If one is unable to follow a regulative principle after many years of chanting, should one give up chanting due to guilt and shame?

From: Rajesh :

What if one is not able to follow the last regulative principle even after chanting for 8 years, should that person give up chanting and devotional service because there is guilt and shame for past conditioning of lust?

An important verse quoted in the answer:

jata-shraddho mat-kathasu  nirvinnah sarva-karmasu

veda duhkhatmakan kaman parityage ‘py anishvarah

tato bhajeta mam pritah shraddhalur dridha-nishcayah

jushamanash ca tan kaman duhkhodarkamsh ca garhayan

Having awakened faith in the narrations of My glories, being disgusted with all material activities, knowing that all sense gratification leads to misery, but still being unable to renounce all sense enjoyment, My devotee should remain happy and worship Me with great faith and conviction. Even though he is sometimes engaged in sense enjoyment, My devotee knows that all sense gratification leads to a miserable result, and he sincerely repents such activities. (SB 11.20.27-28)

Disclaimer: This transcript was generated using AI and may contain occasional errors or inaccuracies.

Question from Rajesh Prabhu What if one is not able to follow the last regulatory principle even after chanting for 8 years? Should that person give up chanting and devotional service because there is guilt and shame for past conditioning of lust? Answer, one should never give up the chanting of the holy names and practicing devotional service. No matter what happens elsewhere in one's life. Because it is the chanting of the holy names that alone will purify us gradually.

Just like a person if is diabetic then the over eating of sugar is the cause of the diabetes. And the medicine has the optimum effect when it is accompanied by avoidance of sugar. But the medicine also has effect at least some beneficial effect although not certainly not the full effect.

If it is taken and if just because the person is not able to give up sugar. If one thinks that I should stop taking the medicine then one is being unfortunately and unnecessarily self destructive. So it is helpful at times to consider our conditioning to be like a disease.

When we see lust as a disease and not as a defect. That helps us to not let guilt or shame over burden and de-energize us. Certainly there is a difference between a disease and say conditionings like lust.

Diseases are primarily caused by external factors often there are external germs that come in. And they cause diseases to people even when those people have not done anything wrong. Sometimes a person just gets infected by malaria or influenza or TB.

Even that person is not having any undesirable habits that cause the disease that could have caused the disease. Whereas generally speaking when some immoral activities happen there is an active collusion from our side. And that is the first difference.

Second difference is that also there is the karmic consequences associated with defects like lust. Which are not necessarily associated with disease. If I have a disease that just having a disease itself is not a bad karma.

It is actually the result of bad karma. Becoming lusty is at one level a consequence of the past lusty activity that one has done. But it is also a cause of further bad karma.

Bad activities that one will do and get the bad results as a consequence. So this list of differences can go on further. And certainly one should not just use this analogy to justify helplessness and lack of initiative or responsibility on one side.

But at the same time one has to recognize that as a soul every one of us is pure. And that purity is covered by certain conditionings. And those conditionings are neither omnipotent nor eternal.

Only Krishna is omnipotent and eternal. So because these conditionings are not omnipotent they can be overcome. And because these are not eternal they will go away.

So therefore we should always keep practicing devotional service no matter what happens. And as far as the feelings of guilt and shame are concerned. The underlying principle in bhakti is That which is favorable should be accepted in the path of bhakti.

That which is unfavorable should be rejected. So if the feeling of guilt is making us disheartened and discouraged in the practice of devotional service. Then we should know that even that guilt could be a trick of maya.

Generally we think only of lust as a trick of maya. Yes and lust is a trick of maya. Wherein instead of focusing our consciousness on Krishna we start thinking of the sense objects that promise to fulfill our lusty fantasies.

But similarly the feeling of guilt is also a trick of maya. Because guilt also distracts us from Krishna consciousness and makes us self conscious. And instead of thinking how beautiful Krishna is we start thinking how dreadful I am.

Instead of thinking how glorious Krishna is we start focusing and thinking how inglorious I am. So in one sense guilt is also a form of self centeredness. And that self centeredness is very unfavorable to Krishna consciousness.

So no matter where we are if we find that the guilt is disempowering us, discouraging us. Then we should put aside the guilt. So even if a person is indulging in lusty activities and is unable to give that up.

