The following is a transcription of a discourse delivered by Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja in Wales on July 4, 2000 (Bhakta Bandhav Anthology Volume 58)
Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: In this world there are two kinds of human beings. A person of 
the first kind does not know who God is or who he himself is. He is always absorbed in sense gratification, thinking, “I am this physical body.” Such sensually absorbed persons are also of two kinds. Some are like animals, and some are like demons. Demons are always against devotion. Animal-like persons are not against it, but they are not favourable because they are always engaged in their sense gratification. They are fully ignorant. Though their forms are human, they are like animals, always engaged in sense gratification. ‘Dharmeṇa hīnāḥ paśubhiḥ samānāḥ – A life devoid of religion is the same as animal life (Hitopadeśa 25).’ They are like cows or other animals. They are like female hogs, male dogs, camels, and the most ignorant animals – the donkeys. Those who are not demons, but are not doing bhajana, are like very ignorant donkeys. They are kicked by the hind legs of the female donkeys, and they are always taking all the burden of the washerman. Those who do not do bhajana are in this category, even though they have human forms.
Those who are favourable to devotion are also of two kinds. Those of one kind are doing something, but they are not following the process, etiquette, and rules and regulations of devotees or devotion. They are in great numbers, whereas real devotees are very few in number, and even among this small number of devotees there are so many kinds. Some are initiated, but not properly. They are initiated by kula-gurus or fallen, so-called gurus who are not qualified, and third-class bogus gurus who have the false ego of being a guru. These devotees are greater in number.
Those who are initiated by qualified devotees, who have taken dīkṣā but not properly, not by vidvad-rūḍhī (taking the instructions of the guru and scriptures in the heart), think, “Oh, my fire sacrifice has been done, and my gurudeva has given me a sacred thread.” And the ladies think, “Oh, gurudeva has given me a name.” They wear big, big tilaka and kaṇṭhī-mālā, but there is no real dīkṣā, no dī – divya-jñāna (reception of realised transcendental knowledge), and no kṣā – disappearance of unfavourable and sinful activities. These devotees are greater in number than real devotees, and most of us are in this category.
Some may be above this, but the greater number is of this class. They have no real relation with Kṛṣṇa; no tattva-jñāna of kṛṣṇa-tattva, bhakti-tattva, jīva-tattva, or māyā-tattva. They don’t know who Kṛṣṇa is, or what the philosophical truth is about Kṛṣṇa, devotion, or rasa. They only sit and act out the moments of saying the mantras, but what they are doing, they themselves don’t know. Or, they may chant a mantra like ‘aiṁ gurave namaḥ’, but where are their minds? After ten minutes, they catch themselves and think, “Oh, what am I doing?” They were either sleeping or thinking of other things. Next, they chant, ‘klīṁ gaurāya namaḥ’, but again their minds were absent. Again, after half an hour, they think, “Oh, what am I doing?” They are struggling in this way, and the number is also greater.
Perhaps we are in this category. When worldly affairs come into their minds, like their job or anything else of that nature, they are very careful and cautious. Their minds are always on computers, and here and there. They cannot give their energy to the guru-mantra, the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, or any mantra. Some pure devotees may visit, and then they are somewhat inspired, but after the devotees leave, the inspiration fades. The number is also greater than that of real devotees.
In the category of those who are above this, there is still something lacking. Such devotees cannot follow:
tṛṇād api sunīcena
taror api sahiṣṇunā
amāninā mānadena
kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ
Śikṣāṣṭaka (3)
[“One can chant the holy name of the Lord in a humble state of mind, thinking himself lower than the straw in the street. One should be more tolerant than the tree, devoid of all sense of false prestige and ready to offer all respects to others. In such a state of mind one can chant the holy name of the Lord constantly.”]
