One of the greatest challenges for the Hare Krishna chanters is the uncontrolled mind. Practitioners struggle with the myriad desires of the restless mind; it pushes us for selfish enjoyment and exploitative control of others. The Bhagavad Gita declares that for one whose mind is controlled, it becomes the best friend and for an aspirant whose mind is uncontrolled, the mind is the worst enemy (Bhagavad .

Valmiki, the original author of the Ramayana was a cruel hunter by profession. Narada muni, a pure devotee of the Lord felt compassion for him and helped him mend ways and take shelter of the Lord. However Valmiki was so sinful that he couldn’t even chant the names of Lord Rama. We should remember that this episode took place during the treat yuga, a time period of great virtue and piety when people .

The greatest obstacles on the path of spirituality are caused not by the external challenges posed by the world, but by our own false ego. The Srimad Bhagavatam describes the envious activities of the serpent Kalia who poisoned the sacred river Yamuna and killed all of Krishna’s friends and cows. Kalia was proud of his destructive activities and couldn’t stand anyone else happy. When Krishna sported .

A significant, perceivable benefit of chanting Hare Krishna is that the process fills our heart with the quality of fearlessness. The Vedic scriptures narrate many examples of devotees who were fearless in the face of adversities because of constant chanting and remembrance of Krishna. Prahalad was a five year old child who loved Vishnu, God. His father Hiranyakashipu abhorred God and threatened .