How can we be detached without becoming uncaring?

Answer Podcast

Transcript

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Great Krishna So how is detachment Actually practiced In this world When we have our Relationship with others Sometimes it is preferentially practiced That when certain Relationships are favorable, usable for us We use them, otherwise We just say that I’m being detached Firstly Detachment Is very different from Irresponsibility See Aversion to commitment Is not detachment That means In any relationship, we have to see Spiritual growth As essentially a growth In selflessness Ultimately I move from myself to Krishna So sometimes we can have We can have A competing view of material and Spiritual relationships We have to give up material relationships To develop our spiritual relationship with Krishna That is fine, at the end of our life We are not going to have our material relationships We are going to have Krishna only But while we are living in this world The material relationships And the spiritual relationships Can actually work cooperatively Because In one sense Every relationship Forces some level of selflessness in us If I’m alone I can do whatever I want If I’m related with someone, I have to think about the other person You know when parents Beget a child, then they are not just thinking About their own pleasure, they have to think about the child So every relationship Forces us To grow in selflessness And if we think of Spiritual growth as a growth in Selflessness, then Our horizontal relationships, our relationships In this world, they also Help us to grow towards Krishna If I’m habituated to putting Others first, then I can put Krishna first also If I’m always habituated to putting Myself first, then That will happen with people in this world And that will happen in my relationship with Krishna also So in that sense The horizontal and the vertical relationships They can both Actually go together Even developing Commitments in our horizontal relationships If that brings selflessness Within us, that can also help us in our relationship With Krishna So if one is Not doing One’s relationship, not doing One’s duty in one’s relationship Not wanting to Honor one’s commitment in some relationships Simply because One is selfish I just want to do what I want to do Then That is irresponsibility So when one Takes up Devotion very seriously At that time It is that Because of a spiritual commitment They may Give up their material commitments So that has to be done Progressively It is not to be done arbitrarily Or abruptly Arbitrarily means suddenly I decide I’m going to renounce the world It’s not like that You know It is It has to be done with planning It is At this age I plan to change From this ashram to that ashram Or from here to there And then we make a proper plan And then we move on His spiritual master directly gave an instruction Preach Preach in English language, preach in the western world Prabhupada got an instruction in 1922 And still His first reaction was that I am married It will be unfair to my wife if I renounce Up to my family And he actually did his responsibilities By 1950 almost, 1958 Then he took sanyas And eventually also Later on Actually Prabhupada had a lot of Resources by Krishna’s mercy Then through his con he gave Adequate endowments for his Family to be taken care of So at that particular point Prabhupada realized I have done whatever I could I had to focus exclusively on Krishna So firstly Aversion to commitment is not detachment Detachment is Where I take up a Higher commitment and because of the Focus on the higher commitment Then I may not do the lower commitment And I will be able to take the higher commitment Only when I am having an adequate Degree of selflessness So now sometimes When we Come new to spirituality We often have a That Zeal to reject the Material for the spiritual And that’s why we may often do things And say things which Can come off as very insensitive But over a period of time We all mature And Usually If one has that vision that Material relationships have to be Rejected for the spiritual relationship Now that Is That is true ultimately But in this world We have our material relationships And they are what Shelter us while we move on Towards Krishna So if something like this happens Then where one person Feels rejected because of another person’s Spirituality Then Then Usually speaking So then Somebody who is in the Role of the advisor Of that Person who is about to Renounce, they have to talk properly They have to guide that person And they may have to explain to the Other person also So basically there has to be some level of understanding That comes And that’s why many people practice spirituality They are practicing it under the guidance of Someone who is mature So for example in India In America when devotees First came to the movement They were sometimes doing their Colleges, they were doing some degrees And they just give everything And just join the temples But even if they are going to become Brahmacharis or whatever They would just give it at that time But now in India when we go to Colleges and preach Not to speak of We never allow anyone to join There is one devotee In a college where Radheshyam Guru was preaching And he wanted to join immediately Six months later he wanted to join the temple And Radheshyam said no you cannot join You complete your degree, you work For a few years, you take care of your parents Security and then You can join.
So this devotee said I want to surrender to Krishna And you are Obstructing me Therefore Just as Bali Maharaj rejected Shukracharya, I reject you Laughing This is Misappropriating scripture For doing what one wants to do So actually We have to know that First of all There has to be mature spiritual guides And there also has to be Spiritual seekers They also have to understand that I cannot just Jump to bhakti arbitrarily I have to do it gradually And I think This happens all people Who come to spirituality They go through initially through a phase Where they feel Today I will chant Hare Krishna and one week I will be a pure devotee One week later I will be in spiritual world Laughing That is why we allow everything else I just have to give up now But then over a period of time we realize this is a lifelong journey And I cannot just Reject Everything material simply because it is material So If such a thing is happening Then it is good to Inform some senior devotees Who are in a position where they can guide The people involved And they can have a Compatible resolution of their conflict Does it answer your question? Any other questions?