They cannot even follow the instructions of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī in the Upadeśāmṛta (verse 1):
vāco vegaṁ manasaḥ krodha-vegaṁ
jihvā-vegam udaropastha-vegam
etān vegān yo viṣaheta dhīraḥ
sarvām apīmāṁ pṛthivīṁ sa śiṣyāt
Śrī Upadeśāmṛta (1)
[“A sober person who can tolerate the urge to speak, the mind’s demands, the actions of anger and the urges of the tongue, belly and genitals is qualified to make disciples all over the world.”]
I think that so many devotees do not know what this means. They never care about it. You can imagine what kind of devotees they are.
bhadra karāñā tāṅre gaṅgā-snāna karāila
śekhara āniyā tāṅre nūtana vastra dila
Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya-līlā 22.70)
[“Candraśekhara then made Sanātana Gosvāmī look like a gentleman. He took him to bathe in the Ganges, and afterwards he brought him a new set of clothes.”]
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu told Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī in Vārāṇasī, “You should be bhadra (gentle and sober) by dress.” At that time, Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī had a long beard and hair and wore very dirty clothes. He looked like a Muslim street beggar who was going to Mecca to chant “Allah, Khudā.” At once, he went to the Ganges, shaved, and put on tilaka, and now he looked like a Vaiṣṇava. We also see that many do not put on tilaka and are not shaved. They wear a single strand of neck beads, and that strand does not even touch their necks. This means they have no interest in all these devotional principles. They are coming to classes, so there is some attraction, but they don’t want to follow all the regulations.
Even in the military, there are rules and etiquette. The soldiers must wear a military uniform; otherwise they 
will be punished at once. They have to run two miles with very heavy guns and boots: “Quick march, quick march, double march.” That is discipline. Similarly, there is also some Vaiṣṇava discipline. If we cannot obey and follow Vaiṣṇava etiquette and discipline, how will we obtain this very high class of vraja-prema? Vraja-prema is not so easy to attain. It is stated in the scriptures that the chanting of one holy name is sufficient for perfection. We are chanting so many names, but not experiencing any results.
So you will have to follow all these principles. First follow Vaiṣṇava etiquette, those things which we can easily do. We see that Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu, Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī and all their associates are all paramahaṁsas, and still, all of them followed Vaiṣṇava etiquette. Then why should we not follow? It is not sufficient to simply wear mālā (beads). First, there must be etiquette, and this is known as Vaiṣṇava sadācāra.
For whom was jail created? For persons who are not following rules and regulations, for those who are causing disturbance to others. We have no taste. How will this taste come? If we follow the rules and regulations given by Rūpa Gosvāmī, Sanātana Gosvāmī, and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, then taste will come. If we neglect these regulations, however, and do not follow Vaiṣṇava etiquette, how can we hope to attain vraja-prema? Rather, we will have to be punished.
For those who are following the etiquette, it is said,
vāco vegaṁ manasaḥ krodha-vegaṁ
jihvā-vegam udaropastha-vegam
etān vegān yo viṣaheta dhīraḥ
sarvām apīmāṁ pṛthivīṁ sa śiṣyāt
Śrī Upadeśāmṛta (1)
[“A sober person who can tolerate the urge to speak, the mind’s demands, the actions of anger and the urges of the tongue, belly and genitals is qualified to make disciples all over the world.”]
If you want to master anything, you must follow some rules and regulations: daily reading and completing the tasks given by your professor or teacher. There must be daily attendance, but not only attendance. There must also be careful study and hearing.
Vāco vegaṁ – controlling the tongue. The tongue is very much uncontrolled. It has no backbone. It can twist to this side or that side, and it can become long or short. But it has no bone, and therefore it is uncontrolled. It may be possible to control the air, but not the tongue.
The tongue creates all kinds of problems. Draupadī was a very high-class lady devotee, always following all the 
rules and regulations. She was able to control herself and even her five husbands. But she once said to Duryodhana, “Blind father, blind son.” She said only these words. Duryodhana became very angry, and this caused the whole Mahābhārata battle where millions of people were killed. Another example is that of Sītā-devī, the wife of Lord Rāmacandra. She also did not control her tongue (she was perfect, but to fulfil her Lord’s mission, she acted in this way). She said something to Lakṣmaṇa, and for this reason the whole Rāmāyaṇa battle took place.
