Dovetail??

[Tirisilex]

What exactly does Dove Tailing mean?

[brajeshwara das]

My understanding is that you have some desire or predisposition, talent maybe, that you don't want to let go of, so you find some way to offer that in service to Sri Guru. Maybe you like ice cream, so you offer that to Gurudeva before you take it. Or you play guitar and sing, so you write songs to glorify the Lord. I'm not sure how good it is to do this, I know we should look for service to decend to us so we can know it is really the will of the Lord, but in many cases (grhasta life for example) we may not get so much direct instruction, and we may have activities we have to participate in to maintain house, home and family. So we try to offer everything to the Lord, even if He isn't asking for everything we offer. Anyhow, that's my understanding. I don't mean to mislead, so please take that with great suspicion.

[Shakti-Fan]

Yes, another cut and paste. The words are better than mine:

Endnote: Three Types of Bhakti:

One should also remember that bhakti is of three types: svarupa siddha (those endeavors which are purely constituted of uttama-bhakti), sanga-siddha (those endeavors which are associated with or favorable to the development of bhakti but not of themselves purely composed of bhakti), and aropa-siddha (those activities which although not consisting of pure bhakti, are designated as bhakti due to their being offered to the Supreme Lord).

 

Aropa-siddha-bhakti: Endeavors indirectly attributed with the quality of bhakti.

Endeavors which by nature are not purely constituted of bhakti – that is, anukulya-krsnanusilana – and in which the performer, in order to fulfill his own purpose, offers his activities and their results to the Lord. This is called aropa-siddha-bhakti. In other words, because his activities are assigned (aropa) to the Supreme Lord, bhakti is attributed (aropita) to them.

 

Comment:

That bhakti in which there is a mixture of karma or desires for material enjoyment is called sakama-bhakti or saguna-bhakti. Without the assistance of bhakti, karma cannot yield any fruit. Knowing this, many persons offer their prescribed duties for the satisfaction of the Lord, in order that He might fulfill their extraneous desires. The activities of such persons are not svarupa-siddha-bhakti. Nonetheless, because they offer the fruit of their activity to the Lord, it is considered as a type of bhakti. Although their activities are offered for the satisfaction of the Lord, their motivation is that by pleasing Him, He may fulfill their extraneous desires. In this case their activities are attributed with the sense of bhakti. Therefore, such endeavors are known as aropa-siddha-bhakti.

 

Sanga-siddha-bhakti: Endeavors associated with or favorable to the cultivation of bhakti. There are other endeavors which, although not purely constituted of bhakti, anukulya-krsnanusilana, acquire a likeness to bhakti due to their being established as assistants to bhakti. Such endeavors are known as sanga-siddha-bhakti. An example of this is found in Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.3. 23-25) in the statement of Sri Prabuddha Muni to Maharaja Nimi:

 

"One should cultivate compassion towards others, friendliness, offering respect to others, cleanliness, austerity, tolerance, silence, study of the Vedas, simplicity, celibacy, non-violence, and so on. One should consider heat and cold, happiness and distress to be the same. One should perceive the presence of the Lord everywhere. One should live in a secluded place, renounce family attachments and remain satisfied with gain which comes of its own accord."

 

Even though the behavior or practices described in this verse are not by nature purely constituted of bhakti, they are assistants to bhakti. Thus they are considered to be like associates of bhakti. If bhagavad-bhakti is removed from the twenty-six qualities mentioned, then Bhagavan has no direct relationship with the remaining qualities such as compassion, friendliness, tolerance, austerity, and so on. Only when these items exist as assistants to or associates of bhakti is their likeness to bhakti effected. Therefore, they are known as sanga-siddha-bhakti.

Svarupa-siddha-bhakti: Endeavors purely constituted of uttama-bhakti

All favorable endeavors (cesta) such as sravana, kirtana, smarana, and so on, as well as the manifestation of the spiritual sentiments which occur beginning from the stage of bhava, which are completely devoid of all desires separate from Sri Krsna and which are freed from the coverings of jnana and karma are known as svarupa-siddha-bhakti. In other words all endeavors of the body, words and mind which are related to Sri Krsna and which are performed exclusively and directly for His pleasure without any interruption are known as svarupa-siddha-bhakti.

 

Therefore, in the conversation between Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Srila Raya Ramananda found in Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, both aropa-siddha and sanga-siddha-bhakti have been described as external. (Sri Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu-bindhu 17-19)

From end notes of "Alloyed And Unalloyed Devotion" a lecture by Tridandisvami Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja.

Full text at:

http://www.purebhakti.com/lectures/lecture20030519.shtml

[brajeshwara das]

So dovetailing is Aropa-siddha-bhakti?

 

BTW< I personally don't mind your cutting and pasting.

[Shakti-Fan]

 

So dovetailing is Aropa-siddha-bhakti?

 

BTW< I personally don't mind your cutting and pasting.

Yes, dovetailing is a form of aropa-siddha-bhakti.

[Beggar]

Eh! Astsa matta wid 'a you?

When is aropa a snake 'a

and when is a snake 'a

aropa?

[Beggar]

Also a way to remember this is, give a snake a big enough aropa and he just might hang himself.

[gHari]

Propensity.

 

We are apt to paint or sing or speak or think. We use that inclination in pleasing Krsna.

[bija]

Tirisilex, you could look at dovetailing in this way.

 

If you like reading books, read books about Krsna.

 

If you like listening to music, listen to Krsna music (kirtana and things like that).

 

You have said previously that you like making music. Use your musical talents to make music for Krsna (singing the Mahamantra and things like that and using your musical instruments).

 

If you like cleaning house. Set up a little altar with pictures of Krsna. Dust and clean the altar each day and vacuum clean around it. This is like cleaning a temple.

 

If you like cooking, cook some nice preparations for Krsna. And offer the preparations by placing them on the altar. If you do not know of any prayers for how to do this, say your own simple prayers to God. From your heart.

 

If you like being social on occasions. Go to a local Hare Krsna temple and meet devotees.

 

If you like spiritual teachers, sages, and so forth...become attracted to a Guru and read his books, listen to his lectures and talks and think of him often.

 

By doing things like this you are 'dovetailing' your activities in Krsna consciousness.

[Tirisilex]

I like to play games.. I try to offer the fun of the game that my friends and I are experiencing up for Krishna.. Is this an example of Dove Tailing?

[Guest guest]

Sounds like rationalizing your sense gratification. I mean, how do you offer that to Krsna? Sorry.

[gHari]

 

I like to play games.. I try to offer the fun of the game that my friends and I are experiencing up for Krishna.. Is this an example of Dove Tailing?

Involving Krsna any way is good.

 

When we get real, that is, when all the worldly distractions disappear, we only have Krsna, every moment is centered on Krsna. That is our true position - even encaged on this planet. To get real, we overcome our conditioning by remembering Krsna.

 

Really, it's just falling in love. He is so lovable. Start where you are, and just fall in love, deeper and deeper day by day. It keeps getting better, and we never regret leaving the mundane behind.