I want to act for Krishna , but I can't ...help!

[I_love_krishna_]

In Bhagavath Gita, it has been said that one should only act for the satisfaction of the supreme, by doing so one will clearly satisfy oneself because the one who acts lives in the supreme whole.

 

Yes, the fruititive mentality should be given up and action should be performed as if it is one's duty according to bhagavath gita.

 

But what if one has no chance to help others and has to work with external selfishness.

 

For example... take my case, I am only a kid and have no power to do anything for krishna except reading bhagavatham.. and chanting in my mind.

 

Then I have nothing else to do , so I engage my self in nothing but "waste work"

 

Because almost any thing else I do involves "internal selfishness"(according to bhagavatham). Eating , sleeping, drinking other body functions etc.

 

Then the external selfishness- hanging with people, wasting time doing nothing.. only helping my immediate family in their chores.

 

How do you suggest I avoid personal result and the personal action?

 

[livingentity]

Srila Prabhupada speaks of dovetailing all of our actions to service with Lord Krsna.

 

I have been asking this question for years as I am having great difficulty learning to do this. So far, no one has been able to get through my thick skull as to how to only act out of duty to Lord Krsna in everything that I do.

 

Some things are obvious - chanting, offering food etc etc. But what about all the mudane day to day stuff that we all find ourselves involved in?

 

I am glad you started this thread.

[I_love_krishna_]

To make my question more clearer, I will quote living entity :

 

"Some things are obvious - chanting, offering food etc etc. But what about all the mudane day to day stuff that we all find ourselves involved in?"

 

Thanks /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[AncientMariner]

 

 

 

 

That's a good question I know I have struggled with the same thing. Call me selfish or whatever but I don't worry about helping people that much anymore because the only help you can actually give someone is the maha-mantra and that requires them to be interested in devotional service which most people I know are not interested in at all. Just become self satisfied by chanting Hare Krishna and you will be an example for the whole world. Philanthropy is really quite exhausting and it doesn't really solve the root of the problem. Just keep chanting and chanting and chanting.

[livingentity]

Renunciation is not just charity and doing good works. It is giving up the fruits of all of our labors no matter what.

 

Chapter 18, Verse 2.

The Supreme Lord said, To give up the results of all activities is called renunciation [tyaga] by the wise. And that state is called the renounced order of life [sannyasa] by great learned men.

 

Chapter 18, Verse 3.

Some learned men declare that all kinds of fruitive activities should be given up, but there are yet other sages who maintain that acts of sacrifice, charity and penance should never be abandoned.

 

[stonehearted]

Ancient Mariner: Call me selfish or whatever but I don't worry about helping people that much anymore because the only help you can actually give someone is the maha-mantra and that requires them to be interested in devotional service which most people I know are not interested in at all. Just become self satisfied by chanting Hare Krishna. . . .

 

Here's something from our acharya:

"Those who think that devotion to God and kindness to living entities are different to each other and act accordingly in their life will not be able to follow devotional culture. Their attempt is only a resemblance of devotion. All types of beneficence to others like kindness, friendliness, forgiveness, charity, and respect are included in devotion to God. Giving shelter during adversity; teaching academic and spiritual education; giving charity of medicine, clothes, food, and water are activities included in devotional culture."

 

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur

- Sri Tattva-sutram, 35

[livingentity]

Try as I might I just have not been able to understand how to dovetail working in the salt mines to service with Lord Krsna. I have been giving it much thought tonight and have come to the conclusion that perhaps I am just not ready to understand this concept; perhaps not at all in this lifetime. I remembered this verse and feel that the instructions contained within it are steps towards this understanding.

 

Chapter 18, Verse 57.

In all activities just depend upon Me and work always under My protection. In such devotional service, be fully conscious of Me.

 

And then there is the supreme verse - the ultimate instruction of Bhagavad Gita:

 

Chapter 18; verse 65

Always think of Me and become My devotee. Worship Me and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend.

 

[Govindaram]

Hare Krishna

 

Isn't the point to become KC and then all the activities you do become spiritual (for Krishna only), if you read the thread Here the story contained in it, really made me think about my insignificance, so I feel if you put that story with this situation, you can see that we are actually always doing something for somebody (ourselves mainly)...

 

Thats all I can think of on the matter, wow I've just woken up, and this has really made me think, Thanks a lot!!!! /images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

 

 

[I_love_krishna_]

So, we do anything that we do for ourselves and others even though it is external selfishness according to bhagavatham , we do it with humility?

 

And chant hare krishna , would that be enough?

 

[Govindaram]

Hare Krishna

 

So, we do anything that we do for ourselves and others even though it is external selfishness according to bhagavatham , we do it with humility?

 

I've learned humility is very important in KC, it helps you to not offend devotees, it also helps in acquiring knowledge from the Spiritual Master (books, tapes, in-person), but it shouldn't be 'so' artificial otherwise it will just invoke anger in you, humility requires practical application, it is not a stage of life which is meant to be demeaning to you in some way, it will elevate you.

