Can our material identity be spiritualized – which dharma spiritualises it?
So, when we use the material in the service of the spiritual, then they become spiritualized. So, does that apply to our various identities also? And do we have, say, material dharma, spiritual dharma? Do we have interior dharma also, accordingly? Yes. Definitely, we are meant to spiritualize our identity.
It's not that we are meant to reject our identity. So, in the Bhagavad Gita itself, in 2.13, Krishna tells Arjuna, you are actually the soul within the body. देहिनोस्मिन्यथादेः काउमारं यवनं जरा And then, in the next verse itself, he says, मात्रास्पर्शास्तु कौन्तेय शीतोष्ण सुखदुखदा आगमापायिनो निथ्यस्ताम्सि तिक्षिस्वभारत् He says, therefore, tolerate whatever dualities you experience at the bodily level.
Heat and cold, they'll come and go. Pleasure and pain, they'll come and go. Tolerate it.
But while saying tolerate, he uses two forms of address. कौन्तेय कौन्तेय means O son of Kunti. Now, if Arjuna is not the body, then how is he the son of Kunti? Isn't it? And he says, भारत.
भारत means O descendant of Bharata. If I'm not the body, how am I a descendant of Bharata? So just now Krishna has told Arjuna, you're not the body, but then he's given two addresses related with the body. So what is going on over here? So actually the point is that Prabhupada explains in the Purport that both these are illustrious connections.
Kunti is a great lady and the Bharata dynasty is illustrious dynasty. So belonging to a great family or a great dynasty brings responsibility. And so Krishna is using these identities to inspire Arjuna to tolerate.
To do the activity of tolerating, to stick in the path of duty, even when there are difficulties. So the Bhagavata itself offers an example of not rejecting our material identity, but using our material identity for the service of the spiritual growth, for our spiritual growth. So yes, we are definite.
So if somebody is a engineer or somebody is a singer, somebody is an author, whatever roles we have, whatever identities we have, it's not that we have to reject them. The important thing is we have to connect them. Connect them with Krishna.
So, by working according to our nature, Krishna says we'll attain perfection. We can do our work as a worship to Krishna. And that way our material identity and our material duties can be spiritualized.
Now, Bhagavad Gita's precise translation is by your work, worship Him. Him refers to God. Some people translate it as work is worship.
Now, work is worship is actually, it's an ethical principle which can imbue the mood of dignity of labor for all work. No work should be looked down upon. That is, as an ethical principle, it is fine.
But work is worship is not a philosophical principle. Now, if work were worship, then the donkey would be the greatest worshiper. Isn't it? If work itself were worship, a thief may say, I am robbing you.
I am worshipping. Isn't it? So, work itself cannot be worship. Work can be done in a mood of worship or work is meant to be done in a mood of worship.
And how will that mood of worship come? For that, we have to focus time on exclusive worship also. So, when I talk about material, we talk about material dharma, spiritual dharma, at one level, we want to spiritualize our material dharma also. But spiritualization is not just a mental conception.
I am doing all this for Krishna. Actually, we have to intend to do it for Krishna. And that requires purification.
Our desire, the quality of our desire needs to be changed. And that's why we need time for direct focused bhakti activities, direct worship of Krishna. So, our work can be made into worship when we do worship separately also and connect with Krishna in a mood of devotion.
Then that mood of devotion we can bring into the rest of our life also. That's why, say, attending spiritual programs, we understand the philosophy of the Bhagavad Gita, doing mantra meditation, worshipping Krishna. These are bhakti activities and we need to make time for them.
So, this is, we could say, this is our, this is our spiritual dharma and our material professions, our material role, that is our material dharma. So, when we give time to our spiritual dharma, then we will have the consciousness to spiritualize our material dharmas. And that way, the material will also become spiritual.
The material doesn't become spiritual in content. It becomes spiritual in intent. That means the mic, when you say it, when you speak about Krishna, it becomes spiritual.
Now, what does it mean? Spiritual is sat-chit-ananda. Spiritual is eternal. It is conscious.
It is blissful. Now, is this mic eternal? This mic is not eternal. So, in content, it is going to be material.
But in the intent, it becomes spiritual. So, like that, when our intent becomes spiritual, then even our material activities will become spiritual. So, for that, for our intent to be spiritual, we need to do direct devotional activities.
Did I answer your question? Thank you. Hare Krishna. Any other questions? Thank you very much for your kind attention.
Hare Krishna. Thank you so much. The question is, can our past life karma force us to do something wrong in this life?