For seva if our svadhyaya and sadhana go down, then are we going into Maya?
So when we see others doing something wrong, we can say that they are in maya. But sometimes seeing that we go into maya because sometimes our sadhana goes down. Sometimes even while taking responsibility not for Krishna, sometimes our sadhana may go down because of that.
So our studies may go down. Then is that also maya or sadhana? For seva, if our sadhana or swadhyay goes down, is that maya? I don't think it's such a black and white situation. Even for me, since I started traveling in the West, I had to speak according to people's needs.
My classes five to seven years ago were much more philosophical. Now most of my classes are practical, which is what serves the devotee's needs. But I don't feel very intellectually nourished preparing for that kind of classes.
So then I have some forums where I speak what I need. So I would say that it's not that sadhana alone is our connection with Krishna. It is not swadhyay alone is our connection with Krishna, nor is seva alone our connection with Krishna.
All these help us to connect with Krishna. And among these various things, there are certain things which nourish us most. So in our various services or in our various things that we do in bhakti, some things give us strength and some things take our strength.
Even with some devotees, we look forward to their association, we feel inspired by their association. Some devotees it's like we put on armor before we go and meet them. It takes strength to be with them.
So in general, we have to find out that if I have to do some services which drain me, then I need to have adequate time for other services which strengthen me. So our sadhana going down is not necessarily maya. It is our becoming weak that is maya.
For some devotees, they may say, I am going to chant 64 rounds every day. And that's what gives them strength. But for some devotees, I mean 16 rounds because when will this get over and I can do other things.
It's fine. It's not that it's wrong. So sometimes we may be so enlivened by a particular service to Krishna that we can't really put our heart in chanting at that time.
But we are overall enlivened. And it's not that materialistic and enlivened. We are actually spiritual because we feel absorbed in Krishna and we, I'll do this, I'll do that, I'll do that.
That's perfectly fine. So we have to see how well we are connected with Krishna. And certainly there are some basics which have to be maintained.
And if those basics are not being maintained, then we have to consider how to adjust or what to do. But beyond maintaining those basics, maya is basically disconnection with Krishna. So we don't have to obsess on particular forms of connection with Krishna.
We can focus on the principle of connecting with Krishna. And yes, it is possible that too much service can disconnect us from Krishna. But then rather than seeing that the service, we shouldn't think that service is maya.
It's just that for my particular nature, doing the service too much, it puts me in maya. Or it doesn't connect me with Krishna as much as I need to. Then I also need to do other things.
For somebody else, that may be their primary connection with Krishna. So it varies. So we have to find our need and find the appropriate balance.