What role does our nature play in our taking shelter of Krishna?

Answer Podcast

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
So how does our nature play a role in taking shelter of Krishna? Yes, normally we take shelter of Krishna according to our nature. Swakarmanatam abhyarja sadhyam vindati manvani.
I think Lord Krishna says that. By your work, by the work according to your nature, according to your ordained work, swakarma, you worship me. By that you will take shelter.
So Arjuna is a warrior and the whole mood of the Bhagavad Gita is that Arjuna should fight. That’s how he will get the shelter of Krishna best. So in the long run, we need to understand our nature and take shelter of Krishna according to our nature.
Now of course, one mood of surrender or one aspect of surrender is to do whatever is required. So if sometimes some circumstances require us to do some service which is not according to our nature, then as a matter of surrender we do that. And also in the initial stages of our spiritual life, it is not so easy to understand what is our nature.
So that’s why often our mind tricks us, you know, whatever I am doing, this is not my nature. And that way the mind makes us lethargic or reluctant about doing whatever service we are doing. So to some extent, even understanding our nature requires some amount of sattva guna.
So if initially we just do whatever services we are told to do and that way we purify ourselves. Once we come to the mode of goodness, then we can actually understand more clearly what is our nature. So generally, the process of bhakti does not involve directly going against material nature.
In material nature also there is lower nature and higher nature. That means lower nature is the rise of lust, anger, greed, envy, pride and delusion. So normally we talk about lower nature and higher nature as material nature and spiritual nature.
But even in material nature, you could say there is a lower nature and higher nature. That means lust, anger, greed, these are there. And then there is the higher nature.
That means there is our nature according to which if we act, we can do constructive things. So the conflict between lower and higher natures is experienced by everyone, even those who are non-devotees. Say a student, he is not a devotee.
A student may also have a conflict in the heart. Should I watch a cricket match or should I study? So here what is happening? There is a conflict between some material enjoyment and some material achievement, seeking some material enjoyment. So that means that conflict is always there.
Krishna talks about how there is conflict between the three modes of material nature also. So like that there will be conflict. So ultimately we have to serve Krishna.
And serving Krishna means we don’t want to make things more difficult than they need to be. So if somebody is a Brahmana, for that person to serve like a Kshatriya is going to be difficult. For somebody is a Kshatriya, for that person to serve like a Brahmana is going to be difficult.
So when we come to the mode of goodness we get some knowledge. With that knowledge actually we can perceive better what we should do and what we should not do. So and then we can learn.
This is how I should work, this should not work. So I would say that normally we surrender according to our nature. Sometimes surrender requires us to function even in something different from our nature.
But that is occasional. We shouldn’t reject that saying that it is not my nature. But at the same time striving to serve according to our nature is not lack of surrender.
We have to, even we and our authorities, there has to be proper understanding, discussion. This is what my nature is, this is how I would like to serve. And then we say no not right now, you serve according to this way for some time, in future we can do it.
That sort of negotiation can be done. But in principle we use the nature that Krishna has given us in His service. Because then it is like, it’s not just that we are more comfortable when we work according to our nature.
It’s also that we are more competent. It’s like say somebody who is a very good sword fighter and that person is told you fight with bows and arrows. You can fight, but they cannot offer the best fight over there.
So we shouldn’t think of this, wanting to serve according to our nature simply as our self-centeredness. That I can, this is what I am comfortable doing, that’s why I am doing this. No, but actually we can also do more contribution there.
So sometimes contribution is required in another field. In a particular war, the enemy is at a distance, so you have to fight with bows and arrows. Fine.
But then when the opportunity is there to fight with swords, then they should fight with swords. So that’s how we surrender normally according to our nature. But surrender also requires us to do something which is beyond our nature when necessary.