Questions And Answers: Emotions / Pride

Does pride come before a fall?
Questioner: Anonymous
Date: 2022-07-28
Jayapatākā Swami: With a little success, the spiritual master may praise us a little bit or something.
We think that, actually, “oh…”, we get a little bit, may experience suddenly a little bit spurt of ecstasy or something and think of, “Oh, we’ve already made it.”
Then we become somehow relaxed again and get in trouble.
So, until one actually gets pure Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that means realizes the eternal dhāma and Kṛṣṇa directly, which at, which time then one does not fall into ignorance, because one too mad in love for Kṛṣṇa.
To do so, then one has to be careful with his intelligence, with one’s intelligence, not to become proud, not to become careless, not to become hopeless.
Upadeśāmṛta gives nice instruction on this.
If the spiritual master is present, then of course one can ask the spiritual master, otherwise take shelter of older Godbrothers, senior Godbrothers to uh… that’s the meaning of association.
I know before I do any type of new service, I always like to discuss with senior Vaiṣṇavas and get their opinion also.
Just to be sure.
Since they are there, fortunately enough, they usually they give their approval, but they also sometimes add new dimensions.
With Kṛṣṇa is unlimited, one can see part of Kṛṣṇa and yet there are so many other parts yet to be seen.
So, someone else may see some other part.
In this way, Kṛṣṇa is unlimited.
No one can claim that he knows the whole truth.
Even if someone realizes Kṛṣṇa but still Kṛṣṇa is unlimited.
He may realize only one part of Kṛṣṇa.
Or he will see… that person will see certain qualities; which another will see even other qualities.
And in this way the devotees can continue discussing about Kṛṣṇa without any end,
because each devotee is having newer and newer realizations from different uh, you can say different angles.
Because Kṛṣṇa is unlimited.
In this regard, if you read the description of the Guṇḍicā-mārjanam, the purports of Bhaktisiddhānta,
which is dealing with, you know first of all, one picks up all the leaves and the twigs, Lord Caitanya picked them up and then cleaned them with His own cloth.
And they swept with brooms and washed with water and they came in and finally with the little nail… fingernails, or with twi… other twigs, something they would pick out the crack of the stones.
Although the dust was still in there.
So it’s not really that, subtle, subtle māyā has come.
But it is like, first you have to clean all the twigs and branches.
You go back and see, some dust on the floor.
Then you sweep it.
And then you see well even after you have swept, still there is like, you know, what can’t be swept, then you wash it, and even after you washing, then in the cracks…
In the purport, Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that, like this the devotee cleans and so one has to keep clean, and when one gets down to the cracks,
that means that even that devotee at that point, the devotee has completely given up all desire for fruitive activity.
Yet that aroma, in other words, that, “So you alright, you have given up the desire, but the habit is there from so long to think fruitively, to act fruitively, to think of profit and loss that if one acts or even thinks that,
‘Well, let me do some type of business for Kṛṣṇa.’,
that the danger is there that because the habit already is like they are so strong, even though you are doing the same activity,
that, that is so dangerous, that then one can again become fruitively involved.”
So, one has to become careful and understand all these things and then if properly dovetail everything, then…
We see that so many devotees, “I want to do a business for Kṛṣṇa,”
and then what happens, they do the business, then they make some money, then they say, “Well, I can’t actually give to Kṛṣṇa money now, I have to reinvest it first of all,
and then you know build up a little capital and …” it goes on like that, then you know before you know it after three years,
he still hasn’t given any money to Kṛṣṇa, fallen down from regulative principles and then you know… It happens like that sometimes, so…
Of course if one desires to do business for Kṛṣṇa, of course a gṛhastha has to do business,
and if one does business and he actually gives the fruits to Kṛṣṇa,
knowing that uh, how dangerous this fruitive activity is, that uh, if one does that type of profitable work and doesn’t give the fruit to Kṛṣṇa,
the danger of becoming again attached to profit, the whole material fruitive mood again may pollute him.
So, you see in that the great devotees of Lord Caitanya, that they were very careful.
Most of them were very careful in doing their business to give, of course in those days they would give 50% of their income to Kṛṣṇa
or to worshiping the Ganges or to the Vaiṣṇavas or something.
To give a strict amount, taking that whatever comes by Kṛṣṇa’s mercy.
Even today, in India, you find people come and they pray to Lord Jagannātha that, “If you make my business a success, I’ll give you half.”
And then they get a little success may they go and give half to Jagannātha.
And then they get more and more like this, they build it up Him as their partner.
