This is how to free oneself from the bondage of matter and the shackles of material existence.

The age of discord, quarrels, hypocrisy, and sin—the present age—is marred by an infinite number of defects. In short, it is a veritable ocean of defects, but it nevertheless has one advantage: one need only recite or chant the holy names of God;

Hare Krishna, hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, hare hare

Hare Rama, hare Rama, Rama Rama, hare hare

So that the defilement of this dark age may disappear within us, allowing us to regain our original spiritual bodies and return to God, our true home in His eternal kingdom.

When Krishna appeared, He made known His instructions and inaugurated the era of chanting His holy names for the benefit of all living beings. It is further said that this era will continue for ten thousand years. This means that simply by chanting the Hare Krishna hymn, the fallen souls of this sinful age will be delivered. The sinful age began just after the Lord's departure 5,000 years ago and has continued for 432,000 years, of which only 5,000 have passed. Therefore, 427,000 years remain. And of these 427,000 years, the 10,000 years inaugurated by Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu the Golden Avatar 500 years ago provide the fallen souls of this dark age with the opportunity to regain Krishna consciousness and chant the Hare Krishna hymn. Thus, they can be liberated from the clutches of material existence and return to their original home with Godhead.

Although the age of sin is full of flaws, it nevertheless has one great advantage: one need only chant or recite the hymn “Hare Krishna” to free oneself from the bondage of matter and be elevated to the spiritual realm. Spreading God's instructions throughout the world is the best charitable activity that can bring peace and prosperity among mankind. By chanting the holy names of God, Hare Krishna, the heart is purified.

The whole difficulty in this iron age stems from the fact that there is no virtue and no purification of the heart; because of this, people make the mistake of identifying themselves with their bodies.

This means that the concept of existence is based on the body. We find this misunderstanding everywhere. As soon as a being has a corporeal concept of life, they are reduced to the level of an animal. Thus, the most dangerous impurity that sullies the heart remains this mistaken identification of the being with their body. Under the influence of this misconception, a person will think, “I am the body. I am English,” or “I am Indian. I am American. I am Hindu. I am Muslim.” This misconception remains the major obstacle and must be swept away. This is God's instruction. Each of us is a spiritual soul incarnated in a human body. Although the soul is in the body, due to false understanding and animal tendencies, the embodied being considers the body as the true self. Only the chanting of the holy names of God, hare Krishna, can purify the heart imprisoned by this false concept.

The material world is characterized by the struggle for life. Survival of the fittest, or natural selection, is a well-known principle, but the poor souls of this material world do not know what true survival is or who is truly fit to live. Survival cannot go hand in hand with death; on the contrary, this word indicates that one should eternally enjoy a life full of bliss and knowledge, without ever experiencing death. This is true survival.

The teachings of Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, are intended to elevate each person to this level of existence and thus end the struggle for life. He gives precise instructions on how one can end this struggle and survive into eternity. One need only listen to or read the books cited above, which convey the pure, true teachings of Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, to become completely pure. Thus, the struggle for existence ceases, and the being can then return to God, to his original abode, situated in his eternal and absolute kingdom.