Instant success is easily sold to us in today’s media via marketing and commercials. Regrettably, the truth is rather different. Success and proficiency cost practice, a lot of effort, and determination. Commitment, determination, and consistency are the keys to success. Excellence in human endeavors can only be achieved by practicing with a determination to succeed.
Determination is a quality that makes one continue trying to do or achieve something that is difficult. People take a decision to achieve a mission impossible and start pursuing it, and after some time they begin losing themselves in justifications, and confusion or can easily slip sideways which looks like the main way.
So, one should be vigilant not to slide unknowingly into one of the sideways, avoid them with discrimination, and proceed with resolute determination to achieve the mission impossible. It is possible in any subject if one has a competent mentor. A mentor helps one in many ways, including goal setting, accelerating learning, receiving encouragement, maintaining focus, avoiding traps, and much more.
We have heard about many lives of people who, with resolute determination and with the help of a mentor or coach, overcame all obstacles to accomplish great things. For instance, Lionel Messi did not win his first World Cup in 2022 without the aid of a coach. It took years of guidance from a coach followed by discipline, practice, and resolute determination to win the Soccer World Cup. Similarly, to achieve anything either in material life or spiritual life one should need a mentor and resolute determination and Krsna Consciousness is no exception.
It is the determination to struggle with the six senses which include the mind. The senses and the mind are always trying to pull us away from Krsna. They are trying to divert us from the transcendental path to Krsna. The only way to give the senses and mind the peace they desire is to bring them back to their constitutional position, becoming absorbed in Krsna consciousness. We must remain steadfastly determined to be absorbed in Krsna Consciousness. We cannot allow ourselves to be deterred. We must diligently stick to the pathway of unalloyed devotional service to the Lord and it is possible under the guidance of a bonafide spiritual master. If we do so, we are assured of all success. This is the beauty of the Krsna consciousness process. The sincere devotee is guaranteed to win out in the struggle against the senses and mind.
How is this possible? with regular yoga practice. It is compared to a ladder. Each rung on the yoga ladder represents a different type of yoga, and this ladder takes us gradually step by step further and further away from gross ignorance and misery and closer to the topmost perfection of yoga, pure love for the Supreme Person, the source of all existence.
However, to complete each step of the yoga path gradually perfecting each type of yoga takes many, many lifetimes. Therefore, those who understand the essence of yoga immediately come to the topmost rung of yoga by taking directly to the loving service of the Lord and thus become immediately the topmost of all yogis and escape the cycle of birth and death without delay in one lifetime.
Gita: 6.47 declares that bhakti yoga, in which the highest yogis meditate on Krsna, the object of all devotion, is the ideal type of yoga. By establishing a connection with Krsna, one gains superior awareness and taste, enabling one to reject negative emotions and maintain one’s objective. Bhakti-yoga connects one with Krsna, cleansing one of the distracting emotions that weaken one’s resolute determination. Gita: 7.28 says that when one leads clean life and abstains from impure behavior, one will become steadfast in one’s devotional activities. This was demonstrated in Druva Maharaj’s instance.
Dhruva Maharaja was a son of King Uttanapada. When he was five years old, his stepmother Suruci prevented him from sitting on his father’s lap. She chastised Dhruva that although you are his son, you are disqualified because you have not taken birth in my womb. She further said that “you must first worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead by penances and austerities, and then in your next life you can take birth from my womb. Then it may be possible.” Suniti, his mother consoled Dhruva for this tragic incident and cited Lord Bramha, his great-grandfather who attained the exalted position of the creator of this university by the mercy of the Lord which was attained by performing severe austerities and penances un to Him.
In a passionate mood, Dhruva was determined to undergo any kind of austerity to sit on the lap of his father. Since both his mother and stepmother had mentioned approaching the Supreme Personality of Godhead was the only solution to his unfortunate situation, he left the palace in search of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
The Lord noticed Dhruva’s resolute determination to approach Him and sent His representative Narad Muni to initiate him. When all Narada Muni’s attempts to terminate Dhruva’s determination to execute austerities to attain the Lord, Narada Muni instructed to Dhruva chant constantly the eighteen letters hymn “om namo bhagavate vasudevaya” and meditate on the Lord. He recommended Dhruva go to the Madhuvana forest to meditate on the Lord.
After receiving instructions and a hymn from the great sage Narada Muni, Dhruva sat down to chant the hymn with great absorption. He gradually left his connection with all gross matters one after the other. He gradually gave up taking solid food, liquids, air (not breathing), and controlled his mind, and senses. He attained perfection in six months by deeply meditating on the wonderful form of the Lord, as described in the hymn by Narada Muni.
When he was disturbed, he opened his eyes; he saw that the very Lord was standing in front of him. He was confused about how to reciprocate with the Lord, but by the touch of His conch shell, all the knowledge and conclusions of all the Vedas manifested in his heart, and he offered wonderful prayers to the Lord. Due to the mercy of the Lord and His personal association, he realized that what he was looking for was a broken piece of glass, and what he had achieved was – a diamond. However, the Lord fulfilled his desire to attain a Kingdom greater than his great-grandfather, which is spiritual and never gets destroyed. It is commonly known as the pole star.
The entire Dhruva Lila spans five chapters (4.8-4.12) in the Srimad Bhagavatam. The beginning chapters describe the unbreakable determination of Dhruva Maharaj, chapter 4.12 describes a lot of his sweet devotional qualities that should be followed.
Dhruva Maharaj’s motive was selfish, but it was executed as per Narada Muni’s instructions and when he saw the Lord, he chose the selfless option rather than a selfish option. Through this Lila, the Lord demonstrated that by executing bhakti with resolute determination under the guidance of a bonafide spiritual master one can get all material results and one can go beyond the material world. And liberation is automatically included in developing our relationship with the Supreme Lord.
If one wants powers, yes, it is available for the devotee also. So, devotees have much more power than anyone else. Ambarish Maharaj had power over the Sudarsan Cakra of Lord Vishnu. All outcomes are possible via devotional service to the Lord, but a devotee obviously does not desire these outcomes. A devotee’s only goal in life is to serve and satisfy the Lord. The result is that the Lord will give things, which are not obstacles to that bhakti. And a devotee will accept them if they are not obstacles to devotional service.
The pastime of Dhruva Maharaj demonstrates that even if we are steadfastly determined to approach the Lord for our own selfish objectives, like Dhruva, Krsna Himself will send a transcendental guru to guide us toward Him. And that is why Srila Prabhupada came to this world to guide the sincere devotees, who wanted to always serve Krsna. If one follows his instructions with resolute determination under the guidance of a bonafide spiritual master one can see Krsna face to face.