Krishna Doesn’t Force You—He Frees You
Why Real Outreach Honors Free Will
I used to think preaching meant persuading people that Krishna consciousness is the only way, and if they didn’t accept it, they were wrong. Full stop. I’d quote verses like “Hare Nama eva kevalam” as if that one mantra was the final nail in the coffin of all other paths. But something about that approach always felt off. Not just to others—but to me. It felt like I was selling a product, not sharing a path.
Then one day, I actually read the Bhagavad-gītā again—slowly. I noticed something I’d glossed over a hundred times. After giving Arjuna the most profound download of yoga, dharma, renunciation, and surrender, Krishna says something wild:
vimṛśyaitad aśeṣeṇa, yathecchasi tathā kuru
“Deliberate on this fully, and then do as you wish.” (18.63)
Wait, what? After everything, Krishna just says: “Do whatever the hell you want.”
That changed everything for me.
Because that’s the heart of it. Krishna is not a dictator. He’s not coercing Arjuna. He’s offering insight, clarity, and a framework for making choices. But the choice remains ours. Even when the stakes are cosmic. Even when the outcome affects generations. Krishna still steps back.
And that’s how it is for all of us.
We’re not here as robots. We’re souls with agency. Krishna doesn’t override that. In fact, He protects it. Free will is sacred. He gives us the best possible information—scripture, saints, reason, experience—but He leaves the choice in our hands. That’s divine love, not control.
I’ve come to see that the statement, “There’s no other way than chanting the holy name”, from the Bṛhan-nāradīya Purāṇa, is not meant to be flung at people indiscriminately like a spiritual ultimatum. It’s for those who are actually desiring Krishna consciousness. It’s not a billboard slogan. It’s a pointed instruction given in a specific context, to a specific audience, just like Jesus saying, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”
He wasn’t speaking to everyone on Earth. He was talking to his disciples. He even said later, “There is so much more I want to tell you, but you cannot bear it now.” (John 16:12)
That’s state-specific knowledge. Like how you don’t teach calculus to someone learning to count. Scripture unfolds based on our readiness. The Vedānta-sūtra begins with “athāto brahma jijñāsā”—now it’s time to inquire about the Absolute. Not “always,” not “for everyone”—but now, meaning when you’re ready.
We forget that. Especially when we get excited about our own realization. We try to push advanced truths on people who just need kindness, simplicity, maybe just a good meal and some care. Krishna consciousness is high-level stuff. It’s not the first step on the ladder for everyone.
But here’s the twist: once someone is desiring Krishna, once that yearning awakens, the instruction becomes absolute. Harināma eva kevalam. There is no other way. And at that point, the exclusivity isn’t dogmatic—it’s just honest. It’s like saying, “If you want to get wet, water is the only way.”
So I’ve stopped preaching like a salesman. I try to preach like Krishna. Present the path. Lay out the options. Speak truth. And then let people choose.
Because if Krishna doesn’t force anyone, who am I to?
You may be wondering how to share your spiritual path without coming off pushy or rigid. Try this: represent Krishna the way He represents Himself. Share openly, invite deeply, but respect completely. Let your conviction be steady, but your delivery be soft. Let the information shine, and let others deliberate.
We as a community grow stronger when we stop trying to convert and start trying to understand. When we trust people’s intelligence and journey. When we realize that preaching isn’t pushing—it’s presenting. And ultimately, Krishna is in everyone’s heart, guiding them from within.
We’re just here to offer the tools—and let them decide how to build.
P.S: Ishvari and I are planning on giving some love to the Those Hare Krishnas YouTube channel. It’s the first result on google if you search it. Give it a subscribe to see what we’re up to. Like this publication it seeks to add value to new folks on the path of Krishna consciousness.