Everybody wants a solution to some problem they have. We are all looking for solutions to this difficulty or that difficulty.
Since the material world is full of all kinds of difficulties, there is no end to this search for solutions.
It’s fine to want to find solutions to problems that make it hard for us to advance in spiritual life, but sometimes we can get so caught up in the various possible “solutions” that we lose track of the real purpose, namely making spiritual advancement.
Everybody wants a solution to some problem they have. We are all looking for solutions to this difficulty or that difficulty.
Since the material world is full of all kinds of difficulties, there is no end to this search for solutions.
It’s fine to want to find solutions to problems that make it hard for us to advance in spiritual life, but sometimes we can get so caught up in the various possible “solutions” that we lose track of the real purpose, namely making spiritual advancement.
We try to make solutions to the problems of the economy, the wars, the environment, our own personal lives, trying to make comfortable arrangements, solve our personal problems, etc…
It goes on endlessly. It’s not possible to stop all the problems in our lives or the world because it’s the very nature of the material world that there will only be another problem once one is solved (even if you are able to actually solve it).
~~~
It’s Like Trying To Put Out A Raging Forest Fire With A Watering Can While Standing In The Middle Of It Alone.
~~~
So, while we are busy making sure our lives contain the things we need to be peaceful enough to concentrate on our spiritual progress, let’s make sure we don’t lose track of the fact that we could die at any moment, and if we have not properly prepared ourselves spiritually, we will be forced to take another birth in the material world.
If we do that, who knows what kinds of karma accrued from past lives will manifest then? We may have so many more problems to deal with than we do now…. things that possibly there will be no “finding solutions” to at all.
So, we need to keep our focus, (and make it the most important thing of all) on making spiritual progress in Krishna consciousness, and thus ending the need for material “solutions” all together.
Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare
Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare
: )
Navasi
* Navasi’s blog
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Comments
Thu, 05/01/2008 – 06:57 — Awe-Struck
Awe-Struck’s picture
True
Hare Krishna,
Yes, life is full of struggles and difficulties. Spending all our time hankering after material pleasures is simply absurd.
However, there are serious issues in the world outside which we do need to address: Take, for instance, the environmental depletion due to rapid deforestation, use of CFCs which thins the ozone layer, etc. Poverty, illiteracy, unemployment and starvation plague the masses in countries like India and Africa. Disasters like tsunamis, earthquakes and droughts add to the agony.
In my opinion, we must do what we can to try and eradicate these and other problems. Doing so will certainly lead to the betterment of mankind as a whole.
This, I’m sure, would please the Lord for, as the Sanskrit proverb goes, “Manava seva, madhava seva”, meaning “Service to man is service to God”.
Selfless work is, after all, fine devotional service.
Hare Krishna!!!
Awe-Struck
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Fri, 05/02/2008 – 06:11 — Navasi
Navasi’s picture
Prisoners All
Dear Awe-Struck,
Let’s first look at some of these issues that you are saying we need to address: take Poverty and Illiteracy for example.
Okay, poverty and illiteracy are real problems…. and, if somehow you are able to find a solution for them in your lifetime (and remember they have been around for hundreds and hundreds of years) but for the sake of this discussion, say you find a solution to them.
Then what? Well, the people who now have money, will use it to buy a better standard of living. That has not saved them from taking birth again in the material world, and again suffering from poverty (or some other result of bad karma).
The people who you teach to read, thus saving them from illiteracy, what will they then do with their ability to read… well, they will perhaps read educational materials and also create a better standard of living in this life, only to take birth again also. In their next birth, they will again suffer.
So, these are just examples of what I am saying in this blog, it’s very important to know what is the actual real way to help others and to help ourselves. The real way is to help people to become Krishna conscious, thus ending the need for repeated birth and death, and more and more suffering (especially if they have not used their human form of life to become Krishna conscious and thus have to take birth as animals).
