By Sacinandana Swami
Question: When we associate with devotees, is it enough to chant and hear together or is there a need for personal interaction – especially if it is hard for us because we are introverted by nature?
Answer: Srila Prabhupada writes: “Anyone who is trying to be aloof from this Krsna Consciousness Society and yet engage in Krsna consciousness is living in a great hallucination, for this is not possible.“ (Srimad-Bhagavatam ,4.9.11, purport)
This is striking, isn’t it? Why does Srila Prabhupada write this? He is commenting on the verse in which Dhruva Maharaja prays for the association of devotees, so he can drink the nectar of Krsna consciousness and cross the ocean of samsara. Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura explains that you can practice bhakti alone, but it will not be sweet without proper association. So yes, you can sit in your house and chant and do most of the 64 angas of devotional service, but you will lack the taste, the sweetness and it is this taste which will nourish you and carry you through the different challenges you face while trying to complete your spiritual journey. Obviously, this verse is speaking of the association of devotees who talk and chant about Krsna. It is not recommending the association of new and green devotees who talk about everything but Krsna. I have observed in devotees who stay away from the association of other devotees that they lack a certain amount of sweetness. They don’t change, they keep their anarthas – lone wolves don’t change. In addition, they are often not able to maintain their practice for very long. So some association is required to attain that taste. Now, what if we are introverted and it is difficult for us? We all have to overcome our conditioned nature if we want to enter real spiritual life. The extrovert has to stop being an extrovert and the introvert has to stop being an introvert! For example, I am an introverted extrovert. This means that I am very interested in self-searching and experiencing Krsna consciousness and simultaneously I come alive when there are 30000 people in the audience. But otherwise I am also shy by nature. Bhakti-tirtha Maharaja once told me that he used to be a bit reserved until one day he understood that he needs to overcome this and then he became one of our best and creative dancers in our movement!
If you are an introvert and you think “All this hype and loudness doesn’t speak to me.” (by the way I’ve come to understand it’s not a hype, it’s a sincere desire to encourage us), go to the essence and you will feel nourished. We all need to jump over our conditioned nature ¬– the extrovert, the introvert and everyone in between. See, talking about Krsna, chanting, being in the spiritual space together with others – you can’t step further into the core! I think introverts who have so much difficulty with the loudness and other externals that they stay away from devotees, are spiritually covered because it’s not about the volume or speed of the kirtana, it’s about devotion, an offering for Krsna.
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