How do we discover our sva-dharma? Should we wait for the spiritual master to tell us our lifelong service?.mp3

From Manoj P

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
Hare Krishna, question from Manoj Prabhu how do we discover our swadharma in today’s situation should we wait for our spiritual master to give us some specific instruction and then we can serve lifelong according to that instruction answer not necessarily, Srila Prabhupada did that for some devotees, but even during Srila Prabhupada’s times the movement was so big that it was not that he gave specific instructions to everyone and we will see that for some devotees Prabhupada told them they were preaching in America and Europe and Prabhupada told them come to India and preach in India and he wanted them to get involved in management and do that even if they did not feel inspired to do that, but over a period of time Srila Prabhupada encouraged devotees to find out how best they can serve in Krishna so there is a pastime of Srila Prabhupada’s memories that one devotee Vishana Prabhu everybody was coming and telling their reports of their projects to Prabhupada and he asked Prabhupada Prabhupada can you give me something to do for you so Prabhupada asked what do you want to do for Krishna he had never thought what I should do for Krishna so Prabhupada whatever you tell me I will do he said no what do you want to do for Krishna he thought is Prabhupada testing me I should be surrendered he said whatever you tell me Prabhupada I will do that Prabhupada told him understand our philosophy properly he says find out what you want to do for Krishna and then do that for Krishna now Prabhupada made it not just a specific instruction but made it a generic point that this is our philosophy find out what you want to do for Krishna and then do it he came back after few days and said Prabhupada I have a hand I have some talent in clay art and he said I would like to make Rudangas and things like that not clay art but shaping and making things I would like to make Rudangas using plaster of Paris because the Rudangas that we get from India they break and it is very difficult to get new ones Prabhupada said very good he said make in such a way your western god brothers are very passionate make the Rudangas in such a way that even if they throw it down it will not break basically Prabhupada encouraged me and that began his life long service so now in general I have talked with some senior devotees who are close to their spiritual masters and I have asked them whether their spiritual masters give instructions to disciples specifically that this is what you should do life long in general within ISKCON the spiritual masters don’t do that for several reasons first is that because ISKCON is so big that the spiritual masters are not practical in situations where they can observe everyone and then give instruction accordingly second is some spiritual masters have done that but then if the disciples find that it is not possible for me to do this maybe that instruction is too difficult for me maybe my situation is not practical then those devotees go on a guilt trip they think oh my spiritual master is giving instruction and not following the instruction unnecessarily they go on a guilt trip and because the spiritual master is not accessible so they get burned by guilt for too long and later on they don’t approach the spiritual master because they are afraid oh I have disobeyed but it is not a point like that the spiritual master ultimately wants us to be happily engaged in devotional service and the spiritual master wants us to do what will keep us joyfully engaged life long in devotional service so we have the example of Tamal Krishna Maharaj Tamal Krishna Maharaj was doing management of the India project GBC for Mumbai area and for India in general and it was very difficult and demanding because for the western devotees the Indians were always trying to fleece them especially the Indian businessmen and he became very exhausted and he said I want to go to America and preach and Prabhupada was not happy about it Prabhupada said no I need somebody in India and you are a reliable person but he felt that he needed a break at that time and he insisted and when he insisted Prabhupada consented now was that defiance of Prabhupada? not necessarily if somebody feels that this is what I need for my spiritual advancement and he didn’t go against Prabhupada’s wishes Prabhupada did not ban him from doing that if Prabhupada had insisted he would have stayed Prabhupada would have made an absolute instruction but Prabhupada did not make it like that and he did that and he went to America and he started Radha Vambhava bus party and it was a magnificent success in preaching so we see this point even in Dhruv Maharaj’s instructions Dhruv Maharaj’s instruction is Narada Muni Narada Muni told Dhruv Maharaj don’t worry just go back and be peaceful don’t take the insult so seriously but Dhruv Maharaj said no this is not practical for me it is not my level so please instruct me according to my level so the point is that it is not that the service that we are meant to do our swadharma will come down by a lifelong fiat from some authority from the spiritual master or someone like that it is something which evolves by our understanding of our nature and by our spiritual master’s guidance also or our spiritual guide’s guidance whoever that may be, representative of spiritual master, counselor, mentor or some senior devotee but essentially we have to understand that my spiritual advancement is my responsibility if in the name of surrender I take up a service which I am not good at, which I don’t feel comfortable about so there is internal compatibility and external competence, both are essential when we are going to do something steadily lifelong, if we don’t have that we don’t feel internally comfortable and externally compatible in the service then we may do the service in the matter of surrender but we will be burning with resentment and our bhakti that will not be priti purvakam so in emergencies we should as a matter of surrender be ready to do whatever service we are told but overall in life we should be able to engage in a way that is satisfying for us internally and in which we are competent externally and this we will discover on our own by the guidance of senior devotees, by the mercy of Krishna but by our gradual spiritual evolution so rather than waiting for some moment when the spiritual master will give some service which will become my vision for my life, no we should be proactive, we should be thinking how can I best serve Krishna and when we are told to do various services in the initial stages of our spiritual life, we do those services but at that time we observe, which is the service I can do good which is the service I feel happy doing and then we focus on that service, now if we become too proud while doing that service or we start becoming disrespectful of others because of our service accomplishment then senior devotees will mourn us and correct us and we should accept those corrections with humility but overall we have to know that my spiritual advancement is my responsibility and let me be proactive in searching what is the best way I can serve Krishna and then present that to senior devotees and with their guidance do the service nicely so in this way when we do it the burden on our spiritual authorities will also decrease because they don’t have to sit and think what is the best way this person can serve they also want us to be happy and if we take part in the process by taking up responsibility then we are more likely to be able to find the right service and go on lifelong so because the Varanasi culture is not there today so finding our swadharma will be our individual responsibility with the guidance of senior devotees and the mercy of the super soul we shouldn’t wait for some magical mystical revelation we should focus on doing it right now and trying to discover what is the best service for us that will be our swadharma, thank you