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Mental Offence?

Posted by Ashay Bansod on December 6, 2014 at 1:48pm

Hare Krishna,

AGTSP

I see Some bramhachari devotees using personal vehicles(cars), branded laptops, smart phones. Is it allowed by scriptures. 

Is it a mental offence to get question like this?

I ask my colleagues, friends to come for programs, for donations but they pointed out opulence of devotees and I also did not have any answers to their questions.

Please help me clarify doubt.

yas,

Ashay

 

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  • 3f21ivo10p1mx January 30, 2015 at 3:29pm
    SB 10.88.8 — The Personality of Godhead said: If I especially favor someone, I gradually deprive him of his wealth. Then the relatives and friends of such a poverty-stricken man abandon him. In this way he suffers one distress after another.
    SB 10.88.9 — When he becomes frustrated in his attempts to make money and instead befriends My devotees, I bestow My special mercy upon him.
    SB 10.88.10 — A person who has thus become sober fully realizes the Absolute as the highest truth, the most subtle and perfect manifestation of spirit, the transcendental existence without end. In this way realizing that the Supreme Truth is the foundation of his own existence, he is freed from the cycle of material life.
    SB 10.88.11 — Because I am difficult to worship, people generally avoid Me and instead worship other deities, who are quickly satisfied. When people receive kingly opulences from these deities, they become arrogant, intoxicated with pride and neglectful of their duties. They dare to offend even the demigods who have bestowed benedictions upon them.
    .
    pure devotee of god jesus,  said to his disciples:
    "Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.24"Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."…
    • Aravind S > 3f21ivo10p1mx January 31, 2015 at 12:25pm

      Hare Krishna Prabhuji,

                                           All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

                                            I need your help Prabhuji.Srila Prabhupada says in bhagavatham purana Krishna can appear in any form in this world.I read this quote but i forgot to mention this quote in my note.Could you please tell me In which Canto This quote has been told by Srila Prabhupada. 

      • 3f21ivo10p1mx > Aravind S January 31, 2015 at 1:14pm

        sorry, but i cant search comments on srimad bhagavatam, but i can quote caitanya mahaprahus words:

        .

        CC Madhya 9.153 — “There is no difference between Lord Kṛṣṇa and Lord Nārāyaṇa, for They are of the same form. Similarly, there is no difference between the gopīs and the goddess of fortune, for they also are of the same form.
        CC Madhya 9.154 — “The goddess of fortune enjoys the association of Kṛṣṇa through the gopīs. One should not differentiate between the forms of the Lord, for such a conception is offensive.
        CC Madhya 9.155 — “There is no difference between the transcendental forms of the Lord. Different forms are manifested due to different attachments of different devotees. Actually the Lord is one, but He appears in different forms just to satisfy His devotees.
        CC Madhya 9.156 — “ ‘When the jewel known as vaidūrya touches various other materials, it appears to be separated into different colors, and consequently its forms also appear different. Similarly, according to the meditational ecstasy of the devotee, the Lord, who is known as Acyuta [“the infallible one”], appears in different forms, although He is essentially one.’ ”

        .

        or haridasa namacarya words :

        “God is one. The same God is present in every religion; He is the non-dual absolute truth. In the different religions, it is simply the name that differs, but on the absolute plane, there is no distinction to be made. The same God sits in the heart of every single living being and he engages each one of them in His service in different ways. One worships in the way one is made to worship by Him.

         "All living entities in creation are inspired by the Lord in the heart to act in different ways. People of different religions praise the Lord's holy names and qualities according to the view of their scriptures. The Supreme Lord accepts everyone's mood. If anyone shows malice towards another's religion he ac­tually shows malice to the Lord Himself, who is worshiped by that religion. Since God is one, that person becomes envious of the same Supreme Lord that he himself is worshiping."

  • jayakrishna January 28, 2015 at 6:08pm
    Devotees may be rich or poor in material life, but how they utilize what they have is what matter.
    If one make himself the enjoyer, he is in wrong way.
    Can we say the ancient saintly kings like Balimaharaja, Janaka maharaja were non devotees?
    Disciples of holy texts can't answer this when the holy texts say apparently contradictory in such issues ;-)
    • jayakrishna > jayakrishna January 30, 2015 at 9:01am
      Did they abandoned every thing?
      No!
      What they abandoned was their mentality of me and mine.
      Being poor is not an assurance for spiritual progress, being rich is not a disqualification either.

      Regarding sacrifices, you forgot Bali maharajas costly sacrifices during which Lord vamana deva appeared to beg charity., btw am not justifying those sacrifices!