That is the real service to mankind. It is fine to want to serve mankind, but we can only do that when we know what is the thing of real value, and that is to end suffering altogether, not put a temporary “band-aid” on it in this one life, only to have them take birth repeatedly and endlessly in the cycle of karma in this material world.
Srila Prabhupad explains this as being in a prison house, and trying to get a better prison cell. You can be a first class prisoner in the prison house and have a very nice cell, but you are still in the prison house. That’s this material world, it is the prison house, and though you may be able to assist someone in getting into a better cell in the prison house, they are still a prisoner.
So, much better to help them become free of the prison house, release them from prison. We do that by first understanding how to release our own selves, then we can help to free other prisoners.
Thank you for your comments, this discussion has been so interesting.
Hare Krishna : )
Navasi devi dasi
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Sat, 04/26/2008 – 02:35 — vraja isvari dd
vraja isvari dd’s picture
Hare Krishna mataji!!
Thank you for the very inspiring quotes.
Yes in this material world is full of suffering we cannot escape.In every step there is danger.The only solution to our problem is to chant the holy names of Lord with love and devotion.We must fixed our mind upon the lotus feet of Sri Krishna by that we can go back home back to him.Hare Krishna my obeisances to you.
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Sat, 04/26/2008 – 05:03 — Navasi
Navasi’s picture
Chanting
Very good Vraja Isvari devi dasi! : )
That’s exactly the reason I put the Maha Mantra at the end of this post, because it really is the Actual Solution.
I almost said “the real solution is” and then the mantra, but I decided to leave it this way and let the mantra make that statement for itself.
So, I am very happy to see you have commented on that aspect.
: )
Thank you, my obeisances to you also.
Hare Krishna
Navasi
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Mon, 04/14/2008 – 19:12 — Dhama Rupini
Dhama Rupini’s picture
Back to Godhead
Hare Krsna Navasi mataji,
Your blog entry is reflective of my thoughts. You’re quite right by stating that we’re all looking for a solution to some problem. It’s our nature to hanker over some material acquisition or to satisfy our material desires.
This world is filled of miseries, “dukhalayam” so why bother to try to make ourselves comfortable , or why bother with solving problems or accruing senseless material objects or gratifying our senses? Our mission is to focus on being servitors of Lord Krsna. What can we do to serve Krsna should be foremost on our minds and inculcating a deep personal relationship with Lord Krsna. We’re so caught up with this illusionary world and the “I” concept. We retreat into thinking at times that we’re in control. We should remember and recognise that Krsna is controller. Our mission should be to return to the Vaikunthas. One who goes to that holy abode in the Vaikunthas never has to take birth again in this material world. Such a person is called a mahatma. Our mission is to remove ourselves from this miserable world not focus on the trivialities of this world.
Thanks so much.
Haribol
Julia
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Tue, 04/15/2008 – 06:56 — Navasi
Navasi’s picture
Deep Personal Relationship With Krishna
Haribol Julia…
Wow, I just love that aspect of your comment! Your thoughts seem to be reflecting mine also…. these two things you said, they are just really the focus of my life right now:
“Our mission is to focus on being servitors of Lord Krsna. What can we do to serve Krsna should be foremost on our minds and inculcating a deep personal relationship with Lord Krsna.”
(of course that is the focus of most devotees … lol : )
Still, I really appreciated reading that and thank you so much for saying it.
A deep personal relationship with Krishna means SERVICE to Him, since that is our eternal, unchanging relationship with Krishna, so those two go hand in hand. Can’t have one without the other.
Excellent comment. Thank you 🙂
Navasi
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Mon, 04/14/2008 – 11:36 — sureshw
sureshw’s picture
Solution for the problems in material world
It is the grace of God which solves all the problems of a man devoted fully to God.
Suresh.Kumar.Wadhawan
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Tue, 04/15/2008 – 06:59 — Navasi
Navasi’s picture
Problem Solving God
Dear Suresh,
Yes, the man who is fully devoted to God will have all his problems solved in that he will be fully God/Krishna conscious. A fully Krishna conscious person is experiencing Krishna at all times, even within the material world. Therefore there is no actual “problem”, since being aware and experiencing Krishna is the greatest happiness for the soul.
