Using intoxicants or other Violations while chanting – Will Krishna accept?
A male devotee (Name hidden) asked like this:
“Hare.Krishna I was reading about the pain and suffering some very good devotees experience and those who are Karmis do not. I have struggled with this but I look at it as a blessing. The more we suffer in this world the faster we seek the salvation of the Lotus feet of Lord.Krishna. I fight with addiction. It is embarrassing to speak of this. I still chant daily and I wish I can find relief. I have been taking methadone as a fix to stop using opiates. I used them to stop my inner pain and loneliness. Now I am older it is hard to stop taking methadone. I don’t eat meat and I send money to help the cows in Vrindavina and I am on a fix income. Does Krishna hear the prayers of a fallen devotee? Anonymous please. God.bless.”
REPLY:
Krishna will definitely accept if we use intoxicants or other Violations while chanting.
Just because a chanting devotee is also using intoxicants or doing any other act of indiscipline, Krishna will not leave him or punish him.
He accepts that devotee too.
However, Krishna will frame a separately customized plan for you.
That means Krishna will take some extra steps to cleanse you from such violations of using intoxicants and/or other violations.
(Should an initiated devotee of other sampradhaya chant Hare Krishna too? READ HERE!)
Krishna will analyse your violations. If those violations can be corrected even within this birth, Krishna brings you out of such violations by giving right directions, strength and experience to quit those bad habits.
If Krishna finds the bad habits of a devotee can not be corrected within this birth, He will give more birth(s) to correct those bad habits.
In your case, you say that you are in an advanced age.
So, you would have more addictions for many decades since your young age till this old age.
So You need more efforts and experience to quit the addictions.
Since you are already in your elderly age, Krishna may give another good birth withHe will give abundant opportunities to practice devotion without violations in that birth.
If you make use of that good birth in a devotee family and practice devotion sincerely in that birth developing material detachments and Prema to Krishna, you can go back to Krishna even from your next birth.
(ACHARYAS ON CHANTING THE HOLY NAMES OF KRISHNA! READ HERE!)
So, the point is that you will not be punished if you chant with some violations. Instead, you will get another birth to lead a devotional life without violations.
Of course, getting entry into this material world by taking another birth itself is a punishment. But, a wise devotee will use this birth in the earth to get Krishna, because only the earth has suitable atmosphere to follow devotional way of life as the earthly life has both pleasures and pains.
In higher planets, ie, heavenly planets there will be more pleasures alone. So, getting Krishna from the heavenly life may be difficult.
Because only the pains take us closer to Krishna.
Hope you are clear about whether Krishna accept if we use intoxicants or other Violations while chanting.
(Will chanting protect us from the curses from others? READ HERE!)