Dear Swamiji,
Nityananda Gauranga Hare Krishna! That kirtana was on your deities in the ashram right? And Lord Jagannatha alone is there in your ashram... manima! manima! Gaura Nitaai! Jaua Pancha Tattva! Hare Krishna!
Your kirtans are so beautiful! One day we should also be able to join you in that!
Daaso'smi,
Srinath
Dear devotees,
Nityananda Gauranga Hare Krishna! My pranams!
This is from a reply to a previous topic on bhoga but since it crossed over into other subjects I have put this separately.
I would agree with Ishana Thakur Dasa prabhu. I am simply getting excessively confused and bewildered by topics like this. Hari Bhakti Vilasa's standards are so high that they belong to previous yugas literally. It is that ideal standard which one can only dream of today. It has so many thousands of rules and regulations that if you saw it all, you would faint! I can't follow everything and it would be too much to expect it out of other people like me. I am not finding any fault in the scripture, I am just saying I am too fallen for its higher standards.
First please understand that we don't live in those times anymore. In this present age of Kali Yuga, you never get something near an ideal situation for devotion. All over the world there are always some limitations or the other and we have to make do with what we have. We can only follow so much....the rest is practically impossible. As they say, "Look at what you have and count your blessings. Don't keep moaning over what you don't have and can't get." Make the best use of your life with whatever limitations you have.
I will tell you my painful experiences. It is an effect of too much dabbling in theory. Come down to earth and see what is practically feasible today. When we read without realizing whether it is possible or not, we simply raise the bar to unreal expectations and then get frustrated if we cannot reach it. Not only that all this excess theory simply makes life unlivable and only causes a big disturbance. Finally it becomes irritating for both oneself and others. You offend many people and your result becomes counter productive. Finally we simply become some sort of fanatic or eccentric, and you would end up quarrelling with practically everyone around you and create unnecessary trouble. Soon your life would be so miserable that you would ruin your chances of advancing, and also make others around you develop a hatred for bhakti and devotees -- that is badly offensive.
I live in a hostel, I have to eat food which is by no means ideal, and has all masala, onion and other stuff. I have to mingle with people who have zero interest spiritually, I have work that keeps me awake till late night, so many limitations. But am I supposed to starve and die because its unethical and non-ideal? Please! I would lose this opportunity to do chanting and whatever little bhakti I can do...food problem is not so important compared to losing out on whatever little bhakti I can do. Of course I would follow a better standard if I could, but when I can't there's no point complaining.
Following all the rules and regulations is only useful so long as it can strengthen one's devotional service. If they go so far that they become an obstacle and distract us from what is really important, then it is not worth spending all that time and effort on them. Soon one will only become a rule follower and forget the devotion that was the most important thing. So while reading the rule books, please use some discretion. If I were to force newcomers who don't know ABCD of devotion to follow Satya Yuga standards right away, they would all run away, defeating the purpose of preaching! So I have to use my common sense and know where to draw the boundary lines.
So first I recommend that we all forgive ourselves and others for their limitations. Only when we accept that and say, "All right. With this I must make my success." Only then can we allow devotion to enter in and allow us to transcend those limitations and make advancement in spite of all that stands in the way. So please forgive me if any of this was offensive in any manner. I just wanted to share my feelings about my limitations and hope that you will still give me a chance for bhakti despite them.
In this age, life is short and opportunities few. We don't even have enough memory to remember all the rules! We ought to concentrate more on the most important principles. The important principle is chanting the Holy names and the main rules that everyone has to follow are only those pillars that can never be compromised.
In the past I had just such bitter lessons. Issues like this caused so much trouble, dreadful offenses (even Vaishnava aparadha which I had to see and hear) and pain - the bitter results of which I have to eat today that is affecting me spiritually. I have no desire to re-live those scenarios which I cannot forget. I realized that I can argue logic and prove my point is right, but in the process I would lose friends and a budding devotee, and ruin my own chances! Having said that, in fact I wonder if I have indeed contradicted myself by writing this post and fallen into the same error that I have written about avoiding.
I hope that no one is offended and that what I have written does not bounce back and result in another such embarrasment.
So I am sorry, but this will be the final time that I participate in this kind of discussions. My humble pranams! Nityananda! Gauranga! Hare Krishna!
Daaso'smi,
Srinath