There even a story how… there even a popular play, how someone prayed like that and then what happened is then he didn’t give the half.
So, then Kṛṣṇa came by and said, it is a movie.
What a kind of movie Kṛṣṇa came (laughter) and said,
“Where’s my half?” (laughter)
“I’ll give it to you but just, just very little, you know, a little later” and it went on like that.
Some concocted you know, but they have that idea that like to give half to Kṛṣṇa.
Even the regular karmīs.
So, in this play, he kept putting Kṛṣṇa off and finally in the end, he didn’t give, Kṛṣṇa just took everything away.
I didn’t see it.
I heard about it.
I thought it was pretty funny.
He prayed to the Deities and they didn’t explain, the Deity would keep coming, either in a dream or in person.
He didn’t pay up.
So, He took it all. (laughter)
Of course, Kṛṣṇa does not have to come and collect that person. Ordinary people don’t have that fortune.
You have seen in Jagannātha Purī, that big red flag sometimes on top of the temple?
Someone promises that if this happens, I will put a red flag on the temple.
Which is… which is not so easy as it looks, because to climb up on top of Jagannātha Purī temple and put a flag, it’s not like there is a lift.
There is no inside stairway, you have to climb up, yeah, there isn’t even any roof to hold you on.
They hire someone to do it, but people have, not come back. (break)
What happens is if we clean up once, and we think well, we have picked up all the things and came out, dumped it outside,
and then we come back and look a little close, and, “Oh” then you sweep.
Guṇḍicā-mārjana is a very good for devotees to read.
Very nice instruction is there.
Category: [Emotions / Pride]
How can we appear humble when we have received a little bit of mercy by the Lord? Because of this mercy, we are having the great desire of giving to others this message and we are trying to show boldness and some enthusiasm, so sometimes people take this enthusiasm for pride. So how can we appear to be more humble in front of them?
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-09-25
Jayapatākā Swami: When you put the butter on the fire and then keep it on the heat,
then as it stays simmering in the heat, automatically the impurities come off to the top.
The more that you go on giving the mercy out, then naturally Kṛṣṇa gives the spiritual intelligence.
teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ
bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam
dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ taṁ
yena mām upayānti te
(Bg. 10.10)
He gives intelligence how to advance in the devotional service.
There are some people who, they’ll will always find criticisms against the devotees;
those are the people who don’t get Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mercy.
The other thing is that we should remain humble.
Because even if we may have a drop of mercy,
that mercy is only by the mercy of Guru and Kṛṣṇa, and we have yet so much further to go.
So, when we realize how much further we must still progress on the path, then how can we help but be humble?
We may feel little enthusiasm after serving, but that enthusiasm is simply the first step.
Beyond that there is so much higher realizations that we still must achieve.
Category: [Emotions / Humility], [Emotions / Pride], [Sādhanā / Preaching]
How do we give up our false ego, particularly in difficult or challenging situations with other devotees?
Questioner: Nandapriyā Premā devī dāsī
Date: 2022-10-17
Jayapatākā Swami: The false ego is [inaudible word] identify our self as the body.
If someone tells us, “Oh, you are ugly!”
We are affected
that is false ego.
If someone tells, “Oh, you are beautiful!”
and we are affected—that is false ego.
So people can say different things,
but we don’t take it so serious.
Because we know that, it is temporary.
And we want to realize our real ego which is as a servitor of Kṛṣṇa.
So false ego is a very subtle thing that ties us to this material world.
So Kṛṣṇa, He gives certain instructions to Arjuna in Bhagavad-gītā;
so that he can overcome the false ego,
and by dovetailing our ego in the service of Kṛṣṇa,
that is a positive situation
for instance, Arjuna was a father,
he was a householder, he was a prince,
he was a general, in charge of the army.
So Kṛṣṇa did not tell him that you should give up everything and be a sannyāsī,
rather He said, you should carry out your duties as what you are;
but you should do so as an offering to Me.
So Lord Caitanya also said, “gṛhe thāko vane thāko sadā hari bole ḍāko”
Whether you are gṛhastha or a mendicant,
you should chant Hare Kṛṣṇa
loudly and stay fixed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Category: [Vaiṣṇava Dealings / Vaiṣṇava-qualities], [Vaiṣṇava Dealings / Etiquette / Sadācāra], [Vaiṣṇava Dealings], [Sādhanā / Philosophical questions], [Emotions / Pride], [Anarthās]
I always look for some recognition for the work I do which may be either spiritual or material like "Why not me? Why not that service be given to me?" How to leave this pride behind and serve you and Gaurāṅga wholeheartedly?
