Spiritual FAQs

Q. How should one learn to accept happiness and sufferings equally? What does rapid sufferings of an initial beginner in spiritual path indicate? Does God give material benefits to a neophyte or does he give rapid sufferings to test him?

A. In Bhagavad Gita (5.15) Krishna says that, ‘Embodied beings, however are bewildered because of the ignorance which covers their real knowledge.’ Being in a bewildered condition  therefore, the embodied soul identifies himself with the circumstantial material body and becomes subjected to the temporary misery and happiness of life. Real knowledge is our understanding of our relationship to Krishna and attempting to re-establish it. With such knowledge one becomes equipoise  without any attachment to success or failure.

Regarding your point about ‘rapid sufferings,’ Srila Rupa Goswami mentions in the Nectar of Devotion that ‘bhakti is klesaghni subhada,’ that it provides immediate relief from material distress. Srila Prabhupada gives the analogy of a fan that continues to rotate even after the plug is pulled out. Similarly, one may suffer from past reactions in the early stages of bhakti but gradually this will also cease.

With respect to the third part of your question, Krishna reciprocates according to the desires and advancement of the devotee. He gave unlimited opulence to Sudama and put Queen Kunti into so much distress, both very dear devotees  and in both cases the end result was bringing them closer to Him.

Q. Once a person is fortunate enough to hear about Lord Krishna and starts on spiritual path, does God help him to advance rapidly? I find many cases were people wishing to advance on spiritual path are suffering from their inability to control their senses? If one strongly wishes to take to lotus feet of Lord why doesn’t God immediately help him control his senses?

A. In the Bhagavad Gita (10.10) Krishna says, “To those who are constantly devoted to serving Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me.” Krishna is situated in every one’s heart as the Super soul (paramatma). As soon as one takes to Krishna consciousness, Krishna helps him. If he comes forward one step, Krishna comes forward ten steps.

The second part of the question (why doesn’t God immediately help him control his senses) goes back to the issue of free will. If Krishna did everything for us, then where would be our desire, our effort, our love? A genuine desire manifests itself as a sincere effort and Krishna will undoubtedly reciprocate when He sees that sincere effort.

Q. I have very strong faith in Gaudiya Vaishnava philosophy. but I am scared that too much spiritual involvement will affect my material life unfavorably. What should be done?

A. It is natural that with the awakening of attachment to Krishna, one will gradually develop detachment from worldly things. However this does not mean that a devotee will give up his worldly responsibilities; rather he would do those same duties more meticulously as long as they are not detrimental to the cultivation of devotional service but he would do them as a service to the Lord and without attachment for profit and recognition.

There are innumerable examples of great Vaisnava devotees who were householders and held very responsible social positions. Bhaktivinoda Thakur was an ideal example, he was a magistrate and had ten children! But he used all his position, wealth, family and abilities in the service of the Lord. When we take up some spiritual activities even if in small incremental steps in the beginning, we will find that the Lord gives us more time and ability to perform our duties nicely and to take further steps.

Q. What does Lord Krishna have to do with His lila (pastimes) with this samsar (material world), where almost everyone is envious of Krishna? Does the Lord have anything to enjoy in this material world or He simply comes to teach us out of His kindness?

A. The Lord is atmarama, fully self-satisfied  and always enjoying His own internal potency in the spiritual world. He has nothing to enjoy in this material world  but He comes out of  His great compassion to not only teach us but by displaying His wonderful spiritual pastimes to attract the forgetful souls to the spiritual world and to His association.

Q. How we can detach ourselves from the materialistic world to get back to Krishna?

A. It begins with hearing about Krishna in disciplic succession. By regularly hearing about Krishna in the association of devotees and rendering service according to what we hear, knowledge and detachment automatically arise and attachment to Krsna is awakened. Then all the impurities in the heart are vanquished and we become eligible to go back to Godhead.

Q. I have a confusion regarding whether bhakti can be spread freely among masses. Although Srila Prabhupada demonstrated practically, my doubt relates to observing the lives of simple minded villagers in the dham, who have a simple living and great dependency on guru and Lord. It is practically not possible for me to live such a simple, spiritual life (due to present obligations). So is it to be concluded that Srila Prabhupada wanted to lift us to certain level, before we could take pure devotion (in next life in dham) or with the present practice, the same can be achieved?

A. Srila Prabhupada taught that you should stay in your present position, and purify your existence by hearing and chanting about Krsna. Gradually, higher and higher spiritual qualifications will come. You must learn the art, gradually, of dedicating your God-given talents and assets to His service. This is also wanted. In this way, the masses can take part in the process of bhakti with incredible success.

Q. What are some facts that help people understand why Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead?

A. When Arjuna saw the Universal form he mentions some such facts as to why Krsna is considered the Supreme Personality of Godhead: All the great authorities, such as Asita, Devala, and Vyasa and all the scriptures have accepted Krsna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Not only that, Krsna Himself asserts and explains this in so many ways in Bhagavad Gita, how He ‘s the source of everything and there is no truth beyond him. He does not simply make these empty statements, but He actually shows His universal form in the battlefield. All the great mahajanas beginning from Brahma, Narada, Siva, Sukadeva Gosvami and Bhismadeva, glorify Krsna as the Supreme Absolute Truth and are engaged in His devotional service. Besides, throughout His lila, all of His uncommon, supramundane activities bear testimony to this fact, such as the lifting of Govardhana Hill at the age of seven, showing the universes within His mouth, expanding Himself into all the cowherd boys and calves, marrying 16,108 princesses, etc. Thus there are innumerable evidences within the Vedas about Krsna’s identity. In fact, as stated in Bhagavad-gita, the purpose of the Vedas is itself to know Krsna only.

Q. Srila Prabhupada said ‘preaching is the essence’, what does this mean? What are the qualifications of the preacher? Are performing nagar sankirtan and book distribution a kind of preaching? What are the levels in preaching?

A. Preaching is the essence of our movement because this is an exhibition of the highest and most compassionate part of a vaisnava’s character, the essential nature of a devotee – trying to awaken Krsna bhakti within the hearts of the suffering souls. This was the essence of Lord Caitanya’s pastimes, to freely distribute love of God. Without preaching neither our movement, nor our own individual bhakti creeper will continue to grow, rather they will both become weakened. Especially in this age full of faults and disturbances, only by being in a preaching spirit and thus attracting and achieving the mercy of Lord Caitanya can we sustain and increase our Krsna consciousness. Without that spirit we can easily become distracted, slackened and overwhelmed by the material energy.

Srila Prabhupada said anyone can preach, if they hear attentively from a bona fide speaker in disciplic succession and simply repeat what he has heard, without concoction. One of Prabhupada’s disciples had a 5 year old daughter, and she used to go the visitors and ask them, “Do you know who is Krsna?”, and then reply herself, “Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead!”. Prabhupada commented that even a child can preach by simply repeating what they heard. So the most important qualification for a preacher is that they should hear submissively from a bona fide spiritual master and faithfully represent what they have heard, according to their capacity.

Varieties of preaching exist, as do various levels of preaching. We may show people the path of bhakti in an introductory manner, or we may help them traverse the path, or train them, or carry them to the conclusions of bhakti. We each have our capacity, and we should try to preach accordingly.

Q. Many people have the idea that the bad karma can be reduced or removed through meditation, worship, samskara or sacrifice. What do you think?

A. Sukadeva Gosvami gives a similar answer to Maharaj Pariksit when he asks how to mitigate the hellish sufferings and sinful reactions. Sukadeva Gosvami prescribes that by performance of atonement to the sinful activities and by cultivating tapasya, brahmacarya, truthfulness, control of mind and senses etc., one can counteract the sinful reactions. So it is possible to reduce one’s sinful actions if one follows the prescribed way. However, this is hardly possible, especially in this age of Kali, when performance of the prescribed methods of atonement according to Vedic rituals  under the guidance of qualified brahmanas or strictly following the above-mentioned processes  is very difficult  to say the least. Further King Pariksit asks, “But how can atonement really help if the sinful tendencies are not removed from the heart of the living entity?” He will be driven by those tendencies to keep committing the same sinful activities again and again and will thus be bound to suffering. Pariksit Maharaj compares this to the bathing of an elephant, which after a nice bath, comes ashore and throws mud all over its body again. The real remedy is therefore to remove the root cause of bad karma, i.e. sinful tendencies. Sukadeva Gosvami confirms this. And he describes how to do it: by surrendering to the Supreme Lord and performing devotional service all sins are completely eradicated, just as darkness is immediately dissipated by sunlight. Krsna will automatically take away all of one’s sinful reactions at one stroke  as He promises in the Bhagavad Gita, without our having to undergo much trouble for atoning the untold amount of sinful reactions we have. Cf SB Canto 6, Ch. 1.

Q. What is Karma?

A. Every action has its equal or greater reaction – this is a simple definition of karma. Whatever activity we do  good or bad  brings us good or bad reactions. Due to good karma one may get a beautiful body become wealthy or very intelligent etc. and bad reactions may come in the form of disease, poverty etc. or in terms of heavenly enjoyment or hellish sufferings and so on.