 

And chant hare Krishna , would that be enough?

 

/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

Ps.The greatest welfare work, is spreading KC, distributing Harinama & Books /images/graemlins/laugh.gif (I do tapes as well), but its so difficult convincing people to chant Hare-Krishna, I wish I knew a good way, (i.e without having read the Gita first)..even me-myself didn't start chanting until I was 3 months into reading the Gita! I still can't convince my own Mother (she's Hindu) ahhhhh, anyways I'll melacha on out of here..

[livingentity]

welfare work which is easy for me actually.

 

I will try to put this in simpler terms. It is not welfare work that is the problem. Doing for others is a simple thing for me to do. Giving to others is easy for me also.

 

Ok, quite simply....

 

Say you dig holes for a living, how do you dovetail this with Krishna?

[stonehearted]

It's good to cite 18.2-3, but don't miss verse 5: "Acts of sacrifice, charity and penance are not to be given up; they must be performed. Indeed, sacrifice, charity and penance purify even the great souls." In his purport Srila Prabhupada explains, "All prescribed sacrifices are meant for achieving the Supreme Lord. Therefore, in the lower stages, they should not be given up. Similarly, charity is for the purification of the heart. If charity is given to suitable persons, as described previously, it leads one to advanced spiritual life." In verse 6 Krishna says, "All these activities should be performed without attachment or any expectation of result. They should be performed as a matter of duty, O son of Pritha. That is My final opinion." Srila Prabhupada explains that anything which leads to Krishna consciousness must be accepted, not rejected.

 

What it boils down to, I think, is the cosnciousness in which we perform all activities. If we perform even everyday activities under the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master, and we do them as a way of facilitating our own service, or the service of more advanced sadhus, that will help us advance. The key is the guidance of the spiritual master.

 

In 1973, after the temples in Hawaii were closed, my wife, a godbrother, and I had a private meeting with Srila Prabhupada for almost two hours. At one point he asked my godbrother, Tarun Kanti, what he was doing for a living. Tarun explained that he was studying to become a flight instructor. Srila Prabhupada was completely unfazed. He explained, "Devotees and devotional service cannot be stereotyped. There is nothing that cannot be used in Krishna's service. The trick is that we require guidance from the expert spiritual master how to engage everything in Krishna's service. That is the only catch."

[I_love_krishna_]

Is it possible to do the things we do in Krishna Consciousness with out a Spiritual master?

 

 

[stonehearted]

I_L_K: Is it possible to do the things we do in Krishna Consciousness with out a Spiritual master?

 

Srila Prabhupada was unequivocal on this point, as are all spiritual masters. We need the guidance of a devotee to make real advancement in Krishna consciousness. Krishna Himself tells Arjuna in the Adi Purana that "one who claims to be My devotee is not so. Only a person who claims to be the devotee of My devotee is actually My devotee."

 

We can all of course receive guidance from Srila Prabhupada by studying his books carefully and following his instructions. Those instructions include associating with devotees and ultimately taking shelter of a spiritual master. Srila Prabhupada often described Krishna consciousness as a science. That means it must be practiced systematically as prescribed by guru, sadhu, and shastra, not whimsically.

[I_love_krishna_]

What about people who cannot get a guru? Lets say due to dependence on others and responsibilities that are written to be for them already?

 

Will they not get krishna? but krishna says any one who wants to reach him truly, reaches him.

 

isn't this contradicting what krishna said? please tell me /images/graemlins/frown.gif

 

[stonehearted]

I_L_K: What about people who cannot get a guru? Lets say due to dependence on others and responsibilities that are written to be for them already?

 

Will they not get krishna? but krishna says any one who wants to reach him truly, reaches him.

 

isn't this contradicting what krishna said?

 

Babhru: One who wants to reach Krishna will be given guidance by Krishna through a spiritual master. That's how He says it happens. That's how it happened with Dhruva in the fourth canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam.

 

What do you mean by "people who cannot get a guru"? Everyone who is serious about spiritual advancment can get a guru. Iin a conversation with Irish poet Desmond O'Grady, the poet suggested that our big problem in understanding God is to find a spiritual master. Srila Prabhupada replied, "That is not the problem. The problem is whether you are sincere. You have problems, but God is within your heart. Isvarah sarva-bhutanam [bg. 18.61]. God is not far away. If you are sincere, God sends you a spiritual master. Therefore God is also called caitya-guru, the spiritual master within the heart. God helps from within and from without."

 

It may not happen today or tomorrow, but Krishna will make the arrangement. We shouldn't be impatient. In the meantime, Srila Prabhupada has made his association, and that of many previous acharya, easily available by studying his books and following his instructions to the best of our ability.

 

Lord Chaitanya and Lord Nityananda have made us all fortunate. We simply need to make the effort to take advantage of that good fortune. Go to the marketplace of the Holy Name of Krishna, make a small deposit in the form of a little faith in the Holy Name, and Lord Nityananda will bestow His mercy on you.

