Don't Bite the Hand that Feeds You

Sometimes we see that neophyte devotees do not appreciate the older devotees who are mercifully training them how to become fixed up in Krishna consciousness. Instead of dutifully serving and learning from their seniors with love and respect, which is what the scriptures instruct them to do, the foolish neophytes sometimes find fault and criticize their seniors, especially when their seniors correct them. This is known as hati mata, the mad elephant offense. Just as when a mad elephant enters into your garden he destroys all of your plants, such an offense can completely destroy one's Krishna consciousness. This is confirmed as follows in the Caitanya Caritamrita, Madhya 19.156:

yadi vaiṣṇava-aparādha uṭhe hātī mātā
upāḍe vā chiṇḍe, tāra śukhi' yāya pātā

"As a mad elephant may trample all the plants in a garden, so by committing one offense at the lotus feet of a Vaisnava one may spoil all the devotional service he has accumulated in his life."

Therefore the neophyte should always be very careful to have a proper respectful attitude towards those devotees who are training him how to advance in Krishna consciousness. Whether he is being glorified or corrected, he should take both with appreciation, not that he is appreciative only when he is glorified and becomes disturbed when he is corrected. In this way he should always be on his guard not to be offensive in his thoughts, words, or deeds to those devotees who are mercifully taking the time and trouble to guide him how to advance on the path of bhakti, just as it is said, "Don't bite the hand that feeds you."

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Devotees Respectfully Hear and Learn from Senior Devotees

Answers by Citing the Vedic Version:

Question: How to Cope With a Distracted Mind?

Hare Krishna Gurudeva,

Please accept my obeisances.

While chanting my mind always thinks negatively and always thinks of the people who are no way part of my life right now. I always wants to forget those difficult days but unable to come out of it. How to cope up with the situation? Please guide me.

Sunitha R.

Answer: Keep Chanting and All Dirt Will Vanish.

Our minds are the storehouses of so much garbage accumulated over thousands and millions of years. Therefore it takes some time to clear out all of this garbage and make the mind completely pure. Therefore we have to go on carefully chanting the sweet names of Krishna every day. In this way little by little we will eventually reach the stage of complete purity of mind when all the garbage is gone.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari