Posted by J. Brennan on September 22, 2015 at 8:07am in Karma
I am in college. Struggling with the stress of work everyday. I try to release myself with intoxication and filling my mind with perversion but I become further enslaved to misery. I am unable to eat prasada, I can't cook. What is the use of following other regulative principles if sin by eating? I am at loss. I need help, but I feel ashamed to mention God's name as I feel unworthy because of the great sins I have committed.
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Yes, I understand these principles but the scriptures do say that if I eat anything not performed as yajna or sacrifice then I am committing a sin. It makes all of my efforts to follow these principles seem null.
You are trying to overcome a material misery by taking refuge in material comfort. You will find temporary relief and that’s what intoxication gives you. In fact its not even relief if you closely analyse it as drinking takes away the consciousness away from the misery and one feels that they over came it. Just like an anaesthesia injection numbs a particular part in order for the Dr to perform whatever procedure he has to without the patient feeling anything in that particular area. But as soon as the anaesthetic effect wears off, the pain or suffering will come back.
The practical approach in your stress filled day (whose isn’t prabhu?), take a shower, do arati to the deities, sit down and read SP books or listen to kirtan or just chant. This way you will keep away from intoxicants and perversion. Easy said than done, I know, but the activities I mentioned at least gives you pious credits and Krsna will see this sincere effort and gives you further impetus to progress your service towards him. If you take refuge in drinks and other stuff, how can krsna hold your hand prabhu? He will just witness it seated in your heart.
Coming to cooking, prabhu I will give you my personal experience. I am not good at cooking and don’t want to spend too much time cooking. But krsna has created situations where I am forced to cook now and although I am not good at it, I take pleasure in cooking for Krsna with whatever little knowledge I have related to cooking. I browse for simple recipes which doesn’t take time and prepare them and offer it to him. To be honest, when I take the same as prasadham it is soooo tasty. This is not because of my cooking, this is because He tasted and accepted it.
There is no big deal in preparing simple dishes prabhu. You should at least know how to cook rice. Prepare that and mix it with yoghurt and salt and offer it to Krsna. Your interest to please him will eventually take over and you will start to learn other recipes. Have patience. Progress will come.
If you cant follow all 4 at once, at least try one at a time prabhu. Start with letting go of meat eating. Starting or ending something is very easy, but maintaining the same is the hardest.
Was Chaintanya Mahaprabhu wrong when he requested everyone to chant the holy names to deliver the souls in Kali yuga? We are all fallen souls prabhu and there is no shame in taking God’s name when that is what we do when chanting, is it not?? Are all the acharyas and devotees shameful chanting the glorious name of Shri Krsna? All these thoughts of unworthiness is in the mind. I was listening to a lecture by Sri Srimad Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja and he said “one can become a go-dasa or dasa of the senses or he can become krsna dasa”. This line stood out for me from the lecture.
We are here to help you to become Krsna dasa prabhu. Join hands with devotees and lets serve him better with our time, energy, body and soul.
I think I have given some practical solutions to your problems prabhu. If my response offended you in anyway, I request you to forgive this servant.
Srila prabhupada ki jai..
Hare krsna
J. Brennan > kŗşņa dasaSeptember 23, 2015 at 9:36am
Hare Krishna,
Thank you for your encouraging words. I have been eating a vegetarian diet for month now. I threw away my alcohol. I do not wish to drink it again. I still struggle with lustful desires such as women. i sometimes isolate myself from such people even though they have done nothing to me.
I have found instructions for preparing prasada but I cannot speak or pronounce the prayer. I find it difficult to do this for every meal as most of my meals are prepared by someone else.
You have not offended me in anyway and neither should I be, because your intentions are pure.
Life should be molded in such a manner that one is able to progressively remember the Personality of Godhead in every step of life. An expert devotee of the Lord can mold his life in such a way that while performing all kinds of duties either for this or the next life, he can constantly remember the Lord's name, fame, qualities, etc.
A pure devotee remembers this constantly, and in doing so he repeats the transcendental name, fame and qualities of the Lord, which means that he is constantly in touch with the Lord. The Lord is identical with His name, fame, etc., and therefore to be associated with His name, fame, etc., constantly, means actually to associate with the Lord.
Everyone in the material world is in the bodily conception, struggling hard for existence, life after life. If you do not want again to become cats and dogs, which you have already passed then you have try more hard. Look at lives of all great devotee's of Lord are they do not even have foods to eat still they are very determine to go back to Krsna. link
Bg 7.3 — Out of many thousands among men, one may endeavor for perfection, and of those who have achieved perfection, hardly one knows Me in truth.
Do you really think it is that easy to go back to Krsna ?? In actual we do not want to make any sacrifice and want Krsna will make everything simple. but he is sitting in everyone's heart and observing the wandering of all living beings, if you have desire for Krsna like that of sinking man of air, then nothing is difficult...
Bg 2.14 — O son of Kuntī, the nonpermanent appearance of happiness and distress, and their disappearance in due course, are like the appearance and disappearance of winter and summer seasons. They arise from sense perception, O scion of Bharata, and one must learn to tolerate them without being disturbed.
One should mold his life in such a way that he cannot live in peace without drinking the nectar of the glorification of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari. One can be thus elevated by being disgusted with the taste for sense enjoyment....
Simple negation, or giving up the company of materialistic persons, will not do. We must have engagements. Sometimes it is found that a person interested in spiritual advancement gives up the company of material society and goes to a secluded place as recommended for the yogīs especially, but that will also not help a person in spiritual advancement, for in many instances such yogīs also fall down. As far as jñānīs are concerned, generally they fall down without taking shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord. The impersonalists or the voidists can simply avoid the positive material association; they cannot remain fixed in transcendence without being engaged in devotional service. The beginning of devotional service is to hear about the glories of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
How is this possible? The ācāryas give the following example. If a married woman is attached to another man, or if a man has an attachment for a woman other than his wife, then the attachment is to be considered very strong. One with such an attachment is always thinking of the loved one. The wife who is thinking of her lover is always thinking of meeting him, even while she is carrying out her household chores. In fact, she carries out her household work even more carefully so her husband will not suspect her attachment. Similarly, we should always remember the supreme lover, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and at the same time perform our material duties very nicely. A strong sense of love is required here. If we have a strong sense of love for the Supreme Lord, then we can discharge our duty and at the same time remember Him. But we have to develop that sense of love. Arjuna, for instance, was always thinking of Kṛṣṇa; he was the constant companion of Kṛṣṇa, and at the same time he was a warrior. Kṛṣṇa did not advise him to give up fighting and go to the forest to meditate. When Lord Kṛṣṇa delineates the yoga system to Arjuna, Arjuna says that the practice of this system is not possible for him.
Bg 10.1 — The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: Listen again, O mighty-armed Arjuna. Because you are My dear friend, for your benefit I shall speak to you further, giving knowledge that is better than what I have already explained.
Bg 12.8 — Just fix your mind upon Me, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and engage all your intelligence in Me. Thus you will live in Me always, without a doubt.
Bg 12.9 — My dear Arjuna, O winner of wealth, if you cannot fix your mind upon Me without deviation, then follow the regulative principles of bhakti-yoga. In this way develop a desire to attain Me.
Bg 12.10 — If you cannot practice the regulations of bhakti-yoga, then just try to work for Me, because by working for Me you will come to the perfect stage.
Bg 12.11 — If, however, you are unable to work in this consciousness of Me, then try to act giving up all results of your work and try to be self-situated.
Bg 12.12 — If you cannot take to this practice, then engage yourself in the cultivation of knowledge. Better than knowledge, however, is meditation, and better than meditation is renunciation of the fruits of action, for by such renunciation one can attain peace of mind.
Bg 14.1 — The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: Again I shall declare to you this supreme wisdom, the best of all knowledge, knowing which all the sages have attained the supreme perfection.
Bg 9.30 — Even if one commits the most abominable action, if he is engaged in devotional service he is to be considered saintly because he is properly situated in his determination.
Bg 9.31 — He quickly becomes righteous and attains lasting peace. O son of Kuntī, declare it boldly that My devotee never perishes.
Bg 9.32 — O son of Pṛthā, those who take shelter in Me, though they be of lower birth – women, vaiśyas [merchants] and śūdras [workers] – can attain the supreme destination.