However, even very great devotees have problems and suffering, (on the material level) it’s not that by devoting our lives to Krishna we will automatically be free from any material suffering.
Sometimes (lots of times actually) Krishna will put his devotees into distress just to help them become free from attachment to material things and to fully take shelter of Him in all circumstances.
It’s important to understand this because otherwise, when someone becomes devoted and surrendered to Krishna, and some suffering still comes their way, they will then wonder “oh, Krishna must not care about me, just see how I have devoted my whole life to Him, and still I am being forced to suffer”…
So, we have to realize that Real Suffering means to be Without Krishna, and Real Happiness means to be With Krishna (by remembering Him always and taking shelter of Him in all situations, be they good materially speaking, or bad).
Thank you for your nice comment : )
Navasi
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Tue, 04/15/2008 – 04:44 — Basurivala
Basurivala’s picture
no solution.. only aspiration
Dear All,
This is a wonderful note to discuss, true being materalistic everyone of us has some problem in life and we try to solve it, if its tough then we seek for help or look for help around corners whereever is possible. As one of friend said we all should have vaikunta as goal..to reach there we should be mahatma…being mahatma is not easy in this materalistic world..if we reached or reaching the level of mahatma..lets teach others how to go about it…so that ppl will have aspiration than looking for solution at corners…..:) hope i made sense
hare krsna
Chandu
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Tue, 04/15/2008 – 06:38 — Navasi
Navasi’s picture
Teaching
Dear Chandu,
You are making perfect sense. Your comment is very nice.
You are right, whatever we have learned about becoming Krishna conscious we should teach it to others to help them learn, so we can all get out of this material world.
We can do that in so many ways, but one way, which I feel you just helped to accomplish, is by trying to encourage others to change their aspiration from “looking for solutions at corners” to:
Looking for the solution to repeated birth and death (and the resulting endless empty corners).
Very good point. Totally makes sense in every way.
Thank you for sharing that with us.
Navasi
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Wed, 04/16/2008 – 06:27 — Snehal
Snehal’s picture
Another question
Hare Krishna!!
Do you really think our mission should be to free ourselves from material world and reach Vaikuntha?
I feel our mission in life should be to awaken our love for Krisna and re establish the forgotten relation with Him. If we are successful in doing this we will be automatically taken away from material world by Lord and will be given suitable place according to His desire. Wherever we are, either in material world or spiritual world ,is not serving Krisna our only eternal mission?
I might be wrong as I have very small intelligence and I m not advanced too. Please correct me.
Your servant,
Snehal.
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Wed, 04/16/2008 – 07:20 — Navasi
Navasi’s picture
What Is Material?
Dear Snehal,
You are absolutely right.
However, if you read my comment I am saying that we need to find a solution for repeated birth and death, and get out of the material world.
When we becoming purely Krishna conscious, we are no longer In The Material World, regardless of what planet we are on or what body we are in. (and thus we have found that solution). Nor are we subjected to the laws of karma (repeated birth and death).
A devotee who is situated in Pure Krishna consciousness exists with Krishna at all times, and therefore they are no longer in the material world.
Srila Prabhupad has said that for such a person, this material world itself becomes Vaikuntha…
As far as what our “mission” should be, our Mission should be whatever motivates us to serve Krishna, and remember our eternal relationship with Him. For everyone, at different stages of spiritual advancement, that will be different.
As I’m sure you are familiar with Bhagavad Gita, the section where it is described all the different types of people who approach Krishna, and they all come with different motives or “missions”… so any “mission” is fine, as long as it brings you closer to Krishna.
Navasi
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Wed, 04/16/2008 – 16:36 — Snehal
Snehal’s picture
Thank you
Hare Krishna!!
Mataji, thank you for that wonderful explaination.
Snehal.