How can devotees mistreated by their seniors avoid discouragement?

Answer Podcast

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
So if some devotees get mistreated by some seniors then how can they avoid discouragement? It’s very sad. It’s a test.
It’s a very serious test and I’d say that it is vital for us as devotees to not have only one connection with Krishna. We need to have many connections with Krishna. That means we may have one important authority, we have one spiritual master but the way Prabhupada has taught us that there are many shikshas.
So if we have only one connection with Krishna and somehow that something goes wrong with that, then our connection with Krishna itself will end. But if we have many connections with Krishna, then even if this connection gets disrupted, we can connect with Krishna through someone else. And sometimes we all go through different phases in our life and our authorities also go through different phases in our life.
Sometimes the same people who have encouraged us that one time, they themselves come down heavenly on us and then it becomes very difficult. But we need to know that actually that it is not that person who encouraged me, it is Krishna who encouraged me through that person. And somehow or because of some reason, now that encouragement is not coming through this person.
So we need to find out from where that encouragement will come. So that’s why even in our spiritual relationships, if we don’t see the Krishna connection, if we don’t see, ok, this devotee is so wonderful, this devotee is in a position of authority, this devotee is so kind to me, but this devotee is actually manifesting Krishna’s kindness, Krishna’s love. And what if something has changed and because of that the devotee is not manifesting that.
That doesn’t mean that my Krishna connection has to end. So as you said, we’ll find some other devotees who treat us this. Some other devotees who encourage us.
So we are not ungrateful to those who helped us earlier. But at the same time, we also need to be, we need to be protective of our own heart. So if those, somehow for some reason, those devotees are now, some devotees are criticizing us too much, they’re discouraging us too much, they’re mistreating us, then we see this as an opportunity for us to recognize that we have no shelter other than Krishna.
You know, there are many times, to take shelter of Krishna, we need shelters in this world. To take shelter of Krishna, we need devotees. To take shelter of Krishna, we need temples.
To take shelter of Krishna, we need various things. But sometimes, that which is a means to take shelter of Krishna can become a substitute for Krishna. That means the devotee who is helping us to take shelter of Krishna, we take shelter only of that devotee.
And then, when that devotee somehow mistreats us, then rather than getting rejected, we see this is an, this is, I was making this devotee into a substitute for Krishna. That is not the job. I have to give up this shelter and take shelter of Krishna.
And we see this in the example of Yudhishthira. She had five husbands. All husbands were devotees.
Great devotees, pure devotees. But at that time, it was her own husband, Yudhishthira, who gambled. For a, for a honorable woman, to be just treated like, to be gambled on the street, not only he gambled her, he couldn’t do anything to protect her.
So, normally, devotees are the way to take shelter of Krishna. But sometimes, you know, devotees, if we make devotees into Krishna, if you make a devotee into Krishna, sometimes Krishna may take away the shelter of that devotee, to force us to take shelter of him alone. And that is the meaning of sarva-dharmam parityajya mam ekam shivam.
That we have to give up not just adharma to take shelter of Krishna, we may have to give up dharma also to take shelter of Krishna. Not only the bad things we have to give up, not only non-devotee association we have to give up to take shelter of Krishna, sometimes some devotee association we also have to give up. Not that we give up devotee association and go to non-devotee association, but sometimes some devotees, through them Krishna’s love will not manifest at all.
And then we have to find out that association where we do get that love. So, it is very important, sometimes because our institution is very hierarchical, you know, and our focus has always been, the way we are taught is to follow instruction, follow instruction. Now Prabhupada did do that, but following instruction also means taking responsibility.
Prabhupada got the instruction of spreading Krishna consciousness all over the world, but then Prabhupada took the responsibility for it. Now, from his spiritual master or from his spiritual master’s mission, he got no facilities. His god brothers did not help him, they rather impeded him.
So, you know, if we, if we depend too much, oh, I just have to depend on others, they will instruct me and then I will advance in bhakti. And if they don’t instruct me, they discourage me, then what can I do? No. You have to see that my advancement is my responsibility and I have to do what it takes to advance in my spirituality.
So, if I am not getting encouragement from this devotee, then I have to associate some other devotees through whom I get encouragement and that’s how I move onwards. So, when we place the onus of responsibility for our spiritual advancement on us, not on anyone else, then we won’t become so disheartened if somebody who was encouraging us earlier now no longer encourages us. We will find some other source of encouragement and keep moving on with this.
This is an address question. Thank you. And sometimes like our proper attitude and proper reaction, we, we