Is Sadhna Enough to get all Good Qualities ？

Disclaimer: This transcript was generated using AI and may contain occasional errors or inaccuracies.

So, we want to act according to higher nature. Will that happen automatically if our sadhana is good? Or do we need to consciously endeavor to develop that higher nature? See, the answer to this will depend on whom you ask. But you would say, my understanding I'll tell you that, see we can, when we talk about bhakti itself, now we can have a narrow understanding of bhakti or we can have a broad understanding of bhakti.

A narrow understanding of bhakti means what? Basically, we say that, who are doing bhakti, they'll develop all good qualities. So, that's true at one level. But the narrow understanding of bhakti would mean that you just do your sadhana, you study scriptures and all good qualities will come.

But we don't always operate according to narrow understanding of bhakti only, isn't it? So, if you want to build a temple for Krishna or if you want to cook for Krishna, we don't say chant Hare Krishna and you'll become a good cook, isn't it? You have to learn cooking, isn't it? If you have to build a big nice temple, not only chant Hare Krishna and you'll become a good architect. It doesn't work like that. So, if somebody has to build a temple for Krishna, then they may not necessarily get an architectural degree.

But they have to have some knowledge of architecture and they have to study for that. So, in the ambit of bhakti, so narrow understanding of bhakti is only devotional activities. In the direct activities, let's put it as like bhakti means only sadhana.

But a broad understanding could be bhakti also includes various forms of seva and whatever is required for that seva. So, if somebody is going to serve by promoting social media outreach, then how social media works, they have to learn that and that is also in the ambit of seva. So, if learning skills can be included within the ambit of bhakti, then why can't learning values be included in the bhakti? So, suppose somebody reads some books about how to become more sensitive in their speech, if they're a little harsh in their speech.

Now, if devotees have written some books on that, that's great. But if devotees have not written any books on that, if you read some other books, there's nothing wrong in it. It depends on what is our purpose.

If our purpose is to serve Krishna, the ambit of bhakti can be quite broad. So, for some people, and to conclude this answer, for some people for whom some conditioning might be very less, say then, say from the past itself, in their upbringing, they grew up in a very cultured home and they were always very careful in their speech and in general, they were sensitive. Maybe they had a little anger, sometimes they would get angry.

They start practicing bhakti and the anger goes away. Naturally, they behave in a culture, dignified, sensitive way. They speak that way rather, not just behave, speak specifically.

But suppose somebody came from a conditioning where they grew up in a culture where every second sentence had a swear word and that's the way people spoke. One devotee was telling me that he grew up in a tough neighborhood in America. He says that the only way, only conflict resolution technique I learned in my going around was to raise your voice.

Whoever's voice is louder, that person wins. Now, if somebody is coming from that kind of upbringing, they may need that kind of background, then they may need some more effort to learn to become more sensitive. So, it's not that everybody has to read many, many books for developing character.

But two things, if our service requires that, that particular attribute and if our background has made that attribute difficult for us to attain, then putting in some concentrated effort for developing that attribute is not outside the ambit of bhakti. Okay. Thank you.