Hare Krishna!!!!
Dandwat to all devotees....All glories to Prabhupad!!!
I have come at big decesion of my life because of some circumtanses. Right now I am working in a Private Bank and working as Operation Manager and following Krishna Consiouness from last 4-5 years. As who have been worked or working in private banking sector can able to understand more that how struggling job is that it's like 9 to 9 job although from krishna mercy I have good boss and coulegue so that some time somehow I take out some time so that I can associate with the devotees but it's also not very good all the time.
Now I would like to ask If somebody can suggest that is there any possiblities so that I can serve the ISKCON in better way as well as I also need to support my family as their is also some financial problem. I live in Jaipur and I am working in jalandhar(Punjab) so that I can support my family in financial way..
Please suugest..
In your Service
LOkesh
Replies
only chant hare krishna mahamantra prabhu ji and take care of family dependent upon you. the right way to serve the humanity. dont get brain washed to make suffer whole family.
I just chanced upon this page and was going thru the messages sent by Lokesh and Garuda Prabhu followed by the beautiful reply sent by you.I absolutely agree with your views. Whatever way one chooses, unless the dedication with pure heart is there, no point whether one submits himself or herself as a devotee or a Karmi, as a bechlor or as a family person.
Jai Shri Krishna
Yashpal Bhatia
9871203536
(My apology for typo error in the earlier msg.)
I just chanced upon this page and was going thru the messages sent by Lokesh and Garuda Prabhu followed by the beautiful reply sent by you.I absolutely agree with your views. Whatever way one chooses, unless the dedication with pure heart is there, no point whether one submits himself or herself as a devotee or a Karmo, as a bechlor or as a family person.
Jai Suri Krishna
Yashpal Bhatia
9871203536
Hare Krsna Prabhujis,
PAMHO.
I am replying after reading all the comments and giving you what is my take in the matter.
If you want to work for ISKCON, like a doctor in Bhaktivedanta Hospital, where you are using your professional skills in the service of devotee and Krsna, then it is ok. You will get paid, but less than what is the market rate. Since there is a service intention included, one has to be satisfied with it. It may not be palatable to most.
Now I ask you, Gita was spoken to Arjuna by Krsna. Arjuna was a Kshatriya and a Grihasta before the message of Gita was conveyed to him directly by God Himself, and after the Gita was spoken, Arjuna remained a Kshatriya and a Grihasta. In fact he fought the war that he was trying to avoid because he understood that his fighting the war is his duty and the will of the lord. So he fought the war to fulfill the desire of the lord, as against to kill his kinsmen for a piece of land. What changed was his consciousness.
What is required is for us to change our internal consciousness, not the externals, like working in a temple, wearing devotee clothes and tilak. That, standalone, does not make us a devotee, if we have not taken care to change our internals - meaning consciousness.
My humble request to everyone is - either we shoudl be prepared to renounce everything and serve the temple as a brahmachari or if we are staying with family, we should marry. There is no in between. There are grihasta devotees who are full time in the temple - I am aware - there both of them are full time devotees and serving in various capacities. Some are even earning and supporting the temple they are associated with. That is ideal.
So pls marry a devotee girl and together pursue your devotion, take care of your parents and family, do your sadhana together.
Struggle is there in everything - whether we do material struggle or seva in the temple. Pls understand that the temple inmates are all not yet pure unalloyed devotees of the lord. There is a lot of friction possible even while serving the lord. Therefore, there will be people issues there also, struggle to complete the responsibility given, often without much resources and of course deadlines. So it is better that one is prepared and informed before one decides to stay in a temple.
Prabhu, you have mentioned your psychiatric problem - you have not mentioned your sadhana level - what are you doing in terms of sadhana - how many rounds, since when, whether you are getting treated for your mental issues. ISKCON Mayapur or anywhere else, is not an ashram to stay. It is a place where people, who have already surrendered their lives to Krsna to serve in whatever capacity they have.
Haribol,
Your servant,
Radha Rasamayi DD
Hare Krishna
I have a 16 year long psychiatric history with medication and horrendous treatments. I'm supported by my parents who are 70+ me being 33. I could never settle anywhere and have been constantly wandering and now I'm tired.
Treatment for mental issues never worked for me and it only worsened up because modern psychiatry is horrible and is all about complicating existing issues. There are so many things to do in a day than undergoing treatments.
Going for "treatments" is not always the solutions and Srila Prabhupada cured so many of the material contamination.
I could never maintain my sadhna level as I've been constantly going through hard times since my childhood and now I'm attached and used to it. Often I'm severely depressed and suicidal which would come as a worry to most of the devotees having someone like me living among them and now I'll run around as much as I can before I give up my body one day in a ditch. I never had any proper maintained level of sadhna anytime in my life and it was always with a bell curve be it materially or spiritually swinging like a huge pendulum.
I've been thrown out of all the communities all the time and now I don't care about what nonsensical expectations people will have from me.
They get drunk in my house, kill animals and eat their flesh and I live in a horrible piece of this material world. Whatever it is, it's burden to me and I'm overloaded with guilt all the time because whatever their contamination is they're living with it honestly whereas I'm guilty of depleting their resources and it's not going to work because it's so contaminated here.
I shouldn't have even asked for any anyone's help as it never worked in my life except for the advice to chant or to have hopes which I don't know if it honestly worked and it has depleted my resources and worsened my life. When it was all nice with me, everyone so wanted me to be with them and when I'm a mess they all walked out. Why do people boast so much in the first place and why would they even advice I don't know and everything is pretty much just so very dry.
Whatever I had has always gone down and never came up. In times when I felt I really got something, I lost them and things worsened even much after that rattling destroying whatever was settled.
The people who I helped so much don't even look at me now and my family suffers all this now!
Now I only pray to Krishna and Lord Nityananda that no one suffers because of me, whoever is or was related to me in someway or the other be prosperous and happy till their end no matter who they are and I be independent throughout and live and die peacefully at once place without wandering so much!
Wish you all a great life ahead.
Goodbye.
Hare Krishna
May Lord Sri Krsna Bless you abundantly
Hare Krsna prabhu,
I'm in a similar situation as you. My work keeps me away from home between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. The work not just takes away my time but also drains my energy. I come home tired and sleep without being able to do anything let alone any Krishna Conscious activities like chanting or reading. I think many of us young working professionals are caught in the tug of war between material necessities of life and our spiritual aspirations.
I'm not considering living or working in a temple for various reasons. As Mohini Madhavi Mataji says working for ISKCON one could be compensated with Rs 5-10 thousand. My house rent and food expenses is more than 10000. Also I dont want my service to Krishna be a financial transaction. My idea is of a selfless service. I want to donate to temple not earn from it. So I am making an attempt to be Krishna Conscious in my daily life.
I commute for about 3 hours a day by public bus. If I used my bike I could have reduced it to 2 hours, but the traffic would wear me down. In the bus, if I get a seat I listen to lecture videos and kirtans on my mobile. If I dont get a seat, I have a counter where I chant my rounds.
While doing things that dont require application of mind like walking, washing utensils or clothes, cleaning etc., I chant the mantra mentally.
Time is of the essence. So I am making a conscious attempt to not engage in frivolous activities which also divert our attention - facebook, whatsapp, gossip, movies, TV, dating, partying, socializing when not needed etc. I am prioritizing my activities and trying to limit myself to a manageable few.
In the mornings, I try to do yoga so that my body can handle the pressures of the day. When possible I try to sit thoughtless (meditation) to relax my mind.
I'm unmarried and wish to remain so. I'm alone now, the work life is making it hard for me to progress towards my spiritual goals. Getting married and having a family wont make it easier. Working of 12 hours we have little time for ourselves. If we marry in this state, we will not be able to devote our time for spouse and kids and this will lead to a unhappy marriage. It will only lead to chaos. Family will make more financial demands and we will have to slog like an ass in the material world. Dont let the society dictate that one has to marry. Marry if you can manage the responsibility of grihastashrama.