Arjuna: Yes, I accept that he is a sadhu when he's worshipping You, but if he's doing nonsense, then he is not a sadhu.
Krishna: No Arjuna, in every regard he's a sadhu because he's properly resolved to serve Me. He's thinking that, "I am unable to give up this sinful activity and I'll probably go to hell, but I'll never give up devotional service to Krishna." Therefore I consider him a sadhu.
Arjuna: But how do You accept the service of such an irreligious man whose heart is polluted by lust, anger and greed? Aren't his offerings con-taminated by these things?
Krishna: He very quickly becomes righteous and I accept him because he laments, remembering Me again and again. And because of lamentation his heart burns and he thinks, "Alas, Alas! there's no other devotee lower than me. I'm a black spot for devotees". Again and again he curses himself, and becomes purified due to this repentence. Or you can take it in this way, Arjuna. Such a person even when committing sins, his righteousness existed in him in a subtle form. He's taking the medicine of devotion although the fever remains. He is not afraid, for he knows that the fever of improper activities will go away by the power of devotion. The sinful acts are like snakes with the fangs removed. Thus he obtains eternal peace, for his lust will go away and never return.
Bg 18.56 — Though engaged in all kinds of activities, My pure devotee, under My protection, reaches the eternal and imperishable abode by My grace.
Bg 18.57 — In all activities just depend upon Me and work always under My protection. In such devotional service, be fully conscious of Me.
Bg 18.58 — If you become conscious of Me, you will pass over all the obstacles of conditioned life by My grace. If, however, you do not work in such consciousness but act through false ego, not hearing Me, you will be lost.
Bg 18.59 — If you do not act according to My direction and do not fight, then you will be falsely directed. By your nature, you will have to be engaged in warfare.
Bg 18.60 — Under illusion you are now declining to act according to My direction. But, compelled by the work born of your own nature, you will act all the same, O son of Kuntī.
Bg 18.61 — The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone’s heart, O Arjuna, and is directing the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on a machine, made of the material energy.
Bg 18.62 — O scion of Bharata, surrender unto Him utterly. By His grace you will attain transcendental peace and the supreme and eternal abode.
Bg 18.63 — Thus I have explained to you knowledge still more confidential. Deliberate on this fully, and then do what you wish to do.
SB 11.29.21 — O Joseph, in a dangerous situation an ordinary person cries, becomes fearful and laments, although such useless emotions do not change the situation. But activities offered to Me without personal motivation, even if they are externally useless, amount to the actual process of religion.
SB 11.29.22 — This process is the supreme intelligence of the intelligent and the cleverness of the most clever, for by following it one can in this very life make use of the temporary and unreal to achieve Me, the eternal reality.
SB 11.29.23 — Thus have I related to you — both in brief and in detail — a complete survey of the science of the Absolute Truth. Even for the demigods, this science is very difficult to comprehend.
Radhanath Swami on Raghunath Das Goswami
Raghunath Das Goswami was from a very wealthy background but he gave up everything to be with Lord Caitanya and serve in the humble mood of a servant…
Replies
Yes, I understand these principles but the scriptures do say that if I eat anything not performed as yajna or sacrifice then I am committing a sin. It makes all of my efforts to follow these principles seem null.
Hare Krsna,
My obeisances to all devotees, guru and gauranga.
Hari bol Joseph prabhu!
You are trying to overcome a material misery by taking refuge in material comfort. You will find temporary relief and that’s what intoxication gives you. In fact its not even relief if you closely analyse it as drinking takes away the consciousness away from the misery and one feels that they over came it. Just like an anaesthesia injection numbs a particular part in order for the Dr to perform whatever procedure he has to without the patient feeling anything in that particular area. But as soon as the anaesthetic effect wears off, the pain or suffering will come back.
The practical approach in your stress filled day (whose isn’t prabhu?), take a shower, do arati to the deities, sit down and read SP books or listen to kirtan or just chant. This way you will keep away from intoxicants and perversion. Easy said than done, I know, but the activities I mentioned at least gives you pious credits and Krsna will see this sincere effort and gives you further impetus to progress your service towards him. If you take refuge in drinks and other stuff, how can krsna hold your hand prabhu? He will just witness it seated in your heart.