So, try to control your tongue. If you want to be peaceful and do bhajana, don’t quarrel with your wife or husband, your sons and daughters, and other devotees. I see that so many problems arise solely from an uncontrolled tongue. From today onward, you should promise, “I will not quarrel with my husband or wife, children, gurudeva, and all other devotees.” If you control your tongue, you will also control anger. Without this, you cannot control your anger.
The tongue also always wants to taste very delicious things. If you do not control it, lust will increase. Your stomach will be destroyed, and you will very soon become old and helpless. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī tells how to control the six urges in the next verse:
atyāhāraḥ prayāsaś ca
prajalpo niyamāgrahaḥ
jana-saṅgaś ca laulyaṁ ca
ṣaḍbhir bhaktir vinaśyati
Śrī Upadeśāmṛta (2)
[“One’s devotional service is spoiled when he becomes too entangled in the following six activities: (1) eating more than necessary or collecting more funds than required; (2) over-endeavouring for mundane things that are very difficult to obtain; (3) talking unnecessarily about mundane subject matters; (4) practicing the scriptural rules and regulations only for the sake of following them and not for the sake of spiritual advancement, or rejecting the rules and regulations of the scriptures and working independently or whimsically; (5) associating with worldly-minded persons who are not interested in Kṛṣṇa consciousness; and 
(6) being greedy for mundane achievements.”]
Don’t take very rich foodstuff. Don’t engage very much in the activities of your five senses; otherwise, this will also be atyāhāraḥ. What did I say?
Prema-prayojana dāsa: Śrīla Gurudeva is explaining that the fault of over-eating is not only the fault of the tongue. All five senses can be guilty of over-eating. If the eyes are wandering here and there and looking towards material sense-objects…
Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: You may see a very beautiful teenage lady, and by chance your eyes go there. Take that glance and turn it towards Kṛṣṇa, the Deities, and the Vaiṣṇavas. If you are looking, looking, looking, and looking, attachment will come, and you will become the dāsa (servant) of that lady. You will not be able to control yourself. This is true of all the senses.
‘Atyāhāraḥ prayāsaś.’ Don’t try to become astrologers and don’t read books other than bhakti books. Don’t go to palm-readers, who will tell you, “This is your lifeline, this is your money-line, and this is your son and daughter line.”
Always try to engage all your senses in kṛṣṇa-bhakti to develop your Kṛṣṇa consciousness and learn how to please your gurudeva. This is sufficient. If you have not studied in school or college, there is no harm, because only by chanting, remembering, serving, and obeying your gurudeva can you be happy. There are so many examples of this, such as Śrīla Haridāsa Ṭhākura and others. You cannot be happy through material endeavours. Don’t try to be an expert in worldly things. Try to be an expert in kṛṣṇa-bhakti. Try to develop the pure name.
‘Atyāhāraḥ prayāsaś ca prajalpo.’ Don’t talk prajalpa. Don’t speak about silly things. Only speak about that which is favourable for bhakti. If you are speaking about Kṛṣṇa and kṛṣṇa-bhakti, this is okay; but if you are merely criticising those like Kaṁsa or Jarāsandha, it is not good. What should you do? Give up all these things. Only glorify Nanda, Yaśodā, the gopīs, gopas, Kṛṣṇa, and all the devotees. Be far away from all these other things.
Don’t care so much about your life maintenance. You can do something as a lower-class devotee. When you become more mature, however, you will not have to do anything. What you need will come very easily.
