Question regarding career and Krishna Consciousness

September 22, 2003

Hare Krishna to all Bhaktas.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

I am having some tough time mentally since I started listening to Swami Prabhupada's lectures on Bhagavad Gita. Swamiji tells that we should try to avoid somethings in krishna consciousness. 1) atyaahaara - eating more than required or to accumulate more than required. 2) prayaasa - working too much 3) prajalpa - talking unnecessarily

the first - atyaahaara , I understand fully and am convinced with what he is trying to convey, also, I do not have any questions of prajalpa. I am following that strictly. I also follow the ideal ekadashi vrata which is ideal for Vaishnavas. But the second one prayasa - which means working more or too much working. I really did not understand this point. This word is bothering me since a week and I am having sleepless nights. What does swamiji try convince us by telling us not to work much? I am a computer science person and work as a programmer in a small company in Burlington, MA, USA. I came to US for studying MS in Computer Science and I did it with full faith.

Since 2 months back I started listening to Srila Prabhupada. And I have definitely attained some krishna consciousness through his divine grace. I have had some goals in my life( so called material life) to have my own software company or at least I want to become a leader where I am working. To fulfill this dream I have to work hard in that direction. Just to maintain my present job I have to work so hard and the path to success in this material direction is also very long. Then if I engage my senses in this direction of work then there will be hindrences in my krishna consciousness definitely.

Since last 3 weeks I am going to ISKCON in Boston, and I am getting into the devotional path slowly. Not that I was not in the path previously. I belong to Madhva sampradaya from Karnataka. We have very strict rules when it comes to God consciousness. The ekadashi vrata, sandhyavandane and puja of saligrama is very strict in my home.

Here are some of my questions to you.

1) Being in my present job, if I think that I should have a nice career and should become entreprenuer some day, is a bad thought? Should I not have these kind of dreams at all.

2) How much should I work so as to full fill my dreams and also krishna consciousness?

3) If we have this "follow whatever the aacharyas and vedas say" orders then dont you think that we will not become leaders in our lives at all? Dont this kind of saying or preaching lead us to become just followers and not leaders?

Please help me in this direction.

an eternal dasa of the dasa of the dasa in the lotus feet of Srila Prabhupada and all the aacharyaas

Pawan Deshpande.

Kulapavana · September 23, 2003

1. If you feel that your work does not interfere with your sadhana - that is the right balance. take whatever material advancement comes to you naturally and be happy with whatever your level of wealth may be. donate some of your money to a worthy temple program, that will purify your material endevours.

2. Do not let your material dreams cover your spiritual dreams.

3. Be a leader - but a humble one - and a good follower, following in the footsteps of saintly leaders from the past, like Srila Prabhupada.

September 23, 2003

HareKrishna Prabhu!

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!I offer my respectful obeisances unto him.

First, I would like to say that you are one of those fortunate souls to be in krishna Consciousness. You are doing the right thing. I am an urban planning student studying in Iowa State Univesrity. Though, Iam not a big devotee, I would like to say something in your regard.

good question, everyone has this problem. This is what I think-Srila Prabhupada is a great devotee and he is the JAGAD GURU. So we should understand in which platform he is talking from. He is in the highest platform and wants all of us to reach there.That is his compassion towards fallen souls. So it is upto us if we choose to elevate ourselves or not. We have to have our priorities right to be in Krishna Consciousness.

To be in Krishna Consciousness is esay??-my personal experience-NO! but if we want eternal happiness then we should do what Srila Prabhupada says. He always says that to be in Krishna Consciousness is like going to war with MAYA which means we are always attacked by the allurment of material nature. How do we combat this lust to material nature is by following what he said-the 3 above mentioned principles. Well, these principles are not absolute but will help us becoming better devotees.Thats all.For example, if you are doing Phd and it is required you work day and night to pass the exams.we have to do that to pass. Similarly if we want to be with Krishna then we have to be like sacrifice our needs for Krishna . Because, Srila Prabhupada always says Life is miserable and uncertain. So why to waste time working like cats and dogs. Being a leader is not wrong but will that help you in reaching Krishna is the question. Iam not asking you to relinquish everything but we have to draw the line- if we want to seek material glory or spiritual glory. Yes...it is not an easy task to do that but we have to ask ourselves this question-what do i want by praying Krishna?Be a great devotee and serve the society or just come and go to the temple and be happy. Happy you will be-but for how long?That is why Srila Prabhupada was very strict in saying this. He talks from the point that he wants the best for us which means we should serve him and Krishna and in turn serve the society.Else we also can pray Krishna but get no where.

I see life like this, there is always opportunites to become big leaders and pursue our material goals that will only put me in a deeper hole. BhaktiSiddhanta Saraswati maharaj says that for being spiritual we should have VAIRAGYA which means we should be ready to sacrifice anything for Krishna.It is like when we come to study a masters or Phd we give our everything.Similarly this is in the opposite side-to be spiritual and devoted to Krishna we have to do everything it takes. iam not asking you to go to India and leave everything but in your mind you have to face it that one day or the other if you want to be a good devotee and seek Krishna's blessings you should "bite the bullet"meaning you should sacrifice for Krishna's sake and that is what Prabhupada says that we should lessen our needs and desires so that gradually we become first class devotees.

There is no other way- its your call- whether you want to be a leader materially and seek temporary happiness or gradually be detached to material nature and seek spiritual nature. The truth is spiritualism and materialsm are opposite sides of the same coin so its your call if you want to reach Krishna in this lifetime or reach Krishna slowly in other life. I see the whole thing this way, just like we spend a lot of time and money and energy to get education and career.Similarly we have to spend the same if not more to satisfy Krishna.

Sorry, if i have frightened you more or anything but just make it clear in your head-WHAT DO YOU WANT- KRISHNA OR MATERIAL HAPPINESS? If you want Krishna you have to slowly adapt yourself to be in Krishna Consciousness which means you should SLWOLY reduce your material ambitions.

You can pursue your dream but just do all that for Krihna and Iam sure He will be pleased-meaning-dont enjoy the fruits of your work.Then you are in pure Krishna Con. You can work hard and become a big entreprenuer- but just dont enjoy the fruits of your results.It is super diffcult to do that but we can always try.Iam sure Srila Prbhupada and Krishna will help you. My personal suggestion is material ambitions have no end-they just keep coming and we also can never be happy so work hard enough to be financial secure and then serve Krishna to your heart's content.This is the REAL GOAL OF HUMAN LIFE.

Sorry if i have talked too much. I believe we have to be strict and know what we want. So do think about your priorities. HareKrishna

your servant

anand

pawan_deshpande · September 26, 2003

Hare Krishna,

Thank you very much Anand, for taking your valuable time and answering my question. I agree with you in what you have said. I think you are right. We have to devote more time towards krishna. I have just started to work from past 1 year and already have realized that life is tough. I did my masters here in US at University of Massachusetts lowell and now working. I knew about Srila Prabhupada from India itself. I regularly visited Iskcon in Bangalore. I believe in Vaishnava philosophy and do my best to understand it.

Recently I started listening to Srila Prabhupada's lectures on Bhagavad gita and I was( and still am) engrossed in it so much that I started to have the vairagya feeling in myself. This is when the question about my career came to me. I kind of started to lose my interest in my job. I used to think, why I am working here in the first place. But, if I dont work hard then it will be difficult to maintain your career these days. That to in US it is really difficult, as this is a true materialistic land. But now, even India has become like that. So, I think one has to decide for himself, where to draw the line. Surely our needs and desires have no end at all. Sometimes I think, if I had this mentality before I came to US then, I would'nt have to come to this foreign land and waste my time in these material acheivements. But, then I used to think that if I do MS then it will be really cool. But now, I really dont see anything special in it.

So, I am trying to develop Krishna Consciousness slowly in my life. Believe me, it is very difficult. I am a Madhva(if you know) by birth and have grown up in that culture. I regularly do the Ekadashi vrata to keep myself near Krishna. And, I am successful in some respect. But, still I cannot do nirahara ekadashi.

Once again thank you very much for your response.

dasa nu dasa in the lotus feet of Srila Prabhupada

Pawan Deshpande.

September 26, 2003

HareKrishna Prabhu!

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!I offer my respectful obesiances unto him.

Please dont thank me. I have done nothing. Iam very happy to converse with people who are in Krishna Consciousness. I know thats the right thing to do. Actually Iam having a tough time just being strict. Since Iam studying here(US),its difficult. Iam aspiring to be a sincere devotee.Thats all.Hope Krishna and Srila Prabhupada gives me that blessings and to associate with devotees like you inspire me. Hope we spread the dream of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu-spreading the glories of Krishna!Haribol!

Your servant

anand

October 17, 2003

All Glories to srila prabhupada and all glories to vaishnava devotees.

in GITA krishna instructs Arjuna to do his duty remembering him and fight the war for him. We as aspiring devotees of krishna should do our daily material duties for krishna. If you are working hard on ur JOB to be successful, do it for krishna. We should not try to enjoy or even think of the fruits of our activities, but able to giveup fruits of our work for krishna. in this way the KARMA we did will not bear reaction and hence we will be free from reactions of our karma. we have do some material activities to support our bodily needs so that we can better serve krishna. If one has a GOAL to become a Leader, one can aspire for it, but think if what way can that position help you or others to progress in KC. The motto of life shoud be "Always remember krishna, Never forget Krishna".

I hope this helps you better understand and place u in better state of mind in carrying out your duties in Krishna Conciousness.

Servent Of Krishna

Hare Krishna

srinivas · October 19, 2003

Actually I have been in the same situation.I have worked in canada and then in saudi arabia as a web developer.

Both these places are a far cry to develop krishna conciousness.But the truth is without krishna's will not even a blade of grass can move.

