Re: Arguments?

Nityananda! Gauranga! Hare Krishna!
Dandavats and obeissances.

1. Yes many western devotees have fallen down as have indian devotees. These fallen devotees are better than those who have never undergone devotional service because the fallen devotees will get another chance in a future life if they haven't  committed  serious vaisnava aparadha of course. Those who have never uttered the names of the Lord will likely get animlal bodies in their next life. 

So who is smarter, the person who gets a nice spiritual or human body in their next life or he who goes to the abode of Yamaraja and then gets the body of an ignorant animal or tree in his next life? Even if one does imitate devotees but still chants the names with no realizaton, he is still better than the non devotee.

It is not entirely correct  to say that western devotees are less fit than indian devotees. All souls are eternally servants of the Lord, the worm in stool and the brahmana in India. Some are more covered by the gunas than others. It is the intelligent duty of each and every soul to start the path of devotional service immediately and  reawaken their spiritual propensities.

2. It is mercy from the Lord when one can sincerely approach the Lord. When one is materially opulent this is much harder than when one has less. It is more intelligent to try to advance spiritually than to advance materially.   It is actually the natural desire of the self to engage in spiritual devotional service whereas it is foreign to the soul to engage in material activities. This is why material activities always leave one anxious and unsatisfied. Material activities are temporary whereas spiritual activities eternally benefit the self so an intelligent person doesn't overendeavor to be materially succesful because it will all be finished at death.

If one does wants to become materially succesful then worshiping the Lord in that mood will get one more opulent than by one's own endeavors. A person is destined to only be so opulent in his lifetime but with the Lord he has a chance of becoming much more opulent than by his own endeavors.

3. In Grhastha life one must tend to his material duties with detachment but one cannot neglect these duties. One should center their home life around the worship of the Lord at all times in this way home life is tolerable and joyful and not anxiety filled. Material duties should become spiritual by the touch of devotional service.

4. Indian devotees are in most cases in a better situation because they are closer to the holy abodes. We western devotees should try our best to spiritualize our surroundings by the obvious methods. It is much better to advance a little than to not advance at all and become animals.
Our desire should be to move to the holy abodes when possible or take birth there in our next life and this we can cultivate from anywhere in the world.
It may be easier in some cases to worship the Lord with the highest mode of worship which is seperation when one is "away" from the Lord and his abodes.

These people who presented you with these arguments are not very intelligent at all and I think you should let them know this. If they cant accept the fact that what you are doing is infinitely superior to what they are doing, then you should completely ignore them and realize that they are just unfortunate ignorant fools who are as insignificant as a worm in stool.

These are just some of my unorganized  thoughts
Sincerely
Jagannatha Gauranga dasa

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