We surrender to Krishna’s will sometimes but mostly act for our own pleasure. What is our hope?

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
Hare Krishna. Question from Stuk Krishna Prabhu. Pure devotees like Arjuna are constantly in sync with the Lord.
Once they surrender, that surrender is forever. But for us, that happens practically on a few occasions. But most of the time, our lower nature predominates and we are acting for our own gratification.
So then, how do we actually surrender to Krishna? This question is based on the article, Gita Delhi article. Seek a happy ending that has no ending. So, does the story of devotional life really even begin for us? Or what does Gita Wisdom say on this? Answer, we shouldn’t think of surrender as something digital.
One or zero. Either I am surrendered or I am not surrendered. That may be how it is on a moment to moment basis in terms of whether we are remembering Krishna or not.
But as far as our over life is concerned, it is not that we can be expected to immediately remember Krishna constantly. Krishna, very realistically, gives multiple levels at which we can practice spiritual life. When it talks from 12.8, constantly fix the mind and intelligence on me, then 12.9 says, otherwise, practice bhakti yoga and try to increase your desire for me.
Otherwise, work for me. Otherwise, offer the fruits of your work to me. Otherwise, or at least offer the fruits of your work to a good cause.
That way, he is encouraging a culture of selflessness, which will ultimately culminate in the divine selflessness of pure love. So, Krishna basically accommodates the fact that we may not be able to practice the highest standard immediately. So, in 12.20, he explains that, yathu dharmāṁ vṛttam idam yathoktaṁ paripāsate śraddhāṇa mad-paramā bhaktās te teevam etriyaha There he says that, actually one who surrenders to me, that one who with faith in this person of devotional service, paripāsate, accepts with faith and tries to practice it, but faithfully accepts it, that person is also very dear to me.
So, I have explained this in the Gita, in the article, even if we are not ideal people, still we can be people with ideals. And just the fact that we cherish those ideals and aspire according to our capacity, strive according to our capacity to live according to those ideals, that pleases Krishna. And by His mercy, gradually, the standards at which we are practicing, they arise, arise, arise.
Still, ultimately, we come to the standard of pure devotional service. So, from the moment we start chanting our first Hare Krishna mahamantra, from the time when we start approaching towards Krishna in the mood of a sādhaka, from that time our story has begun. And even if we are sometimes unsurrendered and sometimes surrendered, and even if the times when we are unsurrendered is much more, still, the important point is that we are overall on the path of bhakti.
And because we are overall on the path of bhakti, as long as we are staying in the service of devotees and following the principles of bhakti, there may be slight deviations, but then the path of bhakti will also bring about course corrections. So, if we consider that we are on the journey of surrender, it’s not that we are taking U-turns and going away. No.
It’s just that there are deviations. When there are deviations, then what happens is we start going off track, but then, suddenly, after some time, we realize the off track has gone too far, and then we come back on track. And when we come back on track, it’s not that we are still at zero point.
We have just gone off track. From wherever we are, we can keep moving forwards and go onwards. So, just like an airplane, when it is flying from, say, Mumbai to Calcutta, it cannot always go in a straight line.
In fact, most of the time, it doesn’t go in a straight line. It goes because of the wind pressure, because of the atmospheric conditions. It often goes off track.
But then the driver, pilot, keeps getting it back on track constantly. Similarly, the regular devotional practices that we are doing, they will bring us on track. And as you keep practicing steadily, then the deviations will become less in frequency and less in magnitude.
And our focus on Krishna will become stronger and steadier. And that way, we will be able to move forward more swiftly in our spiritual life also. But till that happens, we should just make sure that whenever deviations happen, we try to do the course corrections as quickly as possible without getting discouraged.
Because that is the way it will be as long as we are under the influence of the lower modes. Gradually with the practice of bhakti, the influence of the lower modes will decrease and then our bhakti will become more and more steady and focused. But till then, we keep practicing whatever level we can and know that Krishna appreciates it and Krishna is helping us to raise ourselves to a higher level of bhakti.
The most important path, most important point in the path of the heart, path of the heart is bhakti yoga, is to never lose heart. No matter how much we are conditioning, no matter how many times we are having slips or lapses, still Krishna always loves us and Krishna is always waiting for us, not just patiently but also eagerly. And if we keep moving towards Him, we are making spiritual advancement.
And even if it seems on a daily level that we are again and again making the same errors, but every day that we are doing something correct, even for a short time, that is increasing our spiritual strength and that strength will eventually tell in terms of giving us the capacity to overcome our conditionings and march forward steadily in spiritual life. Thank you. Hare Krishna.