How do you maintain consistency in your daily writing year after year?
From Shubham R Gole
how do u maintain consistency in ur activities? prabhuji what u do when u feel bored of writing? from two years i m reading gita wisdom u r so consistent prabhu.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gDUR1r-7TU
Transcript
Disclaimer: This transcript was generated using AI and may contain occasional errors or inaccuracies.
Hare Krishna. Question from Shubham Gole Prabhu. How do you maintain your consistency in writing Gita daily articles everyday? What do you do when you get bored with writing? I have been reading these articles for two years continuously.
How do you manage that? Answer, by Krishna's mercy I can say, but it is also, consistency is simply a matter of priority and lethargy. Priority about the thing that we want to do and lethargy about other things. So, the fact actually is that, there are dozens of things about which I am pathetically inconsistent in my life.
And those who know me closely, know how problematic that can be for me as well as for others. But by Krishna's mercy, writing is something which enlivens me and I am also able to serve some other people, those who benefit from it. So, and I am able to glorify Krishna's mercy in Gita.
So, in that sense I feel inspired to continue it. Now, in general, I will talk in general terms and I will mention a few points about how it relates to my life. Consistency, as I said, it's often a matter of priority and lethargy.
Priority means, in our life, there are many things which we have to do and certain things get priority. Either they get priority because of external pressures or because of our own decisions. But if over a period of time, we find out something that falls in the intersection of what comprises devotional service and what is also our swabhava, what is our nature, then finding something in that intersection can become a very good platform for us to render consistent service.
So, this is a circle of things that are comprising service to Krishna and it's a circle of things that we like to do. Now, the whole point of Arunashram is to get people to perform in the intersection of these two circles. A brahmana likes to do intellectual work and human life is meant for devotional service.
So, the brahmana is engaged in intellectual devotional service. Vaishya likes to earn money and human life is meant to render devotional service. So, through earning money and through giving donations and through maintaining people through the earning of money, so that is what how a Vaishya serves.
Now, society doesn't have Arunashram today. So, a lot depends on our own individual introspection and creativity in finding out what are the areas that lie in our intersection circle between devotional service and swabhava. And then when we find a service over there, we are actually very fortunate if we find a service like that and we should stick to that service no matter what happens.
So, now, that was actually Srila Prabhupada's vision also. Srila Prabhupada said that find out what you would like to do for Krishna and then do it. That's what he told Ishaana Prabhu once who met him in London.
And that was what Prabhupada repeats many times also. So, of course, we can't just give priority to something because I like it a lot. We also take blessings from senior devotees.
So, in my spiritual life, my spiritual guides have always encouraged me in my writing. And Jaydev Maharaj played a defining role in my taking up writing as my main service, my considering my writing guru. So, he told me that let others do management, let others do other services and you focus on writing.
So, I've taken that to the heart. Now, whenever we give priority to anything. So, first thing, we can't just be consistent by sheer willpower alone.
That something has to be in our subhava. We can as a matter of surrender or as a matter of willpower. Willpower means by our own determination.
Surrender means because somebody else wants to do it. We can do some service for some time. But over a period of time, it has to, if we are going to do it consistently lifelong, if we want to have an engagement that can keep us connected with Krishna lifelong, that service has to be according to our subhava.
So, as far as consistency is concerned, finding out what is our subhava and creating some facility to serve according to that subhava is important. Otherwise, of course, we can meditate on the importance of doing a particular activity and meditate on the importance of pleasing the Vaishnava who is giving us that particular service and do that service for some time. But consistency over a long term will not be possible if things are not done according to our subhava.
So, now, second thing is, even after we find out something that does fall in the circle of intersection, that doesn't mean that automatically we will be able to focus on it. Even in our spiritual life or to speak of our material life, there are so many pulls and pushes, do this, take up this, do this little service, do this. Now, we can do small, small things sometimes as a service to Vaishnavas, but when we do have our major service.
So, a very integral part of saying yes to one thing is saying no to other things. And if we can't learn to say no, then we won't be able to say yes for a long time. We have only 24 hours in a day.
And if you want to be consistent about something, then we have to be resistant about doing other things, resistant about accepting other things to do. So, I have had to displease many devotees because I made writing a priority. And then I couldn't go for speaking engagements.
I cannot meet people so much for counselling. In fact, now, as I mentioned on the site also, that this is an education site, not a mentoring or a counselling site. So, I have stayed studiously away from counselling.
And of course, except for the management of my site, I don't get involved in any institutional management at all. So, now, some of these decisions, some of these saying no has been difficult because whenever we say no, some people get hurt. But then there are others who are pleased when we say yes to other things.
So, we always have to do trade-offs. And that's why having a supportive social circle in the devotee community for whatever service we want to do is very important. So, if I like to do book distribution, and if I associate the community of devotees all focusing on temple construction, then I will constantly feel insecure and discouraged.
So, Guru Pugaswamy also said in Bhakti Swami Amit Sindhu that we need Sajati Asha Sangha. Sajati Asha, that means like-minded devotee association. So, devotees who have the same category of desires as we have.
So, I am closely associated with many of the devotees who are into writing and editing. And that's how I get my Sangha primarily. So, whatever service we want to be consistent about, we need to associate with those who share a zeal for that service and share our definition of success.
Now, from the point of view of many devotees, what's so great about writing an article? You know, there are already so many books written and people can read those books. We have to build temples, we have to distribute books, we have to do preaching practically. How many people can ask me, how many people have you made devotees? So, now, I have no count of that.
And I can't say that just by reading an article, somebody has become a devotee. So, those kind of definitions of success don't apply. So, I had asked Jaydev Maharaj, what is the definition of success in writing? And he gave me a remarkably detached answer.
He said, Krishna is glorified. So, now, that's a difficult standard. We want some result in this world also.
But the fact that Krishna's message, the Gita, is being glorified with an article every day for nearly three years now. Something that has not been done for a long time in the past. Whereas a Bible, many people write daily on the Bible.
So, now that Krishna is being glorified, that itself is a source of satisfaction for me. And fortunately, there are some devotees who also appreciate these writings. And they find it beneficial.
Many devotees write and tell me that if sometimes I am late in writing a Gita daily article, they feel as if the day has not begun properly if they don't read a Gita daily article. So, this sort of encouragement in terms of getting to know that the service is being valued and found useful, that also helps. So, essentially, for maintaining consistency in any activity, I would say Krishna's mercy is very important.
Because I keep getting ideas, almost everywhere, the whole world seems filled with ideas about how to write and that, coming and getting ideas is Krishna's mercy, no doubt. So, whatever service we have to do, we have to get inspiration and motivation and that largely depends on Krishna's mercy. That's of course an important factor.
But then that is not entirely in our control. What is in our control is being introspective to find out a service that is also in harmonita subhava. And then, to maintain consistency, we have to associate with devotees who share the zeal for that service.
And after that, we need to keep a distance from those who may discourage or disparage that service. Because their definition of success may be different. We appreciate their definition of success also, but we don't have to get carried away by their pressures.
So, by priority, for something which falls in the direction of our subhava and our bhakti, and for lethargy towards other things, which are not so important for us, that is how we can maintain consistency. Now, as far as boredom is concerned, that is a constant temptation. Normally, we don't think of boredom as a temptation, but boredom is also, anything that takes us away from Krishna, or keeps us away from Krishna is a temptation.
So, boredom is also a temptation. So, each of us has to find out some ways by which we can deal with boredom. Essentially, the mind moves through different phases.
So, tam sthitikshya svabharat, what Krishna says, is actually the best recipe for dealing with boredom. We just have to hold on to Krishna till the boredom stops holding on to us. And how do we hold on to Krishna? I like verses citation especially.
So, I memorize verses and recite verses and contemplate on their meanings. And that gives me absorption. And also, each of us can find out activities that we like to do that sort of connect us with Krishna.
Maybe singing Vaishnava songs, or just taking darshan of deities, calling up and talking with some devotees, whatever ways we find out, or reading some inspiring passages. Whatever way we find out, we can overcome boredom. Generally, the tolerating boredom has basically two elements to it.
One is, knowing that it is temporary and therefore holding on, not letting go just because we are feeling bored. Holding on doesn't mean just persevering with the same activity, even if we can't do anything, but persevering within the realm of bhakti. So, it's not that when one is bored, still one has to keep writing or doing any particular service.
One can take a break. But then, the breaks also can be such that they are rejuvenating, not that they are distracting. So, finding out some other activities, bhakti has so much variety within it also.
Once we accept the principle that I am to serve Krishna, within that, there is a lot of variety of the ways in which we can serve Krishna. So, if we keep that in mind, then it is easier to move forward in our devotional service and deal with boredom. But essentially, tam sthiksya subhārata and then finding out that things which offer a change within the realm of bhakti.
That's how I try to deal with boredom. Thank you. Hare Krishna.