Questioner: Bhaktin Kavita
Date: 2022-07-30
Jayapatākā Swami: We don’t think, that if we do anything right, it is for our credit.
We think that is by the mercy of guru and Kṛṣṇa
and therefore we are able to do something nice.
So that way we don’t get falsely proud.
If we make a mistake, we take the blame.
If we do something nice
we give credit to guru and Kṛṣṇa.
Category: [Emotions], [Emotions / Pride]
I am divided in my desire to surrender completely to Mahāprabhu. Sometimes, there is a desire for name and fame. Also there are the expected responsibilities of married and working individuals. What should I do ?
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2022-09-14
Jayapatākā Swami: Since this verse is about Dhruva Mahārāja
and he was the great grandson of Lord Brahmā.
The grandson of Svāyambhuva Manu.
So Manu was obviously a gṛhastha.
He was grandfather of Dhruva,
he also was the father of the mother of Kapila Muni.
And so it is said that he went back to Godhead.
But he was a gṛhastha
he had children, he had responsibilities,
but he did everything Kṛṣṇa consciously.
When he did his things, he did everything thinking of Kṛṣṇa.
So like that our gṛhasthas sometimes have deities in their house.
They may have Jagannātha Baladeva Subhadrā, Nitāi-Gaura,
so by doing their daily activities in a Kṛṣṇa conscious way they can balance.
We should always remember that our prime duty is to serve Kṛṣṇa.
But we may have other duties.
Those we do in a Kṛṣṇa conscious way
and that way we always stay under Kṛṣṇa’s shelter.
In the 10th topic of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it says āśraya.
We want to be under the shelter of Kṛṣṇa.
So we pray to the Deities as gṛhasthas, that we want to have a Kṛṣṇa conscious healthy, long lived suputra or putrī.
Only gṛhasthas can have children.
Brahmacārīs, vānaprasthas, sannyāsīs no children.
It says if your child becomes Kṛṣṇa conscious and goes back to Godhead, putra or putrī,
then if they go back to Godhead, 14 generations will go, also, minimum,
7 backward and 7 forward.
Kṛṣṇa is very grateful.
I have one family they said we don’t know if we will go or not but please train our son in Kṛṣṇa consciousness so he goes back.
If you think, oh I have a responsibility for my parents who are sick, old,
you think I will help them to remember Kṛṣṇa
or remember Rāma, that is the interest.
In this way our service, our responsibility, is Kṛṣṇa conscious.
Bhakti-yoga is very practical.
We want - everything will be naturally balanced because we do everything in a Kṛṣṇa conscious way.
Hare Kṛṣṇa!
Category: [Sādhanā / Sevā], [Sādhanā / Philosophical questions], [Sādhanā], [Karma / Desires], [Emotions / Pride], [Emotions / Confusion]
We see how the associates of Lord Caitanya were certainly worthy recipients of the Lords mercy. Sometimes, we as sādhakas, also unjustly feel that we deserve mercy. How to avoid this?
Questioner: Rasapriyā Gopīkā devī dāsī
Date: 2022-10-17
Jayapatākā Swami: We don’t think we are worthy of the Lord’s mercy,
that’s why it’s causeless mercy.
We don’t see ourselves as the cause.
Rather we have no such qualities,
and the Lord, if He gives us His mercy,
that is His blessing.
One disciple at the Kumbha-melā asked Śrīla Prabhupāda,
you said that one gets devotional service,
if they have done all these spiritual practices.
But in my life when I look back, I don’t see any such qualifications,
how did I get devotional service?
Śrīla Prabhupāda said, “I made your good fortune for you”.
Category: [Anarthās], [Emotions / Pride], [Mercy], [Sādhanā / Philosophical questions]
What is the right mood to accept our own glorification from other devotees ?
Questioner: Harṣavardana Gaurāṅga dāsa
Date: 2022-08-04
Jayapatākā Swami: We think how we are able to do some service by the mercy of guru and Kṛṣṇa.
And thus we stay humble.
Category: [Vaiṣṇava Dealings / Etiquette / Sadācāra], [Emotions / Pride], [Emotions / Humility]
Whenever I hear some class or reading regularly, I do feel Kṛṣṇa conscious at that point but the consciousness is so flickering that whenever we are interacting with someone or in personal relationships we go in that mood so how do we have the determined consciousness to shift from egocentric to Kṛṣṇa centric?
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-06
Category: [Emotions / Pride]
Categories