Seeing Krishna face to face sounds like a strange idea!

Nikhil Mishra, 18 September 2018

Hare Krsna
Please accept my humble obeisance.

I am cultivating the benefits of following whatever principles i could follow of Krsna consciousness. I feel that i would become more calm and happy person if i advance more on this path.

But seeing someone known as Krsna face to face still looks an alien idea and fabricated promise to my mind

Devotees can kindly share their opinions, experiences and guide me.

Sincerely
Nikhil

Shridhar Das, 18 September 2018

Hare Krishna,

Please accept my humble obeisance,

All Glories to Sri Sri Guru and Gauranga!
All Glories to Srila Prabhupada!

In my understanding from my superiors, to simply have the desire to advance further is such a blessing in Krishna Consciousness. Srila Gurudeva also emphasizes this point of desiring and hankering for advancing in Krishna Consciousness. It’s a great fortune!

We are fully surrounded by material atmosphere in our practice of Krishna Consciousness and our practice has been few years only, so it is not astonishing for us to have such concerns.

If we base our experience on feelings, it needs to be given time as our senses are so much impure currently. They are filled with so many material contaminations namely lust, anger, greed, envy, etc. So our impure senses and mind cannot be trusted esp. when their major input is association of those who have no substantial faith in existence of soul, spiritual world, God as a loving person.

Therefore, we can begin with the step of at least theoretically accepting such facts by basing faith in personalities like Srila Prabhupada and his staunch followers.
When I was 1 year in Krishna Consciousness, a devotee shared that when doubts in process and Krishna trouble us, we should take shelter of Srila Prabhupada’s words for no one can possibly doubt his character and genuineness.

Also, we must maximize our association amongst Krishna Conscious devotees.

We should always remember that faith is an infectious disease and best way to cultivate faith is to hear from faithful devotees and serve under their guidance. We are so fortunate to have direct association of Srila Gurudeva & Srimati Gurumata personally in physical and vani form. And if we stay near temple so many senior association becomes avail. Also, daily dose of sticking to hearing and reading from Spiritual Master, Srila Prabhupada powders such doubts as you have mentioned.

your servant
Shridhar das

Mahabhagavat Das SDA, 01 October 2018

Dear Nikhil,

Hare Krishna!

Please accept my humble obeisances.
All glories to Srila Gurudeva.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

What you are experiencing is called “withdrawal symptoms”. Whenever a drug addict tries to give up their drug habit, they experience horrible withdrawal symptoms, so much so that many addicts fall back into their addition rather than fight the symptoms.

Everyone in the material world who is not a pure devotee is a recovering atheist. When we try to become a devotee, then our “drug habit” of atheism often rears its ugly head.

And therefore, now your mind is throwing withdrawal symptoms at you, in the form of ” But seeing someone known as Krsna face to face still looks an alien idea and fabricated promise to my mind.”

This matter was discussed in this group, as you can see in this posting… https://dasadas.com/2017/03/08/how-to-get-free-of-miseries-given-by-our-own-mind/

The clear solution to your problem is given in this transcribed ecture of Srila Gurudeva http://spiritual-revolutionary.com/Lecture_transcriptions/Bg10.10_Bangalore_13_November_05.htm

quote
Any more questions?

Q2 –

In preaching and practice, there’s always a gap involved. How can one practice and preach . . .

A2 –

You’re saying that there’s a credibility gap between practice and preaching?

Yes, when neophyte devotees come . . .

Yes. The answer is given by Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura. When you get up in the morning, you take shoes and beat your mind one hundred times. In the evening, you beat your mind with a broomstick one hundred times. And we need to find devotees – associates – from whom we can take chastisement. Everybody should have someone who can chastise them and from whom they can take it, where they really try to rectify themselves. Everyone should really have someone by whom they can be corrected on a regular, daily basis. We need to have that. Because we all have our faults; let’s face it. So you need to have someone from whom you can take instruction and be chastised and corrected and not argue with them about it. We need to find that kind of association, because there is a gap. We do have our impurities, but at the same time we’re meant to preach pure bhakti. So we have to understand that, and we have to constantly be bringing ourselves under control.

vaco vegam manasah krodha-vegam
jihva-vegam udaropastha-vegam
etan vegan yo visaheta dhira
sarvam apimam prthivim sa sisyat

[Nectar of Instruction 1]

We can’t let up our guard. At all times, in all situations and in all places, we have to push ourselves to be gosvamis, understanding “I’m not, but I must become.”

unquote

So, who do you have who can chastise you and who can beat sense into that mind of yours?

Sincerely,
Mahabhagavat Das

Nikhil Mishra, 02 October 2018

Thanks Mahabhagvat Prabhu for your valuable mail. It really really helps.

Somehow i , myself as well as my circumstances have beaten my mind enough and any further beating with shoes (forcibly controlling my brain) won’t help me and can make me even sick.

So association of devotees, writing mail to this group and always praying to Personality of Godhead to engage me in His devotional services should help me.

I deeply pray unto the feet of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur that i could really grasp the essence of his words ” beating the mind with shoes and broomsticks” in my perspective and can receive his mercy.

Also as you mentioned Srila BhaktiVinoda Thakur, one old question raised in my mind i.e.-
I read that he had many children while in Krsna Consciousness, i find practicing abstinence is required and encouraged .So how do i understand it? Kindly share your views.

Thank you again for your timely interventions.

Sincerely
Nikhil

Nikhil Mishra, 02 October 2018

Hare Krsna

In my previous mail, i mistakenly wrote Srila Bhaktivinoda thakur in place of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati thakur in context of controlling the mind . Please accept my apologies.

However i hope, that in my second question , i correctly mentioned the name of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur.

Sincerely
Nikhil

Mahabhagavat Das SDA, 02 October 2018

Dear Nikhil,

Hare Krishna!

There are two sides as Srila Gurudeva says… one is “bhajahu re mana sri nanda nandana…” or “my dear mind, see how loving and attractive and perfect Krishna is, the son of Maharaja Nanda”, and the other side is beating the mind. This is exactly how good parents bring up their children, they have both sides, soft as a rose and hard as a thunderbolt. The intelligent parent knows how to apply which, and the spiritual master is the most intelligent parent possible.

“beating the mind” is not some crazy violent thing, but a firm silencing of the ranting of the monkey mind with higher authoritative knowledge – this is what is translated as having “Krishna conscious association”. For example, if you read this explanation by Srila Gurudeva in the Q&A of how there must be a God, you can clearly see that God exists and God is a person…

http://www.sda-archives.com/tftd/tftd/2017/sep/tftd_091617.html

The mind is what has kept me in bondage for millenia, and it is amazing that anyone would trust the mind with anything other than menial service, how can I take instruction from my cruel captor?

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura answered the question you asked about “how can a saintly man have so many children”, in the following way “if I could make a Krishna conscious child, then I would have a hundred children”. In other words, he felt unqualified to be able to bring forth a Krishna conscious child. That was his humility, because spiritually he

Krishna begot 161080 boys and 16108 girls in His wives. Veda Vyasa had several children too. Maharaja Bharat had many children. Lord Rishabhadeva had many children… Having children in the right consciousness “dharma aviruddho kaamosmi” is a Krishna conscious act of sacrifice.

It is actually a wonderful thing if saintly persons were to have many children – that would give so much opportunity for the souls to develop in a saintly environment, and it would also increase the number of “krishna conscious from childhood” souls in this world.

This is what Srila Prabhupada says about children born to devotees:

“Regarding your question: “What is the correct sexual etiquette for a strict Grhastha; and what is spiritual family planning?” Unless one wants to beget a child, there should not be any sex life. The best thing is to forget sex, but it is not possible immediately or all of a sudden, especially in the Western countries where sex life is so liberal. So under the circumstances, one should try to have sex life only for children, not for any other purpose. Spiritual family planning is that one should be determined to train up children in Krishna Consciousness. According to Bhagavata, the spiritual family planning is that one should not become a father or one should not become a mother, unless he is able to maintain their children to the extent of liberation. It is the duty of the parents to see that the children are growing luxuriantly not only materially, but spiritually also. So spiritual training should be given from the very beginning. Kaumaram acaret prajna—In the Srimad-Bhagavatam, Prahlada Maharaja has instructed that spiritual consciousness or Krishna Consciousness should be taught to the children from the very beginning as they are given education from early childhood. ” – Srila Prabhupada letter to Dayananda & Nandarani dated 24 AUG 1968

So yes, become perfectly Krishna conscious, and in perfect Krishna consciousness, either transform the fallen souls into elevated saints, or bring forth lots of Krishna conscious children, either way is good, and both ways take a lot of time, effort, blood, sweat, and tears.

But it is a personal guarantee of my spiritual master that I will see Krishna face-to-face, and to be honest, I have seen and personally experienced Krishna in so many other ways already that I find it impossible to not trust my divine spiritual master’s personal assurance.

Sincerely,
Mahabhagavat Das

Nikhil Mishra, 03 October 2018

Hare Krishna

Thank you so much Mahabhagvat prabhu for sharing your thoughts.
I am happy that i got association of Srila Gurudeva and this wonderful group where i can discuss my doubts.

And that is i take a definite sign of the mercy of God on me.😊

Haribol
Nikhil

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