hare krishna
i had a question and went to ask some devotee in temple when i asked him a question by saying in this book its written this before i ask my question from that shloka he just told me dont teach me anything i know better then you and i have seen so many devotees behaving with other devotees like that so my question is how to deal with such devotees?
Replies
hari bol
Hare Krishna
I came across some books of Swami ramsukhdas ji, they cleared many many queries of my mind....and helped me in the path to understand krishna....
I do not know much, but several of my questions got solved by ramsukhdas jis book.....
krishna will help you to solve your queries.....u ask from krishna... he will help you....
sometimes instead of asking questions, just surrender to him... slowly he will pull ur mind away from your doubts.
not really new but meeting devotees that disturbed me
Hare Krsna Mataji,
PAMHO.
Pls dont let them disturb you. It is what I call growing up spiritually. These are small unit tests Krsna gives us to test whether we have been able to overcome false ego or not. You could also see it as small tests given by maya devi - some people can even react that devotees are so rude, karmis are better and go back to the material world.
When we chant and read/ hear philosophy, incidents like this are tests to apply what we have heard/ chanted. Of course, the maturity level of the individual also matters.
I'll give you a small example - normally when we go to our local ISKCON temple, its darshan arati time. When they open the curtains and everyone does darshan, then the 3 parikramas with Prabhupada and then guru puja starts opposite the deities, where Srila Prabhupada's murti is normally kept in most ISKCON temples. At that time, I stand in front of the deities and look and look and look. Then, if I find that say a bracelet could have been put in a better angle or one earring has fallen (such small details), I point out to some 2-3 pujaris. THey are happy to take my inputs and rectify immediately and show me.
One day, it was a fourth pujari. I pointed out to him - he actually took offence and told me in a rough manner it is an offence to see the deity so scrutinizingly and find faults. Exalted devotees are doing shringar and I am finding faults? I was surprised, but kept quiet. Then he himself called me to the altar and asked me what I was saying. Then he closed the curtains, rectified and showed me again.
All through, I did not react at all. Next time I saw that same pujari, I did not point out what I wanted to say. He saw my face, himself called me and asked what is the fault and rectified.
If he had not, I would have avoided telling him because according to me, he is not taking it in the right spirit. Who am I to preach to him or to rectify him? Let it be. He himself realised something is wrong, and now he regularly calls and asks me. By keeping quiet, I tolerated - trinadapi sunicena.... These are small small lessons we keep getting from the lord and His agents to tell us we are still so fallen. We tend to think that because we are chanting 16 rounds and have understood that Krsna is supreme, we are God's gift to humankind and tend to develop a chip on our shoulder. These incidents are there to tell us where we stand.
Dont bother about that devotee who is bad to you. Dont ask him again. Or if you need to ask him, simply ask the question without any preface or showing any book. When he asks where it is mentioned, then you show the reference. Remember you are not there to change/ rectify him, thats not your job. You concentrate on your sadhana, thats enough.
I was avoiding writing to you so directly, but then I thought it will help.
What I am trying to tell you is we will keep on facing these small irritants all through. Only when we learn to deal with them will we progress. WHat is our aim - spiritual progress or reform the whole world or even reform all devotees of ISKCON? Be focused.
Remember - I am nice to you not because you are a nice person, but because I am a nice person.
Pls dont get offended, I am giving you a long lecture.
Haribol,
Your servant,
Rashmi
Mataji.......wonderful reply................i have learnt so many things from this lecture.
thank you.....
Hari bol!
Hare Krishna Mataji. Mataji this is a very important question raised by you. I would like to tell you that there are so many points have been given in the Sri Mad Bhagwad Gita and explain about the activity of pure devotee of Lord Krishna. A pure devotee of Lord Krishna will never say that do not teach me I already know about it. No on devotee can say that he/she has got all knowledge about Bhaktiyog. As much as we put ourselves in the nectar of Sri Mad Bhagwad Gita our soul would like to have more & more in this. So mataji they devotees are humiliating you through this way then it means they are still under the path of spiritual perfectness. You just try to involve with those devotee who senior in devotional service and have been initiated by the bonafide spiritual master.
Your Humble Servant
Bhuwan Dutt
Hare Krishna Mataji
hare krishna prabuji
m sorry to say that mostly senior devotees who are initiated are the one do the mistake. someone like me i ask so many questions to devotees in vaishnava etiqts it says that a devotee should be humble to others but i hardly find people with such quality. they all are in a race no one cares about the neophyte devotees or someone who wants to know more about krishna
Hare Krsna Mataji,
PAMHO.
Empower yourself by reading mataji. If you are seeing that nobody around you has the time or patience to answer your multiple questions, then you shoudl read more, hear more lectures. We all are answering what we have read or haerd or realised. Nobody has any extra information.
During classes, when there is Q&A time, then you shoudl ask your questions, that too relevant to the class. Since you have a lot of questions, better to channelise and ask what is relevant.
Another option may be to observe and ask only when you cannot understand.
I am not trying to justify the actions of the other devotees you have mentioned. There can be multiple reasons to their behaviour, it is not for us to judge our seniors. Instead of concentrating on their human failings, better to concentrate on our spiritual growth.
I know a lot of devotees who say that when they started out, congregational preaching was not as organised as it is now. There was nobody to ask, so they took interest, spent time and energy and read the books for themselves. Today the same devotees are senior devotees - they may be having so many responsibilities that you cannot imagine.
I also know a lot of neophytes who think that its their birthright to ask you whatever they want and its our duty to answer anytime, anyplace regardless of whether we are busy or not. Example - I recently told a mataji to start fasting on ekadasi - her immediate reaction was - ok mataji please remind me when it is ekadasi from next time onwards. So now the onus is on me - if I dont remind, she will not fast. If I remind, then I have to tell her what are the does and donts for ekadasi, to the extent that I may as well cook and feed her and her family. How much can one take on?
Am just attempting to give you another point of view, the idea is not at all to offend you.
Please ask on this forum whatever questions you have, we will be happy to answer.
Haribol,
Your servant,
Rashmi
hare krishna prabuji
but its not only with me even with others specially new comers