When nothing works, we surrender to Krishna – how can we surrender to him in the beginning itself?

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thoughtful question we often surrender to Krishna at the end after we have tried everything and it didn’t work so how can we think that Krishna is with us and we are doing it for Krishna that he is our partner right from the beginning first of all for us spirituality does not mean giving up our humanity it doesn’t mean giving up our individuality it is rather raising our individuality to a spiritual level so it’s not that we are meant to efface or eliminate our individuality we are always individuals and we have initiative and with our initiative we want to serve Krishna in the spiritual world when the Gopis go out say for Aas Nila or just they go out to be with Krishna at that time each Gopi dresses and decorates herself in her own way now all the Gopis have the same desire to please Krishna with their beauty but every Gopi will do her own decoration in her own individual way and that individuality also pleases Krishna so definitely individuality it’s a inherent characteristic of the soul and we can’t give it up so each of us when we serve Krishna we will serve in different ways according to our nature according to our individuality and the important thing is to serve Krishna so there is devotional service we want to do service is important even if the devotion is not there continue the service, gradually the devotion will come so just because the devotion we don’t feel there is a devotional disposition we shouldn’t we feel there is no devotional disposition just because of that we shouldn’t stop the service continue the service and gradually the devotion will seep in that’s the first point having said that we can do three things broadly speaking first is before doing the service pray to Krishna Krishna I want to do this for you I want to do this in a mood of service say when we have class usually before the class we offer some prayers when we read scripture also we can try to offer some prayers before that so generally before doing anything it can be the explicit prayer or it can be implicit prayer but generally the implicit prayer may not come so having some explicit prayer may be when you start a day also Krishna whatever I do in this day I want to do it for you so start with prayer and then at the end of the day you can just mentally go over things and Krishna I offer this to you whatever I did good bad I tried what I could and I offer this to you all this is for you Narayanayati Samarpayami as a famous prayer is there that you can offer all this to Narayan and having said that in between also if we could schedule some breaks say during the course of the day may be pause for a few minutes and then at that time try to spiritualize our consciousness may be read some quotes which are spiritual may be hear some kirtan or just keep a picture of Krishna and pray to Krishna so that reminds us of that I am connected with Krishna I am doing all this for Krishna so broadly the beginning in the middle some breaks and at the end if we do it that is at our stage good enough because we also are functioning in this world and the world requires our attention so if we if thinking about Krishna distracts us from being attentive in doing what we are doing that is not so favorable also we want to do the best in whatever we are doing when Arjun was shooting arrows it was not that he was shooting arrow Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna he may not have been chanting Hare Krishna his focus was on shooting the arrow the best he can so it is said that when you are working work as if everything depends on you when you are praying pray as if everything depends on God so often we do the opposite when we are praying we think I have to do this, I have to do that, I have to do that when will I do it, when I am chanting I think I have to do this work, this work, this work so we are praying we are thinking of the work and when we are working we think all this work is mundane I am not thinking about Krishna I am not praying to Krishna what is the use of all this temporary work no so when you are working work as if everything depends on you just do it wholeheartedly and when you are praying pray as if everything depends on Krishna so that way if you do it gradually what will happen is if we are doing our sadhana also nicely we are having quality time for connecting with Krishna directly by that Krishna will become a more and more prominent presence in our consciousness see right now you are sitting in this temple now you are hearing me speak but also you are aware that you are not sitting in the temple there are other people around you in the left, right but that is in the background so our consciousness often has something in the foreground something in the background now for us most of the time the world is in the foreground and Krishna is somewhere in the background but as we keep practicing bhakti gradually Krishna will become a more and more prominent presence in our consciousness and then Krishna will come in the foreground and the world will be aware but the world will be in the background background doesn’t mean we will be inattentive but we won’t be consumed by the world and the first time I left India I travelled across the world so many of my relatives were very excited about it I went to America and came back and many of my relatives who had been very disappointed when I got a job, when I got a university offer in America, I didn’t go to America for studies they said your life is wasted but when I went to America they said now your life has become successful so anyway point I was making is the first time I went abroad I was very conscious now I am in Australia, now I am in America I am in London, I am in Canada but after I have been there for a few times I am more focused, I am speaking Krishna what kind of people what kind of questions people are asking so initially the country where I was in that was very exciting but now it is speaking about Krishna that is more stimulating, more exciting so gradually as we keep practicing bhakti Krishna will come more and more in the forefront of our consciousness we cannot artificially do that so just do your best right now before, during and after if possible before, after and during if possible but overall if we keep doing sadhana bhakti Krishna will come in prominence in our consciousness Thank you.
Hare Krishna