Grihastha couples devoted to Krishna consciousness preach effectively; spiritual status comes from understanding and serving Krishna, not birth or renunciation.Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
Bhagavad-gītā 7.3 Paṇḍāl Wedding and Initiations at Cross Maidan — March 29, 1971, Bombay 710329BG-BOMBAY [43:03 Minutes] Wedding_710329BG-BOMBAY Initiations_710329BG-BOMBAY Bg-07.03_710329BG-BOMBAY Haṁsadūta: The following was a wedding and initiations at the Cross Maidan, evening of 29th March, 1971. [break] Prabhupāda: ...yaḥ smaret puṇḍarīkākṣaṁ sa bahyābhyantara-śuciḥ śrī viṣṇu śrī viṣṇu śrī viṣṇu [Garuḍa Purāṇa] By chanting the holy name of Lord Viṣṇu, one becomes purified in whatever condition he may be. Apavitraḥ pavitro vā: either he is pure or impure; sarvāvasthāṁ gato 'pi vā: any condition of life, if he chants the holy name of Viṣṇu, then he becomes immediately purified internally and externally. [break] ...on the strength of chanting. This is the greatest offense.
It is a fact that when one chants this mantra, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare, immediately, his past sinful reaction of life immediately ceases. But if he thinks that "Because by chanting, my sinful reaction are counteracted, therefore I may go on committing sinful activities, at the same time chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra," this is called nāmno balād yasya hi pāpa-buddhiḥ [Padma Purāṇa, Brahma-kaṇḍha 25.16]. One who is continuing sinful activities on the strength of chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, that is the greatest offense. So out of the ten kinds of offenses, as explained by Subala Mahārāja, this is the most important item. One should not commit any sinful activity because he is chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. Go on.
Next. [break] ...Oṁ Viṣṇupāda Paramahaṁsa Parivrājakācārya Aṣṭottara-śata Śrīmad Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Mahārāja Prabhupāda. He was creating more brahmacārīs and sannyāsīs for preaching work, but I am creating more gṛhasthas [applause], because in Europe and America the boys and girls intermingle so quickly and intimately that it is very difficult to keep one brahmacārī. So there is no need of artificial brahmacārī. It is sanctioned.
My Guru Mahārāja wanted to establish daiva-varṇāśrama. So married life is called gṛhastha-āśrama. It is as good as sannyāsa-āśrama. Āśrama means where there is bhagavad-bhajana. It doesn't matter whether one is sannyāsī or one is gṛhastha or a brahmacārī. The main principle is bhagavad-bhajana.
But practically also, I may inform you that these married couples, they are helping me very much, because... For practical example, I may say that one of my Godbrothers, a sannyāsī, he was deputed to go to London for starting a temple. But three or four years he remained there, he could not execute the will; therefore he was called back. Now, I sent six married couples. All of them are present here.
And they worked so nicely that within one year we started our London temple, and that is going on very nicely. [applause] So it is not the question of a brahmacārī, sannyāsī or gṛhastha. Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, kibā vipra kibā śūdra nyāsī kene naya yei kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā sei guru haya [Cc. Madhya 8.128] It doesn't matter whether he is a sannyāsī or gṛhastha or brahmacārī.
One who knows the science of Kṛṣṇa and preaches all over the world, he is guru, spiritual master. It doesn't matter. So in Europe and America I am especially creating more gṛhasthas, families, so that they can take up this movement very seriously and preach, and I am glad to inform you that this process has become very successful. Thank you very much. [applause] [break] [05:15] om ajñāna-timirāndhasya jñānāñjana-śalākayā cakṣur unmīlitaṁ yena tasmai śrī-gurave-namaḥ ["I offer my respectful obeisances unto my spiritual master, who with the torchlight of knowledge has opened my eyes, which were blinded by the darkness of ignorance."] śrī-caitanya-mano-'bhīṣṭaṁ sthāpitaṁ yena bhū-tale svayaṁ rūpaḥ kadā mahyaṁ dadāti sva-padāntikam ["When will Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī Prabhupāda, who has established within this material world the mission to fulfill the desire of Lord Caitanya, give me shelter under his lotus feet?"] vande 'haṁ śrī-guroḥ śrī-yuta-pada-kamalaṁ śrī-gurūn vaiṣṇavāṁś ca śrī-rūpaṁ sāgrajātaṁ saha-gaṇa-raghunāthānvitaṁ taṁ sa-jīvam sādvaitaṁ sāvadhūtaṁ parijana-sahitaṁ kṛṣṇa-caitanya-devaṁ śrī-rādhā-kṛṣṇa-pādān saha-gaṇa-lalitā-śrī-viśākhānvitāṁś ca ["I offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of my spiritual master and of all the other preceptors on the path of devotional service. I offer my respectful obeisances unto all the Vaiṣṇavas and unto the six Gosvāmīs, including Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī, Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, Jīva Gosvāmī and their associates. I offer my respectful obeisances unto Śrī Advaita Ācārya Prabhu, Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and all His devotees, headed by Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura. I then offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of Lord Kṛṣṇa, Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī and all the gopīs, headed by Lalitā and Viśākhā."] he kṛṣṇa karuṇā-sindho dīna-bandho jagat-pate gopeśa gopikā-kānta rādhā-kānta namo 'stu te ["O my dear Kṛṣṇa, ocean of mercy, You are the friend of the distressed and the source of creation. You are the master of the cowherd men and the lover of the gopīs, especially Rādhārāṇī. I offer my respectful obeisances unto You."] tapta-kāñcana-gaurāṅgī rādhe vṛndāvaneśvari vṛṣabhānu-sute devi praṇamāmi hari-priye ["I offer my respects to Rādhārāṇī, whose bodily complexion is like molten gold and who is the Queen of Vṛndāvana. You are the daughter of King Vṛṣabhānu, and You are very dear to Lord Kṛṣṇa."] That's all right. Anyone? [break] ...Gītā Lord Kṛṣṇa says who can understand Him. By understanding Kṛṣṇa, as it is stated in the Fourth Chapter—janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ—simply by understanding Kṛṣṇa, one becomes so much elevated that after quitting this body, material body, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti [Bg. 4.9], he never accepts again this material body. As I have already explained to you that our miserable conditioned life is this—that we have to accept every, say, fifty years or sixty or utmost hundred years, we have to accept another body.