My Only Duty

In this world everyone gets persecuted, and those who are trying to be the Lord's devotees are no exception. I am sometimes very strongly criticized for my dedicated attempt to serve the mission of my spiritual master. But because I have complete faith in my spiritual master and the instructions I have received from him, I do not let these critics disturb my enthusiasm for doing my duty of cultivating pure Krishna consciousness within my heart and trying to spread it all over the world.

My spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, one time advised a disciple who was being discouraged by criticism to be callous to that criticism. Of course if I am being rightly criticized, I will take the correction and adjust my behavior and attitude accordingly. But if I am being wrongly criticized, why should I take it? I will not. Those who wrongly criticize me will just have to be content with their criticism because I am not going to give up my duty to try to please them. My only duty is to please my spiritual master, not those who are envious.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Answers According to the Vedic Version:

Question: The Happiness of the Lord

How can we definitely know when the Supreme Personality of Godhead is pleased with our service? We became happy by serving the Lord, but it does not necessarily mean that the Lord is also happy with our service. Please help me to realize the happiness of the Lord.

Jyoti

Answer: Please His Pure Representative

Just as the proper way to water the branches and leaves of a tree is to water the tree's root, in the same way the only way that we can be happy is to make the Lord happy. In other words, we are like the leaf and Krishna is like the root.

Because Krishna is still very remote and distant for the neophyte devotee, the scriptures state that to please Lord Krishna one simply has to please his pure representative, the bona fide spiritual master. When one pleases his spiritual master, Krishna is pleased. This is the amazing potency of the system of disciplic succession.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

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