Is asking lots of questions a sign of a jnani, not a bhakta?

Answer Podcast

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
See, sometimes when we get questions, other devotees may discourage us from asking questions.
That’s simply because not all devotees may be of the same intellectual or same level of inquisitive nature. In Rupa Goswami, in the Bhakti Samudra Sindhu, says that not only should we associate with devotees, but he says, sa jatiya ashaya bhagwat bhakta sangha. Sa jatiya ashaya means those who have the same temperament as we have.
So all devotees are not necessarily like-minded. And if we are associating with devotees, different devotees, even within devotion, have different definitions of success. So, for example, if some devotee’s definition of success is book distribution.
We just have to distribute books, distribute books, distribute books. It’s very good. Prabhupada emphasized that.
But then if somebody else, some other devotees go to a place where they are focusing on building a temple, they say, what are you doing? How many books have you distributed? And those who are building a temple, they may go there and say, okay, deities have been there for so long, why not build a temple? What are you doing for the deities? So, we may just minimize each other. So, if somebody is inspired and convinced about book distribution, that’s what they feel inspired to do, then they need to associate with devotees who are also inspired with book distribution. And then they will get mutual inspiration, they will get mutual insight, and that association will be more relatable.
So, like that, some devotees are very interested in scriptural study, understanding scriptural concepts. So, we need to, if we are of that nature, we need to associate with similar devotees. And it has happened with me also.
I used to have a lot of questions. And when I used to have a lot of questions, devotees would get, some devotees would get tired of the questions. So, then they would just not answer the questions.
Then I realized that I just cannot ask questions to anyone and everyone. Then I found there are a few devotees who are of that nature, who have already considered the questions that I am getting now. So, there are other devotees who are not even considering the questions.
You see, this is just, sometimes some devotees say, if you are asking questions, you are becoming a jnani. But that’s an oversimplification. So much of oversimplification, that’s a distortion.
Because our tradition is filled with so many question-answers. But the fact is that not everyone will have that nature. So, we shouldn’t, we shouldn’t blame the devotees if they don’t answer our questions or they discourage questions.
But that doesn’t mean we have to suppress our own nature to ask questions. It’s a specialization. And we have to find that devotee association, even if they find one or two or three devotees whose classes we can connect with, who answer our questions, we can get inspired and move onwards.
It’s basically a specialization. Just like there are some devotees who, in the temple, kirtans happen always. Kirtans are important.
And we should have, there are basic skills which kirtans have to perform. But some devotees may become specialists in music. And they play some extraordinary instruments with great proficiency and they sing in such special tunes that other people, you know, some other devotees may say, you know, it’s Hare Krishna that is important.
Why are you getting so much into music? Don’t bother about it. Just sing a simple tune. But you know, they have that musical talent, they have that musical interest.
And if we tell them to sing simply only, it will not work for them. So what, they need their room. And some such devotees may have their own kirtan programs where they share, where they attract people primarily through the medium of music.
So if something is our interest, we can see that that will not be universal. But that does not mean that is itself undesirable. So both are extremes.
So think that if I am asking questions, if others are not getting questions, you know, are they not thinking? How can they not think of this question? If you start minimizing those devotees, that’s wrong. But if other devotees are saying, you know, you should not be getting these questions. We can’t do like that because I am getting the questions.
So we have to find the like-minded association where this particular interest will be developed as a specialization. So I try to do that service. I have that website, The Spiritual Scientist, where till now I have answered almost 3000 questions.
So different devotees from different parts of the world, they ask questions and I answer in audio format. So it’s not that I know all the answers, but I also have connections in the devotees whom I ask the questions and I get the answers. And there are many questions whose answers I also don’t have.
So I am still searching. So it’s not that all our questions will get answered. There are some questions which you may have to spend a lifetime of study and purification to understand the answers.
And there are some questions which may never get the answer also. But that does not mean that the questioning spirit itself needs to be suppressed. There are many questions that can be answered if we find the appropriate forum for that.
And that’s why like-minded association is important. Not just association. Do you understand like-minded? Same nature? Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Same.