The right mood

When talking about the 9 processes of bhakti, our acaryas give considerable attention to kirtan. Now, in his Bhakti-sandarbha, Srila Jiva Gosvami says, sankirtan (kirtan done together with many others) is even superior to kirtan. The reason he gives is that sankirtan creates delightful devotional feelings. Sankirtan creates such feelings when it is done in the right mood. What is that right mood? It is a mood of humility, really. It is the mood of ”I can’t do this alone. I’m trying and I’m failing. I see this.” And then what will the devotee do? He or she will pray. A proud person, on the other hand, won’t pray. Maybe they do it in a forced, ritualistic way, copying someone else, ticking off a box. Someone with humility, though, will pray to Krsna during sankirtan.

Question: What does ‘like-minded association’ mean? There are different ways in which we can consider ourselves alike.

Answer: This is a term coined by Srila Rupa Gosvami – sa-jatiya in Sanskrit. Now, the beauty about bhakti is, it speaks to the very advanced level, but it speaks to us also. On the very advanced level, ‘like-minded’ refers to devotees who are in the same rasa. They are like-minded, because they feel they want to serve Srimati Radharani and/or Krsna in the madhurya rasa or other rasas.

Here’s another example of like-minded: in Europe, many devotees are secret soccer fans. They are like-minded on that level – rooting for the same soccer team. That is not what we are looking for. We are looking for like-minded association with those who address that part in us which is for spiritual growth.

I personally like the Vrndavana lovers. The whole idea of Vraja, where Krsna is feeling so much at home is very sympathetic to me. And others are like-minded in different ways, and so they like their association very much. But the basis should be like-mindedness in growth. If you look for a friend, look for someone who’s like-minded, who has the same interest in spiritual growth as you have. And if you can find someone who’s a little bit more advanced, that is even better. For a devotee, that should be easy, because he or she doesn’t feel himself very advanced. And snigdha, it should be someone who has affection for you.

That is so important – he or she likes you the way you are. Affection is very important in the in the cultivation of bhakti. This is not about avoiding only offenses against devotees. No we should go on the positive side by actually liking devotees. You see the devotees, you see they are interested in chanting Hare Krsna, and there should be affection.  

Form a lecture by Sacinandana Swami at New Vrndavana, May 18, 2023.

Srila Prabhupada: He Incessantly Tries

Only Krsna can deliver us from this material existence. Indeed, He is always trying to deliver us. Isvarah sarva-bhutanam hrd-dese ’rjuna tisthati. He is within our hearts and is not at all inattentive. His only aim is to deliver us from material life. It is not that He becomes attentive to us only when we offer prayers to Him. Even before we offer our prayers, He incessantly tries to deliver us. He is never lazy in regard to our deliverance. Therefore this verse says, bhuri-karunaya namo ’layaya. It is the causeless mercy of the Supreme Lord that He always tries to bring us back home, back to Godhead. God is liberated, and He tries to make us liberated, but although He is constantly trying, we refuse to accept His instructions (sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja). Nonetheless, He has not become angry. Therefore He is described here as bhuri-karunaya, unlimitedly merciful in delivering us from this miserable material condition of life and taking us back home, back to Godhead.

From Srila Prabhupada’s purport on Srimad-Bhagavatam 8.3.17.