Tag: endeavor

What does it mean to over endeavor? How do I know if I’m over endeavoring?

What does it mean to overdo effort? What does it mean to over endeavor? How do we know if we are putting our effort in the wrong direction? What is the antidote to this tendency?

KV Rao, 17 Mar 2015

Hare Krishna Dear Devotees!    

Please accept my humble obeisances!

All glories to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu!

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

All glories to your devotional service!

Please help me to understand – how does one know that one is over endeavoring?

Haribol!

your servant,

KV Rao

Premananda Das, 17 Mar 2015

Please state context over endeavoring  for?

your servant 

Premananda das 

Bhakta Sunil, 19 Mar 2015

Hare Krishna Rao Prabhu

Please accept my humble obeisances

All Glories to Srila Prabhupada

One can know that one is over endeavoring for material things if one is not ready to give 100 % of one’s capacity to serve and please the Lord

For example , if one’s devotional routine involves chanting a particular number of rounds , but if one has a lingering thought of say, watching a cricket match and then does less rounds and switches on television to watch cricket , then it is over endeavoring mundanely

Sincerely hoping this helps to dispel your doubt

humbly,

Bhakta sunil

Shridhar Das, 26 Mar 2015

Hare Krishna,

I agree with the above answer too. As per my recent hearings, I feel that lack of determination for executing spiritual activities concludes in over-endeavouring for material activities. 

Spiritual activities surely includes a wide range of activities but from my current experience I am able to recall how maintaining a bimonthly sadhana chart, consisting of a sheet with various columns like date, wake up time, sleeping time, no of rounds chanted until a particular time, duration of hearing and reading, helps to keep track of spiritual determination. 

I fill this out on a regular basis and on the weekend submit it to my counsellor who expertly studies and accordingly guides for the next session. It is an amazing way of introspecting our spiritual endeavour and exposing the mind’s entanglement.

your servant

Shridhar das

Mahabhagavat Das SDA, 26 Mar 2015

Hare Krishna Sriman Rao,

Please accept my humble obeisances.

All glories to Srila Gurudeva.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

There are various levels of over-endeavor for material benefits. At the extreme edge of spiritual perfection, a liberated soul sees anything more than keeping body and soul together as over-endeavor. In fact, Vasudeva Vipra, a great Vaishnava, went further than that – he had some worms attacking his body, and if they fell off, he would pick them back up and put them on his body, because he was on the platform that actually his body was food for worms anyways, and why should he deprive them of their rightful share of food. (CC Madhya 7.137-138)

Most of us are not on that platform, and it is foolish to try to pretend to be on some higher level than one is.

What is “minimum necessity” for me, may be overindulgence for another, and what is minimum necessity for another may be “too much sense gratification for me”. On the other hand, no one else knows what and how much I need… Some people require 20 helpings of food to feel satisfied, another requires just one. The elephant needs hundreds of kilos of food and the ant needs just one grain or so, ultimately it is a very personal thing.

Srila Gurudeva was once asked the question “how do I know if I am making spiritual progress” and Srila Gurudeva answered “to the extent you feel less attracted to material sense gratification, you can know that you are making spiritual advancement” (both question and answer paraphrased, not literal quotes). Another time, he answered this question as “when you take some food, do you have to wait for someone else to tell you that you are full? No! You know when you are full”.

You know enough about your needs, about the ideals of spiritual life and enough about Krishna consciousness that you should be able to answer this question for yourself and recognize when you are over-endeavoring or not.

This is confirmed in the scripture, shastra:

bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktir

 anyatra caiṣa trika eka-kālaḥ

prapadyamānasya yathāśnataḥ syus

 tuṣṭiḥ puṣṭiḥ kṣud-apāyo ’nu-ghāsam

Devotion, direct experience of the Supreme Lord, and detachment from other things — these three occur simultaneously for one who has taken shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, in the same way that pleasure, nourishment and relief from hunger come simultaneously and increasingly, with each bite, for a person engaged in eating. SB 11.2.42

I will not quote the purport, but I invite everyone to please read the purport at:

http://www.vedabase.com/sb/11/2/42/

In any case, the time is right now to be initiated by a bona fide spiritual master so that such things will not bother you – service and instructions directly received in spiritual life and followed carefully will sustain and satisfy one to the fullest possible extent.

For example, in response to a recent report, my spiritual master wrote to me:

“

Simply continue with your sincere efforts

to serve Guru and Gauranga and everything

will work out wonderfully.

“

And I shall hold on to that instruction which I have received personally. 🙂

Sincerely,

Mahabhagavat Das

Brhadnath dasa, 27 Mar 2015

Hare Krishna Shreyas prabhu, Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Gurudeva. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Your words that lack of determination for executing spiritual activities concludes in over-endeavoring for material activities, are indeed very true, but we somehow find some excuse to be in this . Some devotees do talk about the benefits of sadhana chart, but somehow I did not seek their help. Please share the sadhana chart, if possible in the format, for the benefit of others. And also, please allow me to submit my chart to you  to help me.

your servant, 

Brhad nath dasa

Bhakta Sunil, 29 Mar 2015

Hare Krishna everyone

I came across following lines from the book “Nectar of Devotion” both set of lines from Text Two , which I understand would help in this topic :

“Jīvasya tattva jijñāsā: the real purpose of life is to inquire about the Absolute Truth. If our endeavor (prayāsa) is not to inquire about the Absolute Truth, we will simply increase our endeavor to satisfy our artificial needs. A spiritual aspirant should avoid mundane endeavor.”

“Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura writes in his Anuvṛtti commentary that too much endeavor to acquire knowledge on the part of mental speculators or dry philosophers falls within the category of atyāhāra (collecting more than needed). According to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the endeavor of philosophical speculators to write volumes of books on dry philosophy devoid of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is entirely futile. The work of karmīs who write volumes of books on economic development also falls within the category of atyāhāra. Similarly, those who have no desire for Kṛṣṇa consciousness and who are simply interested in possessing more and more material things—either in the shape of scientific knowledge or monetary gain—are all included under the control of atyāhāra.”

Regards,

Bhakta Sunil

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Efforts bring Results, right?

So, if I work very hard, results are sure, right? Wrong, so many people work so very hard, but get no results… on the contrary their results are the opposite of what they were hoping to achieve! So what determines success? Should we just stop working altogether? How to understand all this?

Vishal Puri, 28 June 2016

Hare Krishna,

Dandavats Pranam,

Can devotees please help me in understanding Bhagavad Gita Sloka 2.47 

‘You have a right to perform your prescribed duty, but you are not entitled to the fruits of action. Never consider yourself the cause of the results of your activities, and never be attached to not doing your duty.’

What other factors bring results, other than my efforts ?

And under what conditions/mentality does a person not want to do things or put efforts ?

Please guide me.

Hare Krishna

Vishal

Haladhar Das, 21st July 2016

Hare Krsna Vishal,

Thank you for your nice question.

You have rightly mentioned that other than my own efforts, there are other factors which bring results. The same is mentioned described in Bhagavad Gita verse 18.14 as below:

The place of action [the body], the performer, the various senses, the many different kinds of endeavor, and ultimately the Supersoul – these are the five factors of action.

So we can see for any result, only our efforts are not involved. Ultimately the control is in the hand of the Supersoul, He is the super-cause and all our activities depend on His will. So foolishly if we try to enjoy ourselves independently of Him, we will suffer the consequences whereas if we go as per His will, we will remain liberated even when we are here.

Your second question, under what conditions/mentality does a person not want to do things or put efforts? What I understand from your question in context to the verse 2.47 is that when one is told that you are not entitled to results, naturally one will not endeavour. That’s why people are surprised when being told, that we should not ask from God, (We should try to serve with love.) then they say then what for we should go to temple.

Hope it meets your query.

Jaya Srila Gurudeva. Jaya Srila Prabhupada.

your servant,

Haladhar Dasa

Shridhar Das, 21 July 2016

Hare Krishna Vishal,

Please accept my humble respects!

All glories to Srila Gurudeva!

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Sorry for the delayed response. Your question is very significant and deserves clarification.

First, I prefer to emphasize the term “Prescribed duty”. The purport states:

Prescribed duties are activities enjoined in terms of one’s acquired modes of material nature.

It has been discussed in the past posts on this group that just as a doctor “prescribes” a medicine to the patient as per one’s disease, similarly we are all diseased or intoxicated by the modes of material nature in varying degrees. Everyone is uniquely entangled depending on the past actions (past of this life and past lives). 

If we do not act as per prescription or try to work out with our disease just by our own, we are most probably running towards death in near future or far future. This is definitely a very fatal act. 

Similarly, any act which is not according to an expert prescription is worsening our already ruined consciousness. If we place a dog food, a dog won’t be able to control his senses, he’ll keep seeking for the food by nose, tongue, mind, etc… Similarly, if we keep following our defective mind, without any control whatsoever, we are heading for animal life next birth. 

This may sound bitter but it’s a basic fact about this human birth (tapo divyam putraka yena sattvam). That is why in so many places throughout Vedas it is recommended to approach a spiritual master with humility, to gain knowledge and apply it in our lives. That inquiry regarding the self and it’s application is performing our prescribed duties. 

If work is worsening our disease in this material world, some class of men renounce work altogether to avoid further sickening. That is why Srila Prabhupada is stating in the purport:

The Lord advised that Arjuna not be inactive, but that he perform his prescribed duty without being attached to the result.

Addressing your two questions:

What other factors bring results, other than my efforts ?

That is clearly answered in Bhagavad Gita 18.14:

Translation

“The place of action [the body], the performer, the various senses, the many different kinds of endeavor, and ultimately the Supersoul – these are the five factors of action.”

Purport (Read slowly)

The word adhiṣṭhānam refers to the body. The soul within the body is acting to bring about the results of activity and is therefore known as kartā, “the doer.” That the soul is the knower and the doer is stated in the śruti. Eṣa hi draṣṭā sraṣṭā (Praśna Upaniṣad 4.9). It is also confirmed in the Vedānta-sūtra by the verses jño ’ta eva (2.3.18) andkartā śāstrārthavattvāt (2.3.33). The instruments of action are the senses, and by the senses the soul acts in various ways. For each and every action there is a different endeavor. But all one’s activities depend on the will of the Supersoul, who is seated within the heart as a friend. The Supreme Lord is the supercause. Under these circumstances, he who is acting in Kṛṣṇa consciousness under the direction of the Supersoul situated within the heart is naturally not bound by any activity. Those in complete Kṛṣṇa consciousness are not ultimately responsible for their actions. Everything is dependent on the supreme will, the Supersoul, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

So we are souls, we desire and use the senses to fulfill our desires. If senses are themselves uncontrolled we can expect mismanagement which is what this material world is about, chaos (or Kaliyuga). Even if they are controlled, The Supersoul is the ultimate sanctioner. 

Please note, Supersoul is IMPARTIAL. Srila Prabhupada gives an example of a court judge who sometimes awards death sentence to someone and sometimes declares millions of cash to other, but in both cases he is detached. Similar relation can be assumed between the Supersoul and the conditioned soul. 

So the conclusion is – we are not the ultimate doer. Krishna hence warns:

prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni

guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ

ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā

kartāham iti manyate

“The spirit soul bewildered by the influence of false ego thinks himself the doer of activities that are in actuality carried out by the three modes of material nature.” (BG 3.27)

And under what conditions/mentality does a person want to do things or put efforts ?

When he meets severe failure and is not able to accept the above instruction of Krishna, that he is not the doer and he must act under the guidance of a bonafide spiritual master.

Example: If a car is rammed by another, and even if driver is not injured, he definitely would be in severe anxiety. Why? Because he strongly identifies himself with his car, while at the same time being a spirit soul, he has nothing to do with car, he can reject it plainly. Because he is attached to the car considering himself to be the enjoyer of car, which is natural for an owner, he is hurt.

That is what BG 5.29 states, peace prevails when we understand that the owner of all energies and whatsoever is Krishna Himself and when one accepts this truth faithfully, one finds peace in all ups and downs of life, knowing Krishna to be the real enjoyer. 

So if we submit ourselves unto Krishna’s representative, the spiritual master and work for his pleasure knowing him to be the goal of our life, then we will be able to find the purpose of every activity in our lives and by obtaining the meaning of every actions that we perform in our life, we will find peace amidst success, as well as failures.

Did this answer your doubt?

your servant

Shridhar Das

Vishal Puri, 02 August 2016

Hare Krishna,

Thank you for the detailed explanation of the Sloka, it was very informative.

Dandavats Pranam 

Vishal 

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Misery begins when we endeavor for happiness… How?

Rao, 31st August 2015

Hare Krishna Dear Devotees!

Please accept my humble obeisances!
All glories to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu!
All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
All glories to your devotional service!

Please help me to understand this quote with examples: “misery begins when we endeavor for happiness” .

your servant,
Rao

nuria.k, 31st August 2015

Hare Krishna!

Please accept my humble obeisances,
All Glories to Srila Prabhupada

Do you mean material happiness?
aruni

Shreyas, 03 September 2015

Hare Krishna revered K.V Rao ji,
Please accept my humble obeisances and consider the below answer,
All Glories to His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada!

I am sharing what I recently heard while hearing a lecture from His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada, delivered on 9th Oct ’76, Aligarh, India (SB 1.2.5):

Solution:
When mind is engaged at the lotus feet of the Lord… As it is stated in the Śrīmad-Bha…, sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayor (SB 9.4.18). When the mind is fixed up in the lotus feet of the Lord, then the words are used, the vibration of the tongue used… Vacāṁsi vaikuṇṭha-guṇānuvarṇane. Then the words are utilized for describing about the spiritual world. (coughs) The spiritual world is called Vaikuṇṭha. There is no kuṇṭha, anxiety. That is spiritual world. When you become spiritualized, brahma-bhutaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54), there is no more kuṇṭha. This is the sign of becoming brahma-bhūtaḥ. At the present moment we are jīva-bhūtaḥ. Manaḥ saṣṭhānīndriyāṇi prakṛti-sthāni karṣati (BG 15.7). Therefore our struggle for existence is with the mind and the six senses. But when your existence is spiritualized, then brahma-bhūtaḥ, you have no more anxieties. That is the sign. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na… Prasannātmā means na śocati na kāṅkṣati (BG 18.54).

Problem (here’s the answer):
We have got two diseases in the material world. One is śocati and the other is kāṅkṣati. The things which we haven’t got, we desire to possess, kāṅkṣati. And the things which we possess, it will be spoiled, it will be lost. Cāṇakya Paṇḍita says that everything in this material world is temporary: smaro nityam anityatam. So when we engage our mind in these temporary things, that is śocana and akāṅkṣa. And when we are elevated to the spiritual platform, then there is no more śocana and akāṅkṣa. This is the symptom. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati, samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu (BG 18.54). At that time it is possible to re-establish samatā. We are very much anxious to re-establish our universal brotherhood, but from the material platform it is not possible. Unless we come to the platform of brahma-bhūtaḥ, we cannot expect samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu. Paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ (BG 5.18). These things are there in the Bhagavad-gītā.

So there’s no harm to endeavour for happiness, as long as the source and sink is Krishna Himself. Devotional Service is satisfying upto the degree it is selfless and uninterrupted. So if my happiness is based on something other than Krishna (selfish), then that means I am putting myself in the position of “I am the enjoyer”. This naturally isolates me from Krishna whereas the natural state is we are all parts and parcels of Krishna (mamaivamso jiva loke jiva bhutah sanatanah). Misery enters here and as my spiritual master states the word misery comes from the word miser. Examples are common. My phone gets lost or cracked I feel depressed and next day I blame Krishna for it and then I feel disinclined towards chanting my 16 rounds or instead of dancing with devotees in a kirtan or arati I remain spaced out. Or maybe skip the program too. This is because my happiness was based on that phone/car/person/job/glorification, etc. and whenever I wanted to feel happy, I depended on them.

And if Krishna is my source of happiness then I would have thanked that at least my bhakti is not lost or stolen.

Of course, it’s a matter of practice as we are daily doing but as we keep getting attached to derive happiness from Krishna, misery is reduced to that degree because we are being servants not misers. It’s all about channelizing our endeavours. We can rather hanker/lament for pushing forward the movement of Srila Prabhupada than for getting promoted in a job or getting a better salary, car or material circumstances.

However, the topmost state is when our only desire is to please guru, vaishnava and Krishna. Then our only misery is how can I please them and this misery is rather source of happiness at the same time, strengthening our Krishna Consciousness.

The Thought of the day at www.backtohome.com from Sept 1 2015, stating –

“If you are not tasting unlimited bliss at every moment, you are doing something wrong because to be constantly relishing unlimited nectar is your natural constitutional position”

helps a lot as a barometer.

Other thoughts at http://www.backtohome.com from Aug 28, Aug 22 2015 and other days are also good on misery/anxiety.

your servant
Bhakta Shreyas

Bhakta Sunil, 03 September 2015

Great answer Shreyas Prabhu

 

Shivani Saxena, 05th September, 2015

Very delightful representation Shreyas Prabhu.

Shivani

Mahabhagavat Das SDA, 10th September 2015

Dear Bhakta Rao,

Hare Krishna!

Thank you for your really insightful questions. In addition to the delightful answer by Shreyas, here is something from Srimad Bhagavatam, part of several verses from Prahlada Maharaja, speaking directly to Sri Narasihmadeva, along with translation and very apt purport by Srila Prabhupada…

(BTW, that entire chapter, SB 7.9 is highly nectarean, among my favorite sections from the Bhagavatam)

SB 7.9.20: “O great one, O Supreme Lord, because of combination with pleasing and displeasing circumstances and because of separation from them, one is placed in a most regrettable position, within heavenly or hellish planets, as if burning in a fire of lamentation. Although there are many remedies by which to get out of miserable life, any such remedies in the material world are more miserable than the miseries themselves. Therefore I think that the only remedy is to engage in Your service. Kindly instruct me in such service. ”

SB 7.9.24 “My dear Lord, now I have complete experience concerning the worldly opulence, mystic power, longevity and other material pleasures enjoyed by all living entities, from Lord Brahmā down to the ant. As powerful time, You destroy them all. Therefore, because of my experience, I do not wish to possess them. My dear Lord, I request You to place me in touch with Your pure devotee and let me serve him as a sincere servant. ”

SB 7.9.25

kutrāśiṣaḥ śruti-sukhā mṛgatṛṣṇi-rūpāḥ
kvedaṁ kalevaram aśeṣa-rujāṁ virohaḥ
nirvidyate na tu jano yad apīti vidvān
kāmānalaṁ madhu-lavaiḥ śamayan durāpaiḥ

Translation:
In this material world, every living entity desires some future happiness, which is exactly like a mirage in the desert. Where is water in the desert, or, in other words, where is happiness in this material world? As for this body, what is its value? It is merely a source of various diseases. The so-called philosophers, scientists and politicians know this very well, but nonetheless they aspire for temporary happiness. Happiness is very difficult to obtain, but because they are unable to control their senses, they run after the so-called happiness of the material world and never come to the right conclusion.
Purport:
There is a song in the Bengali language which states, “I constructed this home for happiness, but unfortunately there was a fire, and everything has now been burnt to ashes.” This illustrates the nature of material happiness. Everyone knows it, but nonetheless one plans to hear or think something very pleasing. Unfortunately, all of one’s plans are annihilated in due course of time. There were many politicians who planned empires, supremacy and control of the world, but in due time all their plans and empires — and even the politicians themselves — were vanquished. Everyone should take lessons from Prahlāda Mahārāja about how we are engaged in so-called temporary happiness through bodily exercises for sense enjoyment. All of us repeatedly make plans, which are all repeatedly frustrated. Therefore one should stop such planmaking.

As one cannot stop a blazing fire by constantly pouring ghee upon it, one cannot satisfy oneself by increasing plans for sense enjoyment. The blazing fire is bhava-mahā-dāvāgni, the forest fire of material existence. This forest fire occurs automatically, without endeavor. We want to be happy in the material world, but this will never be possible; we shall simply increase the blazing fire of desires. Our desires cannot be satisfied by illusory thoughts and plans; rather, we have to follow the instructions of Lord Kṛṣṇa: sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja. Then we shall be happy. Otherwise, in the name of happiness, we shall continue to suffer miserable conditions.

I hope this helps!

your servant,
Mahabhagavat Das

 

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