hare krsna
i mostly stay with non devotees coz of my college and i have tried my best to bring them in temple but they find its not there place to stay and i always get projects so i have to stay with them i feel guilty dat i cant chant properly cant go temple regular where before i used to go temple everyday now its like ones in a weeki cant be in association of devotees but its like i cant even avoid them coz v r few in group n v r few in class even how do i get solution out of it?
Replies
Hare Krishna Mataji ,
Dandavat Pranam
In such situations try to chant as much as you can from 5 am to 6 am ,or at least before you leave your home .Then associate with krishna by keeping a small handy Bhagavat Geeta always with you so that whenever you get a free time you can read atleast one sloka from it. Mastering the second chapter will improve your mental strength.
In the service of Lord Krishna ,
An insignificant beggar,
vibhooshankrishnadas
Hare Krishna,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. All glories to guru and Gauranga. This is a common situation one may have to undergo in day to day life. Don't make a dependency of your spiritual life to others life. Learn pure devotional practice by reading the lives of great vaisnavas like Srila Prabhupada, Bhaktivinod Takur etc. Don't take association from people who are lower in their spiritual practice. But you can give your association so that they slowly advance in Krishna Consciousness. There is a small book called 'Nectar of Instructions'. Please try to read this. This may help you a lot.
Whats everyone replied is perfect solution
I also get inspiration from mataji reply
Hare Krsna Mataji,
PAMHO.
Please explain why you are not able to chant? Your friends will accept you with your love for Krsna, or they dont need to be your friends at all? I can understand your missing regular temple visits, but who can stop you from chanting? Pls wake up 2 hours before your friends and chant your 16 rounds in peace. If you cannot do so any day, chant in front of them. Tell that at that time, you want TV/ Radio to be off and conversation with you not possible. Once you become steady in chanting, the rest will follow. We do not show any sincerity to Krsna - we dont we take His name, and expect everything from Him.
Sorry for sounding so harsh, I have stayed for years among friends who are not interested in KC at all, but who all respect my choice and give me my space to pray. If your priorities are in the right place, everything will follow. I have spent whole nights with them discussing faith or having fun and slept only at 6.00 am. Taht still didnt stop me from chanting after getting up. Please do not try to convert anyone else, first you convert yourself into a sincere sadhaka mataji.
There are always a 100 excuses for giving our sadhana a back seat, but there is always only one reason to persevere with our sadhana - our sincerity to Krsna, our faith in the path we have chosen.
Once Krsna sees your sincerity, the rest will fall in place. Have faith.
Haribol,
Your servant,
Radha Rasamayi DD
Hare Krsna Mataji,
your suggestion helped me abit but all friends are not the same they give you space for spiritual activities they put you in such a place where you have to come out of it. your lucky you have such friends my friends pull you out of the temple and i try alot to ignore there association the next day i have to be with them coz of the same class
Hare Krsna Mataji,
PAMHO.
Distinguish between friends and acquaintances. Everyone you know or study with is not necessarily a friend. You have to choose what is more important to you - Krsna or these friends? When these people realise that Krsna is important to you - they will continue with your friendship if they accept this bit of you, else they will move on. You can still meet them in the same class the next day without any guilt. You can be polite and warm and friendly with an acquaintance - need not be friendly and share everything with that person or hang around with that person.
You think I did not meet such people? Of course I did. I just didnt allow them access to myself when I realised that they will make fun of me or try to keep me away from Krsna. I didnt wear my Krsna Consciousness on my sleeve of course. I was a fun person to be with - I was basically myself - having fun and doing everything a person of that age does - with a difference - I need to chant.
I dont know if I am able to convey to you. All I am trying to say is that its possible. Do not discuss philosopy with your friends until you think they genuinely want to know - as against they want to know to make fun of you. Just brush those questions aside or change the topic. And if it comes to a head and they start saying derogatory things, simply tell them this is close to your heart and you would not like to discuss with them because you may not be able to explain to them.
There are a lot of scandals people will tell you about - they will do google and tell you all the wrong gossip about ISKCON - I have gone through all of that. That is why I am saying - no need to discuss philosophy with them.
The same people who make fun of you today will run to you the moment they face any problem inlife and ask you to pray for them - since you are closer to God. This has also happened with me.
Just enjoy - life gives so many flavours. Keep Krsna in the centre and everything will work out. Chant your rounds mataji. Everything else will fall in place.
Best of luck,
Haribol,
Your servant,
Radha Rasamayi DD
Hare Krishna,
It's very nice that atleast you have recognised the problem. You are aware that you are not able to go to the temple & chant your rounds & are worried, that itself is a start of the solution.
Regretting ones inability to serve Krishna due to circumstances will attract Krishna's mercy.
At the same time a genuine endeavor from your side is always sought. Be true to yourself. Make genuine efforts & Krishna is surely going to create situations favourable for your smooth devotional service.
Set priorities to everything.... your studies, association with friends, time & effort for Krishna.
Just imagine your friends taking u away from the person u love the most. How would you tackle that ?
All the best for your genuine endeavors.
Keep us updated.
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Hare Krsna,
My obeisances to all devotees, guru and gauranga.
I like this line from Rashmi mataji's response - There are always a 100 excuses for giving our sadhana a back seat, but there is always only one reason to persevere with our sadhana - our sincerity to Krsna, our faith in the path we have chosen.
Bhavika mataji, if you cant go to the temple, you can log into IDT and associate with devotees here. We are all on the same boat. As Rashmi mataji said, there is no excuse for not chanting no matter what the distractions are. Please do your best with the time you get. Start with few rounds and seeing your sincere efforts, Krsna will reciprocate.
Chant and be happy.
Srila prabhupada ki jai..
Hare krsna
Hare Krishna Mataji, PAMHO
You have very nicely explained how to continue our sadhana despite many bottlenecks. This will definitely help new devotees and many more in the path of Krishna Consciousness.
Haribol,
Rajender Vaid
New Delhi