Hare Krishna! All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
I am a student and I want to know how I can advance in Krishna Consciousness while managing the limited time I have. I can only chant 4 rounds of the japa and read devotional books for a short time everyday. But I am unable to manage the time.
My other question is that: Is materialistic knowledge and schools required for a devotee like me although I have no interest for it. Does it decrease my devotional service or faith for Krishna? Then, what should I do?
Forgive me dear devotees of Sri Krishna if I have said anthing wrong.
Hari Bol!
Replies
Hare Krishna! All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
I am not a college student. I am still a high school student. I learned about KC at an early age.
Very good. You are lucky one. We wasted more than 30% of our life without even knowing what to do. Guru gauranga is so merciful they have given you the access to the divine path early in your life. So just stick on to it no matter what happens in life.
I came to KC when i was doing my Masters in NIT and it was a really hectic schedule for us. But, we would chant 16 rounds every single day (even during exams), read books for minimum 30 min, hear personal lectures for minimum 30 min. We would have mangalarthi and a class in the morning also apart from these. And our classes would start in the morning at 7:50am so we had to leave by 7:30 from our center. We would get up by 4 and get ready by 4:30, alter would open at 4:30 and we would sing shikashatakam and 10 offencenses and read a page from Naamamrit. Then chant till 6:00. Morning class will be form 6-6:30, then mangalarthi and narashima aarthi, followed by watering tulasi. Then honer prasadam and leave to college. We would come back at 12 to BACE and by 12:30 have prasadam. Take some rest or chant remaining rounds or read/hear for some time and again go back to college. College wold be over by 5 in the evening and then we would come back and do our college studies.
The formula is Mornings for Krishna and evening for college studies. We have to balance it or else we will fall down from both places.
Material studies is of no good value if there is no real knowledge of KC in our life. Srila Prabhupaada explains that all the material qualification is like zeros. We may study more and more and accumulate tens and hundreds of zeros. But no matter how many zeros are lined up together, its face value is still a zero. Only when u put a one before these zeros, every zero added to it will increase its face value. This one is the real knowledge of Krishna consciousness.
We can be a good student by scoring good grades in our academics and practice KC also. In doing so, we can attract many other students to this process of devotional service. This is called preaching by example. If in the name of KC, we neglect our studies, then no one will blame you but Srila Prabhupaada and ISKCON that they are misguiding the youth. Krishna says in geeta, what ever you do, do it as an offering to me. The material studies is your prescribed duty as a student and this is a very great service to Lord and Srila Prabhupada.
I would like to conclude this with one more very important point. You are still very young and might not have decided your aashram. If in future you choose to remain a brahamachari and join some temple as full time, then the studies really does not matter. But what is the guarantee that you are going to be a brahamachari and do not get married? and if you decide to get married, you need to have a good paying job to maintain your family right? I have seen many who joined aashram and then changed their mind to get married in couple of years. Luckily, these devotees were good at their academics and got good jobs also. You are not going to loose anything by getting good grades but the other way could be true. Just remember one thing - Do your best and leave the rest to Krishna. Put your full effort in studying and then let Krishna decide what is good for us.
Hari bol!!!
Hk,
PAMHO.
nice answer prji.
now morning program shifted to 4 Am. :-)
Ys
Thats good! earlier you start your day the better it would be.
Hare Krishna dear Devotees, please accept my humble obeisances! all glories to Srila Prabhupada!
yes, Rameshreddy Prabhuji gave very nice explanation.
i also wanted to leave my education when i was in the 2-3rd year. i tried to so much to leave but Krishna tried so much to keep me there. the in 4th again tried leave but now understood that Krishna has His own plans for me.
We had particular desires in previous and now Krishna started to give results maybe He wants to make from us a perfect even in the material science so that we can show example to others...
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Srijon Prabhu, there are lots of students in our society and it is very nice! it is like a brahmachari ashram for Kali yuga :-)
here we have to save our time by being far from TV, newspapers, gossips...
for example, i used to read books at the class in between the lessons. or listen lectures again in between lessons. also at the time of subjects i try to hear the teacher attentively so that not to read the subject again (i used to read, but very quickly and could understand the point). but if Your field is serious thing like medicine then You have to read also.
You can sleep early and wake up early and You will save time.
Your servant,
"prapanchikatayabhudya harisambhandi vastuinaha
mumukhubi parityago viragyam palgu katyate"
meaning:in the desire to attain liberation if one sacrifies the things which are related to krishna thinking dat they are material ...dat viragya is called phalgu viragya.
u first think carefully arjuna also tried to escape from his duety of kshatria(vidyukta dharma) by not fighting with kouravas....den krishna instructed him to do fight for his shake not personal good or bad.
for k.c students there work has to study and be examplary to others so dat everyone will take K.C. by seeing dem
if we r not fallowing our duties dat bad name will come to our procees dat....everybody will blashfame dat these harekrishna people are irresponsible!
so,if ur gruhasta be examplary gruhasta...ur doctor be k.c doctor...ur lawyer be k.c lawyer....like dat ur a student be examplary student.....since krishna doest tell arjuna to stop his duity and go to forest but to change his conciousnes!
for ex:we have a big temple in tirupati.the person who made its plan,maintance while construction dat engineer became full surrender temple devotee now bcz of govinda's mercy. if he think dat his studies r material we will not get such anice wonderful temple!
another devotee who did his medicine now freely takingcare of devotees health in temple....other person who who was good accounts was seeing temple accounts.....
like dat we have to know how a thing should be use in k.c way...it is "YUKTA VIRAGYA".....but,if we simply sacrifies everthig thinking dem material,it is known as "PHALGU VIRAGYA"(as krishna told in sloka).
so,plz leave ur unneccisary thoughts on studies and just utalize dem for krishna's service!
den,next how to manage studies,devotional life.............
KEEPING SHEDULED TIME FOR ALL OUR ACTIVTIES IN A DAY
dat means we have to fallow one time shedule dat
eg:WAKING:4:30AM
BATHING,ACTIVITES: up to 5:15
CHANTING:5:15-6:15
BOOK READING:6:15-6:45
PERSONAL STUDIES:6:45-8:00
GOING TO COLLEGE:8:30-5:30PM
.........................
............
it is just example shedule......u can prepare ur own shedule based on ur activities....habbits(since sombody may wake up late hours).but,tigthtly we have to arrange all activities ina day.that will help to control mind as well as we can balance all our activities both spiritual and personal activities......
dats it pray for guru,krishna and take senior devotees instructions den everthing will go nicely!
i had presented here wat i had heard frm my seniors here so,plz forgive me if i hert u in dis reply....
ur's servent