I_love_krishna_ Posted August 29, 2003 Author Report Share Posted August 29, 2003 You see, my problem is not picking flowers for krishna or offering food that I eat or some water... It is not reading bhagavatham either. I do these things every day, but the problem arises when I have finished doing these things. I have nothing else to do. The rest of my day to day actions are considered "Waste of time" according to bhagavatham. Because they are external selfishness... I don't want to just stop doing things for krishna, but the things I do for krishna are limited... so I have nothing else to do ...So, i am wasting time, am I not? And according to bhagavatham, if I want to reach perfection I should not waste my time but I should engage myself in Krishna Consciousness activities. But I have no other choice but to waste my time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stonehearted Posted August 29, 2003 Report Share Posted August 29, 2003 The other things you do are a waste of time if your goal is something other than to become Krishna conscious. Your situation will change, and you'll gradually be able to increase your service. In the meantime, be happy about the service you can do and keep your longing for greater freedom. Raghunath das, a devotee of Lord Chaitanya's, felt trapped by his household life, felt he was wasting his time in family life, and wanted only to serve Lord Chaitanya. He tried many times to escape his home, but was always brought back. The Lord told him to be patient, to behave properly acording to his present duties, and always keep his longing for Krishna alive in his heart. He would soon, the Lord assured him, be free to do more service for Krishna. And sure enough, he became one of the most important devotees in our line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingentity Posted August 29, 2003 Report Share Posted August 29, 2003 keep his longing for Krishna alive in his heart Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theist Posted August 29, 2003 Report Share Posted August 29, 2003 >>You see, my problem is not picking flowers for krishna or offering food that I eat or some water... It is not reading bhagavatham either. I do these things every day, but the problem arises when I have finished doing these things. << Why do we think we are finished? Concerning ordinary day to day things, this is not new to Krsna. He knows the nature of our lives. We may be obsessive but he is not. So we simplify as much as is possible. He will bless us with remeberance of Himself. Chant and be happy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I_love_krishna_ Posted August 29, 2003 Author Report Share Posted August 29, 2003 Babru prabhu: "Your situation will change, and you'll gradually be able to increase your service." Well, I guess krishna wants me to get a little taste of seperation /images/graemlins/frown.gif I guess I will take it to be some type of his mercy. Thank you babruji /images/graemlins/smile.gif I hope I didn't waste our time by my selfish desire to serve krishna . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I_love_krishna_ Posted August 29, 2003 Author Report Share Posted August 29, 2003 Well... because chanting takes like 2 hours... I wake up at 5:30 am and when I pray to krishna it takes like 2 mins. Then I hear some devotional songs and that takes like 1 to 2 hours. .....thats all... and mentally offering food to krishna does not take much time. The rest of the day I have nothing else to do for him ... that was the problem . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stonehearted Posted August 29, 2003 Report Share Posted August 29, 2003 I_L_K: Well, I guess krishna wants me to get a little taste of seperation I guess I will take it to be some type of his mercy. I hope I didn't waste our time by my selfish desire to serve krishna . Trying to figure out how better to serve Krishna is never a waste of our time. You've helped us all focus more attention on Krishna this morning. Chanting 16 rounds may take 2 hours, but it's probably easier to figure out a number of rounds you can chant ever day and stick to that, gradually increasing it. We all have things to do that seem like a waste of time. I'm a college English teacher and have been married for over 30 years. How many hours have been spent trying to make a living over all those years? No way to count them. But I have faith (and experience) that following my spiritual master's instructions has ensured my spritual progress over the years, and that some day soon I'll also have more freedom to serve. Have a Krishna conscious day, all! Aloha, Babhru Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingentity Posted August 29, 2003 Report Share Posted August 29, 2003 of what you can't do - why don't you think about what you can do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I_love_krishna_ Posted August 29, 2003 Author Report Share Posted August 29, 2003 "of what you can't do - why don't you think about what you can do? " /images/graemlins/smile.gif This was one of most helpful posts I have seen for myself here. Thank you all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AncientMariner Posted August 29, 2003 Report Share Posted August 29, 2003 I certainly didn't mean to contradict anything Bhaktivinoda says or offend any Krishna conscious people or suggest that helping people and charity is a bad thing. I was only speaking that when I was young I use to feel like it was my responsibility to solve all the worlds problems and take care of everyone and ultimately I just found myself extremely stressed out and frustrated. I found it extremely burdensome to always be worried about other people's problems that I had no real power to solve anyway. It got so bad that I was eventually thrown in a mental hospital from a nervous breakdown. Once I started chanting Hare Krishna it just seems as if those problems begin to solve themselves without any extraneous effort. Kindness to living entities is just common sense and I didn't mean to suggest otherwise. Being self satisfied in the service of Krishna has been wonderful for me and I feel like I will be able to keep my sanity this time around. Chanting Hare Krishna has been a much better antidote than any anti-psychotic drug I have ever been on. Don't listen to me anyway because I am crazy, crazy, crazy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AncientMariner Posted August 29, 2003 Report Share Posted August 29, 2003 Here is a good quote from Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 1, Ch. 2 text 7. "By rendering devotional service unto the Personality of Godhead, Sri Krsna, one immediately aquires causeless knowledge and detachment from the world" Purport "Those who consider devotional service to the Supreme Lord Sri Krsna to be something like material emotional affairs my argue that in the revealed scriptures, sacrifice, charity, austerity, knowledge, mystic powers and similar other processes of transcendental realization are recommended. Acording to them, bhakti, or the devotional service of the Lord, is meant for those who cannot perform the high-grade activities. Generally it is said that the bhakti cult is meant for the sudras, vaisyas and the less intelligent woman class. But that is not the actual fact. The bhakti cult is the topmost of all transcendental activities, and therefore it is simultaneously sublime and easy. It is sublime for the pure devotees who are serious about getting in contact with the Supreme Lord, and it is easy for the neophytes who are just on the threshold of the house of bhakti. To achieve the contact of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Krsna is a great science, and it is open for all living beings, including the sudras, vaisyas, women and even those lower than the lowborn sudras, so what to speak of the high-class men like the qualified brahmanas and the great self-realized kings. The other high-grade activities designated as sacrifice, charity, austerity, etc. are all corallary factors following the pure and scientific bhakti cult" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Govindaram Posted August 30, 2003 Report Share Posted August 30, 2003 Hare Krishna AC: It got so bad that I was eventually thrown in a mental hospital from a nervous breakdown. No wonder you listen to Eminem /images/graemlins/grin.gif Have you noticed when you are not chanting Hare-Krishna sometimes you have an empty feeling? Happy chanting Hare-Krishna! /images/graemlins/smile.gif /images/graemlins/smile.gif /images/graemlins/smile.gif Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stonehearted Posted August 30, 2003 Report Share Posted August 30, 2003 Ancient Mariner, I just meant to offer the quotation from Bhaktivinoda Thakura as a different perspective. I didn't mean to dismiss your perspective, for which there's also a lot of support, or put you down. I don't think there's any offense, except perhaps in the curt tone of my post. I apologize (yet again) if my arrogance became apparent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stonehearted Posted August 30, 2003 Report Share Posted August 30, 2003 Well, you summed up what I think I was trying to say so eloquently. Krishna das Kaviraj defines eloquence as presenting essential truth concisely. Your post exemplifies this. Instead of all the explaining and citing, you went to the heart of the matter. Thanks so much for this post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingentity Posted August 30, 2003 Report Share Posted August 30, 2003 Hare Krsna! /images/graemlins/smile.gif Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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