Can hearing classes on the internet substitute for going to the temple to hear classes?
Is it answer your question? Hare Krishna. Question.
Can hearing lectures on the internet be a substitute for going to the temple to hear the live classes over there? Answer. I am seeing that many devotees prefer to hear classes that are available on the internet. For example, say, question answers are available on this site.
And they prefer this, hearing this, than to go to the temple to hear the Bhagavatam classes there. So, is this a desirable trend? And should devotees not prefer going to the temples for hearing live classes instead of hearing some classes on the internet where everything is much more impersonal? Answer. Nahi sarvatra vidhi yate.
Krishna tells Arjuna in the Bhagavad Gita. Everything, you cannot have a rule for that. So, the important point is, every devotee has to choose what is anukul for one's bhakti and what is not so anukul, what is pratikul for one's bhakti.
That is not a decision that can be legislated. Every devotee is an individual. In fact, every devotee is unique.
And every devotee's relationship with Krishna is unique. So, what may give inspiration for me may not be the same as what gives inspiration for others. So, in general, if some devotee becomes unbalanced, then that is something which that devotee individually has to rectify and the local devotee authorities over there will also have to keep a vigilance so that they can also help in the rectification.
But the important point is to recognize is that there are many places where there are no good devotee association available and then for them the internet association through the internet, through hearing classes is practically like a lifeline. So, it's important that this sort of facility be available and ISKCON Desire Tree is a facility which is accessed by devotees from all over the world and so many devotees get nourishment through that. So, first is this plays a vital role in sustaining the spiritual life of those devotees who don't have direct association.
Now, when the devotees can have local association locally in the temples, certainly when major festivals are there, devotees should go for the festivals, no doubt about it. But apart from that, on a regular basis, you have to see each devotee what is not just practical within the demands that the devotee has with respect to profession or family obligations, but also what is inspiring for that devotee. So, generally when we go in devotee association, there can be cultural inspiration, there can be emotional inspiration, there can be intellectual inspiration.
So, cultural inspiration means some people just feel very good going to the temple itself. That means they go to the temple, they look at the deities, they feel this atmosphere is so serene, so soothing, so calm. I feel so good to come to the temple.
And such people, they would like to come to the temple even if there is no class. They'll come once, maybe once a day in the morning before going to office or once a day in the evening before going back to home. Such people may come, want to come for the kirtan over there, for darshan or they may come once in three days, once in four days, once a week, whatever.
So, these people, they get cultural inspiration. And a vast majority of people fall in this category where people come to the temple for darshan. Of course, they may not come so regularly as serious devotees should.
But some devotees are inspired more by the culture than by anything else. And for them, if a class is there, okay, class is there, that's fine. But coming to the temple itself feels very good.
And that's what they are focusing on. Means others can be, there is emotional inspiration. Emotional inspiration means when we come to the temple, if we know devotees over there and the devotees ask, how are you? And then it's like more like an extended family get-together where we feel connected with all the devotees at emotional, not all the devotees, many of the devotees at emotional level.
And this also inspires many devotees to go to the temple just to be with other devotees whom they have affectionate relationship with. And then the class is also there. But that is not the important thing.
Yes, there are so many loving devotees. And that's what is important. There are other devotees for whom the primary inspiration is intellectual.
They need solid intellectual substance. And when they hear some systematic analysis, they get answers to some questions. They get a deeper understanding of some scriptural theme.
Then they feel nourished. So through the internet, one cannot get the emotional or the cultural aspect. The feel of going to temple can obviously not come much through hearing lectures on the internet.
Similarly, associating with devotees. I'm talking about a personal emotional reciprocation. That will also not so much happen by internet.
But there are devotees who need intellectual nourishment. And that is often their primary inspiration, if not their main inspiration, their only inspiration. Of course, it should not be only.
We should have many attractions to Krishna. But we are at different levels of conditioning. So many devotees need intellectual nourishment.
And it may be that at the local temple, the temple might be new. The devotees there may not be so well trained. They may not have had the opportunity to study Shastra deeply.
And that's why the classes, their glorification of Krishna, and as far as the glorification of Krishna, they are purifying. At the same time, as far as intellectual content and nourishment is concerned, one may not get that in the classes, which are going on in the temple. So if that intellectual nourishment is what is the primary inspiration for a devotee, then making a legislation that the devotee should go to the temple and not hear some other classes which are inspiring for that devotee, we will be cutting off a primary source of nourishment for that devotee by such a thing.
So we can't legislate like this. But the important point is certainly hearing classes on the internet should not become a replacement for going to temple entirely, at least on important festivals. One should go to the temple and be in that association of devotees.
But if devotees need intellectual nourishment and then we give them, we force them to hear classes which they don't find intellectual nourishing, then what will happen is they will overall find Krishna Consciousness not inspiring and they will become weak in Krishna Consciousness. But if on the other hand they hear classes, we should give them whatever intellectual nourishment they need. They get the answers to the questions that they are looking for and they get the deeper conceptual understanding.
And that motivates them, that gives them confidence, not only their own practice but also in their outreach to others. And people ask questions. It's not that I just have to be blindsided by the question, not knowing what to say.
No, I have the answers, I feel equipped, I feel empowered and I can go out confidently and share Krishna's message with the world. So, the hearing on the lectures, it can provide intellectual nourishment for devotees. And we shouldn't try to make a fiat that devotees should not hear this or should hear this.
Ultimately, Krishna is in the heart of the devotees and those devotees are also having some level of sincerity. You know, even on the internet, they could be doing so many other things. They could be going and surfing, so many other things that are available on the internet.
But they are trying to hear Krishna, classes about Krishna. That is also is credible. And as their understanding deepens, and then through their understanding, they will be empowered to preach also because they will become confident by getting conceptual understanding.
So, therefore, rather than legislating, we should focus on educating devotees so that they can make choices that are the most nourishing for their individual spiritual advancement. Thank you.