Whether we accept or reject, whether we like or dislike and even if we are philosophical and neutral, all things come to pass one way or another with inexorable certainty, as if situated on a conveyor belt which advances at a steady speed to its destined goal, at which point we will be asked in no uncertain terms, to please step off the belt and in ordinary, unsuccessful cases of body transmigration, mount a new belt for a similar trip. Bhagavad-gita As It Is, V3, 2.13 says: “As the embodied soul changes his body every moment from boyhood to youth and then to old age, similarly when there is a final change of body from one to another, the sober person does not become deluded by such a change.”

Are we ready for that?

“But Duryodhana does not know that the death does not depend on military strength or bodily strength. When death will come, nobody can check. Death is God. When Kṛṣṇa desires that “This man should be killed now,” or “He must die now,” nobody can check. Rākhe kṛṣṇa mare ke mare kṛṣṇa rākhe ke. If Kṛṣṇa desires to kill somebody, nobody can give him protection—no power. And if He wants to save somebody, nobody can kill him. This is Kṛṣṇa’s protection.” 73.07.09 BG.Lon

The Greek philosopher Heraclitus summed it up in his famous formula “Panta Rei” or “everything flows”, or as I have learned it in French secondary school in Soultz and Guebwiller, Grand Est, France: all things come to pass. I take this opportunity to acknowledge and thank all my teachers of the time for their fruitful efforts. Some stand out in my memory as Mr. Muller, the PE, and extremely efficient German teacher, Ms. Oswald, the French teacher from Madagascar ( She was actually an enthusiastic caucasian French lady, who spend some considerable time teaching in Madagascar, off the coast of East Africa ), I forget the name of my first English teacher, who had a typical English accent, but I do remember the name of the very first English class i.e. “Malta convoy one hit by a torpedo.” His accent was outstanding, with a special contortion of the lips. Not at all American! And then of course the illustrious philosophy professor Mr. Kippelen of terminal class. In France, at least at the time, terminal class was the year before the high school certificate, I suppose grade one in Anglo-Saxon countries. There was also Mr. Gabble, my first secondary Mathematic teacher, who gave me my very first number one spot in “sixieme” in the three monthly mathematic test and competititon. There was a three monthly test for every subject matter. He once made fun of student Dupras, who jumped the rail by asking me: Do you know what that is called? Of course, I answered: It is called “garde-fou,” which means a thing to keep crazy people in check. One morning his clothing was not in proper order and I shall not get into further details out of respect for the man, who was simultaneously the school director at the time. He also used to splutter. But he taught us Mathematics alright for at least one year. My dear secondary teachers, please accept the expression of my gratitude, wherever you may be at present. My primary teacher’s name was Rudloff, a disturbed fellow. I don’t remember his first name. But it was not Adolf. He was extremely violent to his own two sons, Louis and Michel, in class in front of everyone else. Being the father, he felt he could take such violent freedom and they regularly burst into tears. These were such pathetic episodes. Louis was my friend and, unlike others, I have lost complete track of him. I realized now that it was all good grade education. Whereas nowadays we see students finishing secondary school. who do not even know basic skills such as spelling. This is an alarming sign of the times. Are we really making progress here or not?

In any case, please don’t worry about the past and please chant the Hare Krishna maha-mantra now and in the future as in

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna

Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

Hare Rama Hare Rama

Rama Rama Hare Hare

and automatically all purposes will be served collectively.

There is a parallel trail of thought in Bhagavad-gita As It Is, version three, (BGAII V3), chapter 2, verse 46. Minutes before the decisive battle, Lord Krishna or Partha-sarathi, is speaking the Bhagavad-gita to His friend and chariot master, Arjuna. God or Lord Krishna has millions of names, including Allah, Jehovah, and Buddha and because out of friendliness to Arjuna, He accepted what in material, military terms is the inferior position of chariot driver, His name in the Sanskrit language is Partha-sarathi. In modern warfare terms, we may say that a tank driver is generally subordinate to the tank commander. Ultimately God has no name, but God is named according to His multifarious activities:

“All purposes served by a small well can at once be served by great reservoirs of water. Similarly, all the purposes of the Vedas can be served to the student who knows the purpose behind them.”

The great and unmatchable advantage with the Hare Krishna process, especially if you are time conscious, is that you never, ever need to lose even a single second of your lifetime, because you can always chant the Hare Krishna maha-mantra in all circumstances, except at the dentist. Often we have to wait in a queue, at the bank, at the post office, at the taxi ramp, at the checkout, etc, and we can easily control our mind from being overtaken by frustration or anger simply by fixing it on the Hare Krishna mantra-mantra. Sometimes we have to wait for dictator-computer to be ready to do what we want him to do. Dictator-computer is not some kind of a deity, as some people want us to think, it is a stupid machine only, without any ultimate discriminating power because there is no spirit in it. It is simply dull matter. If you want or need to account for your mantras, beads or japa-mala and bead-bag are best. We supply japa-mala and bead bags for a small fee. Please contact us. Otherwise, any mechanical or electronic tally counter is OK. But these implements much too often are unreliable and give a false reading. One must watch that too. For example, while driving a vehicle, it is extremely dangerous and probably illegal to drive a vehicle and have one’s right hand, or left hand if you are left-hander, in the bead bag. If it’s not yet illegal, it means our Hare Krishna propaganda is weak. Some devotees have died under such circumstances. The point is that when one is driving a vehicle, there remains some unused mental energy that can be used for chanting Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare / Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare and a tally counter can be used. In Ballina, NSW, I was once stopped by police because the officer saw my lips moving from a distance and he concluded that I was making illegal use of my mobile phone. I have written an article about it as well.

The overall advantage is that you are performing the most beneficial, the most important and the most redemptive activity of this human form of life, chanting the specially Kali-yuga designed maha-mantra as in Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare / Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare. It other words the Hare Krishna practitioner is always a winner. This is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita As It Is, version 3, 18.78, when Sanjaya, the secretary of King Dhritarashtra and to the king’s disappointment, declares: “Wherever there is Krishna, the master of all mystics and Supreme Personality of Godhead, and wherever there is Arjuna, the supreme archer, there will also certainly be opulence, victory, extraordinary power, and morality. That is my opinion.” Besides that BGAII 2.40 says: “In this endeavor there is no loss or diminution, and a little advancement in this path can protect one from a very dangerous type of fear.”