what if this is all true?

I remember this story by Srila Prabhupada which gives me confidence in this process of Krishna Consciousness. Whatever I am writing is based on memory and has been paraphrased.

Srila Prabhupada was once questioned by a western skeptic about Krishna Consciousness. He asked “what is the use of all this austerity and chanting?....what if Krishna Consciousness is not really true and all of this is just imaginary?”. The man was implying that why are we wasting our time if none of this does not exist in the after world and that we are indeed missing on the enjoyments of this world.

Srila Prabhupada replied that at the least he lives a lifestyle where he is not entangled in too many difficulties (in the mundane sense) and hence happy materially. Srila Prabhupada, then, turned the question on this head and asked the man

“what if this is all true?...then what is your situation?”

The man of course was dumbfounded and could not respond.

So we can see here that this process of Krishna Consciousness even if imaginary and sentimental, teaches a human being to live a moral and ethical life (at the minimum). However, using the lives of great saints before us as evidence, we can easily conclude that there is a higher dimension that we can gain eternal happiness.

In order for us to gain access to that higher domain….there is no way but to let go of our current domain!

Hare Krishna