It Is Not Supposed To Be a Punishment

By krishnasmercy on April 7, 2026 • ( 0 )

“O King, as I repeatedly recall this wondrous and holy dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna, I take pleasure, being thrilled at every moment.” (Sanjaya, Bhagavad-gita, 18.76)

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राजन् संस्मृत्य संस्मृत्य
संवादम् इमम् अद्भुतम्
केशवार्जुनयोः पुण्यं
हृष्यामि च मुहुर् मुहुः

rājan saṁsmṛtya saṁsmṛtya
saṁvādam imam adbhutam
keśavārjunayoḥ puṇyaṁ
hṛṣyāmi ca muhur muhuḥ

“Do you ever get bothered by the surveillance aspect of Krishna consciousness? Let me explain, before you think I am referring to a federal law enforcement agency or one of those private investigative firms. It is from that feeling of guilt about something that pretty much everyone does anyway. For instance, a fellow devotee spotted you watching a television program. The response is, ‘You know, that is maya, Prabhu.’ Took a sip of a soda or coffee? That is maya, Prabhu. Sat down for a slice of pizza after travelling hours for a sankirtana program? They will take a picture of you, to use as blackmail in the future. They are only kidding, after all. Or are they? Heaven forbid you sleep in on the weekends, after a long week at work, you are obviously guilty of being in the mode of ignorance.

“The part that troubles me is some of the responses. They tell you that you should be chanting the holy names, instead. They are almost more upset with your lack of fear. They want you to be as afraid as they are. They want you to feel like bhakti-yoga is a punishment, that you should chant your rounds in order to atone.

“That really strikes me as offensive, to be honest. I chant my rounds, sure. I read my books. I follow some regulations. I do it because I like to. This is my choice. I am not doing it to look good in front of you. I am not trying to exchange my sadhana for social mileage. The worst is when these people punish the children by telling them to chant their rounds. Those kids are going to grow up to hate Krishna consciousness. Mark my words.

This is something to ponder. If chanting the holy names is a kind of atonement for lapsing, for going against a routine, for breaking vows, then what is the opposite? Because I got caught, I begrudgingly chant the holy names: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. I spend some time in meditation. I read more pages of a book. It is a chore. It is obviously not something I want to do.

Alright, but then what happens when I do behave properly? What if there is nothing to punish? What if I am free of visible offenses? Does this mean I am in the clear? I no longer need to worship? I went through the motions, I satisfied the guardsmen, and so now my reward is life in maya? That makes no sense. The life in maya is what I was trying to escape, in the first place. I wanted out of illusion. Because I was fortunate, a bhāgyavān jīva, as Chaitanya Mahaprabhu describes, I received the seed of the creeper of devotional service.

ब्रह्माण्ड भ्रमिते कोन भाग्यवान् जीव
गुरु-कृष्ण-प्रसादे पाय भक्ति-लता-बीज

brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva
guru-kṛṣṇa-prasāde pāya bhakti-latā-bīja

“According to their karma, all living entities are wandering throughout the entire universe. Some of them are being elevated to the upper planetary systems, and some are going down into the lower planetary systems. Out of many millions of wandering living entities, one who is very fortunate gets an opportunity to associate with a bona fide spiritual master by the grace of Krishna. By the mercy of both Krishna and the spiritual master, such a person receives the seed of the creeper of devotional service.” (Chaitanya Charitamrita, Madhya 19.151)

If I cheat on my diet, it is no big deal because I will run an extra mile tomorrow. If I sleep a little longer than usual, it is alright because I will put in more hours at the office at the end of the day. If I consume one more beverage, I promise to hold back the next time I attend a party. There is always some sort of compensation. I am trading delayed pain for immediate pleasure. If I view my life in bhakti-yoga the same way, then it is like I am in a business transaction. I am only punishing myself to receive a reward later on.

There are ten offenses identified that might apply when chanting the holy names, and the above described scenario is one of them. There are many formulas for atonement that already exist. They can be found in Vedic literature. There is no shortage of information. If I break the rules, if I do something wrong, there is a path towards correcting the mistake. The results relate to karma. This is why such activities, in the mood of worship, fall into the division of the Vedas known as karma-kanda.

Bhakti-yoga is for escaping karma. It is for rising above good and bad, which are endpoints in duality created by Hari Himself. Hari happens to be one name for the Almighty. Hari is also the only person who can remove that illusion. We chant His names in order to be free of duality. If we view that chanting as punishment, it means we are still in duality.

हरि माया कृत दोष गुन बिनु हरि भजन न जाहिं
भजिअ राम सब काम तजि अस बिचारि मन माहिं

hari māyā kṛta doṣa guna binu hari bhajana na jāhiṃ
bhajia rāma saba kāma taji asa bicāri mana māhiṃ

“Good and bad, which are part of the illusion created by Hari, cannot be removed without worshiping Hari. Keeping this in mind, worship Rama and renounce all desires.” (Dohavali, 127)

We have the testimony of Sanjaya in Bhagavad-gita. Whenever he recalls the scene of Krishna and Arjuna on the battlefield, he feels a thrill. When he remembers the conversation between that charioteer and His dear friend, it is like the greatest experience. This is not part of Sanjaya’s sadhana. Sanjaya is not remembering to atone for past mistakes. It is simply his preference. The eye-opening insight is that this same thrill can be experienced by any person. This platform of appreciation, of connection in memory, of contemplating the infinite mercy of the Supreme, is the reward itself.