How can we better appreciate the relevance of spiritual classes as well as academic studies?

Podcast

Transcript

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so when we study say when we hear Bhagavan class we are not able to we can sometimes see the relevance and sometimes we can’t see the relevance when we can’t see the relevance we feel we don’t feel so inspired so how do we apply this dynamic of knowledge and destination of knowledge in this context similarly in our academic studies also we don’t see any ultimate purpose the ultimate purpose is we want to remember Krishna we want to understand Krishna we want to love Krishna we want to go closer to Krishna now specifically how this happens that will vary sometimes some classes they give more of intellectual clarification of concepts and then they get a deeper understanding sometimes some classes give a lot of practical application in terms of how we should be doing this and that also helps us to move forward sometimes some classes focus simply on Krishna and they just help us become absorbed in remembering Krishna it’s not necessarily any clarification of concepts or any directions for living it just absorbs you in Krishna that’s also fine so basically we can focus on the principle of connecting with Krishna and just by hearing we are connecting with Krishna so in that sense every day that we are hearing we are going closer to Krishna at the same time we would like to optimize the time that we are investing in hearing and what we are learning from it so therefore if we try to focus on thinking not so much that this person is speaking we see that whoever the person is ultimately it is Krishna who is giving us knowledge through different sources through different channels so Krishna is in my heart Krishna is in this person’s heart and Krishna will guide me towards better understanding so even if the speaker may not be speaking very deep Krishna conscious concepts still if we are deeply Krishna conscious even through that class we can go closer to Krishna and of course there is prescribed hearing and there is preferred hearing that means if we are staying in a youth center or we are coming for weekly program or daily class that time we have classes but as far as our preferred hearing is concerned that means if we find that we can connect best with a particular devotee we find that this particular book inspires me very much, this particular pastime inspires me very much this particular concept it just fascinates me then we can allocate some time even for hearing that so we have to see that ok maybe this is the way Krishna is attracting me let me become attracted towards him so there is both an element of dependence and an element of initiative and hearing dependence means yes, whoever is speaking it is Krishna speaking, I will go closer to him if I try to be Krishna conscious and initiative means ok what is it what kind of hearing helps me go closer towards Krishna and we choose that now with respect to our academic studies our focus can be on that Krishna is not just the god of the temple Krishna is the god of the college Krishna is the god of the office Krishna is the god of the home Krishna is the god of the whole world so therefore whatever it is that I need to do I can connect with him Krishna says by your work worship him so if we see our prescribed duties whatever they may be, if we study this is a way in which I can connect with Krishna and we can work it at various levels one level is that if you are going deep in a particular subject in science in medicine, in so many fields we can actually see parallels with spiritual concepts and if you have intellectual and analytical nature you can see ok this is how many scientists in science they see the hand of god and in doctors they see, we try to treat people but sometimes people get cured even we find they are incurable among doctors there is a slogan, we treat, he heals so like that there are different people in their different professions they may be able to see god’s hand directly if not then we can see this is my intention is to serve Krishna I have been given some talents, I have been put in a particular position let me do the best that I can in this situation and even if there is no direct remembrance of Krishna at that time that doesn’t matter so much if our intention is to serve Krishna when Krishna was fighting the Kurukshetra war it was not that he was looking at his Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna he was just completely absorbed in shooting arrows at that time in his heart he was remembering Krishna but verbally it was not that he had to chant Hare Krishna at that time he was completely absorbed in fighting so that way because his intention was to serve Krishna so he was actually doing very well similarly in our academics if our intention is to serve Krishna by Krishna’s arrangement that we are in a particular situation studying a particular field and we do it as a service to Krishna and through that so many things can we don’t know what all results will come out rather than seeing that simply this is disconnected with Krishna this is the arrangement in my life which has been ultimately arranged by Krishna let me try to serve to the best of my capacity who knows tomorrow with that knowledge, with that position with that respectability whatever it is or with that money so many doors for serving Krishna may open in future so yes we would like to serve Krishna more and more in direct ways more direct ways but doesn’t matter it more direct ways are not open for us if we have the attitude of serving Krishna then whatever we are doing we will find that if we have a stable financial security then we can more peacefully practice bhakti if we have respect of Hindu society if we speak about Krishna more people will hear about it if we do well in our academics then other students also are interested such a good student I also want to be a good student people also practice bhakti recently I was at a university and one student asked how can I help my inspire my friends to become devotees so I told him by studying nicely by studying nicely there is no guarantee that your friends will become devotees but by studying poorly there is guarantee your friends will not become devotees isn’t it because people generally they don’t directly see the spiritual they see the material and after that they approach the spiritual so we have Arjuna he when he was practicing archery he did not know in advance there is going to be a big dharma yuddha in which I am going to fight for Krishna’s cause when he was doing archery practice he was just doing it diligently because that was his dharma as a Kshatriya so we don’t know how in future Krishna wants us to serve him but at the very least if nothing else just studying diligently will help us to discipline our mind the mind always wants to take the path of least resistance whenever my preparatory exams are coming college books are so difficult so demanding so boring so what happens suddenly preparatory students develop love for nilamrit so it’s not so much love for nilamrit it is love for the path of least resistance so now if we go along the path of least resistance then as compared to studies devotional books also they may seem more enjoyable but then eventually when we start practicing bhakti that habit of choosing the path of least resistance will create trouble for us because in bhakti also we have to make commitment we have to have responsibilities we have to work hard so if nothing else we just see that ok this profession I don’t know how it is connected with Krishna this study how it is connected with Krishna I don’t know but just if this is the position I will put in this is what I am meant to do let me do it as a disciple that that commitment that habit of disciplining our mind will stand us in very good stead in general material qualifications are not necessary for practicing bhakti but if there is dedication that is a very valuable qualification practice in bhakti and those who have a culture of dedication they were achievers in their material life because they had a culture of dedication they studied diligently do extracurricular activities diligently when they come to bhakti they do bhakti also diligently so we can see our profession even if we can’t see the direct spiritual connection we can see it as a in my present situation I do this as a way of disciplining my mind and as a way of serving Krishna and if I do it diligently Krishna in future Krishna will see my sincerity and will provide me facilities by which I can serve him better serve him more directly and go closer to him so we should just keep the intention of serving Krishna specifically how we are moving towards Krishna through studying what we don’t have to micro-analyze that we just move into Krishna if our attitude is there then Krishna will take us closer to him