It is his will that you go to America.WELL actually he fulfilled your desire.

Now the question comes because you are sincerly interested in krishna conciousness what to do.HAVE BALANCE.

I got into the habit of chanting 16 rounds a day after seeing the muslims pray five times a day.I have broken up my sixteen rounds into 4 parts.

ONE - Before breakfast

Two - Before lunch

THREE -Evening after work

Four- Before going to sleep

This way you are connected to krishna.But remember when you chant you should dwell on your material/study work.

As far as the 4 conditions are there no illicit sex,no intoxication,meat,gambling you will be tempted by your friends SO CHOOSE YOUR FRIENDS WISELY OR ATLEAST LET THEM KNOW YOU ARE NO THEIR TYPE IN THESE ISSUES.

And keep sunday like the jews "The Sabbath Day" DO NOTHING BUT JUST ASSOCIATE WITH ISKCON CENTER ACTIVITIES/OR STAY AT HOME DEVELOP KRISHNA CONCIOUSNESS.

This MAYA is very difficult to overcome when we work abroad because in India we can live simple.But there it is a high octane work culture.We have to survive.Dont worry pray to krishna always for his mercy to develop your krishna conciousness and keep a balance between work and devotion.

Krishna understands as he is Paramatma.

srinivas · October 19, 2003

But remember when you chant you should NOT dwell on your material/study work

KISHORESINGH · May 22, 2008

:deal: <TABLE id=HB_Mail_Container height="100%" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0 UNSELECTABLE="on"><TBODY><TR height="100%" UNSELECTABLE="on" width="100%"><TD id=HB_Focus_Element vAlign=top width="100%" background="" height=250 UNSELECTABLE="off">.......>........>.......>........>By Rod Davis

Srila Prabhupada: “If you are completely sincere and genuine, then you do not have to find Guru, he will find you”.

An interesting ISKCON pastime I heard recently in Vrndavana about a hippie in 1966 that used to travel around in Ken Kesey’s psychodelic bus dance group, travelling around America handing out Kool-Aid drink laced with LSD and putting on plays in colourful hippie gear that set a trend among the 60’s youth. Somehow one of Srila Prabhupada’s original Srimad Bhagavatam’s was in a small library section on the Kesey bus and read by such future devotee’s like Mohanananda dasa. One young hippie on that bus however, was not satisfied in just reading the amazing book Srimad Bhagavatam; he was determined to find the author of this wonderful Vedic text and was prepared to travel all around India until he found this amazing Sadhu if he has too.

When the Bus reached New York, Kesey and the Pranksters visited Leary in Millbrook, NY, at his psychedelic retreat called “The International Federation for Internal Freedom.”, it was founded when Leary was fired from Harvard University for doing research with his students on the hallucinogenic drugs LSD-25 and Psilocybin. This young hippie however, stayed on the bus, kept reading the Srimad Bhagavatam, and never did met Leary at that time. Frankly he did not really care, he had had enough of LSD and realized God can NEVER be found in a pill and decided to go on a spiritual quest to India in search of the ’swami’ who wrote the Srimad Bhagavatam.

He then decided to leave the merry pranksters and leave for India; he bought a ticket and was on his way to the Kennedy Airport. On the way however, he had sometime to spare and went by Tompkins Square Park to see what the ‘acid head hippies’ were up to. As he went by in the taxi he saw this big crowd of hippies dancing, he was curious and told the taxi driver to stop, then went over, investigated, and found an elderly sadu leading the chanting of Hare Krishna. He watched with some curiosity as he danced with the other hippies and wondered if the Sadhu he would eventually find in India, who wrote the Srimad Bhagavatam, would be like this Sadhu. Anyway the kirtan stopped and this Sadu began reading from the same book he was reading on ken Kesey’s Bus.

Now this young hippie just was even more determined to seek out the writer of the Srimad Bhagavatam seeing this Sadu also reading it. Eventually the reading stopped and this young hippie went over to the Sadhu and said

‘Sir, I am also reading this book also and I am now just on my way to the airport to fly out to India, I am determined to search all over India for this Sadhu’.

The elderly gentlemen Sadhu chuckled to himself and said to the young hippie ‘You do not have to go to India, I am here in New York, I am the translator of this book the beautiful Srimad Bhagavatam”

The young hippie was without words, he was ecstatic and had tears in his eyes and fell at his feet. Then Srila Prabhupada, the elderly sadu said to the young hippie

“Just see, if you are completely sincere and genuine then you do not have to find Guru, he will find you”

Hare Krishna All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Srila Prabhupada explains that all of us are all looking for a way to establish our original eternal relationship with Krishna as follows - “Established means re-establish. It (our perpetual ’svarupa’) is already established. We have got different types of relationship. That is called svarupa-siddhi. When you are perfect in spiritual life, you will understand automatically. Nitya-siddha krishna-bhakti. When one becomes perfectly spiritually realised, then he understands what is his relationship is. This relationship is eternal”.

December 7, 1974, Bombay)

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