‘Prayāsaś ca prajalpo niyamāgrahaḥ.’ You should think, ‘I must chant.’ How much? One lākha (64 rounds). If 
you cannot do this, then chant fifty thousand names, or thirty-two rounds – not less than that. If you cannot do that, then somehow chant twenty-five rounds. And if you cannot do that, then go to the ocean and jump in at once. Then, in another life you will be able to chant. If you cannot chant this much in this lifetime, then certainly go to the Pacific Ocean or Atlantic Ocean or the English or Irish Channel.
If you want to be a devotee, then try to follow all these regulations. If you are chanting and in the meantime your gurudeva or any high-class devotee comes to give a lecture, what should you do? Should you continue your chanting and complete your rounds, or should you go hear your gurudeva’s lecture? What should you do? You should hear. By hearing, your holy name will be very high-class, and you can also complete your rounds. You will be able to do many rounds. So don’t do ‘niyamāgrahaḥ.’ What is this ‘niyamāgrahaḥ?’ You should explain the two kinds.
Prema-prayojana dāsa: Here Śrīla Gurudeva is explaining the meaning of the word ‘niyamāgrahaḥ.’ ‘Niyamāgrahaḥ’ means to not follow the rules and regulations. This point is very clear, but the second meaning of the word ‘niyamāgrahaḥ’ is to excessively follow rules and regulations in such a way that it does not actually enhance your bhakti, but rather becomes an impediment.
Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: If you want to develop your Kṛṣṇa consciousness and you want taste in the name and pastimes of Kṛṣṇa, then you must follow the third verse:
utsāhān niścayād dhairyāt
tat-tat-karma-pravartanāt
saṅga-tyāgāt sato vṛtteḥ
ṣaḍbhir bhaktiḥ prasidhyati
Śrī Upadeśāmṛta (3)
[“There are six principles favourable to the execution of pure devotional service: (1) being enthusiastic, (2) endeavouring with confidence, (3) being patient, (4) acting according to regulative principles (such as śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇam – hearing, chanting and remembering Kṛṣṇa), (5) abandoning the association of nondevotees, and (6) following in the footsteps of the previous ācāryas. These six principles undoubtedly assure the complete success of pure devotional service.”]
When problems come, we become hopeless and think, “I am chanting the holy name, I am chanting more than sixteen rounds and still so many problems are coming. I should give it up.” Don’t think like this. ‘Utsāhāt.’ ‘Utsāhāt’ means with enthusiasm. By that, more than sixty-four rounds (one lākha of nāma) will be completed. ‘Niścayāt’ means the conviction that ‘sooner or later’ I will have kṛṣṇa-prema. I must have it.”
śrī-prahrāda uvāca
śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ
smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam
arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyaṁ
sakhyam ātma-nivedanam
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (7.5.23)
[“(Prahlāda Mahārāja said:) ‘Hearing and chanting about the transcendental holy name, form, qualities, paraphernalia and pastimes of Lord Viṣṇu, remembering them, serving the lotus feet of the Lord, offering the Lord respectful worship with sixteen types of paraphernalia, offering prayers to the Lord, becoming His servant, considering the Lord one’s best friend, and surrendering everything unto Him (in other words, serving Him with the body, mind and words) — these nine processes are accepted as pure devotional service.’”]
sādhu-saṅga, nāma-kīrtana, bhāgavata-śravaṇa
mathurā-vāsa, śrī-mūrtira śraddhāya sevana
Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya-līlā 22.128)
[“One should associate with devotees, chant the holy name of the Lord, hear Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, reside at 
Mathurā and worship the Deity with faith and veneration.”]
If you want kṛṣṇa-prema, engage with strong determination in śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam, and especially in sādhu-saṅga, nāma-kīrtana, bhāgavata-śravaṇa, mathurā-vāsa, and śrī-mūrtira śraddhāya sevana. First, complete all these things, and then you can try to do something to maintain your life. The holy name will arrange everything for you.
