Sincerity and being tested

[Guest guest]

Camp: ISKCON New Talavan Farm Community--Sudarshan Festival, Mississippi,USA

 

> Krsna might give us tests due to our sincerity to want to

> become purified. But how we react to the test is also dependent on our

> sincerity. If we want something cheap then the test won't make us go

> deeper. So depending on our sincerity we will pass the test. I guess it

> would be sincerity to reach the goal of pure devotional service. This

> would guide our actions. These are my realisations. Please correct them if

> necessary.

 

Read SB 1.7.40 about "sense of duty". This sense of duty is another way of

understanding sincerity. A devotee feels a sense of duty to follow the

instructions of Guru & Krishna. If one has a strong sense of duty to Guru &

Krishna and understands what is to be done and what isn't to be done then

that is possible to make steady progress. One may have a sense of duty, but

without exalted qualities one can do horrible things. Aswatthama had a sense

of duty for Duryodhana and he killed the 5 sleeping sons of the Pandava's

out of this sense of duty, but actually even Duryodhana was unhappy with

this heinous cowardly act and rejected this act as inappropriate. So sense

of duty without knowledge can lead to fanatacism and improper acts.

 

Lord Sri Krishna tests our sense of duty towards him. Maya tests our sense

of duty towards her. Where do we feel it is our duty to serve? Maya or Lord

Sri Krishna? If our sense of duty is to Lord Sri Krishna and the spiritual

master then we will not listen to the proposals of Maya.