Does one need to be materially opulent to preach Krishna consciousness?
Rai Krishna. Question from Sushant Prabhu.
Does one have to be materially opulent and resourceful in order to preach Krishna consciousness? I am asking this because I have observed that generally people are more interested in who is preaching rather than what he is preaching. Answer. The two are not necessarily related.
It is, it will be that people will look at the messenger, we are all persons and we look at we are interested in persons. So we cannot depersonalize spirituality because especially the devotional spirituality is ultimately a personal reality. So wanting to look at who the person is who is delivering the message is not wrong.
But what is wrong is looking at the messenger in isolation from the connection with the message and from the connection with the sources from which the message has been got. So the deliverer of the message, the teacher of spirituality doesn't necessarily have to be materially resourceful or opulent but there has to be purity and potency. Now where will the purity and potency come from? Purity and potency at a spiritual level comes from one's devotion to Krishna, one's surrender to Krishna, one's love for Krishna and Krishna Prabhupada had that and that's how he was able to transform people all over the world and make thousands and thousands of people into devotees of Krishna.
So now initially people may not be able to perceive the spiritual potency. So many people they feel a spiritual presence, some sort of peace, some sort of special warmth when they come in the association of great saintly people. That is good but apart from that if a spiritual teacher has material abilities for example is an eloquent speaker, has a charismatic personality, has a dignified bearing, has a warm disposition.
So these are attributes that can help people, that make people receptive to the message that the teacher is giving. So now are these material opulences? They are Janmaishwara Shrutashribhir as it is described by Kunti Maharani in the Bhagavad Gita in the Srimad Bhagavatam, 1st Canto 8th chapter that intelligence, good birth, wealth and such material attributes they are actually results of good karma. So we can call them material opulences.
Though of course when they are used in Krishna's service they become spiritual. But at one level we can say that they are material opulences because they are connected with the material world. So if they are there, they are an advantage in sharing of Krishna consciousness.
They can be utilized. The principle is Yukta Vairagya. Whatever we have we use in Krishna's service.
Now another point to recognize is that if we are talking, if by material opulences resources we are referring to wealth and power then that is also helpful. Now if say some devotees are in an influential position in society and then that devotee is sharing Krishna consciousness then that itself, the material respectable position brings credibility in the eyes of general people. For that credibility can be used to attract people to Krishna's message.
So over a period of time, so initially we can use material credibility. For example when devotees go and give seminars in colleges they may display prominently, okay this person is from IIT, this person is from IIM or some degrees like that. And those can be used to attract people to Krishna's lotus feet.
Over a period of time as one attends spiritual program and one starts recognizing the difference between appearance and substance. One recognizes that material qualities and material opulences are not necessarily the benchmark of spiritual advancement. And then as the devotees themselves grow in their spiritual life they will learn to become discriminating in terms of whom they are attracted to and whom they hear from.
So now if we are looking at material opulences and material resources in terms of learning and scholarship and the ability to teach effectively then these are Brahmanical qualities. So now even in Vedic culture the Brahmanas were the primary people who were teachers of the message. Everybody taught the message by the way they lived and also they shared it informally with each other.
But the primary teachers of the spiritual message were Brahmanas. So Brahmanical qualities and Brahmanical disposition Brahmanical abilities, guna karma basically they are helpful in sharing Krishna consciousness with others especially in the method of teaching it to others. So if some devotees have Brahmanical qualities and abilities then definitely they are necessary in sharing Krishna consciousness.
And are they necessary? No definitely they are not necessary. Anybody can share Krishna consciousness and we can share it by distributing books. We can share it by talking with our friends.
We can share it by inviting people to programs, answering their questions with whatever knowledge we have. So the sharing of Krishna consciousness is not limited to those with material qualities and opulences resources. But if they have we can use them in Krishna's service.
That's how we understand that the soul's nature is to serve Krishna and we serve Krishna by sharing Krishna with others and then whatever resources we have we use them in Krishna's service. Just as bhakti is ahaituki is apratihata. Bhakti is uninterrupted by anything material.
Similarly the sharing of Krishna consciousness is also not limited by anything material. But the sharing in specific ways for example sharing through conducting formal courses, sharing through giving systematic education that may require certain qualities and abilities for which the appropriate people should be there. Just like anybody can sing kirtans but if you are singing kirtans in public programs where many people are coming then those devotees who have good musical skills they will sing.
So similarly with respect to sharing Krishna consciousness in formal forums also. Thank you. Hare Krishna.