‘Utsāhān niścayād dhairyāt, tat-tat-karma-pravartanāt, saṅga-tyāgāt’ – don’t associate with bad persons. He may be a father, a husband, or even a guru. If you want to have kṛṣṇa-prema, you should give up that kind of guru; what to speak of that kind of husband, children, and others. Kṛṣṇa can save you. Kṛṣṇa is the eternal, complete and supreme husband and beloved. But these husbands are cheaters, and these wives are also cheaters. They can never save you. Only because you are very beautiful are you very dear to your husband. If you have even a little desire to be with another boyfriend, your husband will give you up. If you are in some way ugly, with two or three children, your husband might reject you and take a new wife. And the wife will do the same thing with the husband. These problems are everywhere.
Saṅga-tyāgāt – give up all bad association. Even if he is your guru, father, mother or husband, give him up. There are so many examples; all śāstras are full of all these evidences. So try to follow this if you want to have kṛṣṇa-prema. Sato vṛtteḥ – always try to follow the rules, regulations, and the etiquette of Vaiṣṇava sadācāra. It is not good that we are thinking, “Oh, we are devotees. We should have a factory where various things will be produced. We can sell them and do hari-bhajana. In this way we will not have to go begging.” You will have to give more energy to your business than to your bhajana. Your whole energy will go into the business.
So follow the etiquette of our Gosvāmīs and other pure devotees, including gṛhasthas; see how they maintained their lives and do like them іn the same way.
dadāti pratigṛhṇāti
guhyam ākhyāti pṛcchati
bhuṅkte bhojayate caiva
ṣaḍ-vidhaṁ prīti-lakṣaṇam
Śrī Upadeśāmṛta (4)
[“Offering gifts in charity, accepting charitable gifts, revealing one’s mind in confidence, inquiring confidentially, accepting prasāda and offering prasāda are the six symptoms of love shared by one devotee and another.”]
Be with Vaiṣṇavas, always. Try to honour and respect them according to their stages: kaniṣṭha, madhyama and uttama (third, second, or first-class devotees). If you have no taste, what should you do? Again and again, chant and chant. This is the medicine; this is the diet and everything.
Don’t criticise any Vaiṣṇava. Never, never. Otherwise, a big offence will be committed, and your bhakti will be uprooted. Don’t offend anyone. Then in the Upadeśāmṛta verse 8 it is stated:
tan-nāma-rūpa-caritādi-sukīrtanānu-
smṛtyoḥ krameṇa rasanā-manasī niyojya
tiṣṭhan vraje tad-anurāgi-janānugāmī
kālaṁ nayed akhilam ity upadeśa-sāram
Upadeśāmṛta (8)
[“The essence of all advice is that one should utilise one’s full time – twenty-four hours a day – in nicely chanting and remembering the Lord’s divine name, transcendental form, qualities and eternal pastimes, thereby gradually engaging one’s tongue and mind. In this way one should reside in Vraja (Goloka Vṛndāvana-dhāma) and serve Kṛṣṇa under the guidance of devotees. One should follow in the footsteps of the Lord’s beloved devotees, who are deeply attached to His devotional service.”]
At once, quickly be in Vṛndāvana, always under the guidance of a rasika and tattva-jñāna Vaiṣṇava or guru. Doing what? Make sure your tongue is always chanting:
he kṛṣṇa karuṇā-sindho
dīna-bandho jagat-pate
gopeśa gopikā-kānta
rādhā-kānta namo ’stu te
[“O Śrī Kṛṣṇa, You are an ocean of mercy, the friend of the fallen, Lord of the universe, master of the cowherds, beloved of the gopīs, and (above all) the beloved of Śrī Rādhā. I offer praṇāma unto You.”]
Rādhā-ramaṇa, Rādhā-rāsa-bihārī, and Rādhā-kānta, like this; always chanting these names. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has given us the highest class of mantra, the mahā-mantra, Hare Kṛṣṇa. Every name is there (in that mantra), as well as all kinds of rasas. Right now you are not understanding these things; but one day, if you become a high-class Vaiṣṇava, then you can realise.
