How is inner growth more important than external growth in bhakti?

Answer Podcast

Transcript

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Thank you. So, we often hear impressions on externals like how many people come for programs, how many books are distributed. So, how can we understand that the internal growth is most important? See, again, we don’t have to completely divorce the external and the internal.
We have both kind of statements from our Acharyas. Now, our praise Acharyas have said, and Prabhupada would quote, that a Vaishnava is known by how many Vaishnavas they make. So, the potency of a devotee is, if you are really an exalted devotee, you should attract people and make them devotees.
But Prabhupada also said at other places that we are selling diamonds. You will never see a crowd outside a diamond shop. And Prabhupada said, one moon is better than a thousand stars.
So, Prabhupada did not really, Prabhupada would defend the fact that not many people will come by saying that we are offering a high quality. So, both are there. Yes, a devotee will preach purely and the devotee who is preaching may attract a lot of people.
But sometimes it may not happen like that. So, there are so many factors involved which we just don’t know. In our movement also, we may have some spiritual masters who are thousands of disciples.
Some people may have few disciples, some may be very exalted but do not have any disciples. So, it is just the number of disciples and not the necessary criteria by which you can say who is how spiritually advanced. We respect them definitely.
They have been great servants to Sri Prabhupada’s mission. But the point is, we cannot just fixate only on the externals. At the same time, the externals are also important.
Because we want to serve Krishna in this world. We want to serve Krishna by making contribution in this world. Krishna descends, dharma samsthapana artha vyasam bhagavan He descends to establish dharma.
And as devotees, we want to assist him in establishing dharma. What differentiated Prabhupada from many of his God brothers in the Gaudiya Mata was that Prabhupada had that driving, burning conviction. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu has said, the holy name will be chanted in every town and village.
It is my responsibility to make that prophecy come true. So, we want results in this world also. But we want them to offer them to Krishna.
If the results come, we will offer them to Krishna. If the results don’t come, in our endeavouring for the results, we have offered our consciousness to Krishna. And that itself is an important offering also.
Ideally, how it works is the internal and external are symbiotic. That I am so happy in bhakti that when I share bhakti with others, people see. Oh, you are so happy.
I want to know what makes you tick. And they also come. So, our inner joyfulness and bhakti attracts people to come to bhakti.
And people’s coming to bhakti externally also increases our conviction. Yes, Krishna is there. Krishna is helping me.
And that increases our inner connection with Krishna. That increases our inner joyfulness. So, the internal and external can be symbiotic.
And that’s how they should be ideally. But sometimes they can be exclusive. Sometimes, external success can be a way for us to cover up our lack of inner success.
I am not remembering Krishna. So, during chanting, I don’t look at how nicely I am chanting. I look at who all else is sleeping.
I point them out. Sometimes, our external success becomes a substitute for inner success. I don’t get any taste in bhakti.
Therefore, I need taste somewhere. So, I become the number one Buddhist and people praise me. Then I feel I have done something worthwhile.
So, ultimately, we have to see in the devotional activities, how much am I getting satisfaction. We may not get ecstatic satisfaction. But at least some taste we are getting.
So then, ideally, the external and internal should be symbiotic. And sometimes, if the externals don’t come, we needn’t get discouraged. Because there are so many factors involved.
Internally, if I am connected to Krishna, I will be satisfied. There is a letter of Srila Prabhupada to one of his Mataji disciples. She had a lot of difficulties, a lot of reversals.
And Prabhupada said, we don’t get discouraged because we work on a different platform. We work on the platform of internally connecting with Krishna. So, even if external results don’t come, we don’t get discouraged.
But of course, we want the results and we strive for the results. And if they come, we are grateful. We offer them to Krishna.
Thank you very much. Shri Chaitanya Chirtam Rath Ki Srila Prabhupada Ki Gaur Bhakt Vrindaki