Serving Krishna full time or through duties! Which is better?
A Girl devotee asked like this:
“Hare krishna Anna I want to ask that Dhruva finally desired simply to be a servant of Krishna, but for His part the Lord wished Dhruva to take kingdom and a spiritual planet within this universe and be its ruler. So why Krishna takes such decisions for devotees which are against their wills. A devotee one who is desiring to be a His servant forced to become a ruler????? !!!!!!! isn’t it really frustrating?”
REPLY:
It is not frustrating, but fascinating!
Actually, Krishna knows which life is good for us. He knows all our previous births and karma involved in those births.
So, Krishna decides which is the best status for us. It need not be the same that we expected. We do not know what we did in our previous births. So, we may develop some desires innocently.
(Social Service and Karma Yoga – Does Krishna consider them equally? READ HERE!)
Dhruva is actually a prince, ie, son of the King Uttanapada with his second wife Suruchi. The king was indifferent with his second wife Suruchi and son Dhuruva.
Now, your question.
Krishna is very firm in one of His instructions in the third chapter and throughout Bhagavad Gita.
What is that?
“Do not abandon your assigned duties (Svadharma). Perform them dedicating the results to me.”
Serving Krishna full time or through duties! Which is better?
Dhuruva has come in the lineage of rulers, ie, kshatriyas. So, his assigned duty is to rule. His father was indifferent to Dhuruva’s mother. So, Dhuruva wanted to surrender to Krishna. Krishna, knowing his being a kshatriya wanted Dhruva to rule.
Since Dhuruva is a sincere devotee of Krishna, He will get Krishna even as a ruler.
(Will Performing our Prescribed duties, ie, Karma Yoga give rebirth? READ HERE!)
Dhuruva’s story is an example for the fact that one can get Krishna even while performing his assigned duties.
Taking the kingdom of Dhruva Loka is not a barrier for Dhuruva to be a devotee of Krishna.
So, He accepted Dhuruva loka as a blessing of the Lord and remembered Krishna even as the controller of Dhruva Loka.
Krishna never asks His devotees to abandon their assigned duties.
Performing the assigned duties without attachment to results and following devotion is better than Following devotion after renouncing his assigned duties.
(Karma Yoga, Gnana Yoga and Bhakti Yoga – Which is the best one to follow? READ HERE!)
Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita (5-2):
“The work renouncement (sanyasa) and Karma Yoga – both are good for liberation. But, Karma Yoga is better than Sanyasa, the renouncement of work.”
Thus, Krishna encourages the people of every varna to perform their assigned duties.
Performing one’s assigned duties is not a barrier to go back to Krishna.
We can see many examples in the literatures for those who performed assigned duties and also got Krishna.
Krishna made the Pandavas to perform their assigned duty of protecting their country by fighting a war with Kauravas.
He did not advice them to desert the duties and go to the forest as sanyasis.
The King Janaka, the father of Sita devi was a great devotee who remained as the king performing his assigned duties. King Janaka also got the Lord Himself as his Son in law by ruling his country as per kshatriya dharma.
Though he got Lord Rama as his son in law, he did not quit his duties as a king.
(What is the difference between Karma Yoga, Gnana Yoga and Bakthi Yoga? READ HERE!)
Though Krishna lived in the palace of Nandha Maharaja, He did not advice Nandha Maharaja to desert his duties of proteting cows as yadhava.
Akrura, the commander in chief of Vrishni dynasty was the pure devotee of Krishna.
Bhishma deva functioned as a kshatriya with Duryodhana, but, remained a great devotee of Krishna.
King Parikshit, the descendant of Pandavas was also a great devotee of Krishna.
Have you seen in any place where Krishna instructed someone to quit his duties and come to Him?
You can’t see.
Krishna will accept though you perform your assigned duties and follow devotion to Krishna. You need not quit the actions. Quit just the attachments.
(Should a devotee work as karma yoga as he is a Bhakti Yogi? READ HERE!)
Like Janaka, Dhuruva too can get the Lord while ruling Dhuruva loka.
Krishna gave Him part of His universe itself. How big this boon is!
Why do you see this inferior to live with Krishna?
Dhuruva has become a star, ie, part of the creations of Krishna. This is not an ordinary boon. Dhuruva is now serving the Lord as a star. As an additional boon, Krishna allowed Dhuruva’s mother also to be in Dhuruva Loka.
If you serve Krishna from your home, your home will become the Goloka Vrindavana.
Similarly, for Dhuruva, that star itself is the Goloka Vrindavana.
For Janaka, Mithila itself is vaikunta.
Thus, true devotees of Krishna make their place of living as the living place of Krishna.
Serving Krishna as an administrator of His creations is better than serving Krishna directly. If Yama likes to serve Krishna directly in Goloka, what will happen? So, Yama finds more happiness in fulfilling the duties entrusted by Krishna.
(Tips to Convert our Material Career as Karma Yoga Working for Krishna! READ HERE!)
A true devotee of Krishna does not pray even for a life with Krishna in Goloka. He prays for the opportunity to serve Krishna wherever they are.
This is the quality of pure devotees. That is, Praying for the service of Krishna. Wherever they are. They leave it to the discretion of Krishna.
If Krishna orders Dhruva to become a star among His creations, how great it is!
Doing what Krishna said is greater than living with Krishna.
Even for us, following Bhagavad Gita is better than living with Krishna.
For great devotees, even a life with Krishna is not at all a goal. If Krishna gives it, they accept. If Krishna wants them to do something else, it is greater than living with Krishna.
If a devotee is able to do something, Krishna uses him in his service. He found the skills of Srila Prabhupada and used him in his service.
He allowed me too to do this online service since the year 2011 taking my ‘business barrier’ away from me. I did not consider the loss of my business as the act of Krishna against me. I am happy that Krishna is doing something in my case to engage me more in His service.
This mindset will give us eternal peace and bliss.
Hope you have understood about Serving Krishna full time or through duties!
(Work Renouncement (Sanyasa) and Karma Yoga – Which Krishna says, is better? READ HERE!)