Associations
Association with devotees gives us the intelligence to tame the wandering mind.
Association with devotees gives us the intelligence to tame the wandering mind.
Taking care of yourself is also stay connected with the devotees, association of devotees is part of taking care of yourself. If you are not doing that you don’t know how to take care of yourself.
HH Lokanath Swami Maharaj
What we are lacking is love. No one is really liking us in a genuine way. They hate us, they get us, they hit us, they cheat us. This all happens in this world. They keep us in ignorance and, as a result of that, there is suffering. Our dealings in this world, if they are not spiritualized, if they are not Krishna-ized as of yet, they are full of kama, full of lust, full of desires.
This is the challenge: how to acquire knowledge and not to feel we have it. In fact, this knowledge will do its part if it is cultivated properly: knowledge will reward a person with humility.
So we should never ever forget the sacrifices made by Srila Prabhupada for our welfare.
“Lokanath Swami”
Materialism cannot satisfy us. It could satisfy our senses, our mind. Some entertainment, some body satisfaction, mind satisfaction – but soul’s satisfaction? Not possible. The soul could be only satisfied when the soul makes Krishna the object.
When shraddha is fixed and steady then we are “nisthavan.” It means no more U-turns, no more looking back: only going forward, no ups and downs with your Krishna consciousness.
When we take initiation we promise to the spiritual master, the fire, Paramatma, the Vaishnavas and other witnesses, to chant the holy name of the Lord, to follow the principles. We promise to practice Krishna consciousness or propagate Krishna consciousness, and kind of promise to stay in ISKCON for the rest of our life, to stay loyal and active within the Hare Krishna movement.
Sadhu-sanga is not just for the new devotees or sadhu-sanga is not only till the time you get initiation. No, sadhu-sanga is required, essential with all the levels. Even if you are advanced and you are a pure devotee, even at that time you would never give up sadhu-sanga.
We should contemplate on katha. Listening is just the starting, after that it comes remembrance and contemplation.