Hare krishna !
Please accept my humble obeisances , all glories to Srila Prabhupada.
Dear and highly aprecciated and respected devotees , I'm Mario and I am 14 years old.
I wish someone would please help me with this dilemma being presented to me:
I go to highschool and love krishna very very much (I follow the 4 regulatory principles and other rules of Vaisnava etiquette ) , and I went to krishna center of Mexico City , where I recommended tilak always look and let me grow a small sikha .
I accepted with great pleasure that recommendation and let me grow a small sikha and went everywhere with my forehead decorated with tilak .
At my school they prohibited me put tilak on my forehead and forced me to cut my sikha and carry books about Krishna to read in my free time. They not allow my japa beads, even if I don´t use it.
What should I do , since I spend many hours in school and do not want to waste any time or spiritual advancement dedicated to krishna ? Really makes me very sad that I have banned in school all connection with things that have to do with krishna, and tried to reach an agreement and do something , but was unsuccessful . Any recommendations ?
Replies
Hare Krsna Prabhu,
PAMHO.
Having tilak and shikha are external signs of a vaishnava, they are not compulsory. What is compulsory is the internal devotion that we are supposed to do - the change in our heart leading to change of consciousness, that is important. You both are very young, it is better you concentrate on strengthening your sadhana rathar than picking up fights in your respective schools to allow the external dress. Nobody can govern or rule your thoughts - whether school or outside. Please keep Krsna in your thoughts, be humble, perfect your sadhana. Then it doesnt matter whether you are in jeans or in vaishnava dhoti with tilak and shikha.
Getting the essence of the teachings is more important prabhujis. It is really nice that you are taking to the path at such a young age, in an alien society and want to follow all the rules and regulations. But one also has to be able to take things with a pinch of salt - you are ambassadors of Krsna. You have been born in such far off lands so that common people over there get influenced by you. You have to do a lot of preching going forward. Therefore, you have to perfect your sadhana now, in your study life.
For that, please concentrate on the lesson in school and your sadhana at home. That is enough for now. If you do not excel in school, it will give a chance to peers and elders to say that it is because of your Krsna bhakti. Then my little ambassadors of Krsna will be sending a wrong message to the world. Please concentrate on chanting, reading Bhagavad Gita as it is, following 4 regulative principles, that is enough for now.
Haribol,
Your servant,
Rashmi
hare krishna,
Rashmi Mataji really assists with sweet and heart-touching words........
Hare Krishna, dandavat Devotees,
Besides above, Rashmi Mataji is always very prompt & gives very practical applicable advices for better improvements in KC.
your servant
Hare Krsna Dear Mario Prabhu,
PAMHO.
So sweet of you to take up to all the regulations so nicely. One thing I want to tell you - Krsna Consciousness is not external, it is internal. Therefore, if the school does not allow you to put tilak, you can have your own secret with Krsna. You can put tilak with water in the morning after taking bath. This way, you have put tilak and nobody knows. Only Krsna knows and He is the one you want to impress anyways. So thats your secret with Krsna.
Regarding shikha, doesnt matter. If you cannot sport a shikha now, its just a matter of time before you start going to college, then you can sport a shikha. It is not necessary - it is advised, but one has to see time, place and circumstance.
If they do not allow japa beads to school, no tension. You can still chant - on fingers, in your notebook, by putting some kind of mark on it to keep count or simply without keeping count. They can only control the external you, they cannot control your thoughts. That you can offer to Krsna.
Not allowed to carry Krsna related books to school, doesnt matter. You can attempt to pay attention in school and finish as much homework as you can in school itself in whatever free time you get, so that by the time you reach home, you are free to dedicate all the other time to Krnsa.
Do not fight with school authorities, nobody will listen and they will brand you. Then they will deliberately give you less marks and say - see this is what happens when you become a devotee. You wouldnt want that - would you? Therefore, study hard, with diligence and do well very in your studies. Think what you want to study further. Its ok. YOu are in student life right now, therefore it is your duty to study. That would be pleasing to Krsna. And since your school authorities have banned all devotee accessories to you right now, they are aware that you are a devotee. That makes you an ambassador of Krsna. So how you study and how you behave reflects on their impression of Krsna. Therefore, you have to study hard and do well in your studies. Then they will be impressed and ask how you did it. You can then tell them because you are a devotee, you do not waste your time and therefore can devote more time to studies, hence the result.
Take care,
Best of luck,
Haribol,
Your servant,
Rashmi
You are right, I will put water tilak in my forehead and normal tilak in other parts
(obviously they doesn't see it.
I love go to school, but I don't have a lot of time in the afternoon:
6:00am to 3:30pm school.
3:30pm to 4:00 food time.
4:00pm to 4:20 rest.
4:20pm to 7:00 homehork.
7 to 8 study and tool organization.
8:00 to 9:00 a little aarti to krishna
I try to make more than three rounds per day (to please krishna and be conscious)
I will try to do it in night.
Thank you very much, you help me a lot!!!