Awakening Kṛṣṇa Consciousness - Reviving the Soul's Dormant Love
The living entity in the material world is like a man suffering in a terrible nightmare. While dreaming, he may try to invent various material solutions to stop his pain, but the only actual remedy is to simply wake up. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that Kṛṣṇa consciousness is our original, waking state. Because this pure love for God is dormant within everyone's heart, the greatest welfare activity is not to provide temporary material relief, but to use transcendental sound to awaken the sleeping soul to its eternal, blissful reality.
The Dormant Reality Within
Love for God is not a foreign concept that must be forced into the mind through academic study. Śrīla Prabhupāda teaches that Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the natural, constitutional, and eternal state of the soul, currently lying dormant under the thick covering of material illusion.
- Everyone has dormant love for Krsna, and by culture and education that has to be awakened. That is the purpose of this Krsna consciousness movement.
- Everywhere we have got good devotees. Krishna consciousness is dormant in everyone and we can awaken it in them.
- Krishna Consciousness is always dormant in everyone's heart and it can be awakened simply by service attitude.
- Many Muhammadans, they are taking to Krsna consciousness. Therefore it is to be understood that Krsna consciousness, or love for Krsna, is existing in everyone's heart. It is simply to be awakened.
The Sound of Awakening
Just as a sleeping person is awakened by the sound of an alarm or a calling voice, the spiritually sleeping soul must be awakened by sound. Śrīla Prabhupāda emphasizes that the vibration of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra and the hearing of transcendental pastimes are the most powerful methods for reviving our lost consciousness.
- In the human form of life, one should be awakened to Krsna consciousness, or God consciousness. And if he sleeps, then he loses his business. This is our mission, to awaken him. And when a man sleeps, how he can awaken him? Simply by vibration of sound.
- Krsna consciousness is dormant in everyone's heart. This Hare Krsna mantra is the process of awakening. That's all.
- This Hare Krsna mantra, if we chant repeatedly Hare Krsna - Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare - then the sleeping man awakens to Krsna consciousness. This is the process.
- If you kindly hear about Krsna and your heart becomes purified, the original dormant Krsna consciousness is immediately awakened.
The Supreme Welfare Activity
Mundane charity and political adjustments offer only temporary relief within the material dream. Śrīla Prabhupāda clarifies that the only true mercy one can distribute to humanity is the process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, which permanently solves all problems by waking the soul from the nightmare of repeated birth and death.
- One can counteract a dream only by awaking. Similarly, our material existence is due to our ignorance and illusion. Unless we awaken to Krsna consciousness, we cannot be relieved of such dreams.
- This is all illusion, for one cannot benefit anyone by material activities. If one wishes to benefit his fellow brother, he must awaken his dormant Krsna consciousness. The Krsna conscious position is that of pratibuddha, which means pure consciousness.
- What these materialistic men can do mercy to the others? They cannot do anything. Here is the real mercy: to awaken a person to Krsna consciousness.
- Krsna consciousness movement is the most beneficial welfare activities to the human society because by awakening them to Krsna consciousness, they are saved from this danger of repetition of birth and death.
The Result: Spontaneous Loving Service
When the soul is finally awakened, its actions drastically change. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that the awakened soul immediately recognizes the futility of material sense gratification and spontaneously engages in the loving service of the Lord, just as a river naturally flows into the ocean.
- When his (the living entity's) dormant Krsna consciousness is awakened, he no longer engages in the service of matter but engages in the service of the Lord.
- An example of spontaneous action is the flowing of rivers into the ocean. Nothing can stop this flow of water. Similarly, when one’s dormant Krsna consciousness is awakened, it spontaneously flows to the lotus feet of Krsna without impediment.
- The actual result of chanting the holy name of the Lord is that one awakens his dormant Krsna consciousness, his loving service to the Lord.
- Fruitive activity (karma) is meant to satisfy the senses of the conditioned soul. However, when one awakens to Krsna consciousness, he does not have to work separately for pious activity.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the ultimate goal of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is not to convert people to a new sectarian religion, but to execute the most vital welfare work in the universe: waking the sleeping souls from the nightmare of material existence. As Śrīla Prabhupāda masterfully explains, pure love for God is not an artificial acquisition; it is the constitutional, dormant nature of every living entity. Because the soul is in a state of spiritual slumber, it suffers through the endless cycle of birth and death, fruitlessly trying to find happiness in temporary sense gratification. The only cure for this illusion is the awakening power of the transcendental sound vibration, specifically the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. When the heart is purified by this sound, the soul awakens to its eternal reality. Completely losing its taste for mundane illusions, the awakened soul spontaneously and joyfully resumes its original position of unalloyed, loving service at the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Dive Deeper into Śrīla Prabhupāda's Vani
Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category Awakening Krsna Consciousness. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience the teachings in their direct, verbatim form.