| God is not understood through mere | | | | also changes. The people become |
| words. It takes time: lifetimes and | | | | increasingly degraded. For instance, |
| millenniums of practice. Some may get | | | | none of the above mentioned ways of |
| discouraged but only the sincere | | | | worship is fit for the people of kali |
| practitioners go to God. By sincere we | | | | yuga. Lord Chaitanya came to give us the |
| mean no duplicity and no crookedness, | | | | holy name of Krishna, the Hare Krishna |
| always pure hearted and straightforward | | | | Mahamantra. Through this simple process |
| in dealings. The scriptures of the | | | | of chanting one can go back to Godhead. |
| Buddhists talk about good character | | | | The process is simple but the practice |
| because unless one develops good | | | | is not that simple. The more one chants |
| qualities it is impossible for one to | | | | the holy name seriously the more one |
| stop sinning. By being free from sins | | | | gets purified. |
| one an easily progress along the | | | | One should chant the holy name with |
| spiritual path. | | | | utmost seriousness and concentration. |
| Since the dawn of creation, at the | | | | This process of chanting cleanses the |
| beginning of Satya Yuga, there have been | | | | heart. Once the heart is clean, love of |
| different types of worship to attain the | | | | God appears. But there are obstacles on |
| supreme Lord. In Satya Yuga people were | | | | this path. Such obstacles can be |
| free of vice and they were following all | | | | offenses to the holy name, to devotees |
| the directions of religion. In that | | | | and other types of offenses. Offenses to |
| particular age people were going back to | | | | the holy name get destroyed as one |
| the spiritual world by doing meditation. | | | | improves one's chanting. But offenses to |
| People lived for thousands of years and | | | | devotees are very dangerous. It is |
| thus were able to perfect themselves. | | | | called the "mad elephant offense" |
| In the next age, Treta Yuga, the means | | | | because a mad elephant destroys |
| for going back was through the | | | | everything on its way. Such offenses can |
| performance of fire sacrifices. The | | | | be nullified if one begs forgiveness |
| performance of such a task required vast | | | | from those devotees who get offended. |
| amounts of various ingredients and much | | | | The more serious the offense is the |
| wealth. Most of the ingredients are not | | | | worse the effect will be. So |
| available now. In Dvapara Yuga the | | | | practitioners have to be very careful. |
| method was deity worship. The rules and | | | | Although it is the easiest way to go |
| regulations for worship were very strict | | | | back to Godhead, it can also be the |
| as given in Pancaratric scriptures. As | | | | hardest if we don't pay attention while |
| the age changes, the quality of life | | | | chanting and while dealing with others. |