When we have more things in control we feel less dependent on Krishna – what to do?

Answer Podcast

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
Yes, ma’am. So when we are returning, when we have less control, we depend more on Krishna, we remember him more.
But when we are serving, when we have more control, we don’t remember him so much. How can we avoid that? See, again, it’s not necessary. There are many people when they face problems, they don’t become more dependent on Krishna, they become atheistic.
Krishna is not helping me, Krishna doesn’t care for me. And there are people who when they have a good time, they become more grateful to God. Thank you.
And they become more devoted. Now my things are set up right, I focus more. So ultimately it doesn’t depend on whether circumstances are adverse or circumstances are favorable.
It depends on intention. Sometimes we feel that when there are problems, I intensify my bhakti. Well, it is not misery that is the producer of bhakti.
Otherwise all miserable people would be devotees. It doesn’t work like that. So it is actually intention.
So if we have the intention to serve Krishna, and we try to cultivate that intention as much as possible, then whichever situation we are in, we have to translate it as if we want to serve Krishna bhakti. So Shri Prabhupada in the purport of 2.56, In that purport, Prabhupada states that if a devotee is put in a comfortable situation, he already feels that now Krishna, you have provided all these facilities for me so that I can serve you better. And if a devotee is put in an uncomfortable situation, actually Krishna is my own, by my own past karma I am suffering, but you have minimized suffering.
Please let me take shelter of you. So if we find personally that in difficulties, we take shelter of Krishna more, and amidst comfortable situation, we don’t take shelter of him so much, then what we can do is, we can try to create some, we can try to take up some services which are challenging, which are slightly beyond our capacity. Like you know this, in psychology we talk about comfort zone, the stretch zone and the panic zone.
If I can lift up 10 kg weight, and if I go to gym and start lifting 1 kg weight, nothing is going to happen. But if I can lift 10 kg weight and I lift 50 kg, I will injure myself. So for a person who can lift 10 kg weight, 1 kg is comfort zone, 50 kg is panic zone.
I will just collapse. But 11 kg, 12 kg, that is stretch zone. So the most sustainable way to grow in bhakti, is to ourselves take up some responsibilities for serving Krishna.
And take up responsibilities that are slightly more than what we can do ourselves. And that will make us greater Krishna, more dependent on Krishna more. So through adverse circumstances, through favorable circumstances, that commitment which we take up for serving Krishna, that will keep our intention stable.
Sometimes in adverse circumstances, we may not be able to do so many practical services, but we may remember Krishna more. But when we are in favorable circumstances, we may feel the remembrance is not so much. But because we are taking practical challenging services, and we can’t deal with those challenges alone, then that will force us to remember Krishna.
The circumstances are not in our control, but our intentions are in our control. And because our intentions don’t stay steady all the time, we need to take up commitments. We take up, I will do this, we take up a commitment.
Then even if the intention goes down, still the commitment pushes us along. So by living in the stretch zone, we can sustainably stay connected with Krishna.