Easily Crossing Insurmountable Obstacles

There are sometimes bumps and chug holes on the road back to Godhead. These come because we are still getting the resultant reactions from our previous sinful activities. One should not be discouraged when these are encountered. Rather one should hold tightly to the wheel and carefully steer around them. If one becomes discouraged by them and opts to give up the journey, it is the greatest loss. These periodic impediments are not insurmountable. If we will simply take shelter of Lord Sri Krishna, of our spiritual master, and of the Lord's devotees, we will easily be able to cross beyond all difficulties. This is confirmed in the Srimad Bhagavatam as follows:

samasrita ye pada-pallava-plavam
mahat-padam punya-yaso murareh
bhavambudhir vatsa-padam param padam
padam padam yad vipadam na tesam

"For those who have accepted the boat of the lotus feet of the Lord, who is the shelter of the cosmic manifestation and is famous as Murari, the enemy of the Mura demon, the ocean of the material world is like the water contained in a calf's hoof-print. Their goal is param padam, Vaikuntha, the place where there are no material miseries, not the place where there is danger at every step."
---Srimad Bhagavatam 10.14.58

The idea of this verse is that the material ocean is a vast insurmountable obstacle. But if one takes shelter of the boat of the Lord's lotus feet, that vast insurmountable ocean becomes reduced down to the size of the amount of water contained within the hoof print of a calf. When it becomes so insignificantly small, it can easily be surmounted.

Answers According to the Vedic Version

Question: Can I Associate With You Even Though I am Still Doubtful?...

I really liked what you wrote these last two days in your Ultimate Self Realization Course. It was like you wrote that for me :). I have sometimes doubts about Krishna Consciousness and sometimes I am "dropping out of it". I am currently sitting "on the bank", maybe my foot was in the water once or twice, but I am still afraid to go into the water. I am telling you this just so you know that I am new to Krishna Consciousness and don't know much. I am not yet familiar with all the Vaisnava etiquette and maybe other things. I still have many lifetimes of materialism behind me that are such a burden. My whole family is very materialistic and I myself was, even more than now, before I met Krishna Consciousness.

Is it okay for me to associate with you and the other devotees, even like this?

Thank you very much for everything,

Respectfully,

Your student

Answer: You Are Always Most Welcome...

You are most welcome to associate with us even if you are still "sitting on the bank." The more you experience how much nectar is being tasted by those who have "jumped into the water", the more your faith in the process of Krishna consciousness will become strong. Simply by associating with those are fully submerged in the nectarean ocean of Krishna prema (love of Krishna) your dormant Krishna consciousness will become revived. By repeatedly taking advantage of such association, you will one day will wake up and be amazed to discover that much to your delight you now also fully immersed in the nectarean waters of Krishna prema.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari