Can developing our talents obstruct us in bhakti?
One more aspect.
So, if we have certain talents, are we obliged to use them? Will there be disturbance? For instance, if we have a musical talent, we may not use it, we may use it. But, yeah, that is a very strong talent, part of a person's nature. Okay.
So, if we have talent, should we use it or will it be favourable? Are we obliged to use it or is it not necessary to use it? And, if we use it, can it become too strong a force in a person's life? Yes, it's possible. Now, here, Svakarmanatam abhyarcha siddhim vinditi maanam In 18.46, in the Bhagavad Gita, it says, By your work, worship him. So, that means, people translate it as, work is worship.
But, that is not what the Bhagavad Gita is saying. Svakarmanatam abhyarcha, By your work, worship him. So, when we say, work is worship, then the donkey will become the greatest worshipper.
Isn't it? So, you shouldn't think that whatever talents I have, whatever abilities I have, they themselves are automatically worshipped. They are meant to be connected with Krishna. The ways in which they can be connected, that will vary from place to place, circumstances to circumstances.
So, and then that connectedness is what we also should strive for. Now, if somebody has musical ability, yes, if they can use it, develop that ability, then they should develop it. So, we all may have various abilities.
And some of us may have several abilities, all of us may not be able to develop. But some ability we have strongly, or we feel strongly inspired to develop that, we shouldn't necessarily worry too much, that, oh, because of this ability, I may go away from, I may just get too obsessed in that, and then I may go away from Krishna or whatever. That fear is good.
But that fear shouldn't choke us. Because, we all need expression. We all need to express our individuality in various ways.
And whatever we are good at, that is ultimately a gift from Krishna. So, what we are, is God's gift to us. What we become is our gift to God.
What we are is God's gift to us. What we become is our gift to God. But when we talk about what we become, it is not only in terms of one particular talent.
Some people may just become, they may be brilliant musicians, pardon their whole conduct, they are abusive, they are self-centered, they are dismissive of everyone else. That is not all-round development. So, even when we are developing a particular talent, we should not get so consumed in that, that we neglect developing other aspects.
So, when we are developing a talent, we also need to remember, that I am doing this for Krishna. This is Krishna's gift to me, and I am meant to use this in Krishna's service. And that's why if we associate with spiritually-minded people, if we associate with devotees regularly, who remind us, that our purpose is not just to become artists.
Our purpose is not just to become musicians. Our purpose is to become devotees of Krishna. And in that purpose, art or music may be a prominent way for us to connect with Krishna.
So, then that balance can be established by having a proper association. So, this is focus and balance. These are actually contrasting forces.
Focus means I want to focus on one thing. And balance means there are many factors in my life, and I have to achieve a proper coordination between all of them. So, any development of talent requires focus.
But development of the full character, that requires balance. So, how much to focus on one thing, and how much to also distribute our energies between developing that one thing and developing other things also. So, when we do sadhana bhakti regularly, then we become connected with Krishna.
And then if I am doing my sadhana bhakti well, after that when I sing or I practice music, that music, because my heart is offered to Krishna, then that music will also be offered to Krishna. But if I am not doing my sadhana bhakti well, then actually Krishna is not there in my heart, my own ego is there. I want to be so great.
Then that music, instead of being an offering to Krishna, it becomes an offering to my own ego. I am so great. I will become so great.
And that is something which we have to guard against. But not developing the talent is not necessarily the way to avoiding the ego. When I think that, oh, if I develop this talent, then I will become proud.
So, I should not develop this talent. You know, this is a misunderstanding. Firstly, you may think I am being very humble, I will not develop this talent.
But to think that I will become proud is to assume that I am not proud right now. So, actually we all have pride within us, but we may not have some reason to express that pride to others. So, if we have pride, we need to recognize that the cure for pride is not suppression of talent.
The cure for pride is purification of intent. It is not suppression of talent, but purification of intent. So, when we purify our intent by practicing bhakti, then whatever talents we have, we will be able to express them properly.
And then we will move onwards towards Krishna. Does it answer your question? Guruji, what I was asking is, if the person does not engage the talent, is that a big disturbance to that person? That's what I was asking.