Don’t Sell Yourself Short!

The conditioned jīva is like a helpless animal caught in a bear-trap. Moaning in pain, he falls into an unconscious, dream-like state. While asleep, he wanders through the forest in a variety of forms. Sometimes as a lion or tiger, he is king of the animals. Sometimes as a rodent, or bird, he surveys the landscape for danger. When he wakes up, his heart trembles to find the vice-locked jaws of the trap around his ankle.

Like a bear-trap around our own foot, our own base animalistic tendencies keep us trapped in this world. In this way we carry out entire lifetimes as if passing from one dream to the next, momentarily ‘waking up’ when misery comes to rain on our parade. In those moments of clarity, we sometimes call out from within, “Help me!”

The Hari-bhakti-vilāsa states:

kṛpayā kṛṣṇadevasya tad bhakta janasaṅgataḥ
bhakter māhātmyam ākarṇya tām icchan sad guruṃ bhajet
atrānubhūyate nityaṃ duḥkhaśreṇī paratra ca
duḥsahā śrūyate śāstrāt titīrṣed api tāṃ sudhīḥ

By the mercy of Lord Kṛṣṇa, when one hears the glories of devotional service through the association of His devotees and begins to feel a desire to practice it, one should approach a true spiritual master. For when one intensely feels the constant miseries of this world, and hears from the scriptures that such intolerable miseries will continue in the next life, the intelligent person desires deliverance. (Hari-bhakti-vilāsa 1.28-29)

If we ever hope to make our lives successful, our first step is to embrace sādhu-saṅga, and put ourselves in contact with persons who take us seriously. Early on, we are by nature filled with distrust and suspicion. Like a trapped animal, we growl and bite at anyone who comes near to help us. Only over time can we begin to see how the sādhus are actually working to help release the many anchors which tie us down. Both gross and subtle, these painful anchors have been holding us down for lifetimes, and are rooted in selfishness.

Truly, the only friend of the jīvas in this world is the Supreme Lord and His dear-most agents. Filled with unlimited compassion for the fallen conditioned souls, Śrī Caitanya Mahaprabhu is searching after his lost servants and awarding them His own kṛṣṇa-prema, the ultimate goal of life. Carrying this treasure, the sādhus are going door to door, requesting everyone to accept this most valuable gift and settle for nothing less. Śrīla Śrīdhara Mahārāja described the extent of their affection for us:

The sādhus are truly your utmost well-wishers, the agents who are carrying good to you. Don’t misunderstand them; try to have faith in them. Their goodness is beyond your understanding. They love you so much. You cannot love yourself as much as they do, because they see you as the property of their Lord. From that standpoint they love you; and that love is very high, in quality and quantity. So be very careful; don’t commit any wrong against the sādhu – you must always remember this. (Śrīla Śrīdhara Deva Gosvāmī)

Our motivations are checked in association with the sādhu. Did we only come here to be released from the negative side? How much are we still wanting to be served? If we have really come in touch with a genuine agent, it won’t be easy for us to impress him with our learning or skills. The sādhu will challenge our false-ego, and break down our prejudices which stand as blockades to the heart. If we sincerely accept their correction, then we can begin to cultivate the qualities of humility and submissiveness.

In the company of the sādhu we will then wonder, “How do they spend their time? Where does their determination come from? What is their meditation and objective?” By hearing our guardians attentively, we are brought to the substance of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Our Guru Mahārāja, Śrīla B.G. Narasiṅgha Mahārāja told us how a hankering for perfection must be at the core of everything we do:

Simply reading books, simply chanting mantras, and simply having sādhu-saṅga, if we don’t awaken our own hankering for perfection then what have we gotten from all of that? Some prestige that we are the disciple of a great paramahaṁsa? Bravo! But what did that get you? Your part has to be played! That’s like somebody from a very wealthy family, they get to enroll in Harvard Business School. That’s a top-ranking business school. Well, there are a lot of parties at Harvard. So, somebody at Harvard might just be at all the parties, got the letter jacket, got the bumper sticker, and they got the prestige of it all. And they might end up with some degree. That is also not the goal, just to get your certificate. One has to come out of there with their education. (Swami B.G. Narasiṅgha)

Without fixing the target in our sights, there is every chance of us deviating from the goal of cultivating pure love for Kṛṣṇa. Putting his mark on the eye of the target, our śikṣā-guru, Śrīpāda B.K. Araṇya Mahārāja beautifully describes the goal of chanting the Holy Name of Kṛṣṇa, and the mood of our prayer:

We should be mindful of developing śuddha-nāma, not nāma-aparādha, nāmābhāsa, but śuddha-nāma. Śuddha-nāma means that there is substance in the name. Śuddha-nāma is not just the external form, but there is full feeling as Śrīla Śrīdhara Mahārāja would say, “Heart within”. With hearty feeling one is crying out to the Lord just as a child who is missing his mother, his protector, and is just crying out. Nothing else matters, only looking for that shelter. We are also like that child crying. We want to become like that child with only the aspiration of pure devotional service, to be reunited with our sweet Lord and His devotees. (Swami B.K. Araṇya)

Differentiating between the prayers of a śuddha-bhakta and the prayers of an ordinary person, Śrīla Narasiṅgha Mahārāja expresses the following:

The devotee is praying, “I’m not asking to be removed of any reaction. If I’m to be punished then punish me. But show me your mercy and never let me forget you. Show me your mercy, and never let me be away from service. Show me your mercy and let me always chant the Holy Name of Kṛṣṇa.” They don’t say, “Show me Your mercy, and send me a check, show me Your mercy and make me healthy until the last day of my life. Show me your mercy and let me have six sons and only two daughters.” They don’t talk like that to God. But people who don’t know who they are, and don’t know who God is, that’s how they talk to God all of the time. (Swami B.G. Narasiṅgha)

Before coming into the association of pure devotees, we are accustomed to ask God for anything and everything. On the top of our lists are wishes for material improvement — health, wealth, hearth and home, prestige, and the general fulfilment of our senses. Although mundane requests like these won’t actually reach the ears of Kṛṣṇa, they are nevertheless supplied by material nature according to our deeds and aspirations. For persons desiring these ends, the karma-kāṇḍa section of the Vedas recommends:

The materialistic way of pious activities, like charity, etc., is recommended in the smṛti-śāstras (as quoted by Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura). Money given in charity to a suitable person is guaranteed bank balance in the next life. Such charity is recommended to be given to a brāhmaṇa. If the money is given in charity to a non-brāhmaṇa (without brahminical qualification) the money is returned in the next life in the same proportion. If it is given in charity to a half-educated brāhmaṇa then the money is returned double. If the money is given in charity to a learned and fully qualified brāhmaṇa, the money is returned a hundred and thousand times, and if the money is given to a veda-pāraga (one who has factually realised the path of the Vedas), it is returned by unlimited multiplication. (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 2.3.17 purport by A.C. Bhaktivedānta Swami Prabhupāda)

For this reason, our guardians advise us to be very cautious about our own mentality behind service, chanting, and activities like giving in charity. If we are not, the sukṛti we earn may come back to us as golden handcuffs in the future. Even Śrīla Prabhupāda once disappointedly remarked about his own disciples that, “Most of them just want to go to the heavenly planets.”

Śrīla Śrīdhara Mahārāja also points out the disadvantages of accepting a ‘higher birth’, recommending us to take advantage of this rare opportunity and act now:

In the lower animal section of life, they are covered by ignorance. But the devatās are also unfit. Why? Because by their past actions they acquired some merit, and they are very busy to enjoy their happiness earned by their past actions. For a man who has money, it is very easy for him to go to the wine shop and go here and there. That is very easy. So, the devatās, the gods, in their past lives they have acquired many things which can excite one in enjoyment. They are bewildered. Human life is in the balance because from here we can very easily accept a new line of life. The rishis and the noble persons they advise us, “Human birth is very, very valuable. When you come here, you should neglect all other attempts, and only accept this line for the highest realisation. Go for the upper line, higher than the gods. (Śrīla Śrīdhara Deva Gosvāmī)

Our gurus are constantly reminding us of our fortune. We hear it often, but we can only assign as much value to their words as we have faith in our prospect. We are constantly aspiring for a different environment, a different situation which we think would make it easier for us to practice spiritual life. Our mind tells us, ‘Once I am retired from working, I will get serious’, ‘That devotee has it easy, if only I could have the opportunity, he had I wouldn’t be so stuck,’ ’In my next life maybe I’ll be born with better saṁskāras in a pious Indian family, or in a family of devotees. Then I can make progress.’

Despite our mental waves, our guru tells us, “Don’t sell yourself short.” In this life we have a lot to be humble about. We can very easily see how insignificant we are, and how tiny our sphere of influence is on this planet of over eight billion people. In this particular life success doesn’t come so easily, but we are able to see how by doing our duty there is always a roof over our heads where we can continue to serve our guru and Kṛṣṇa. Above all we have a nearly unlimited facility to immerse ourselves in the instructions of our guardians, and saturate our consciousness with their pure devotional sentiments, and feel (by their constant personal intervention in our lives) a real prospect worth sacrificing our ephemeral wants and dreams for. In the words of Śrīla Śrīdhara Mahārāja:

When we are free of these two whims (renunciation and exploitation), we can connect with the eternal flow where everywhere all points are active to satisfy the centre. Such a plane is not dry, it is happy, constructive, and nourishing. We should be able to feel it. Only a fleeting contact with it will make us understand that we do not want a particle of anything else. This is our homeward journey and any other want or demand will keep us in a foreign country, filled with birth, old age, infirmity, and death. (Śrīla Śrīdhara Deva Gosvāmī)

• 📚 Twenty-six Qualities of a Devotee Series by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura
• Vaiṣṇava Nindā by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
• The Country’s Misfortune by Śrīla B.R. Śrīdhara Mahārāja
• Śiva-tattva & the Position of Lord Śiva by Śrīla B.R. Śrīdhara Mahārāja
• Oh Bābā! Bolacche-re! by Śrīla B.R. Śrīdhara Mahārāja
• Problems and Solutions by Śrīla B.R. Śrīdhara Mahārāja
• The Highest Attainment and Present Adjustment by Śrīla B.R. Śrīdhara Mahārāja
• Āgun Jvālbe (Light the Fire!) by Śrīla B.R. Śrīdhara Mahārāja
• Dharma and the Modern World by Śrīla A.C. Bhaktivedānta Swami Prabhupāda
• Faith Confirms the Absolute by Śrīla B.G. Narasiṅgha Mahārāja
• Go Deeper! by Śrīla B.G. Narasiṅgha Mahārāja
• To Be a Servant by Śrīla B.G. Narasiṅgha Mahārāja
• Harmony – Real and Apparent by Swami B.V. Giri
• The Definition of Faith by Gaura Gopāla Dāsa
• Ātma Samīkṣā – The Value of Introspection by Kalki Dāsa
• Frogs in the Well of Prejudice by Kalki Dāsa

• Śraddhā (Faith) – Quotes by Bhaktivinoda Thakura
• Śraddhā and Śaraṇāgati by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
• The Association of Sādhus by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
• Epilogue to Śrī Kṛṣṇa Karṇāmṛta by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
• Prīti (Love) by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
• A Dispute Concerning Mahāprasāda by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
• Śraddhā by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
• Materialistic Association by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
• Dispelling Doubts by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
• The Enemy by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
• A Critique of the book ‘Vanamālā’ by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
• Kali by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
• Offences Against Bhakti by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
• Kārttika-vrata by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
• Violence and Mercy by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
• Abandoning Bad Association by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
• Sad-guṇa and Bhakti by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
• The Process of Initiation by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
• Dainya (Humility) by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
• Vaiṣṇava Nindā (Offences to Devotees) by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura