Southern Hemisphere to Northern Hemisphere

After an inconceivably blissful several days of teaching the science of Krishna bhakti in Santiago, Chile we are heading out from the hot Chilean summer to the very cold winter in Toronto, Canada. As I write this the temperature in Toronto is 2 degrees while Santiago is going to be 90 degrees day. This an 88 degree drop. This is a great opportunity to remember and follow Krishna's teaching in the Bhagavad-gita that one must be transcendental to the dualities of material existence. In this world we are always being bounced around by the dualities: heat and cold, happiness and distress, honor and dishonor, birth and death, youth and old age, poverty and wealth, praise and blame, etc. Krishna therefore teaches us to be even-minded in the the midst of the all these dualities. The secret of being even-minded in all times, places, and circumstances is to see that at every moment everything is being arranged/orchestrated by Lord Sri Krishna to bring us back to our original constitutional position of pure devotional service to Him as soon as possible. It we always keeps this transcendental vision, we will naturally always be even-minded and never disturbed by the constant onslaught of the dualities.

The Divine Couple: Sri Sri Radha and Krishna

The Divine Couple: Sri Sri Radha and Krishna

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Answers According to Vedic Knowledge

Question: Best Friends With a Devotee?

This is the question that confuses me everytime while having devotess as my friends. I can understand that Lord Krishna is the only enjoyer of this entire creation but what happens when neophyte devotees on earth becomes best friends of each other? Is it okay? In the Nectar of Instruction it is mentioned regarding the exchanges between devotees but still what kind of relationship between should be there is not mentioned so far as I know. Making devotee friends, there will be Krishna in center always, but physically attachments would be there, like if one is not present then another may miss him or like that. So should it be there or not? Or we have to see every soul equally without being in any kind of attachment?
​​​​​​​
Thank you.
At your service,
Rishi

Answer: Absolutely!

As quoted in the Adi-Purana Lord Sri Krishna tells Arjuna:

ye me bhakta-janāḥ pārtha
na me bhaktāś ca te janāḥ
mad-bhaktānāṁ ca ye bhaktās
te me bhakta-tamā matāḥ

"Those who are My direct devotees are actually not My devotees, but those who are the devotees of My devotees are factually My devotees.”

Therefore the more you become attached to and devoted to Krishna’s devotees the more your Krishna consciousness becomes awakened.

We see this mood of attachment to devotees in the great Vaisnava acharyas. For example Narottama dasa Thakura's friend was Ramacandra Cakravarti and Narottama dasa prays "rāmacandra-saṅga māge narottama-dāsa--I always desire the company of Ramacandra Cakravarti." Just see. He always desires a devotee's company. The whole process of Krishna consciousness is that we should always pray for the mercy of the superior acaryas and keep company with pure devotees. Then it will be easier for us to advance in Krsna consciousness and receive the mercy of Lord Caitanya and Lord Krishna.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

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