Guest guest Posted June 11, 2003 Report Share Posted June 11, 2003 I see that these forums have so many servants in them! To serve others is very good and is punya. But to call oneself a servant is not right at all. It is not humbling but its belittling. Moreover, we are all servants of God. So, if you are bent on calling yourself a servant, atleast sign (at the end of posts) as servant of God rather than Your servant. For, you are not my servant! Serve well. But don't be a servant! Think about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theist Posted June 11, 2003 Report Share Posted June 11, 2003 What's the problem. Everyone serves at every moment. We are trying to realize that we are the servants of God and every soul. Some sign that way in recognition of this fact. Of course if it just becomes a habit it may lose some of the feeling, but is this really a big issue for you? I mean with your death approaching at any moment. We don't have time for these trival things do we? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingentity Posted June 11, 2003 Report Share Posted June 11, 2003 Letter to Krsna dasa; 06/01/68 "Your humbleness is very much appreciated by me. This humbleness is the sign of progress in Krishna Consciousness. A Krishna Consciousness person thinks always about himself as the lowest creature in the world, and the more one thinks like that he becomes elevated more and more. A Krishna Conscious person is never falsely puffed-up; he is satisfied with his humble position as the servant of the servant of the servant of Krishna. Hope you are all well. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingentity Posted June 11, 2003 Report Share Posted June 11, 2003 "Yes, to call one another prabhu is all right, but not to become prabhu. To accept others as prabhu, and remain as servant is the idea. But because somebody is calling you prabhu, one should not become a prabhu, and treat others as servants. In other words, everyone should feel himself as servant, and not to think himself prabhu because he is being called prabhu. This will make the relationship congenial. Hoping you are both well. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 12, 2003 Report Share Posted June 12, 2003 in contrast, . mentality is that they are masters, god. jai sri krishna! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guruvani Posted June 12, 2003 Report Share Posted June 12, 2003 Devotees names like Hari das indicate that one is a servant of God. There is no higher position to be had than that of servant of God. Being servant of lust or servant of anger or servant of women is not a very great accomplishment. Being servant of God is the highest position a soul can attain. It is a great honorific title and not at all something that demeans a person. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 12, 2003 Report Share Posted June 12, 2003 The following is fro a lecture from His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada : So actually we are all servants of our senses. The whole activities of the material world means everyone is acting as the servant of his senses, that's all. This is the material world. Everyone is working. Everyone is working so hard. So when one becomes intelligent, then he understands that "What I am doing? I am thinking that I am master, I am proprietor, I am the head of the family, but what I am doing actually? I am acting as servant of my senses, my son's senses, my wife's senses, my daughter's senses, my servant's senses. That's all." If you speak something wrong even to your servant, the servant will resign, and you will be in trouble. Therefore you have to serve his senses so that he may not be angry. This is our position. So we are simply serving senses, but we are thinking, "I am master." This is called illusion. So jnana-dipite, when you actually come to the sense of your knowledge, then you come to this conclusion that "What I am? What is my mastership? I am simply serving the senses, different senses." Even in the outward... [break] ...what is the taste of that knowledge. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gita. What is that? Bahunam janmanam ante: [bg. 7.19] "After many, many births, spoiling the life and spoiling the time by satisfying the senses..." Bahunam janmanam ante. So long you will go on satisfying these senses, either your senses -- that is centralized senses -- or expanded senses, the senses of your family, senses of your society, senses of your country, nationality, these are all sense gratification process, simply extending. It begins centralized, my senses, then my son's senses, then my grandson's senses, then my country's senses, then... It is sense gratification, that's all. There is no other business. So when one becomes enlightened, he offers himself to Krsna. There is a verse like this. Kamadinam kati na katidha palita durnidesah: "My Lord, I have spoiled my time in this way, becoming the godasa or the servant of the senses." Kamadinam, kama krodha lobha moha matsarya. Therefore it is called, kamadinam kati na. "I have tried to satisfy them to my utmost." Kati na katidha. "What I have not done for them? Still, they are not satisfied. Neither they are merciful." Tesam jata mayi na karuna na trapa. Na trpta. "They are neither satisfied; neither they are merciful, never." You go on serving your family. Nobody will give you relief. If you say that "Now I have done so much for you. Give me relief." First of all I do not want to be relieve also. That is also another disease. You see? You will be surprised. It is my practical experience. This Krsna consciousness movement, before starting, I wrote one letter to Mahatma Gandhi: "Mahatma Gandhi, you have got position. People accept you as a very pious man. Now you have got your sva-rajya, and you are very fond of Bhagavad-gita. Let us preach Bhagavad-gita." I wrote this letter. Unfortunately, a few days after, he was killed. So this is the position. All big, big leaders, they do not want to take relief from this sense gratification business. No. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 12, 2003 Report Share Posted June 12, 2003 I say thats really demeaning to call oneself the lowest creature. Why can't every creature just be equal. All the Vedas say that human birth is simply superb and the greatest gift. Calling a stranger prabhu is ok, but calling friends prabhu is sick again. In the Mahabharat, my lord or things like that are used to address elders and respectable people, but not youngsters or friends. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingentity Posted June 12, 2003 Report Share Posted June 12, 2003 in essence you are arguing with Prabhupada so it is in our best interest to end this conversation now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 12, 2003 Report Share Posted June 12, 2003 We are indeed the lowest creatures otherwise we would not be rotting in material world.Humbleness is the key to spiritual advancement.Even God is humble. Lowest does not means sinful.It means that we are surrendering to a higher authority. Joy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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