You should chant. What names should one chant? The most beautiful and high-class names, like Rādhā-ramaṇa, Rādhā-rāsa-bihārī – all these names. And be in Vṛndāvana under the guidance of rasika Vaiṣṇavas. Your tongue should always be chanting, and your mind remembering the sweet pastimes of Rādhā-Dāmodara, Rādhā-rāsa-bihārī, and Rādhā-ramaṇa. This is the essence of all śāstras and teachings.
You will have to follow Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī’s Manaḥ-śikṣā. Especially the first śloka, beginning with gurau goṣṭhe, is very important. If you have received dīkṣā initiation, you must follow this. Don’t neglect the process your guru has given for chanting the gāyatrī-mantras. Remember the Deity of that mantra, surrender, pray (ātma-nivedanam), and know the meanings of all the mantras that he gave us.
We have not come into this world only to manage. If you are managing your preaching centre, it is not 
enough. Why manage a centre if you are not following these things? Then there is no need of any centre. If you are always quarrelling and not obeying, not chanting, remembering, or uttering the gāyatrī-mantras – always thinking of this building here or there, then there is no need of a centre. If you cannot develop your Kṛṣṇa consciousness, there is no use.
Preaching centres are to help others and to help us. But if you are not helping yourself and so many problems are coming, you should set fire to that preaching centre at once. Even the children’s schools and colleges – if they are a problem, then set fire to them as well. Now you are seeing very great problems with many of the children who were previously attending those schools. The children have sued those who managed these schools. Those schools were built for the betterment of the children, but what has become of them? The opposite.
Try to develop your Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Don’t make Gītā-saṁsāra thinking: “I cannot maintain everything. Who will look after my Deities? I have no time to chant and to do all these things as well. Who will change Their clothes and do kīrtana and do ārati three or four times a day? Who will cook for Them? I should have a beautiful wife (or a qualified husband).” What will happen? There will always be quarrelling and problems. What is the need?*
So try to follow all these things. Be in Vṛndāvana.
“O gurudeva, I cannot be in Vṛndāvana”
“Why? Do you want kṛṣṇa-prema? Why can’t you go? What is the problem? Give up all these things and go to Vṛndāvana. Why can’t you go? Because you desire your own sense gratification?”
Try to obey at least the first six ślokas of Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī’s Manah-śikṣā. Remember this first śloka:
gurau goṣṭhe goṣṭhālayiṣu sujane bhūsura-gaṇe
sva-mantre śrī-nāmni vraja-nava-yuva-dvandva-śaraṇe
sadā dambhaṁ hitvā kuru ratim apūrvam atitarām
aye svāntar bhrātaś caṭubhir abhiyāce dhṛta-padaḥ
Śrī Manaḥ-śikṣā (1)
[“O my dear brother; my foolish mind! Taking hold of your feet, I humbly pray to you with sweet words. Please give up all pride and quickly develop sublime and incessant rati for śrī gurudeva, Śrī Vraja-dhāma, the residents of Vraja, the Vaiṣṇavas, the brāhmaṇas, my dīkṣā-mantras, the holy names of the Supreme Lord, and the shelter of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, the eternally youthful divine couple of Vraja.”]
You should try to remember this first śloka of Manaḥ-śikṣā. You should always have rati. Rati means not only śraddhā, but śraddhā, niṣṭhā, ruci, āsakti, and then rati. You should have that class of rati. Your rati should not be divided into fractions, having some for the new child who has come. That child is always crying, so you are always patting him, “Oh, you should sleep.” You should not divide your rati with your wife or husband or with anything in this world. Have akhaṇḍa-rati (complete, undivided attachment) for the guru. 
Why the guru? Because a real, bona fide guru can give you taste and kṛṣṇa-prema very easily. Have rati for those who have kṛṣṇa-prema. They are called dīkṣā-guru and śikṣā-guru.
