25 TIPS TO SERVE KRISHNA WITHOUT AFFECTING STUDIES!
A QUESTION ASKED BY A GIRL DEVOTEE:
“I am student… And my whole day spend in studies because I am weak in studies and I am not able serve Krishna as I want. what should I do… Please tell me Prabhu ji.. and one more thing that I can’t leave study because I am not belong to the rich family background.. I need to do job if I want to survive ..”
REPLY:
Just follow these twenty five tips TO SERVE KRISHNA WITHOUT AFFECTING STUDIES!:
(1) Study. Study. Study. Study well atleast till the age of 21-22. No second thoughts in this. It must be your prime duty during this period.
(2) Don’t reduce the time for studies. It is very very important for a good standing in this society and to safeguard yourself.
(USING OUR STUDIES AS SERVICE TO KRISHNA! SIMPLE TIPS! READ HERE!)
(3) I have already told in another post: No spiritual organization or temple who advise us to follow devotion, will not keep us when we become old or unmovable for any reasons. It is not possible and it is not their business also. Only we ourselves or our relatives have to clean our stool and saliva when we become bed ridden.
(4) The temples will give advice for a peaceful and meaningful life. That’s all. They can not arrange our earning sources. We only have to study well, earn well and take care of our own needs.
(5) Temples can not give you money when you are suffering in life because supporting the devotees financially is not the business of the temples.
So, every devotee has to safeguard himself/ herself. This is the ground reality.
(6) So, now, concentrate only in studies. Plan well. Understand the syllabus of every year well. Understand the nature of the question pattern of the exams. Make a perfect plan of studies accordingly. Make a time table to allot time for every subject.
(WHY FOLLOWING DEVOTION NEGLECTING PARENTS IS WRONG? – CASE STUDIES! READ HERE!)
(7) Then, study every chapter with a clean mind and mood.
(8) Develop writing skills and legible hand writing.
(9) Learn the art of writing the answers in the exam to attract any teacher who evaluates your paper.
(10) Thus, shine in studies. Aim for the top scores.
This must be your only target right now.
(11) You should also develop soft skills and choose your subject of your higher studies.
(12) To develop awareness in these aspects, you should update yourself reading good National English News papers.
(How can a student excel in devotion and studies simultaneously? READ HERE!)
(13) In addition to this, you should learn to face the competitive exams and personality tests, interviews, Group discussions, etc, by reading magazines and books for competitions and also watching the videos related to that.
Thus, you have plenty of tasks to do during your student age.
(14) Now, do not confuse yourself with the advanced concepts of devotion. It can be done once you start earning.
Till you complete your studies and get a job do the following things only:
(15) Every Sunday, attend the temple programs and attend arati, kirtan, classs, etc. One day – 3 hours a week is enough during student period.
(16) Spend just 30 minutes for chanting the holy names of Krishna with attention and love. Enough. Though you chant four rounds, do that without offences.
(Is targeting both Krishna and studies to be a top ranker wrong? READ HERE!)
(17) Just read Bhagavad Gita alone during the student period. Read just one sloka and purport every day. Enough now.
(18) Worship Krishna for just 3-5 minutes in your home daily.
(19) These performances and followings are sufficient during the student period.
(20) Do not rush for diksha (Initiation) during student period. You can not concentrate in dedicated devotional practices and studies simultaneoulsly.
Just be in regular touch with Krishna as mentioned above till you complete your studies.
(21) After studies, try your best to settle in a job within an year.
(22) After going to job, start involving in other devotional practices like ekadasi fasts, more number of chanting (say, up to 16 rounds), initiation, etc.
(I am unable to wake up early in the morning and unable to focus on studies. What to do? READ HERE!)
(23) While earning through your job, spend a small part of your earning for the service of Krishna. Distribute the books on Krishna and also support the services in the temples.
(24) By involving in devotion for 2-3 years like this, look for a bride/ groom with the equal devotional standing like you and marry.
Be firm in marrying a person of similar standing like you.
If it is difficult, marry atleast a god fearing person.
(25) Thus, you can manage your studies with a few devotional practices to be in touch with Krishna and then, after going to the job, increase the devotional practices.
If you follow these advices by me, you will shine in everything – studies, job and also devotional life.
Remember! Devotion is a gradual process that has different dimentions during different ages. A stable idea about your devotional practices will get established only during the age of middle twenties.
So, do not rush seeing others advancing in the devotion. You take serious devotion when you are prepared to manage yourself. You have the age and hence first strengthen your material standing and start to strengthen spiritual standing.
Be gradual, steady and strong.
Hope this helps you to SERVE KRISHNA WITHOUT AFFECTING STUDIES!
(15 tips to avoid loss of interest in studies and life because of devotion! READ HERE!)