Path to Progress

Question: I want to make daily progress in Krishna consciousness and feel that every day I am becoming more Krishna conscious. How can I do that?

By serving. We can make progress by service. Whatever we do, the serving temperament must be there behind everything. 'Namanta eva. I bow down in obeisance.' It is necessary to increase the feeling of our negative characteristic – to increase the feeling that we are helpless, that we are needy – and to try to attract Krishna's attention towards ourselves. 'I am the most needy!' – with this sincere feeling of helplessness we must invoke His grace. Externally, we may engage ourselves in any sort of practices. But internally, our temperament must be like this, then only can we approach Him. Otherwise other things, such as kanak (desire for money), kamini (desire for women) and pratistha (desire for name and fame), will make us their slaves, or propensity for renunciation (tyaga), mystic perfections (yoga-vibhuti) and eternal rest (samadhi) will come – these are enemies of Krishna-bhakti. Bhoga (enjoyment) and tyaga (renunciation) are the main two enemies of Krishna consciousness, or Krishna realisation.

Question: Does it mean that we should try to increase our service every day if we want to see ourselves advancing?

Service means submission. It is necessary to have a submissive nature and to increase the intensity of submission in our nature. It means preparing ourselves to connect with and gain membership in that subtlemost, innermost plane of life, nirguna.

There is saguna (the world of the three modes of material nature) and nirguna (the world beyond material powers). Mayavadis (salvationists) say that nirguna is the cessation of enjoyment, but Vaishnavs say that nirguna is positive. Nirguna is not about salvation or total negation; nirguna is a positive, dynamic flow of love and service. It is in the innermost plane. For example, there is ether, air, then water, earth – in this way, the elements can be classified from fine to finer and the finest. Just as ether is the finest element, so is Krishna consciousness: it is the most original, comprehensive and finest plane, and our souls can have connection with that plane and become its members.

So, we should withdraw from all covers – this body, this mind, this intelligence, this applied reason, everything – and dive deep into that plane, then we will find that our souls are located there. This position can be attained only by eliminating our charm and attraction for the outer covers and by going within. This process is known as service (sevonmukhe hi).

'I am not for myself. I do not belong to myself. I have got my guardian, my master, and my entire existence depends on Him.' We must train ourselves in this way. 'I am a slave. I do not have any independent personality or proprietorship. He is the proprietor, and I am His slave. I do not belong to myself. I do not have any personality. I am not a party here, the party is He, and I am subservient to Him.' This sort of realisation can bring us nearer to the plane of Krishna consciousness, to Vrindavan, Vraja. We should become more and more dependant in our natures. 'I cannot live independently among so many rebels. I want to mix with those who live in harmony. I want to become one of them, in that plane, and go on to serve there.'

Service must be loving: loving service, a labour of love. It is very, very pleasing. Nothing comparable to it can ever be experienced anywhere else. We can feel this sort of pleasure and ecstasy in the cultivation and exercise of our spiritual power. Just as the more you rub sandalwood, the more fragrance it emanates, or the more you burn gold, the brighter the color gets; in the same way, the more we sacrifice (the more we die to live), the better identification of our own selves and prospect we can have.

Die to live. Die as you are, dissolve your ego wholesale, and you will find that there is a spark of the soul and that you are that thing. We will find that this part of us is a member of the ultimate plane of Krishna consciousness. This is where we can live and thrive. This is the rough meaning of 'sevonmukhe hi jihvadau'.

We are to cultivate the Name. We can take the Name, we can practise ourselves and extend help to others. We can cultivate it through the sound also. In whichever way you can, try to cultivate yourselves. This is what is called anusilana, Krishna-anusilana: cultivation of Krishna consciousness. We should not only be conscious but we should have a serving attitude. 'I am His. I am not a separate entity. My entity is dependent on Him. I cannot live independently without Him' – we are to advance forward with thoughts like that. 'Amara nahi ta ami. I do not belong to myself. I am His property. Just as a domestic animal is possessed by its proprietor, I am also like that.'

'Vikritasya yatha pasoh (বিক্রীতস্য যথা পশোঃ). I am like a sold animal.' Srila Jiva Goswami gives this quotation, saying, 'When an animal belongs to its proprietor, it has got no independent interest or personality. All proprietorship will be with the owner, who can play with the animal as he likes. My position is also like that. I am a doll of play in the hands of Krishna and His own.' This sort of life is to be sought and to be realised in any way possible: by the help of the sound, by the help of the color, by the help of the touch, by the help of the ear, taste, etc. It is a totalitarian war. 'I want to avoid the present surface where I am awake and enter into a deep, deeper, deeper plane.' A totalitarian revolt within all our faculties.

