What to do if the association of some devotees makes us negative and agitated?
Answer Podcast
Transcript
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So, if sometimes devotee association agitates us, then what should we do? Yeah. Actually, we need like-minded devotee association. Sajati Aashay Bhagwat Bhakti Sangh.
Rupa Goswami says in the Bhakti Sambit Sindhu, we need not just association, but like-minded association. So, if you find that some devotees are always talking about things which are not really of relevance to me. So, for example, if you are in a community and every community has its problems.
So, suppose somebody may have issues with the management, somebody may have issues with this, and they are always talking about those things. Now, gossip, a simple definition of gossip is to talk something negative about someone to someone who has nothing to do with that situation. Now, negative talking is not necessarily gossip.
But talking negative about someone to someone, if there is a managerial problem, take it up with the management. Just getting involved, telling all the devotees about it, that doesn’t solve any purpose. So, if I find that somebody always keeps talking things like this, then I don’t have to judge that devotee as bad, but I think that this association is not unfavorable for me.
This is not favorable for me. So, then we can keep a distance from that devotee association. So, we can’t assume that just because somebody is chanting Hare Krishna, that means that person’s association is devotee association.
We can’t assume that. Now, devotee association is that association which inspires our devotion. So, we have to find out which association inspires our devotion and take that.
And if somebody is always behaving in an agitating way, speaking, then we may have to maybe inform their superior also that this is what happens usually. And that may be the way we can help them if we can. But beyond that, our spiritual advancement is our responsibility.
Prabhupada says in the first canto purport that we all have to fly our own plane. So, that means I have to find out what is it that fuels my plane? What is it that causes my fuel to leak out? Then I have to fuel my plane and avoid the leakages. So, sometimes some association, it’s like, what is that? I’m saying that there are some people whom we long for after they go.
And there are some people whom we long that they go. So, we have to find out that association which nourishes us and we focus on that also. We don’t become disrespectful or negative towards others, but we keep a distance and this is not favorable for me.
That way we can be inspired when we come into the body association. Does that answer your question? Yes, sir, you had a question?