Please accept my most humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Recently we’ve heard many views and opinions about the subject of street chanting, whether it's right or wrong as far as public relations are concerned. All devotees sharing their opinions on this matter, regardless of what their opinions might be, are certainly doing so out of concern for the future of our preaching and must all be respected for doing so. I personally don’t consider myself an authority competent to decide on such matters, and I am hardly worthy of judging between those great devotees and deciding which one is right.

My perspective is like so: I don’t know whether street chanting, in any part of the world, is right or wrong, but as long as devotees might be offended by my chanting in the street, I would rather not do so. Making an offense against the lotus feet of a devotee is the worst thing a devotee can do. I really hate seeing us being torn apart by such arguments and being split into groups. I really don’t think that is what Srila Prabhupada intended. I would really rather be in good relations with all the devotees. So therefore, until these great souls reach a final decision about this matter I would personally try to avoid street chanting.

"If the devotee commits an offense at the feet of a Vaisnava while cultivating the creeper of devotional service in the material world, his offense is compared to a mad elephant that uproots the creeper and breaks it. In this way the leaves of the creeper are dried up." [Caitanya Cartamrita, Madhya 19.156]

I hope this finds you in the best of health.

Your servant,
Bhakta Omer
Israel
omer@harekrishnatemple.com

© dipika.org April 25, 2003