Coming to cooking, prabhu I will give you my personal experience. I am not good at cooking and don’t want to spend too much time cooking. But krsna has created situations where I am forced to cook now and although I am not good at it, I take pleasure in cooking for Krsna with whatever little knowledge I have related to cooking. I browse for simple recipes which doesn’t take time and prepare them and offer it to him. To be honest, when I take the same as prasadham it is soooo tasty. This is not because of my cooking, this is because He tasted and accepted it.
There is no big deal in preparing simple dishes prabhu. You should at least know how to cook rice. Prepare that and mix it with yoghurt and salt and offer it to Krsna. Your interest to please him will eventually take over and you will start to learn other recipes. Have patience. Progress will come.
If you cant follow all 4 at once, at least try one at a time prabhu. Start with letting go of meat eating. Starting or ending something is very easy, but maintaining the same is the hardest.
Was Chaintanya Mahaprabhu wrong when he requested everyone to chant the holy names to deliver the souls in Kali yuga? We are all fallen souls prabhu and there is no shame in taking God’s name when that is what we do when chanting, is it not?? Are all the acharyas and devotees shameful chanting the glorious name of Shri Krsna? All these thoughts of unworthiness is in the mind. I was listening to a lecture by Sri Srimad Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja and he said “one can become a go-dasa or dasa of the senses or he can become krsna dasa”. This line stood out for me from the lecture.
We are here to help you to become Krsna dasa prabhu. Join hands with devotees and lets serve him better with our time, energy, body and soul.
I think I have given some practical solutions to your problems prabhu. If my response offended you in anyway, I request you to forgive this servant.
Srila prabhupada ki jai..
Hare krsna
Thank you for your encouraging words. I have been eating a vegetarian diet for month now. I threw away my alcohol. I do not wish to drink it again. I still struggle with lustful desires such as women. i sometimes isolate myself from such people even though they have done nothing to me.
I have found instructions for preparing prasada but I cannot speak or pronounce the prayer. I find it difficult to do this for every meal as most of my meals are prepared by someone else.
You have not offended me in anyway and neither should I be, because your intentions are pure.
Life should be molded in such a manner that one is able to progressively remember the Personality of Godhead in every step of life. An expert devotee of the Lord can mold his life in such a way that while performing all kinds of duties either for this or the next life, he can constantly remember the Lord's name, fame, qualities, etc.
A pure devotee remembers this constantly, and in doing so he repeats the transcendental name, fame and qualities of the Lord, which means that he is constantly in touch with the Lord. The Lord is identical with His name, fame, etc., and therefore to be associated with His name, fame, etc., constantly, means actually to associate with the Lord.
Everyone in the material world is in the bodily conception, struggling hard for existence, life after life. If you do not want again to become cats and dogs, which you have already passed then you have try more hard. Look at lives of all great devotee's of Lord are they do not even have foods to eat still they are very determine to go back to Krsna. link
Bg 7.3 — Out of many thousands among men, one may endeavor for perfection, and of those who have achieved perfection, hardly one knows Me in truth.
Krishna: No Arjuna, in every regard he's a sadhu because he's properly resolved to serve Me. He's thinking that, "I am unable to give up this sinful activity and I'll probably go to hell, but I'll never give up devotional service to Krishna." Therefore I consider him a sadhu.
Arjuna: But how do You accept the service of such an irreligious man whose heart is polluted by lust, anger and greed? Aren't his offerings con-taminated by these things?
Krishna: He very quickly becomes righteous and I accept him because he laments, remembering Me again and again. And because of lamentation his heart burns and he thinks, "Alas, Alas! there's no other devotee lower than me. I'm a black spot for devotees". Again and again he curses himself, and becomes purified due to this repentence. Or you can take it in this way, Arjuna. Such a person even when committing sins, his righteousness existed in him in a subtle form. He's taking the medicine of devotion although the fever remains. He is not afraid, for he knows that the fever of improper activities will go away by the power of devotion. The sinful acts are like snakes with the fangs removed. Thus he obtains eternal peace, for his lust will go away and never return.