With the above mentioned activities, I am able to free an hour for Krishna Consciousness activities daily. Then I read books of Srila Prabhupada. In the weekends, I devote a lot of time for Krishna Consciousness.
At work, I have made a habit of bringing in Krishna Consciousness. Whenever I send/receive a communication, take an action, I chant the mantra. My work involves catering to needs of other persons. I think I'm do it for Krishna. I feel Krishna is the supreme authority above the hierarchy of bosses at workplaces and He has delegated a part of work to be discharged through me. I try to please the Supreme Lord by playing my role efficiently. I take care to not bring my work home. At home, I am free from work place responsibilities.
Also I'm fortunate that my job is secure and pays me decently. When you are not happy with your job, you keep thinking about jumping at the next available opportunity. Then you will always have to be on your toes, learn new skills, contact many people to know about vacancies, serve them etc. Try to find a secure job that you will be happy doing. That will not wear you down.
In fact, I'm not in a position to visit ISKCON regularly and take part in temple activities. But thanks to internet, I can continue to associate with devotees in one way or the other.
Other devotees might like to shed more light on how they have managed to remain in KC while shouldering family and work responsibilities.
Lokesh Prabhu, be content for what Krishna has provided you with Banking Job. Same time, you are doing the great thing by associating with devotees. Yes, you can get a job in ISKCON in accounting section as you are in that field. However, by taking money from ISKCON for your work,will not be called as service to the Lord. Rather, you will be called as a Karmi as like outsider. Those who do the service without any return expectation from ISKCON,are called devotees but not Karmi.In this case,ISKCON and Lord Sri Krishna takes care of all of his needs both spiritually and materially.Also,ISKCON pays very minimum amounts which may not be sufficient for your family needs.So,I can suggest you to continue what you have and try better opportunity if available. When you will have no more great hankering for opulent material life or have no much family obligation and be ready to live at bare necessities, you may join or work at ISKCON. Remember,ISKCON runs on public donations. Of course,ISKCON provides all the basic needs to its devotees such as medicine, clothes,required expenses,prasadam and accommodation,etc. When someone join ISKCON along with his wife and children,also ISKCON provides them with room and all other facilities with kids education etc. Unless if you want to join fully along with family members,it is better to continue with your present job.
Thank you for your understanding,
Hare Krishna!
Hare Krishna
I have severe anxiety, depression and psychiatric history since childhood. I'm single 33 y/o youngest son to my parents and I'm late born, a Marathi but raised in Gujarat. Now my parents are old and I'm pretty much a burden and a blemish to them. Loneliness and fear of painful death often aggravates my problems and causes me panic attacks. If I had sufficient money for myself I'd have happily live with my family but that's not the case.
I'm also attached to my parents very much. I get very fearful at times when someone shouts at me or scolds me feeling that I'll be kicked out and will have no shelter. I cannot focus on many things at once like office, home, self, outside world, family affairs, so much of politics and manipulations.
I would like to know, are there simple services in Mayapur where I will be provided prasadam, clothes, personal expenses, accommodation, etc.? Are these services simple or can you name some which are without any deadlines because I really can't work in so much of stress and anxiety. Also can I stay single considering my mental health and still live in the temple premises? I'm quite foolish as well without any worldly sense being protected my parents and family all the time but now I'm not looked after much because everyone is busy.
Thank you,
Hare Krishna!
You can definitely work for Krishna. But only concern would be the Laxmi. ISKCON offers full time and part time services as jobs but it pays less. The devotees who really are not much in need of laxmi can think of these jobs. Here service is more important than salary. So, please choose wisely because its a very serious decision in your life.
I live in Bangalore and I have seen people who earn about 2-5 thousand a month and still survive in this city while, we earning 30-40 thousand a month still think before spending towards the end of month as all the money would have been exhausted. The point I want to make here is that laxmi is not very important in life but it is also needed. And we adjust our life style according to our earning.
hari bol!!!
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