Path Of A Devotee

The path of a devotee is riddled with trials and tests, but he is unwavering as he continues in the name of the lord. The most important thing is sharing the lord and his holy name with others. But how do we do this? First we must develop a sense of desire for Krishna and to get closer to him. This only comes by chanting his holy name and allowing him to cleanse us of material desires. Singing the name of the lord naturally removes the dirt of material desires and their unending pull at our soul.

As we become aware of Krishna, we automatically become aware of our soul and the need to be immersed in Krishna Consciousness. We also come to know ourselves better. We come to know who we are and just what Krishna wants us to do with ourselves. However there is a pitfall there...material desire! The stubborn material desires still continue to creep in and cover the mirror of the soul, like smoke over a looking glass. This can cause us to stumble into sin and keep us from serving Krishna fully.

Unfortunately this is a staunch reality. Even the greatest of devotees face the pull of material desires and tend to stumble. But with discipline and sincere devotion to Krishna, we can overcome the obstacles of material desire and finally walk in the path of devotion. The Lord is patient with us and can allow us to be reborn into a righteous family if it is necessary. This will allow us to find Bhakti (devotional service) more fully and save us from the endless cycle of birth and death.

However, if we serve the lord with all sincerity in this life, walking with him to the best of our ability and remembering him at the hour of death, we will attain His Abode; going back to him and never returning to material life again. This is the gift given only to those who surrender to Krishna. Albeit many souls who attain to the gods find Krishna in the spiritual sky more often than they do from earth. But if they do not, they are born into a righteous family again. They have the chance in that new life as well.

As devotees, we have the responsibility of sharing Krishna with as many as will hear. We should not seek to upset the knowledge of the less intelligent, but rather by chanting his name and reaching out to the righteous, we find the rare opportunity to please the lord by talking about him with one another and with the unbelieving, who appear receptive. This is the true path of the virtuous devotees. We should surrender to the instruction of the spiritual masters, ever remembering the name of Krishna, singing thus:

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna 

Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

Hare Ramah Hare Ramah

Ramah Ramah Hare Hare

Continuing In The Way

Life holds many trials and tests. It can seem very difficult to follow The Lord and remain true to our faith. But we can't let circumstances control the outcome of our lives. We must be consistent and faithful. Faith does not require effort, it requires letting go, which is the easiest thing to do. We just quit our emotions, our doubts, our calculations and all our estimated plannings. We must chant the name of The Lord and just let go. This always leads to inner peace. Faith is the gift to all peoples and creatures. Little children know how to let go. It is a natural function which we can learn to surrender to as we grow.

This can be one of the most complicated truths to embrace, because it's so simple and so free. Anybody; believer, agnostic and atheist alike can surrender to the nature of life and find inner peace. Even the gentle Hindu is quite often found guilty of condemning the agnostic or atheist. But when we truly learn to let go, we find internal peace and don't give any consideration to the judgment of others. We simply become placid and receive total relaxation. There is nothing more important than this. As believers in Krishna, we are supplied with the means of obtaining this inner peace.

Krishna gives the mantra for our benefit. We utter His Name and are soothed by the repetition of it. This is another natural function we are inclined to seek, which can cause us to find relaxation and clarity. The Lord knows best. We were created to glorify him and sing his name. It brings ultimate joy and serenity. So many things plague our minds and cause us to question life and make us get up in arms. This is not necessary, because the lord wants us to surrender to him and be naturally happy. Sure there are alien visitors, there are government conspiracies, but they are not more important than our spirituality.

Just let go and sing the names of Krishna: "hare krishna hare krishna krishna krishna hare hare hare ramah hare ramah ramah ramah hare hare". This is true peace! This is how we attain happiness in life. Don't let the questions of life keep you from the answers! When we give in to our true nature as spiritual beings, all life's answers come to us naturally. Our constitutional position becomes clear and we don't worry about things we don't have the answers to. Not that we won't one day know them, because they are important. But our happiness must be first. Our joy is the now.