      Intact what is richness? What we can say a rich man with limited personal comforts rich, and a poor labourer who spent money lavishly for intoxicants, gambling, and prostitution poor?
      How poverty came, can we always blame rich for it? if a rich man uses his money for the sake of Lord, he is a devotee, I don't wish to offend them by calling them non devotees.
    • 3f21ivo10p1mx > jayakrishna January 29, 2015 at 4:50pm

      this kings are saints , not because they they done so many fire sacrifices, but because  they abandon everything for the sake of god, brahmanas and spiritual life.

      anyway, in present moment of kali yuga  its almost impossible that rich person is not attached to money, and everything whats going with it.

      even ordinary non wealthy humans are so much attached to money, what to talk about rich ones.

      modern, so called brahmanas and priests are always have more respect to wealthy persons,

      those who give large amount of donations, but this fake priests dont actually know that person who gave only one last rupee for donation, is only one who is satisfying god on this way.

      real saints never associate with modern politicians and wealthy persons, only with those who live in poverty.

      those humans in poverty , by living this forced austerities, after accepting lord as only hope and abandoning 

      wish of building money, celestials and saints are often visiting with no doubt.

      thats why the money builders will never see any saint or celestial ever , if they dont start living in poverty.

      • 3f21ivo10p1mx > 3f21ivo10p1mx January 29, 2015 at 5:04pm
        SB 8.22.16 — Prahlāda Mahārāja said: My Lord, it is Your Lordship who gave this Bali the very great opulence of the post of heavenly king, and now, today, it is You who have taken it all away. I think You have acted with equal beauty in both ways. Because his exalted position as King of heaven was putting him in the darkness of ignorance, You have done him a very merciful favor by taking away all his opulence.
        SB 8.22.17 — Material opulence is so bewildering that it makes even a learned, self-controlled man forget to search for the goal of self-realization. But the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Nārāyaṇa, the Lord of the universe, can see everything by His will. Therefore I offer my respectful obeisances unto Him.
  • 3f21ivo10p1mx January 27, 2015 at 8:01pm

    SB 10.10.17 — Saintly persons may freely associate with those who are poverty-stricken, but not with those who are rich. A poverty-stricken man, by association with saintly persons, very soon becomes uninterested in material desires, and the dirty things within the core of his heart are cleansed away.
    SB 10.10.18 — Saintly persons [sādhus] think of Kṛṣṇa twenty-four hours a day. They have no other interest. Why should people neglect the association of such exalted spiritual personalities and try to associate with materialists, taking shelter of nondevotees, most of whom are proud and rich?
  • Sevak
    Bharat January 27, 2015 at 3:28pm

    Hare Krsna 

    What if some people point out at opulence of devotees using sophisticated gadgets ?

    When Krsna gives opulence, devotees are happy using it for His service. When Krsna doesn't give opulence devotees are happy serving Krsna as per their capacity. In any case devotees serve Krsna, all they are concerned is with Krsna.

    Example -
    Yudishtir Maharaj was at one time Digvijaya King of whole world. He performed Rajasuya sacrifice and offered agrapuja the first supreme worship and offering of the sacrifice to Krsna, implying that he is the most important personality on earth and elsewhere and thus glorifying him like no ordinary person can do.

    Same Yudishtir Maharaj was at another time penniless popper wandering in forests. His family received Krsna in the jungle and gave him one grain of rice when he requested for something to eat. They did this for Krsna's pleasure. And guess what Krsna was pleased !

    Beauty of the story is Krsna again gave all the kingly opulence to Yudishtir maharaj after the war of Maharabharat although he didn't desire it. And Yudishtir gracefully maharaj accepted it for the pleasure of Krsna

    As soon as Yudishtir Maharaj came to know that Lord Krsna has left the planet and Parikshit Maharaj is capable of accepting responsibility of King, they gave up their opulence and took complete shelter of Krsna.

    The focus of devotees is not opulence it is Krsna. Opulence is there, opulence is not there doesn't matter, one's consciousness must be fixed on Krsna.

    Whether devotees are actually attached to material things or to service of Krsna is none of my business. It is between them and Krsna. If I am not capable of using something for Krsna then I better be safe. For more clarification there is spiritual master. My business is to see how much Krsna conscious I can be and serve devotees.

    Hare Krsna

  • Sevak
    Bharat January 27, 2015 at 3:23pm

    Hare Krsna 

    Is it allowed by scriptures for devotees to use sophisticated gadgets ?

    In Caitanya Caritamrta it is said
    anukulyasya sankalpah
    pratikulyasya varjanam
    Acceptance of those things favorable to devotional service, the rejection of unfavorable things is a symptom of surrender

    Example of devotees using sophisticated gadgets in Krsna's service
    Arjuna in the war of mahabharata used advanced weapons which are even more superior to modern weapons in subtlity and accuracy.He used all these to please Krsna and to establish dharma which was his duty as a Kshatriya

    Nala and Nila were monkey warriors who were expert architects in building bridges. With their expertise and leadership monkey soldiers constructed bridge to Lanka and rescue mother Sita. They did this to please lord rama and unite the supreme lord with his internal energy

    Srila Bhakti Siddhanta saraswati thakur and Srila prabhupad used modern technological services like printing press, airplanes etc to propagate the divine message of Lord Chaitanya. They did this out of compassion for living entities for pleasure of Chaitanya mahaprabhu and not for their own sense gratification.

    Principle is if one is capable of using anything fully in service of Krsna and not for one's own selfish enjoyment, then it is perfect renunciation if they use it in Krsna's service
    Rupa goswami says it is more perfect renunciation to use it Krsna's service than simple give it up and not use it for anything.

    Hare Krsna

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