Should we be pessimistic about material life to progress in spiritual life?

Answer Podcast

Transcript

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It’s so important. So Sri Prabhupada says that we should be pessimistic about this world so that we can attain Krishna’s abode.
Otherwise if we are optimistic then we will have to stay here. Yes, there are in scripture multiple levels at which discussions are made. So for example we see in the Bhagavad Gita Krishna talks about Karma Yoga.
Then he talks about Gyana Yoga. Then he talks about Bhakti Yoga. So say a parent has two children and one of them is a brilliant child.
Gets 90% marks. Other is a mediocre child. Barely sometimes gets 30%.
Today both of them have come and both of them got 60%. So now the 30% child the parent will say, very good, shabash. And the 90% child badmash, what did you do? The child will say, both of us got 60%.
Why are you praising him and chastising me? For you from 90% is down to 60%. That is bad. For 30% to 60% is up.
So like that what applies, the instruction that applies at one level may not apply at another level. So in general in this world there are people with different attitudes. So if a person is too enamored by hopes and fantasies of enjoying life in this world, then it is to be pessimistic.
What is there ultimately? We are all going to go old, we are all going to get diseased, we are going to die. Nothing is going to stay with us. So if a person is too infatuated with hopes of enjoying the world, at that time pessimism is, we have to give a new dose of pessimism at that time.
It is actually not pessimism, it is realism. It is a reality. Just try to make people aware of reality.
By the same time when somebody is too fearful all the time, fearfulness can be paralyzing. And at that time person has to, you know, don’t live in fear like this. Come out and live intelligently.
Live intelligently. If a person who is constantly fearful, if we tell them about all the problems that are there in this world, it is like, I will give a simple example. If somebody has, if say, we go to meet someone in their family, somebody has passed away.
Now, at that time, what is the message that we give them? We should tell them, actually the soul is eternal. Your loved one is there somewhere else. And then, you know, by doing spiritual activities, you can still benefit them.
There is no need to grieve. Because it is not that they are destroyed. They exist somewhere else.
We have to give a message of hope at that time. And that is what Arjuna does to Abhimanyu. Krishna does to Arjuna.
Then Abhimanyu passes away. Now, suppose at that time somebody is grieving and their relative has passed away. Tell them, actually, you know, all your relatives are going to die.
And all relations are temporary. You are grieving about one person, the same grief is going to come again and again and again to you. So, we will actually end up doing violence at that time.
Isn’t it? So, preaching means, it is said that, preaching means we have to afflict the comforted and comfort the afflicted. That way, somebody is thinking, oh, life is wonderful. Actually, what do you think wonderful? Everything is temporary.
You have to comfort the afflicted. But then, sorry, we have to afflict the comforted. If somebody is very complacent, we tell them about the reality of life.
But if somebody is already miserable, at that time, we don’t have to increase their misery. We have to comfort the afflicted. In the Bhagavatam, there is a third canto, it is said that, there is a verse which says that the devotees of the Lord travel around the world reassuring people about fearlessness in the shelter of the Lord.
So, people are fearful in this world and what do the devotees do? Devotees reassure them about fearlessness. So, now, here there is a different perspective. A devotee’s role at different times will be different.
So, at many times we have to assure people about fearlessness. So, pessimism is good. In the sense that, if it inspires us towards bhakti.
But pessimism, if it discourages bhakti also. And we can’t just, as devotees we can’t separate rigidly the material and spiritual life. The person is very pessimistic about their job, pessimistic about their family life, pessimistic about other things.
That de-energizes them. And we cannot, if we have certain responsibilities, we can’t just give them up. Srishti Prabhupada, he said that one should not be saying over him, should be pessimistic.
But then Prabhupada did his family responsibilities. And he was very resourceful in doing them. Now, when his business in Calcutta did not work out, he started another in Mumbai.
When it didn’t start in Mumbai, he went to Prayag. He was doing a lot of things. If Prabhupada had been simply pessimistic, how would he have been able to go to America? So, pessimism is ultimately, we have to see, what is favorable for our bhakti and what is unfavorable for our bhakti.
So, if a constant, fearful attitude, we cultivate that and we find that it is unfavorable for our bhakti. Habitual pessimism is unfavorable for our bhakti. Then we have to give it up.
Sometimes, an unrealistic optimism over material life, that can be unfavorable for our bhakti. So, we have to see what is favorable for our bhakti and cultivate the appropriate attitude. Does that answer your question? Yes.
Thank you. Great. Any other questions?