Is starting spiritual life because of frustration undesirable?
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Transcript
This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
So some we say that frustration is not a good motive for practicing bhakti or renunciation but most of us is only when we are frustrated in our material life then we turn towards spiritual life so then is a person who is practicing bhakti because of frustration is that person headed in the right direction yes they are headed in the right direction but how much headway they will make you know that will depend on the purification of the motive frustration is a good starting point but frustration will not sustain us in bhakti. In Anju there is education required, there is understanding of life’s higher aspect, there is appreciation for the spiritual side of life so from the frustration with the material there has to be some positive appreciation for the spiritual that has to emerge. Only then we will be able to sustain in our spiritual practice.
Krishna talks about Artho, distressed as one category of the four kinds of people who come to him Chitra Vidha Vajan Tevam, Janah Sukruti Navarjuna Artho Jijnasur Arthati Jnani Chivar Tarshiva there are four categories of people who come to him. One of them is distressed so sometimes somebody would say that in Kaliyuga there are four categories of people who come to Krishna. The distressed, the distressed, the distressed and the distressed.
So the other category people are very few if any. But if you look at the progression of the verses Krishna appreciates these people. He says Udara Sarvai Vaithi, all of them are large-hearted, all of them are Sukruti Navarjuna but then he also says for those people to become pure devotees this is 7.16 is this verse and Krishna goes to 7.19 where he says Vasudeva Sarvamiti Samatma Sudurlabha.
So to understand Vasudeva Sarvamiti, to wholeheartedly surrender to Krishna it may take many lifetimes. So from the point of view of Artho from the point of view of a person who is starting Bhakti because of distress to a point where a person understands Krishna is my be-all and end-all. That may take many lifetimes.
So it’s a good point of starting Bhakti. Any way we can start practicing Bhakti that is good. But what I was talking here is that while starting Bhakti it is not that we should immediately reject our worldly responsibilities.
That starting Bhakti out of frustration is fine. But giving up our worldly responsibilities because of, in the name of Bhakti when actually we are simply frustrated with material life. That is not good.
So yes, it’s possible that somebody may be frustrated with material life and that frustration may become the impetus for practicing spiritual life. But even in that, they will have to exhibit some commitment. And that commitment is something which has to be built over a period of time.
So anybody from any way they start practicing Bhakti that is good. But if they are simply abandoning their material life that is something which cannot be done just on a whim or an impulse. That has to be done only after one has established a steady commitment in Bhakti.
Then we can say that this is not frustration with material life. This is actually this renunciation with higher taste that is developed. So frustration is a good beginning point for Bhakti.
But for sustaining we need a commitment and that has to be done gradually. Otherwise what happens somebody may because of frustration renounce material life and start practicing Bhakti. After sometime they start, they can’t practice Bhakti so well because they are not that committed.
And then they start blaming devotees. They start blaming Bhakti. Because of you I neglected my material life.
I could have done, I could have had this career, I could have done this, I could have done that. But I neglected it all because I wanted to practice Bhakti. Well, we can’t blame Bhakti for that because we chose that.
That’s why before making any major changes in our life which involve disrupting our material life. There is giving up worldly forms of enjoyment which we all give up when we start practicing Bhakti in many ways. That is fine.
But I am talking about giving up worldly responsibilities or upending our material life in a drastic way. In the name of spiritual advancement. That is something just to be done very cautiously.
Does that address your question? Okay. Very interesting. Any other questions?