Hare Krishna everyone.
Just need a guidance from some pure devotees. I have some questions in my mind for which I need clear answer.
1. There is been so much stressed given in the books by Srila Prabhupada and what our great vaishnav leaders said about one must be tolerant and be humble like a blade of grass. But I don't understand till what we can be tolerant in this quarall age, be that person a devotee also.
For instance. If someone abuses us 100 times, won't we react at one point. If someone says anything wrong about our female person in a family, won't we react. If someone is taking you for granted again and again, won't we react. If someone torture us mentally, won't we react. If someone harass us sexually, won't be react.
Till what time one must become tolerant? That is my question.
Even Krishna killed Sishupal after his 99 sins. Even Krishna declared Mahabharat war, when the other party (Kauravas) was not ready at all for peaceful negotiation with Pandavas.
2. Why can't we drink normal tea and coffee. Its getting difficult for me to accept all rules and regulations by Iskcon. Sometimes I feel like I should leave bhakti and live a materialistic life again.
If one person follows 4 main rules and regulations, chant 16 rounds, have faith in Krishna deeply but have some desires for themselves like watching movies, listening music, exploring every parts of world, going for adventures. Whats wrong in it. Not everyone can become monk and renounce everything.
Even if one does materialistic things like movies, music, play and connect it with Krishna. Then whats wrong in it.
Why doing bhakti is getting difficult for everyone?
Replies
Hare Krsna Prabhuji,
PAMHO.
To answer your questions in brief:
One should tolerate till the extent his consciousness doesnt get consumed/ polluted by the aggressor. One should try to remember Krsna at the time of injustice. If our consciousness suffers such that we are not able to render devotional service, then one should remove oneself from the scene.
Regarding tea, coffee, movies, music etc - one should try to avoid. Tea coffee is part of 4 regulative principles. That has to be forcefully avoided, even if one has desire. Then only one can make any progress. Its all in the mind prabhuji. If we decide that it should not affect us, it wont.
Movies and music is a natural consequence of chanting attentively. The more we advance spiritually, the more we lose taste for material things. This we will see manifesting in ourselves if we chant properly.
Bhakti is not forced, it is spontaneous.
Regarding injustice to women or animals, why is it that the moment something is going wrong, we put it on God. It is His duty to ensure that everything goes on properly in this world, our job is only to find His faults. Be the change you want to see. God has given us intelligence and resources. Think what YOU can do to ensure safety for both and start taking baby steps towards it.
The thing to understand is - this material world is dukhalayam ashashwatam - temporary and full of miseries. These cannot be avoided. Like we cannot separate heat and light from fire, we cannot separate these 2 from material world. So better to get out of here, we dont belong here anyways. Let us do enough to go back home, back to Godhead.
Pls feel free to ask further.
Haribol,
Your servant,
Radha Rasamayi DD
Hare Krsna
Till what time one must become tolerant?
Till the time you can or till the time they don't take advantage of you, whichever is earlier. Being tolerant like a tree is the goal, it is not an instruction. If someone insults me, I can probably tolerate to some extent. But if it goes beyond my tolerance limit, it will obviously retaliate, but hopefully in a manner that I do not get caught in karma. If someone one wants to take away my wealth, propert etc I would never tolerate. But if someone gives me ₹1 less in a purchase I would not mind it. Cheating, fraud, envy towards Krsna / devotees should never be tolerated. If someone blasphemes our loved ones falsely it should not be tolerated. If someone says truth about our loved ones which is painful, it must be tolerated. We also have to option of walking away, in many cases it works well.
Why can't we drink normal tea and coffee?
It is not favourable towards Krsna Consciousness. If you can't follow it immediately, then trying to follow artificially will result in snapping back to old ways. The solution is to give up slowly and sustainably and it is possible only with blessings of devotees. Till then understand that it is your inability or shortcoming of follow such regulative principles and pray to Krsna to give you strength to give up auch unfavourable things. Chanting Hare Krsna maha mantra is very powerful.
If one person follows 4 main rules and regulations, chant 16 rounds, have faith in Krishna deeply but have some desires for themselves like watching movies, listening music, exploring every parts of world, going for adventures. Whats wrong in it.
Nothing wrong with it. Whole world is doing it. There is good news for you there are 14 planetary systems and 8.4 million species to explore. All the best.
By the mercy of Lord Chaitanya we have the opportunity to escape this material world and reach spiritual world. Nothing wrong in being in material world and continuing to practice spiritual life. But it will be painful and miserable.
Why doing bhakti is getting difficult for everyone?
Practice of Bhakti was never easy. It is simple but not easy. There are two aspects need to succeed in bhakti - Krsna's mercy and our endeavour. If someone has felt bhakti in the past was easy, then it was due to mercy of Lord Chaitanya. If someone is feeling bhakti is difficult then it is time to endeavour. It will become more and more difficult unless we endeavour. Association of devotees makes it easy. Keeping life simple which gives us time to practice makes it feasible. Many times we complicate our own lives unnecessarily, which can be avoided.
Hare Krsna
Hare Krishna Prabhuji.
Thanks for the answer but after reading your comment. I have 2 questions as follows:
Q1: if someone drinks normal tea (which have nicotine) or normal coffee (which have caffeine) and says Krishna I love you, chants regularly, keeps devotee association, pray to Krishna daily and read scriptures. Then won't Krishna will accept him as a devotee or won't that person will be liberated after their death?
Q2. If someone eats food with garlic and onion, and don't eat non veg and don't eat egg but still say Krishna I love you. Then won't Krishna will accept him as his devotee? Or will that person can't get liberated?
Basically I want to say that not everyone can become a monk or saadhvi. People like you, me or any beginner towards KC who has faith in Krishna but do have some materialistic desires in them, not our of lust. Then can't they enjoy their life and connect everything with Krishna even if the activities are materialistic?
Hare Krsna
If someone eats food with garlic and onion, and don't eat non veg and don't eat egg but still say Krishna I love you. Then won't Krishna will accept him as his devotee? Or will that person can't get liberated?
Just saying Krsna I love you is very easy. Almost anyone can say it. But that is not the criteria for going back home back to godhead. Criteria for Going back to godhead is to love Krsna to such an extent that one is willing to give up everything in the material world and the material world itself and surrender to Krsna.
Whatever you are saying - tea coffee onion garlic materialistic music movies exploring world etc are all not Krsna or they are maya. When love for Krsna arises these things will disappear from heart.
There are many examples of great devotees who were greatly attached to materiatic things. But when the time came, they allowed Krsna to purify them and they were willing to make the sacrifice.
Dhruva maharaj seriously wanted a large kingdom. Bali maharaj wanted to conquer heavens. Ajamila wanted to enjoy family life even at time of death. Gajendra was enjoying his good life. All these devotees pleased Krsna and perfected their lives by surrendering to Krsna when the time and opportunity came. Krsna purified them and from their side they allowed Krsna to purify themselves by surrendering them. Without such purification one cannot be liberated or go back to godhead. Some way of other one needs to be purified of all material contamination/ desires . Liberation is liberation from material desires.
Krsna will accept anyone provided they are willing to be purified. If they are not then Krsna will not forcefully purify them, that is task of material energy or maya devi.
So question is not whether Krsna will accept us. Krsna loves us and He will accept anyone from any state of contamination. Question is are we willing to give up our contamination and accept Krsna ?
If someone is attched to even a single material desire and chooses their material desire over Krsna then they cannot be liberated. They have to be purified of all contamination to be liberated. But Krsna in the form of Holy name will purify anyone who is willing to be purified. We must be willing to undergo the purification. Krsna has given us everything that is needed to reach Him. Now the ball is in our court. We need to decide what we want to do and where we want to be.
Hare Krsna
Hare Krsna
Hare Krishna,
Lord Sri Krishna's activities why He killed Shishupala why He declared war against Kauravas. we cannot compare to our mortal anger.
Mortal anger and intolerance is more or less having some selfish interest.
Krishna's activities his doing Rasa or Killing has no selfish motive.
Lord krishna knows past, present and future of the person. The Person who can give life has only has the power to take life. Our every activity is selfish. We don't do any work without seflish interest.
