Question: “Sometimes chanting Hare Krishna helps me to overcome my fear of moving forward in spiritual life, but often my fear takes over again. How can I overcome this fear?”
Answer: When you come to this wall of fear there is help – that is the association of devotees. Go together; don’t go alone through that wall of fear. Go together with others and you’ll find that you are able to do many more things than you can do alone. Some of my godbrothers tell me that they have prayed their whole lives to find a real friend. A friend on the path, who will understand us and who will walk with us, even to our grave. Someone who really sticks with us. You have to pray for that.
However, on the way you should not only look for these exceptional friends but also be appreciative of the other Vaisnavas around you because they are a great help. Ramanujacarya says, “If all other spiritual practices have failed you, go to the association of Vaisnavas and just sit with them.” That association is so powerful because it can give us the special gift of matih– the inclination for spiritual life. It is the deepest, ultimate motivating factor in your life. Therefore Mucukunda says, “When the life of a conditioned soul ends he meets devotees.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.51.53)
Open your mind with the devotees, give them presents affectionately, (things they need in spiritual life) and share prasadam (spiritual food) with them in order to establish a loving relationship. From this you will get the strength to break through the wall of fear with a happy Hare Krishna on your tongue.
The Lord has invested saktis, energies, in his devotees. That’s why they are so special. And because of that they are holy to us and we want to serve them. Even the neophytes (beginning devotees) The Lord has invested his sweet call in them when they woke up and found out: “Wow, I have to change my life and live a bhakti life.”
In each devotee, you can see the man or woman whose name is in the passport – plus the investment of the Lord. Each devotee is what he or she is, plus. And it’s that ‘plus’ which makes them special in the eyes of Krishna. What do you want to see – the passport or the investment? You have to make the choice. Better you see the ‘plus’ – then life is much more blissful. And especially for crossing over these conditionings, you need to properly establish the association of devotees in your life. Of course, in the association of devotees there must be some extraordinary talk – not talk about nail polish, new dresses, cars and smartphones but Krishna conscious discussions.
Sacinandana Swami
Comments