Unable to grow in both Material duties & Service to Krishna? Tips!
A Girl devotee (Name hidden) asked like this:
“Hare krishna. Dandavat Pranam prabhuji. I got full time service in temple. But if I go to temple and do service for a day, due to my tamo guna, I can’t be able to concentrate on my material duties. My mind creates thought like surrender and stops me doing my duties. But If I go to full service for a week or month, my mind doesn’t let me go to temple too. Its like i m stuck in middle, not doing bhakti or material duties. So I’m not going to temple for past 2 months.
I really want to do bhakti and go to goloka at this birth itself. I don’t set any material goals for me. Really I have one aim, that is bhakti. For doing bhakti, I have decided not to go for job as It will take my time I need to spend for bhakti. I m unmarried too.
I just started YouTube channel and starting posting shorts on bhakti content. its been 30 days I have created and posting daily on it. On the other side,I have often been occupied by guilt feeling for not going to temple, which again stops my duties to do in home itself. I am really stressed because of these kind of confusions. At present I m just reading books of prabhupada everyday. Nothing else I do. we have deity at home so I offer Prasad daily. No chanting because my mind won’t let me to do chanting too. Please help me to find solution for it. Thank you prabhuji. Hari bol!!!”
REPLY:
You are in a totally confused state now.
You like to do full time service at temple. But you are pulled towards material duties also. Because of this, you are focusing in neither material duties nor full time devotion.
You have dedicated yourself in all activities without having full interest in it.
Before becoming fully prepared to do full time services in temple, you chose to do it (because others do?).
Before deserting attachments with material life, you chose to do material duties (because you don’t like to lose material happiness?)
You have not evaluated yourself genuinely in all aspects.
(Serving Krishna full time or through duties! Which is better? READ HERE!)
Unless you take a clear decision, it may make you feel later in life.
See, a devotee should first protect him/ her financially.
Devotional service will definitely give Krishna, no doubt.
It will happen tomorrow.
But, today, in the next few hours, you need to take some food to maintain your body and soul together.
For that, you should make yourself ready for the food and shelter that you will require throughout the life.
Only using this body, you have to get Krishna.
If there is a temple, it should be painted, washed and maintained till the temple exists.
Our body is also a temple where Krishna lives.
So, we too have to maintain this temple of body properly.
To maintain this body, we need food, cloth and shelter.
To get food, cloth and shelter, we need money.
(Spiritual Kama & Material Kama – Differences! READ HERE!)
To earn money, we need a source of earning without depending on others – parents, siblings, husband, etc., because human relations are temporary only. One day, we will be left alone.
So, one should first work and earn to maintain his existence in this body.
Here comes the advice.
Don’t just stop with earning. Perform the devotional practices that only the humans can do.
What are they?
Dedicating our heart, resources and time for Krishna.
Practice the Vaidhi bhakti, ie, devotional practices regularly and properly. Chant as much as possible, offer food to Krishna, Offer worship and follow the four regulative principles.
While following these devotional practices, stage by stage, develop unalloyed pure love for Krishna.
Work for Krishna; Serve His devotees to the possible level; Serve the temple whenever possible by giving a regular commitment of service to the temple.
(How can a student excel in devotion and studies simultaneously? READ HERE!)
This is the best way to manage both your material as well as spiritual life.
Unless you balance your duties and devotional practices/ services, you may end up in confusion and then frustration.
Since you are a girl, it is good for you to marry a devotee boy and then serve the temple along with him.
But, though the temples offer some salary for some full time devotees, alternatively it is good to arrange earning jobs for you and your future husband and then serve as much as possible in the temples in extra time without getting salary.
If you stay full time in the temples, if you happen to stay outside the temple one day, at that time, you may need money to live and pay rentals or EMI for house. Later, you may get a child. You may have to spend for the studies of child.
Thus, many demands will be there. You should be prepared to face them.
(Is avoiding Chanting because of household duties wrong? READ HERE!)
So, in all considerations, it is good for you to have some earnings for your own and family maintenance.
So, my advice to you is:
Don’t confuse yourself by desiring to serve full time in temples as well as having material goals. One can’t be a full time devotee having material goals also simultaneously.
Becoming a full time devotee servant is a noble desire. But, you need to have material detachment to avoid interference of material desires in your devotional service. If you become a full time devotee, ensure that you can manage your needs till you leave this world. If such conviction does not come, please start earning and manage yourself first. Follow devotion simultaneously. This alone can be a good idea for the unmarried girl devotees.
Finally, don’t skip material duties to follow devotion; Simply balance the Material duties and Service to Krishna
Similarly, don’t skip devotion to fulfil material duties.
Follow material duties for maintaining your body;
Follow sincere devotional practices for maintaining yourself, ie, athma to free it from this body.
Keep this GOLDEN ADVICE as a policy for this life.
Hope you are clear about what to do if you are unable to grow in both Material duties & Service to Krishna!
(Improving in devotion but weakening in studies. What to do? READ HERE!)