Rekindling the Dying Spark Through Festivals
“One must make a constant effort to drive these (bad) thoughts away from the mind and diligently follow the rules of Vaisnava etiquette. This endeavor will bring back his good fortune. He must begin by observing ekadasi vows, appearance days of the Lord and other important festival days. He should spend the entire festival day and night chanting and singing the glories of the Lord in association of saintly devotees. The ideal way to observe these festivals is to be in one of the dhamas (Navadvipa, Vrndavana, Puri, etc.) with sadhus (pure devotees in the line of Srila Rupa Gosvami) reading and discussing sastra (Vedic literatures like Bhagavad-gita, Srimad-Bhagavatam and other Vaisnava scriptures). He should wholeheartedly participate in these festivals without anxiety or hesitation. These festivals will gradually rekindle the dying spark of spiritual taste. Thus he will gradually again become attracted to the pastimes of the Supreme Lord.”
[Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur, Harinam Cintamani, Chapter 12]
