{"id":11193,"date":"2013-01-14T05:08:21","date_gmt":"2013-01-14T04:08:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/?p=11193"},"modified":"2013-01-14T05:08:21","modified_gmt":"2013-01-14T04:08:21","slug":"how-nice-should-devotees-be","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/?p=11193","title":{"rendered":"How Nice Should Devotees Be?"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Kesava Krsna Dasa<\/strong><\/p>\n

Should devotees rejoice at the pregnancy of a royal couple? Should they express revulsion at crimes committed against defenceless people or animals? If devotees are the nicest people around, how do they react to the world around them when they are supposedly detached from all things?<\/p>\n

\u201cBut why be concerned about sinful meat eaters and illicit sexers\u2026 they are simply enjoying or suffering the fruits of their karma\u2026\u201d might be a common response. If devotees express these sentiments, is it a sign of real detachment? Or does it reveal an aversion, which is another form of attachment?<\/p>\n

What if, instead of seeing people as evil and immoral, we see them as suffering and potentially good \u2013 as devotees? By changing our perspective from \u201cyou are this\u201d to \u201cyou can be that,\u201d from accusation to possibility, from disdain to compassion, we can more fit the the claim that devotees are genuine friends of the world and its creatures. Now, that would be nice.<\/p>\n

Devotees are primarily preachers, and preachers cannot preach effectively if they lack feelings for the suffering of others. To apparently preach while retaining disproportionate detachment will not help raise Krishna conscious awareness in others. What is this disproportionate detachment? What does this have to do with being nice?<\/p>\n

It is where we allow Krishna conscious philosophy or tradition to override our application of that philosophy on a devotional and personal level. Dos and don\u2019ts, rules and regulations become more important than the human expression of Bhakti. We can literally lose our humanity on the jnana platform. We can also fear getting too personal because it might expose our weaknesses.<\/p>\n

This becomes an unfriendly form of Krishna conscious practice. Inner detachment becomes outer hardness expressed as indifference and preservation of self-righteousness, instead of outer friendliness. We need to turn our out-of-this-world eminence into an in-this-world affability. In the Sri Gitamrta, chapter six Krishna encourages Arjuna to broaden his outer reach:<\/p>\n

Krishna: \u2026but the yogi should also practice feeling for others’ welfare through his own experience of happiness and distress. He is the best yogi because he does not desire perfection in yoga for his personal benefit only but tries to benefit others as well.<\/p>\n

Arjuna: He Madhusudhan, I cannot do this yoga that You’re speaking of because the mind is restless and unsteady. You say I should empathise with the happiness and distress of living beings. I can empathise with friends and relatives, but not with those who are envious and criticise me. I cannot feel for both Yudhisthira and Duryodhana. And if You tell me to use discrimination, knowing that the Supersoul is in all beings, You should know that my mind is flickering and hard to control. It’s impossible for me.<\/p>\n

While we ourselves discriminate and avoid the envious, we may extend such discrimination too far, so that it interferes with our friendly relations between devotees, let alone being friendly towards suffering none-devotees. We can implant so many misconceptions within our minds that we forget what Krishna consciousness is all about.<\/p>\n

For instance, we are encouraged to avoid mayavadis, jains, sensuous people, sahajiyas, karmis, atheists, none-devotees, fringe devotees, the fallen, the inimical, the unfavourable, and the rest. This sounds like avoiding the whole world. Little wonder then, why some devotees appear to be erroneously aloof from the world and its people in an imbalanced way. <\/p>\n

We can forget who we really are. Whatever \u2018mercy\u2019 is bestowed, whatever cultural magnificence is being restored, we may think the whole Krishna conscious thing was about… something else. Trying not to sin. Going to the temple. Being nice. Lord Chaitanya says it is about cleansing our heart, setting it free, restoring our splendorous self. A religious fog has tried to veil all that, put us under some sort of spell or amnesia, to keep us from coming alive.<\/p>\n

While \u2018fighting\u2019 Maya in a self-declared war, along with self-defence of purposeful disdain for material things and people, this will not enable victory against her. So long as \u2018religious\u2019 disdain manifests as indifference felt as slighting and impoliteness by other devotees and jivas, the war will be self-defeating, and Maya shall ensure this. We remain un-alive in Krishna consciousness. From this, deviations begin to manifest.<\/p>\n

The Lord\u2019s mercy is required for victory, and humble and realistic appraisals of ourselves are helpful. Sometimes neophyte devotees think that a natural friendliness developed by mature, experienced devotees, might indicate a slackening of their inner spiritual conduct. They do not realise that experienced devotees have inner self-strictness but with a soft and friendly outer shell.<\/p>\n

A Vaisnava is the highest personality in this world. Vaisnavas create possibilities for the suffering, for they are like desire trees. Their hearts and minds are open, which grants access to Bhakti – this is not easily imitated. <\/p>\n

The fog of our thinking how a Vaisnava should be, and emulating that, makes us far more proud than a conceited egotistical \u201cI am the Greatest\u201d claim found in materially successful people. The jnana method of devotion can cause us to think we need to contrive a front in order to be a devotee. How wrong we can be. This contrived frontage is not very nice.<\/p>\n

Prabhupada: \u201cBut it is a fact that anyone who takes to K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a consciousness, he doesn\u2019t require to endeavor for becoming a good man, I mean to say, separately. That K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a consciousness will help him to be the best man in the world. Api cet su-dur\u0101c\u0101ra\u1e25.\u201d (New York, July 22, 1966)<\/p>\n

Vaisnava are the best persons in the world and they possess qualities highly sought after. A hardened Ajamila came to his senses and said: \u201cI shall become a merciful, well-wishing friend to all living entities and always absorb myself in K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a consciousness.\u201d (A second Chance) See how being friendly is equal to absorbing oneself in Krishna consciousness. How nice this is.<\/p>\n

On the same jnana and hardened level, we think we become Vaisnava and have the highest philosophy, the highest culture, and become so blindly convinced of ourselves, that we become exclusivists even among fellow devotees. Every Srila Prabhupada quote of ours, and every sastric citation becomes \u2018infallibly absolute.\u2019 <\/p>\n

Instead of continuing of path of learning, even from \u2018wretched and suffering victims of Maya,\u2019 people, creatures and world situations, our amnesia convinces us that religiosity means Krishna consciousness. We become obtruders, in that we impose restricted ideas of devotion onto others. We forget that we can reconcile matters in a Vaisnava way.<\/p>\n

Prabhupada: \u201cThere are, in the material calculation, there are so many things which are the list. One list is for morality, and another list is for immorality. I do not wish to discuss this list because in, for a person which is immorality, for another person, it is not immorality; it is morality. Just like according to our conception, Hindu conception, drinking of wine is immoral, whereas in your country drinking of wine is not immoral. It is common thing. Of course, so according to time, class, place, the conception of morality and immorality are different. But there is a, a sense of immorality and morality in everywhere. That is a fact.\u201d (New York, July 22, 1966)<\/p>\n

Reconciling our practice of Bhakti means to be practical in every situation with a freedom not found in conventional self-imposed strictures. On morning walks Srila Prabhupada would greet, \u201cGood morning\u201d to passer-by\u2019s. He could appreciate beauty with knowing observations:
\nPrabhup\u0101da: \u2026the sound of the church bell very much. It is very attractive.<\/p>\n

Brahm\u0101nanda: You want one like that for V\u1e5bnd\u0101vana.<\/p>\n

Prabhup\u0101da: Yes. (July 18, 1975, San Francisco)<\/p>\n

Prabhup\u0101da: Yes. [break] \u2026can be solved by understanding these three items: God is the proprietor; He is the enjoyer; He is friend of everyone. They are acting just the opposite way: \u201cI am the proprietor; I am the enjoyer; I am the friend. Because I am God.\u201d This is their\u2026 Everyone is becoming friend\u2014ultimately proves to be enemy of the country because he is not friend. President Nixon took votes by pretending friendship, and later on, he proved enemy. This is going on. Everyone knows. Gandhi pretended to become friend, but he proved to become an enemy. Otherwise why he was shot down? Unless one thought him as enemy, why he was shot down? This is going on. Nobody can become friend except K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a.<\/p>\n

Tam\u0101la K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a: But a pure devotee is a friend to all.<\/p>\n

Prabhup\u0101da: Because he carries the message of K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a. K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a is friend, and he is carrying the friendly message. Therefore he is friend. If there is a nice friend and if somebody gives information of that nice friend, he is also friend. Therefore nobody can become friend except K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a\u2019s representative. The material world is: \u201cI am your enemy, and you are my enemy.\u201d This is the whole construction of the material world. So how the enemy can become friend? It is pretension, cheating.<\/p>\n

Devotee: When we go out to distribute books, we try and show the karm\u012bs that the devotee is actually their friend also.<\/p>\n

Prabhup\u0101da: Oh, yes, certainly. That is the real friendship work. Just like Caitanya Mah\u0101prabhu says,<\/p>\n

kota nidr\u0101 j\u0101o m\u0101y\u0101-pi\u015b\u0101c\u012bra kole,
\nenechi au\u1e63adhi m\u0101y\u0101 n\u0101\u015bib\u0101ro l\u0101gi\u2019 hari-n\u0101ma mah\u0101-mantra lao tumi m\u0101gi\u2019<\/p>\n

This is friendship. \u201cYou are sleeping under the spell of m\u0101y\u0101, and how long you will sleep and suffer in this material world? So I have brought this medicine. You take it and you will no more sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n

enechi au\u1e63adhi m\u0101y\u0101 n\u0101\u015bib\u0101ro l\u0101gi\u2019 hari-n\u0101ma mah\u0101-mantra lao\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cNow take Hare K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a mantra, this medicine.\u201d<\/p>\n

hari-n\u0101ma mah\u0101-mantra lao tumi m\u0101gi\u2019<\/p>\n

Bahul\u0101\u015bva: So all relationships in this material world are\u2026<\/p>\n

Prabhup\u0101da: Inimical. (July 18, 1975, San Francisco)<\/p>\n

If devotees are the only really nice friends of this world, we cannot allow our obtrusions to wreck devotee relationships, or to create antipathy with the public. There is such a thing as being naturally nice, from a humble and realistic base. Other than this, our niceness can be unreal.<\/p>\n

We all perhaps know of some nice and young and na\u00efve devotee who does not know what \u201cOff the altar\u201d means yet. Among devotees, we find that those who are down-to-earth and realistic are more friendly and approachable than those who are either too busy, important, or have a high estimation of themselves.<\/p>\n

There could be a problem of devotees being too nice, then end up being with people they don\u2019t want to be with. There are devotees who are especially nice and polite to senior devotees, but at the same time rude and insolent towards their contemporaries or less-than-equals. This is not really being nice.<\/p>\n

Devotees can find comfort in being nice when expecting nothing in return. Others may be so happy making others feel good, it can be selfish. Being nice can be a form of compensation when one has failed at everything else. <\/p>\n

There are many reasons to be nice, especially on behalf of Srila Prabhupada and the Lord. In an inimical world such as ours in which people think, \u201cNo one’s being nice enough to me!\u201d we have to try and fulful the highest and nicest, most friendly role of Vaisnavas. If the world comes to appreciate us on this basis, that would be really, really nice.<\/p>\n

Ys Kesava Krsna Dasa<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Kesava Krsna Dasa<\/strong><\/p>\n

Should devotees rejoice at the pregnancy of a royal couple? Should they express revulsion at crimes committed against defenceless people or animals? If devotees are the nicest people around, how do they react to the world around them when they are supposedly detached from all things?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,32],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11193","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articles","category-kesava-krsna-dasa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11193","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11193"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11193\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11193"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11193"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11193"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}