The critical question is what does one do when lust is not overpowering the person. It is not that lust overpowers and makes us act immoral 24 hours a day. Even materialistic people have their professions and have their obligations.

Which they have to fulfill even when lust is tormenting them. And even when they consider fulfilling lusty fantasies as nothing immoral. So even they do not indulge in lust 24 hours a day.

So even as devotees obviously lust doesn't control and dominate us. Although it may torment us constantly. It is not that constantly we are engaging in lusty activities.

So when lust is not tormenting us, when lust is not dominating us. What do we do at that time? If at that time we let our thoughts dwell on how bad we are, how low we are. Then we are actually playing into the hands of lust.

It is just like if a war has been fought and a person has been defeated. The person who has been defeated, he has now been released. Now he should prepare for the next war.

Not just lament about the past loss. So we need to prepare ourselves by intensifying our Krishna Consciousness. And no matter how many times we are defeated by lust.

If we keep fighting on Krishna's service. Whenever we get an opportunity to serve Krishna, whenever our mind is not too troubled. We continue serving Krishna.

And by this, over a period of time, we will find that we will become stronger and stronger and stronger. Lord Krishna offers several verses that are very encouraging for a devotee. Who is being repeatedly thwarted in giving up material desires and conditionings.

So when a devotee has developed faith in hearing about me. He has actually understood the futility of material activities. Because he understands that material activities actually lead only to misery.

That material desires lead only to misery. He desires to give them up. He is unable to give it.

Even in such a situation, the devotee should keep trying to serve me. He should have faith and he should be determined. Now how can a devotee be determined if he is unable to give up sense gratification? He should be determined to keep serving Krishna.

Even if he doesn't have the determination to give up sense gratification. And he understands that all these material desires. He understands that they lead to misery but somehow I am not able to give them up.

So with this faith, if a devotee continues practicing devotional service. Then the Lord is pleased by this attitude. That even if it is difficult, even if it seems impossible.

Still this devotee is not ready to give up my devotional service. And gradually the Lord will show the magic from our hearts. And he will purify us.

So when we find ourselves helpless to give up our attachments. That is an excellent platform for us to realize and acknowledge our total dependence on Krishna. And beg for his mercy to be able to give up those attachments.

And even if we are not able to give up, we continue on practicing Krishna consciousness. So this is the most important side of the issue under discussion. Never give up devotional service.

Lord Krishna himself encourages us to continue on. And the purport of this verse also you can read. It is given by Hridayan Maharaj based on the previous Acharya's comments.

That one should not become a frustrated devotee of renunciation. One should continue to be a devotee of Krishna and try to serve Krishna to the best of one's capacity. So frustrated devotee of renunciation means we think that I have to be renowned.

And we try to devote ourselves to renunciation. And when we can't devote ourselves to renunciation, then we become frustrated and disheartened. No.

Renunciation or not renunciation, we will continue on our devotional service. Of course, while continuing our devotional service in this way. We should not, if we are having serious internal problems with basic regular principles.

We should not take up leadership positions where we are instructing others. Especially if the breaking of the regular principles is at a gross level. Then it is best for us to avoid leadership positions.

Still we come to leadership positions means preaching by giving classes to others. Distributing books, talking informally about Krishna is fine. Taking the role of a guide for others by becoming a mentor or a counselor or something similar.

These are leadership positions which we should avoid. But we can surely keep practicing devotional service. And the avoidance of leadership position is so that we can do our internal homework better.

It is not to necessarily deprive us. It is just to free us from other external distractions and preoccupations. So that we can focus on the internal work that is important for us.

And also we need to do a serious introspective analysis of what is the cause of the repeated succumbing. Are there certain situations or stimuli which trigger our fall down? As much as possible if we try to make an inventory and avoid them. Then we will surely over a period of time be able to become free from these desires.

So you can also read the relevant sections in the Srimad Bhagavatam. Like the Yadati section, Pururava section. Which can also help us to become purified as well as realized.

Through the example of others about the frustrating nature of material desires. And gradually we can get purified by this. On the website also there is a lecture called Spiritual Origin of Sex Desire.

And that might also be helpful in understanding practically how to become free. But as far as the principle of whether we can practice Krishna Consciousness. Certainly we can no matter what will be the situation.

Otherwise with respect to the principle we should never give up chanting or practicing Krishna Consciousness. And serving Krishna. Thank you.