Better than Being Comfortable

These periodic stops throughout the year at our headquarters, Bhaktivedanta Ashram in Austin, Texas, are a very important component of our around-the-world lecture tours. Because we are currently doing our service while being situated within material bodies we have to take proper care of them to keep them in proper operating condition so that we can continue traveling and spreading this supreme knowledge all over the world for many, many years to come. We always come back here to celebrate Gaura Purnima (the appearance day of Lord Caitanya), Janmastami (the appearance day of Lord Krishna), and Srila Prabhupada's Vyas Puja day (appearance day.) These breaks are a welcome respite from the rigors of regularly traveling around the globe, but as soon as arrive here we are immediately preparing our next tour because what is even more enlivening than being comfortable is to spread the supreme comfort formula, Krishna consciousness, to all the living beings throughout the entire world.

Leading Hare Krishna Kirtan at Austin's Bhaktivedanta Ashram

Sankarshan Das Leading Hare Krishna Kirtan at Austin

Answers According to the Vedic Version

Question: If Guru's Order Is Potent, Why Can't I Follow It?

From China

Dear teacher:

Please accept my humble obeisances.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

The spiritual master's instruction contains in itself the potency for the practitioner's successfully executing it, so all we have to do is fully embrace that instruction with our heart and soul. However, it does make me puzzled. For example, one of the instructions is to chant Krishna's holy names constantly and be fully focused on the sound vibration, and to chant with love. However, the mind wanders away more or less, and there's no natural love / attraction. If there's the potency in the instruction, why am I not able to follow it? The thing is, the spiritual master's instruction is on the level of pure bhakti while I am not on the level of pure bhakti, so I'm not able to follow. Of course I'm trying with my heart and soul.

In fact, I never think / feel I'm a devotee, because I never reach the depth and purity that is required & contained in the spiritual master's instructions. Is it that it needs time for the potency in guru's instruction to take effect, just like Srila Prabhupada received the instruction of preaching Krishna consciousness in western countries at a young age but did not accomplish until he reached the advanced age of 70? Could you kindly clarify this?

Your humble servant,

Yechen

Answer: By Your Sincere Attempt Gradually You'll Become Perfect.

In any field of study it takes time to learn how to master the knowledge and its application. This is why all over the world there are so many thousands of colleges and universities with degree programs that go on for so many years. The Krishna consciousness branch of knowledge is the most highly advanced of all fields of study. Therefore it is natural that if other fields of study require so many years to master, the bhakti science will also take a substantial amount of time to master. So that the neophyte devotee does not immediately become an advanced devotee does not mean that the spiritual master's order is not fully potent. Sri Guru's instructions are fully invested with Krishna shakti and are therefore fully potent. It is simply that the disciple has to master the art of how to fully connect himself with that divine Krishna potency by faithfully, patiently serving the spiritual master's order in all times, places, and circumstances.

The seed of the bhakti has been planted by the spiritual master in your heart. But you cannot expect to have a fully grown tree of bhakti immediately. Just like if we plant an apple seed in the ground, can we realistically expect to have an apple tree full of apples appear before us immediately? No, it takes time. We must patiently nurture the small plant while it gradually grows into a large tree full of apples. So you must faithfully execute the process of Krishna consciousness with patience just like a gardener under the instructions of the bona fide spiritual master. Then in due course of time within the garden of your heart you are sure to achieve the exalted state of divine enlightened Krishna consciousness that you desire.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Little Sparrow Who Conquered the Ocean

Image
In his purport to Bhagavad-gita, Chapter 6, Text 24 Srila Prabhupada wonderfully teaches us the power of determinations by telling us the story of the little sparrow who conquered the ocean: "As for determination, one should follow the example of the sparrow who lost her eggs in the waves of the ocean. A sparrow laid her eggs on the shore of the ocean, but the big ocean carried away the eggs on its waves. The sparrow became very upset and asked the ocean to return her eggs. The ocean did not even consider her appeal. So the sparrow decided to dry up the ocean. She began to pick out the water in her small beak, and everyone laughed at her for her impossible determination. The news of her activity spread, and at last Garuda, the gigantic bird carrier of Lord Visnu, heard it. He became compassionate toward his small sister bird, and so he came to see the sparrow. Garuda was very pleased by the determination of the small sparrow, and he promised to help. Thus Garuda at once asked t
Read more

Heart Melting Reunion with Amarendra and Gayatri

Image
On Friday 26 June 2015 I was blessed with the greatest good fortune of meeting with two of the dearest devotees of my entire life, His Grace Amarendra Prabhu and his good wife, Srimati Gayatri devi dasi. I am eternally indebted to these great souls for how much they helped me in my spiritual life when I was a young devotee. When I was young brahmacari monk in 1973 I joined with the two of them in Gainesville, Florida. We were a three person preaching center, and they were just like a mother and father to me. I had so many wonderful Krishna conscious experiences in their association that I can hardly begin to describe them here. But at least may it suffice for me to say for now that Gayatri taught me what it means to be a soft-hearted devotee of the Lord and she gave me my first cooking lesson, teaching me how to make cauliflower pakoras, and Amarendra taught me the art of how to preach strongly, intelligently, and coolly to defeat opposing arguments. Recently Gayatri almost died. But
Read more

Who is this Krishna?

Image
Krishna is not a myth, nor is He an ordinary historical personality. He is the Supreme All-Attractive Personality of Godhead. He is the oldest of all while simultaneously maintaining the form of a 16 year old youth. He is all-attractive because he exceeds everyone in all of existence by possessing unlimitedly all the qualities that are attractive namely power, beautify, renunciation, knowledge, wealth, and fame. There is no one who equals or excels Him in the possession of these attractive qualities. This is why is accepted by all enlightened spiritualists as being God, the original source of all existence. The perfection of our existence is to re-establish our long forgotten loving relationships with Him. There Is No One More Amazing Than Krishna Video for the Day Don't Be a Hypocrite Answers According to Vedic Wisdom Question: Was Krishna a Real Person? Was Krishna a real person who lived on Earth? Ray Galindo Answer: He Was and He Still Is My Dear Ray, Pleas
Read more