 

Does that help a little?

[I_love_krishna_]

So, all I can do now is chant hare krishna... and wait for him to make me serve him .

 

Thank you that does help me a little .

 

[bhaktajoy]

helping othere means u r helping them love God.It starts from material platform.u r helping urself by doing devotional activities so that's gr8.when u stay at home try to help ur mom and dad.also when u see the time is right give them knowledge abt the spirit world and tell them the glories of our sweet lord.

 

joy

[Govindaram]

Hare Krishna

 

I_L_K ..You are just like me you have no patience

(i.e you want to become KC RIGHT NOW/THIS MINUTE!)!

 

 

[stonehearted]

I_L_K: So, all I can do now is chant hare krishna... and wait for him to make me serve him .

 

Well, not exactly. Start with chanting Hare Krishna. That itself is direct service to Krishna, and it leads to even more direct service. And study Srila Prabhupada's books. At theend of Bhagavad-gita, Krishna tells Arjuna that studying Bhagavad-gita is worshiping Him with our intelligence. There are many ways of serving Krishna, and you should start actively serving Krishna now, according to your capacity, not wai for Him to make you serve. Devotional service is the soul voluntarily reawakening to its original state.

 

Of all the processes of devotional service, Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu says that five are most important: associating wtih devotees; chanting the holy name, especially together with other devotees; hearing about Krishna from Srimad-Bhagavatam, Bhagavad-gita, Sri-chaitanya-charitamrita, and other scriptures; living in a holy place like Mathura or Vrindavan, or, if that's not possible, making our home a holy place by making Krishna the center of our household; and serving the Lord's Sri Murti, or Diety form, with love and attention. I know you can do a couple of these things, and they're so powerful that they can give love for Krishna.

 

Ultimately, everything we we do should be guided by an expert spiritual master. That doesn't mean, though, that we should not actively pursue Krishna concsiousness in the meantime. That's how we demonstrate our sincerity, on the one hand, and make ourselves ready for the guru, on the other.

 

Does that make some sense to you?

[I_love_krishna_]

And In bhagavatham it says one should only act for krishna.

That would mean I have to sit in the prayer room all day

How can I sit in the prayer room all day and pray? I can't do that... that was the whole point though...

 

So, I am basically doomed to only waste my time in either the external selfishness and the internal selfishness...

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

 

"God give me patience....And make it quick!"

[I_love_krishna_]

Its a matter of what I am doing for krishna, and its nothing! /images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

So, if I chant like 2 hours a day, still that would mean that the rest of the day I am just wasting all my time in useless things...

 

And after my school starts I can't do that either.

[LightsUniverses7]

 

Once I heard a lecture by ChinnaJeeyar Swamy. He explained how to associate every deed with Krishna.

For instance : if one is sitting before God to meditate, the mind would think of so many things it would not like to at that very moment. Then what to do? Swamyji says take the mind wherever it goes and there associate that item with Sri Krishna. If the mind goes to a say a flower market, ( during meditation ) associate the flowers to SriKrishna by thinking how beautiful would HE look if decorated with these flowers "!! Similarly with other things.

 

In some cases its tough to associate, say a movie, or an undesired wrong attraction, but since Krishna dwells in everything it makes us think and realize how HE exists in and out of everything.

For instance, if one is attracted to a woman, then he can recollect the great pastime of Krishna with gopikas and how that was different from his thoughts !

 

This way one is constantly remembering GOD at every moment.

 

But even for this to happen, we need the mercy of GOD. So lets always chant HIS divine name and HE will show us the way.

 

Same goes with eating- in mind we can relate our eating to Krishna by recollecting HIS pastime with the GOPAS who used to play and eat with Krishna. This is nothing but directing all our actions to Sri Krishna. So we become freed from the results of our actions.

 

I am glad I could share it with you all.

[stonehearted]

I_L_K: And In bhagavatham it says one should only act for krishna.

That would mean I have to sit in the prayer room all day

How can I sit in the prayer room all day and pray? I can't do that... that was the whole point though...

 

So, I am basically doomed to only waste my time in either the external selfishness and the internal selfishness...

 

Babhru: What's impossible? Reading a little Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam? Chanting one or two rounds of japa each day? Keeping a picture of Krishna in your room and offering Him a little water and a flower each morning? I didn't say anything about sitting in a prayer room all day. My point is that it's easy for almost anyone to do something for Krishna. If you include a little of any of these activities in your day, it becomes a perfect day. and ensuing days will become even more perfect as you progress and do gradually more.

 

I hope you're not condemned to listening to your mind's objections. Krishna says in Bhagavad-gita that we befriend our minds by bringing them under our control; otherwise, they remain our worst enemies.

 

Now take a dep breath and figure out what you will do for Krishna tomorrow. Will you chant a little? Read little Bhagavatam? Pick a flower from your garden and bring it to Krishna? And we're all here to help you. We're on your side. Go for it, kiddo!