The places of Kṛṣṇa pastimes are called goṣṭha, and you should have great honour for them. You can go there and roll in the dust, weeping, “O dust of Vṛndāvana, you are transcendental. Be pleased with me. Be merciful to me.” In this way, be sometimes in Nandagaon, sometimes in Varṣāṇā, and especially at Rādhā-kuṇḍa and Śyāma-kuṇḍa, weeping, and be at Girirāja Govardhana or Yamunā.
Also, remember those who reside there. They are goṣṭhālayiṣu. Who is there? Kṛṣṇa, His mother Yaśodā, His father Nanda, the gopas, the gopīs, the cows, the peacocks, and all of Kṛṣṇa’s associates. Try to honour them; also Rūpa and Sanātana Gosvāmīs, and especially śrī-guru.
Also have rati for the brāhmaṇas and for any sampradāyic Vaiṣṇava, and for other sampradāyic Vaiṣṇavas as well – Rāmānuja, Madhvācārya, Viṣṇusvāmī, and others.
Daily, give respect to the mantras that the guru has given: brahma-gāyatrī, guru-mantra, guru-gāyatrī, gaura-mantra, gaura-gāyatrī, gopāla-mantra, kāma-gāyatrī, pañca-tattva and mahā-mantra – daily.
Then, if there is some time, you can take your meal. Guru Mahārāja (Śrīla Bhakti Prajñāna Keśava Gosvāmī 
Maharāja) neglected to bathe and change his clothes because he considered it took too much time. He had no time for these things. After one month, he would take one loṭā of water and throw it behind him, touching only his śikhā, not his body. He had no time at all. Śrīla Prabhupāda Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Ṭhākura was also like this. They had no time to take a bath daily.
We should follow them. Always remember with a one-pointed mind all these gāyatrī-mantras, and then chant the mahā-mantra very carefully. Don’t be in a hurry. When chanting gāyatrī, do not look at your sons, daughters, husband or wife. “My husband must go to the office, so I should chant quickly. To worship the Deities will take one hour, but I want to go to the office (or I want to go to University), so very quickly I should chant.” Bhakti is not like this. So, have so much rati for these things. If you are initiated, try to chant properly and very patiently, not in a hurry.
Indian Vedic ṛṣis discovered prāṇāyāma for this purpose – to control the mind. Have rati especially for Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Nityānanda Prabhu, and in the end for Rādhā–Kṛṣṇa Conjugal. The result of all our sādhana-bhakti is to have rati for Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. If this is not done, then what is the use of this life?
kenô vā āchaye prāṇa ki sukha pāiyā
narottama dāsa kenô nā gelô mariyā
Gorā Pahũ Nā Bhajiyā Mainu (5)
[“For what happiness does this life continue? Why doesn’t Narottama dāsa simply die?”]
“Why is Narottama not dying?” He is lamenting, “I want to die, because I cannot do all these things (I have no devotion).” He can do these things, and he is doing so, but he is weeping for us.
Try to realise all these things. This is the essence of all teachings. From today, you should try to follow these principles if you want to love and serve Rādhā–Kṛṣṇa Conjugal and Mahāprabhu. There is no other way. Today, or after some days, you will have to follow them if you want this love. Śāstra has told that if you are not following, even though you have a human body, you are only a donkey. Don’t waste your time engaging in worldly sense gratification. You can never be happy in that way.
* Gītā-saṁsāra tells the story of a devotee who sought material solutions to the difficulties he faced in living alone and preaching Bhagavad-gītā, instead of seeking the advice of his guru. Consequently, he became entangled in material existence again.
Source(s): Purebhakti.com, Serve Love – Bhakta Bandhav (Bhakta Bandhav Anthology transcribed and edited by the Bhakta Bandhav Team)
Image(s) made possible by Pixabay.com, Krishnapath.org.in, Keystone Press / Alamy Stock Photo and / or Bhaktiart.net
Unless indicated otherwise, all verse translations and quotes are from the books by Śrīla Prabhupāda (Vedabase.com)
