Is following devotion in Solitude without association not effective?
A male devotee (Name hidden) asked like this:
“Please hide my Identity. Hare Krishna Prabhu, I have been reading your articles in krishna today website. It is very useful for spiritual practice development prabhu. I have a question regarding practising devotion in solitude.
In krishna consciousness is solitude allowed prabu? Is it okay to practice devotional practices in solitude (rarely attending satsang )? I am asking this question because I am not able to socialise with the devotees prabhu. I understand that satsang is important, but weekly once or 2 weeks once only we get satsang prabu, remaining time we should be alone only prabhu. I also read somewhere that we should not also travel alone. How to understand this prabhu? Hare Krishna!”
REPLY:
Devotion is not dependant on anyone or anything.
But, Devotion should be followed with a focused mind.
When will you get a complete focus on Krishna alone?
When there are no diversions of mind from Krishna!
(Is having association with friends of other religions & Sects wrong? READ HERE!)
When will you have no diversions?
When no one talks about mundane matters with you.
But what is the reality?
You are surrounded by materialistic people and also materialistic media everywhere.
Wherever you go – shop, office, home, etc., you will be bombarded with the attractive material stories and information.
Throughout the day, you will keep hearing materialistic contents only.
Then, how can you focus your mind on Krishna?
You will end up following mixed and coinfuded devotion, i.e, following a very attached life and also some attraction to Krishna.
Will that devotion be strong?
You will tell in front of Krishna’s pictures that He is the most beautiful person among those you know.
After performing Pujas, you will go to kitchen and will praise your wife that she is the most beautiful girl you have ever seen because you feel as if you need her support that night.
Tell me, how will you attain complete focus on Krishna in such a background?
You can’t live alone in this world. You have to depend on some persons for your food and shelter. So, you may have to interact with the outer world.
If you don’t have complete focus on Krishna, you will be forcibly diverted to materialistic way of life by those materialistic people whom you are meeting everyday.
(Practicing devotion alone or in Association – which is good? READ HERE!)
Here only comes Satsangha, ie, devotee association.
Srila Prabhupada says in Srimad Bhagavatham (1.5.29) Purport:
“And by the association of pure devotees only, one can get rid of all sins accumulated by mundane association.”
What will happen if you take more devotee association?
Atleast once or twice a week, you will be with the people who are always talking about Krishna.
When you take their association more, they will not stop with meeting once a week alone. They will call you or message you throughout the week and speak about Krishna.
So, once you start to take sathsangha actively, the devotees will engage you throughout the week. Not just on Sundays.
They will call you for the kirtans or family functions in their homes. There you will have kirtans.
Thus, you will start to get more calls and messages from devotees only. Other talks will gradually come down.
If you clearly declare that you are a serious follower of Krishna Consciousness, the material friends will start to talk to you healthy matters only, or, they may start to go away from you.
Nectar of devotion by Sri Rupa Gosvami says that a devotee should accept only the things favourable to devotional advancement and he should avoid the things that are not favourable to his devotional growth.
Srila Prabhupada says in Srimad Bhagavatham (1.10.11-12) Purport:
“The living being’s constitutional position is one of serving a superior. He is obliged to serve by force the dictates of illusory material energy in different phases of sense gratification. And in serving the senses he is never tired. Even though he may be tired, the illusory energy perpetually forces him to do so without being satisfied. There is no end to such sense gratificatory business, and the conditioned soul becomes entangled in such servitude without hope of release. The release is only effected by association with pure devotees. By such association one is gradually promoted to his transcendental consciousness. Thus he can know that his eternal position is to render service unto the Lord and not to the perverted senses in the capacity of lust, anger, desire to lord it over, etc. Material society, friendship and love are all different phases of lust. Home, country, family, society, wealth and all sorts of corollaries are all causes of bondage in the material world, where the threefold miseries of life are concomitant factors. By associating with pure devotees and by hearing them submissively, attachment for material enjoyment becomes slackened, and attraction for hearing about the transcendental activities of the Lord becomes prominent.”
Thus, when you start to take more satsangha, you will be contacted only by the devotees.
So, you will be forced to think more about Krishna throughout the day.
Some devotees will ask you whether you have completed that day’s chanting. You can’t lie for ever. So, out of guilt, you will start to chant more.
Seeing the devotional growth of your devotee friends, you too will get motivation to follow and grow faster in devotion to Krishna.
(Getting right devotee association in your surroundings! Frank Tips! READ HERE!)
Only our surroundings and friends determine our way of life.
There is a saying: “Tell who your friends are; I will tell about you.”
That means, your character and nature is decided by your friends and surroundings.
So, you can’t live alone in this world as I said above. You need to have some mpeople around you.
Let them be devotees! It will motivate you to grow faster in devotion.
Start to take weekly satsangha first. You will see that you are busy throughout the week talking to the devotees!
By taking such regular satsangha, you will get faster growth in devotion.
Association determines one’s life. If you want to go back to Krishna by following devotion without diversions, take devotee association.
One can’t grow in devotion without taking devotee association, ie,. Satsangha.
Be clear in this unchangeable fact.
(Proper way of having association with others to avoid material bonding! READ HERE!)