Snippets of wisdom by Kalakantha Prabhu
For many people, religion means being in constant fear of a dictator-like God, and therefore they reject it.
When there is no love, how can you think about another person all the time?
In the four key verses of Bhagavad-gita 10.8–11, just half of the first verse deals with Krishna alone, and in the rest the Lord talks about His devotees and their relationship with Him.
If we do not have the knowledge of how to connect with God, we are like an orphaned child.
If we show Krishna just a little bit of desire to connect with Him, He will reciprocate in a dramatic way.
Why do we not reach out to Krishna? Because are afraid Krishna will take something away that we do not want to give up.
When we tell Krishna in all sincerity that He is the most important person in our life and we act like that, Krishna will provide whatever we need.
By understanding how we are incapable of dealing with the challenges in our lives, and how Krishna is willing and capable to help, we can let go of our material attachments.
Srila Prabhupada once said, “All we are asking you to give up is your miseries.”
Hearing from devotees who have experience of Krishna’s reciprocation to their surrender can give us the conviction we need to surrender ourselves.
Srila Prabhupada said that Krishna consciousness is all about training others.
Bhakti Tirtha Swami said to be careful about you how you deal with devotees for they may be the people you die with.
We do not have to try to be humble. We just have to try to please Krishna.
The origin of the word “relationship” is a Latin word meaning “carry back,” implying give and take. We see this give and take in Bhagavad-gita verses 10.8–11.
The devotees worship Him with all their hearts, and He gives them knowledge.
Remember: The relationships between devotees are always more important than points of philosophy or the task at hand.
Words are hard to retract. They are like arrows.
Four stages of learning:
unconscious incompetence
conscious incompetence
conscious competence
unconscious competence
Srila Prabhupada said, “Are you here to serve or disturb?”
Intimacy grows in time.
When Srila Prabhupada left this world, I was just a devotee for a few years, and I did not cry. But when Tamal Krishna Goswami, who was a friend for many years, left suddenly, I cried for many days.
If you criticize someone, the laws of nature will not allow you to stay with that person. Pick who you want to criticize, and you will not hang out with him.
Peter Burwash as a young tennis professional, gave $1000 to a temple president who took it and left. When he met Srila Prabhupada and asked him about it, Srila Prabhupada said, “Do not blame the agent of your karma.” Peter Burwash made that understanding a pillar of his life.
“Nobody should criticize anyone. Because everyone is engaged in the service of the Lord, according to one’s capacity, and the thing is, Krishna wants to see how much one is sincere in rendering Him service.” (Srila Prabhupada, from a letter to Tamala Krishna written on August 19, 1968)
comment by Tulasirani Devi: Sivarama Swami said being bitten by a poisonous snake can end our body but offending a Vaishnava can harm our spiritual life for many births.
If we are offended, it is good to resolve it.
When you hear a devotee criticized… . Say something positive about the person being criticized or leave. Don’t gang up on the person being criticized and especially do not repeat what you heard (except in extreme cases, and then only to appropriate persons). Three ways to appreciate Vaishnava: Talk about Krishna’s names, pastimes, service, etc., with them. Serve them. Find the good in them.
The only way to get the best of an argument is to avoid it.
Show respect for others’ opinions.
Never tell someone they’re wrong. If you are wrong, admit it quickly and emphatically. Begin in a friendly way, and admit it quickly.
Do not condemn, criticize, or complain. If we are thinking that we want to have better relationships with devotees, Krishna will see that and reciprocate.
It never good to be angry at a devotee. Only if it is controlled and one is an acknowledged trainer, can one use anger with a devotee.
I once addressed my godsister, “Mother Yamuna.” Yamuna replied, “Yes, Father Kalakantha.”
When we start revealing our minds to persons of another gender, we cross the line of appropriate behavior, except in the case of a guru-disciple relationship.
We can respect all Vaishnavas, but we must choose who to reveal our mind to and who to respect from a distance.
If a grhastha asrama is not financially independent then it is not a grhastha asrama.
It takes a lot of endeavor to find the right partner for a Krishna conscious marriage.
If you enter into a marriage thinking I am going to serve this person in this way, this way, and this way, then it works. In the grhastha asrama, one advantage is that you naturally develop a service attitude for others.
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