we will be here for more days. So you should listen to all these things and try to practice this. Like when
Vyasadeva heard from Narada Rsi and Sukadeva Gosvami heard from Vyasadeva, then they practiced what they heard. Like our whole Guru-parampara. Svamiji took initiation from Srila Prabhupada Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati and he totally followed him. So we should also follow our Guru-parampara. Don’t have any doubt in this. Never any doubt.
But we can try to understand all these things. I was going to explain something from the tenth canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam, but you should know the character of Dhruva, Prahlada, Ajamila, Bharata Maharaja, and Citraketu Maharaja also. For a sadhaka, hearing about their characteristics are very powerful. Ajamila, being a wretched, characterless person, committing murder and everything, drinking wine, there was no sin he had not done, but by chanting the name of Narayana, he was purified and he went to Vaikuntha. So anyone who will chant the name of Bhagavan, Krsna, Rama, Narayana, Nrsimha, all these names, especially Krsna, then there is no doubt that they will be delivered. But he should chant all these names from the very core of his heart and with so much honor, without any doubt. You should know that you will have to give up some things, that is you will have to follow four kinds of basic principles. You will have to give all these things up. What are they?
suta uvaca
abhyarthitas tada tasmai
sthanani kalaye dadau
dyutam panam striyah suna
yatradharmas catur-vidhah
-Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.17.38
[Suta Gosvami said: Maharaja Pariksit, thus being petitioned by the personality of Kali, gave him permission to reside in places where gambling, drinking, prostitution and animal slaughter were performed.]
No illicit association with the opposite sex, no meat eating, fish or eggs, no intoxicants like tobacco and wine, and no gambling of any kind. These four principles. But, if you are following the four principles but you are not chanting and remembering and doing bhakti, then it is useless. So you should adopt all these things and also it is essential to accept Vaisnava association.
[Spoken by Srila Gurudeva on December 4th, 1998, Malaysia, published as part of the Bhakta Bandhav Anthology, Volume 25]