শ্রোতব্যাদীনি রাজেন্দ্র নৃণাং সন্তি সহস্রশঃ ।
অপশ্যতামাত্মতত্ত্বং গৃহেষু গৃহমেধিনাম্ ॥

srotavyadini rajendra nrnam santi sahasrasah
apasyatam atma-tattvam grhesu grha-medhinam

'O King! Those who are materially engrossed, being blind to the knowledge of ultimate truth, have many subject matters for hearing in human society.'

(Srimad Bhagavatam, 2.1.2)

...All our senses should be applied in inviting Krishna and avoiding the present situation. Just as a ship makes advancement eliminating the water by its sides, by pushing the water on its sides back and going forward; in the same way, whatever we are in the midst of at present, we shall push everything back and enter into a subtler and subtler region. We must advance from the material consciousness towards pure consciousness, Narayan consciousness and, ultimately, Krishna consciousness. It is possible! It is possible through the cultivation of Krishna consciousness by all means: when taking prasadam, when performing archanam, when chanting His Name, when preaching, when reading, when serving Vaishnavs, and so on. We can engage ourselves in various ways to earn that genuine affinity, tendency and earnestness towards the conception and culture that we have got from our guru and the books (Srimad Bhagavatam, Srimad Bhagavad-gita, and others).

If the conception we receive touches our hearts, we will feel, 'I want that jewel of my heart! My very heart hankers for Him!' and make a total advancement towards Him by all means! Even while sleeping we shall also try to have dreams of that type. 'Avasara nahi eka-tila. No time, not even the size of a sesame grain, was spent on leisure.' We find this expression used when describing Sri Sri Rupa-Sanatan's cultivation of Krishna consciousness. They did not spare even the smallest point of time for any leisure or any other things. This is called nistha, continuity.

Our attempts to approach Krishna consciousness must be continuous, without any gap. This is the stage of nistha (firmness, continuity). After nistha comes ruchi, real taste. We may develop proper taste after achieving uninterrupted Krishna consciousness. In other words, when you always think about Krishna, always do everything for Krishna, then taste comes – real, pure taste, not some false, imitating taste. After that, asakti (attachment), bhava (feelings), and so on.

This is how one progresses from the outer world towards the inner world. It will come.

Question: How should we pray?

We should give our attention as much as possible in the direction of Sri Guru, Sri Gauranga and Sri Krishna. As much as we can conceive, we should collect all our energy to devote it for Their satisfaction. Trying our best, we should sacrifice for the engagement in Krishna consciousness, which should include Sri Guru, Sri Gauranga and Sri Sri Radha-Govinda, His full lila. This should be our sincere attempt. Also, we should try to know what is Krishna consciousness from wherever it may be possible for us – through scriptures, from the lips of sadhus, etc.

We must be sincere. This is the primary necessity. 'Na hi kalyana-krt kaschid durgatim tata gachchhati (ন হি কল্যাণকৃৎ কশ্চিদ্­দুর্গতিং তাত গচ্ছতি). Sincerity is invincible' (Srimad Bhagavad-gita, 6.40). If we do not deceive ourselves, none can deceive us. He is everywhere, and He will come to our relief when it is necessary. By the direction of the chaitya-guru, we will come to our mahanta-guru. Both the mahanta-guru and the chaitya-guru follow a common path, so they will give us their mutual help.

<< BACK TO THE MAIN PAGE
<< BACK TO LIBRARY

Read more:

• The All-Auspicious Name of Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math

• A Fugitive's Plea

• Service to Gaura-Gadadhar

• Soul's Svakiya and Parakiya

• Overthrowing Anarthas

• Self-Purification

• Srila Svarup Damodar Goswami: Master Acharya

• Exclusive Conception of Srila Prabhupad's Line

• Life beyond Renunciation

• Scope of Sacrifice

• Journey from Misguidance to Absolute Guidance

• Renunciation of Renunciation

• Renunciation of Cowards and Misers

• Maya's Test

• 'You Are Mine'

• Be Courageous

• Soul-Deep Cultivation

• Path to Progress