Re: Arguments?

Dear devotees,

        Nityananda Gauranga Hare Krishna!

        People may say our attempts are imitations, but it is they who are all imitating God by trying to be the enjoyer. We are being honest for what we are -- the devotee.

        2) People say 'success' what do they mean by that? For them earning thousands of dollars for material enjoyment is success. There were so many devotees who were very opulent and who used their opluence for the Lord alone. We can become a millionaire for the sake of serving the Lord, but not for our sense gratification. Again see positive.

         If we ask them , "As if what you are doing is very great..." expect them to say, "Yes it is. I am very proud of it and I know its right. ". But we can also give them the same reply if needed. Devotion ultimately makes us more and more humble, not egoistic.

          Success is ultimately a relative term except when used with devotion. Is the richest man in the world the happiest? I doubt. Actually one point has to be made. Whatever we do, we should excel in it to our best so that people are amazed how we can work so hard for the Lord. Swamiji was a gold medalist from IIT, topper in his class -- very few can even hope to get that. It helped his IIT preaching a lot.

         3) Yes grihastas earn money and do manage their family duties very well! Everything is spiritual when done for the Lord! So earn nicely and use it all to serve! Yes there are very great grihasta devotees, even on this forum. Hadai Nityananda Dasa prabhu for one. He says that the impersonalistic tendency is to renounce everything and enter into a void to a(void) serving the Lord!  Householder life is very ideal for devotional life if done properly.

          Yes we stop at a point if our efforts in one service interfere with another service and create a haphazard condition.

          Devotee family life is wonderful compared to material family life where people behave like cats and dogs and suffer from so many issues -- just pick up your local family magazines or the newspaper to see.

           If you are so serious about the renounced order, then think first if you can handle it. Devotees only renounce when they have another service do to and only when they know they are advanced enough for it.

        4) Critics have only some (incomplete) theoretical knowledge and they are all talk, no walk. Not us. We do devotional SERVICE and it is totally practical starting from chanting, etc... Our source of knowledge comes from the Lord Himself so it is perfect -- no need to doubt. Having said that...simply being a theorist is useless. One has to follow and show by example and if we are not spiritually true to our word, then our words have no effect whatsoever on anyone.

        There is no room for just advise others in devotion. One has to walk the talk. Even atheistic people respect those who are true to their words. But if I were to cheat, even people who don't follow any devotion will be bound to question us, "You say this and you do that...is that right?"

         Ultimately Srimad Bhagavatam says, "No one can be a husband, wife, brother, son, father, mother, friend, or well wisher and especially no one can be a guru if one is not qualified to save them from illusion and bring them to the Lord." And to be a guru, first one needs to have reached the Lord oneself and attained spiritual perfection, or else how can one bring others to the Lord?

           This is one point that Swamiji makes very often in his lectures and he is EXTREMELY serious about it. If one occupies the position of the spiritual master without the qualification, then disaster will result. The guru is the most important part of the deliverance process of all the living entities and if that position is misused then it is a spiritual disaster not just for oneself but also for all those other living entities who have placed their faith in such a so called 'guru'. History itself is the evidence for this.

           The disciples also have the very important duty that within their heart they must always aspire for a perfect guru who is very dear to the Lord and they must never entertain any desire for any lower standard.

            After many painful experiences of my own, one day I realized this and I prayed desperately for the Lord to give me the solution. He did...and I am eternally grateful for that.

Daaso'smi,
Srinath

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