Even when we do bhakti we think Krishna should remove all our sins and take back to Goloka. This is the selfish motive behind bhakti also.
so, how can we compare Lord's activities to our selfish deeds.
If Lord gets angry also He is angered not because one is insulting Lord. Lord gets angery ( as Narsimha ) because one devotee was hurting another devotee.
You may ask was Hiranyakashyap also a devotee?
Yes., Hiranyakashyap is a greatest devotee of Lord he was dwarpal of Vaikunta fallen down from such a great position. ( Jaya Vijaya ) two dwarpals/ gate keepers of Vaikunta did a mistake of not letting in Sanat kumaras so they were cursed ..But they request Lord that every life time they want to die in Lord's hands ( 3 janams) and get quickly back to their position. Instead of 6 janams being devotees. As per the request they were born in one life time as Hiranyaksha- Hiranyakashyap brothers. Ravana and Ahi Ravana/kumbakarma and Lastly Shishupal and Dantavaktra duo brothers.
Lord knows what was their actual position and how they fell down. What for they are abusing now .. only to get back to Vaikunta faster and serve Lord again as dwarpals sooner they opted to become enemies of Lord to die at Lord's hands and attain moksha fastest route.
That is why Lord gave them the death they chose.
If you or me where in Lord's place we would not tolerate our abuses in front of all people.
One reacts only when someone pricks their ego.
Lord Sri Krishna is egoless. For Lord everyone is HIS part and parcel all are His own. How can He feel bad or insulted when someone abuses or insults HIM.
Haan, Lord will react when one devotee is hurting another out of arrogance. Just like Lord reacted as Narsimha to save Prahalada.
So don't compare Lord's anger to our selfish anger.
Secondly,
That war had to happen Gita had to be delivered. Lord wants to teach the world something thru that and see even now we read Gita after 5000 plus years and that is why that major war had to happen so that people will remember forever. That injustice of any kind is not tolerarted. Lord didn't react and lose his control He only responded.
If you and me were in His place we would have fought by taking astra shashtra ourselves. Lord was cool and He even made a promise that He wont lift any weapons.
Lord din't wanted bloodshed so He went Himself for Sandhi (truce)
Lord Knows before hand itself this War was inevitable and in this war many demons and many kings who were supporting Duryodhana who were totally corrupted had been killed. That is why Its a war for justice for establishment of dharma. This war was not only for the sake of protecting Draupadi's modesty and takng revenge for not giving equal shares. This war is to show coming generations that this is going to happen if people become corrupted. That is why this war was chosen for delivary of Gita, which still we are reading and it will be forever this message of Lord.
Krishnastu Swayam Bhagwan. When Bhagwan comes down He will establish dharma for that sake only He comes down. His activities are not having any selfish interest. In this war.. Lord is not going to get any personal benefit. He just come down to re- establish dharma.
Lord will not find happiness in killing His own parts ( be it Kauravas or Pandavas) all belong to Lord. Lord is impartial in this aspect. He has no EGO so how can He feel sad or hurt or react to someone's abuses.
Duryodhana also insulted Lord many times. But Lord doesn't have any personal grudge. He has no favoritism. Every one belongs to HIM, be it rouge or be it pure devotee.
But if we were in Lord's position we will show favoritism. our family ladies are hurted so lets fight. For Bhagwan whole universe belongs to HIM. So His cause of waging war is not for any selfish interest!!!!!!!!!
SO, DONOT compare Lord's anger to our selfish anger.
2. Its upto you. If you want to enjoy life and do bhakti also no one is stopping you. One can take as much time as they want. Leisurely go back to Godhead this life time itself or take 2-3 more life times. No one is punishing you.
3. If you want to enjoy music, movies and connect to Krishna with it. there is nothing wrong. But how do you connect is personal and it is your own journey to God. You can do whatever way you want to do reach out to Lord. It is your personal relationship with Lord. If material songs and movies are reminding you of Krishna then do that also whatever floats your boat.
Anything which makes you closer to Krishna be it mateiral or spiritual thing its okay to take up as long as they are making you close to Krishna.
Bhakti is not difficult. It becomes difficult when you force things /supress your desires.
If you get to do bhakti with natural feeling of disgust to the things which are not conducive to Bhakti then that bhakti is stable and has no pain while following all rules.
