Unable to follow bhakti due to Tamo & Rajo guna dominance? Tips!
A Girl devotee (Name hidden) asked like this:
“Hare Krishna prabhuji. First i was in tamo guna i was able to practice bhakti easily. but now I’m in rajo guna, i feel like im far from Iskcon and bhakti. i couldn’t able to do anything in bhakti. why? And I need some practical tips to improve my bhakti.
REPLY:
Ha ha… You yourself decide your Gunas and its changes.
Actually, only a siksha guru or diksha guru can clearly say the cause for the contaminations or barriers in the spiritual level of a devotee.
(Gunas (Modes) – Origin, Development & Causes! Complete Analysis! READ HERE!)
However, let me take it as a kind of innocent excuse from your side and reply your question:
We ourselves are the cause for all our problems. No one else.
Tamo guna or Rajo guna do not come to us from outside.
All three gunas are within us.
Unless we have a clear and strong conviction and resolution to be a satvik person, we can’t get the domination of satvik qualities.
If we are weak in having that strong conviction, spiritually negative gunas will occupy our mind.
Though Hiranya kasipu was a demon, his son Prahalada remained a pure devotee of the Lord. Since he was firm in his position as a devotee of the Lord Krishna, Hiranya Kasipu could not divert him though he faced life threats many times.
If a devotee is determined to follow devotion in any situation, he will follow though he Is facing objections from all other family members.
If a new Prime minister happens to be a strong man with no compromise in ethics, he will develop the country though all other previous prime ministers had spoiled the country.
If a woman is determined to lead a clean and dignified life, she can live with purity and dignity even in a street in which all other women are selling their bodies.
(How to become Satva Guna Persons by Identifying & Changing our Guna? READ HERE!)
Why these examples?
Determination clears all the barriers and blocks.
If you are strong in your desire to be a serious devotee and are convinced that there is nothing bigger than getting Krishna in this birth itself, you will follow devotion to Krishna though your gunas, all the senses disturb you.
The best example is Srila Prabhupada, founder acharya of ISKCON movement.
He had nothing except Rs.40 and a few volumes of his books when he left for America thru a cargo ship using a complementary travel ticket.
He faced heart attack twice while travelling. He didn’t have favourable environment while travelling.
Did he drop his plan to preach in America and all over the world?
Even after going to America, he did not have a comfortable place to stay. He was staying with hippies who were vomiting after drinking.
Just imagine, a pure devotee like Srila Prabhupada accepted all the unfavourable conditions as favourable to him and accepted all kinds of pains with a single goal:
“I should fulfil the orders of my Guru by preaching harinam all over the world”.
That’s all.
(Why satva guna is favorable to follow devotion to Krishna? READ HERE!)
He was strongly determined to fulfil the order of his guru to preach Krishna Consciousness all over the world.
So, his health issues, money issues, residence issues – nothing distracted him from his determination.
With no support, he was helplessly doing kirtans alone in a public park in a country that was totally new to him.
Reading Srila Prabhupada Lilamruta will definitely bring tears from our eyes while reading some of its pages.
Anyone who reads them will never get tired in his life in fulfilling his goal.
Such a motivating history he had!
Nothing distracted him from his mission of spreading the holy names of the lord all over the world.
Even myself faced maximum level of hurdles including life threats of health twice. I have written in this media how I managed preaching having a Laptop and mobile with me in the ICU of the hospital when I was in oxygen support. Krishna, as Narsimha deva, understanding my ONLY desire in my life and determination to serve Him and His devotees tirelessly, gave me life again.
Because I had a policy that I should never disappoint our devotees without reading my writings even a single day and I am following this since the year 2011. It may even be a Guinness record for a single person’s media doing online preaching service without a break for even a single day for such a long period.
So, He is giving me the knowledge and all the essential facilities and resources and even money thru our devotees to manage this service.
If you are 100% Sincere to serve Krishna, He will bless you 200%.
Krishna will support such a deep determination. He should get convinced that you are really dedicated.
So, you have to work in your determination to be a dedicated person in following Krishna consciousness in any situation.
You have not yet fully realized the highest importance of Krishna in our life that is rare to achieve.
You have not FULLY determined to take all efforts to get Krishna in this birth at any cost.
If you get Krishna, you will get everything else.
If you get all other things, but not Krishna, they are useless.
(How Only the Gunas act, not the persons as per Bhagavad Gita (14.19)? READ HERE!)
Krishna is the highest gift one can get in his lifetime.
So, review what I have written above.
Develop strong determination to get Krishna at any cost.
Pray to Him to clear the diversions and barriers because of your changing gunas.
Surrender all your gunas to Krishna and live peacefully chanting His Names and serving the lord and His devotees.
Find peace in these activities.
Your Tamo and rajo gunas will fail in disturbing you.
If you remain a sincere devotee of the Lord, your gunas will not disturb or affect you.
Even your Satva guna will not contaminate you by giving pride of being a good person.
Hope you are clear about being unable to follow bhakti due to Tamo & Rajo guna changes!
(Three Gunas (Modes) & Causes – Krishna’s Views in Bhagavad Gita! READ HERE!)