Srila Prabhupada has on several occasions mentioned that association is 90% in spiritual life. This is not only true for sadhakas (practicing devotees) but also for siddhas (perfected beings) who associate with other siddhas that share a similar mood of service. Becauseassociation is so important, Prabhupada has kindly and mercifully provided this ISKCON institution to facilitate the association of devotees. What is association
dadati pratigrhnati, guhyam akhyati prcchati,
bhunkte bhojayate caiva,
sad-vidham priti-laksanam”
(NOI,text 4) – The 6 loving exchanges between devotees (giving and receiving of gifts, giving and receiving of prasadam and inquiring confidentially and revealing your mind in confidence). This is what association is based on.
The Nama-Hatta is a perfect platform for ensuring that these 6 loving exchanges are supported outside the temple environment. Nama-hatta’s give devotees the opportunity to get personal attention and to make inquiries that they may feel awkward or shy to make at the temple.
If the Nama-Hatta is structured nicely, as the Nama-Hatta council have provided, the devotees will be able to get the practical aspects of Krishna Consciousness: how to offer the food, how to do an arati, how to apply tilak etc) to deeper aspects of Krishna Conscious philosophy. If the devotee continues to associate in a favorable way within the Nama-Hatta and remains sincere to the goal of life (Krishna-Prema), then the devotee will undoubtedly advance very nicely.We will like to encourage you to please join the closest Nama-Hatta to you. Trying to practice Krishna Consciousness alone (especially at our neophyte stage) is not effective enough. We need the constant association (defined above) with devotees. Ramananda Raya, a close associate of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, said that the greatest distress is not being in the association of devotees. So please try to associate in a favourable and non-offensive way with devotees and let us all advance nicely in Krishna Consciousness and one day we will all be together in Goloka Vrndavan, serving Radha-Syama.
Related