Don't supress any desire. Supression leads to flare ups and suddenly makes to turn completely against God and take up atheism.
Enjoy Krishna conscious and slowly slowly the anarthas will go back from you as you keep chanting
Chant chant and keep chanting some day we all can be perfected. Let it take one life time or 10 life times. Unless we become perfected there is no going back to Godhead. Chanting only can remove all anarathas.
These flare up sudden outbursts of emotions ( the way your have questioned) "Sometimes I feel like I should leave bhakti and live a materialistic life again." Are due to the cleansing process of chanting. When a dusty room is cleaned up with broom the dust raises up more and more. we become suffocated and distressed with the dust in air. The cleaning has just started it seems in your heart.
let this phase pass. keep chanting.
hare krishna
Hare Krishna Maataji.
I understood your points but still you didn't give me practical answer for my questions.
My question are as follows:-
1. How much a person should tolerate any kind of injustice be it a devotee or non devotee?
Whats the answer given in scriptures fot it? For eg. If someone slaps me or abuse me right? What should I do at that time.
2. If someone is harassing a woman be it a devotee or non devotee, what should they do at that time?
3. There is so much of animal cruelty in the world including our own country, where even cows are being slaughtered and so much of bloodshed is there for animals. Why Krishna doesn't save them? I know everyone is getting the results of their karmas but what Krishna is waiting for? Kalki avatar will descend after end of kalyug, but right now in 2022, there is so much of bloodshed and so much of wrongdoing in the world. Why Krishna is not saving now ?
I am not comparing myself to God. I know God is pure without any self interest like we have, but the thing is when we see world being sufferring, tons of animals being slaughtered brutully daily and even when devotees are sufferring due to any reason. Then it's become difficult for a normal person like me or for any beginner towards spirituality to keep faith in God.
Hare Krishna Prabhu ji,
I can understand your mind. Not only your problem everyone of us if we see cruelity towards animals and towards woman or some bad things going on in world. we do react.
But there is two things one must keep in mind.
1. Respond but not react.
If possible try to stop this blood shed by fair means. Like for suppose you see a woman in trouble. You don't go fight with knife or guns shoot the muggers. You must not react and end up in doing bad karma. You must tactfully respond. quickly call for help, call for police. Try to divert their attention by stopping them from harassing ladies. If they hurt you in the process that you may take up weapons for self defence. But If you react simply and do blood shed urself then there is no need for justice and police , law etc.
Reaction is not need timely response is needed.
If you see animals are being hurt. Try to spread awareness among people.
Ofcourse Lord is responding to whatever bloodshed and animal cruelty done to cows. That is why we have famines, we have earth quakes, there are covid like dangerous reaction as a result of eating non veg.
Some nations are becoming Vegans now a days they decided to stop animal cruel and go green all thanks to COVID. Krishna made this possible.
Nature is responding in its own way. You need not react. Krishna is Sarva Samardhya. HE IS ALL CAPABLE. IF HE WANTS TO PROTECT IT IS ONE SPLIT SECOND THING FOR HIM.
WHEN Problems araise.. Whenever the Bhoo devi is frustrated by the burden of these cruel people even demigods and Bhoomata go to Lord and plead for HIM to take timely action.
Everything is set as per the plan of Sri Krishna. All will end and new beginning is going to start.
Now itself there is so much cruelity at one end there is so much awareness also among people.
First of all AIDS and others diseases made a fear among people to be practicing safe sex and avoid animal behavior of raping woman. If there is wrong things going on. Pls. do respond immediately
BUT NOT REACT AND CAUse more blood shed.
Being tolerant means not to react but tactfully respond.
Druapadi ne jab Sri Krishna ko bulaya.. Krishna immediately protected her first. By giving her saree. He didn't react and come out and kill all of the miscrenents. WHICH HE COULD HAVE DONE. He din't do. He didn't react. He protected instead the girl in problem.
But tum aur hum hote usi samay hum pehle sab ke haath naak kaan aur ankhe fod dete the!!
And Sri Krishna tried to do sandhi also with these cruel people. You can understand how much tolerant He is.
Hare Krishna