How can we avoid taking things for granted in bhakti?

Answer Podcast

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
How can you avoid the trap of taking things for granted, especially when you become familiar with everything over the years? Yes, the process of hearing is very important for that. Because at the level of Prateksha Pramana, there may seem to be familiarity. Oh, we are same deities, same holy names, same devotees, which is true.
We are familiar and it’s good to be familiar in the sense that we should feel connected with the manifestations of Krishna in this world. At the same time, because there are manifestations of Krishna, Krishna is manifesting through them. So, they are often hugely deep.
So, that depth will not be able to see through Prateksha Pramana. That’s why hearing is important. And in general, we may take devotees for granted.
So, what we should do is, if we are working with some devotee regularly, and if we know that some other devotee has a lot of appreciation for this devotee, then we go and hear from that devotee. What do you like from that devotee? We find, oh, I didn’t know anything about this person. Because when we regularly work with someone, it’s natural that we also see their other side.
They’re not so sound, they’re not all that good at that, they’re not all that sound at that. So, all those, we can’t close our eyes to these things. If they are reality, they are reality.
At the same time, we don’t have to get carried away by those things. We don’t have to focus on those things at all. That’s why hearing about their glories from others is very helpful.
And also, if we are doing a particular service, then reading or hearing about that service, or in general, the things related with that service, that also helps in getting the spiritual vision of things or the material vision of things. And also, especially if you’re doing the same activity at that time, before doing, you’re trying to contemplate. Say, for example, when we start chanting for prayers to the spiritual master, at that time, just we take a minute to remember, actually, I’ve taken a vow at initiation.
The thought that I’ve taken a vow at initiation itself can bring a certain amount of sobriety, or I’m going to take a vow at initiation, whatever it is. Or even this is an important limb of bhakti, the most important manifestation of Krishna, whatever it is, we want to think about. That way, we can basically, for appreciating the manifestation of Krishna, initially, we do need a lot of intelligence.
And at customizing the intelligence to stay aware of that appreciation or to increase awareness of the value of that activity. We need to do what it is, associate with appropriate devotees, read relevant sections of scripture, or consciously take time to recollect.