To Cross Over: Become detached from wealth and family

SB 3.25.39-40 — Thus the devotee who worships Me, the all-pervading Lord of the universe, in unflinching devotional service, gives up all aspirations to be promoted to heavenly planets or to become happy in this world with wealth, children, cattle, home or anything in relationship with the body. I take him to the other side of birth and death.

• unflinching devotional service
• engaging oneself in full devotional service
• accepting the Supreme Lord as all in all
• if one thus serves with unflinching faith, then one has achieved all other opulences and performed all other duties!
• (Above points from Srila Prabhupada's purport to this verse)
• gives up aspirations to be promoted to heavenly planets
• can I give up my aspiration to become a popular person, a well-known person, a person with a following, living in opulence, flying around being known as a jet-setter
• All these desires are blocking me from crossing over to Krishna's side
• Serving Krishna and His devotees with unflinching faith is the greatest opulence, none of these are worth comparing to the Greatest Jewel of service to Krishna and His devotees
• or become happy in this world with wealth, children, cattle, home or anything in relationship with the body
I did not learn my lessons, tried very hard to be happy with family life but the happiness was never there. Because I did not learn then Krishna has now taken away that chance from me. Am I still going to hanker for that or am I going to move forward in developing love and service towards Krishna and His devotees?



I tried to hold on to happiness in family life but it was constantly slipping away from my hands

• My attachment to money: Learned a wonderful thing from a gentleman in a Gita class I was teaching on Thursday, Feb 8th, - he told me when we know we are not the Proprietors of our wealth, but Krishna is then we become peaceful and we learn to let go. Krishna is the Proprietor of all my wealth and whatever anyone owes me as well then we become extremely peaceful. Krishna is also the Supreme Controller ( mayadhyaksena prakriti, sarva loka maheshwaram) and the Supreme Well wisher of all living entities. While I do the needful in wealth management, I need to rest in great peace with the fact that Krishna is going to take care of me and in the past, he has taken care of me and is taking care of me in very tangible and intangible ways.

SB 3.25.41 — The terrible fear of birth and death can never be forsaken by anyone who resorts to any shelter other than Myself, for I am the almighty Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the original source of all creation, and also the Supreme Soul of all souls.

Why are my name, fame, prestige, wealth, popularity, righteousness more important to me than the shelter of the Lord? These things are not going to let me reach the Lotus Feet of the Supreme Lord, in fact, these will pull me away from the Lord.

I sincerely pray at the Lotus Feet of the Vaishnavas that I am able to overcome my intense attachment to these things and serve the Lord sincerely with a sincere pure heart of spreading knowledge about Him and knowledge given by Him to everyone on whatever platform I go to

Lord Krishna instructs Uddhava on how He can be attained

SB 11.12.12: My dear Uddhava, just as great sages in yoga trance merge into self-realization, like rivers merging into the ocean, and are thus not aware of material names and forms, similarly, the gopīs of Vṛndāvana were so completely attached to Me within their minds that they could not think of their own bodies, or of this world, or of their future lives. Their entire consciousness was simply bound up in Me.

SB 11.12.13: All those hundreds of thousands of gopīs, understanding Me to be their most charming lover and ardently desiring Me in that way, were unaware of My actual position. Yet by intimately associating with Me, the gopīs attained Me, the Supreme Absolute Truth.

SB 11.12.14-15: Therefore, My dear Uddhava, abandon the Vedic mantras as well as the procedures of supplementary Vedic literatures and their positive and negative injunctions. Disregard that which has been heard and that which is to be heard. Simply take shelter of Me alone, for I am the Supreme Personality of Godhead, situated within the heart of all conditioned souls. Take shelter of Me wholeheartedly, and by My grace be free from fear in all circumstances.

Simply by association with Me and My devotees, they achieved Me.

SB 11.12.1-2: The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: My dear Uddhava, by associating with My pure devotees one can destroy one's attachment for all objects of material sense gratification. Such purifying association brings Me under the control of My devotee. One may perform the aṣṭāńga-yoga system, engage in philosophical analysis of the elements of material nature, practice nonviolence and other ordinary principles of piety, chant the Vedas, perform penances, take to the renounced order of life, execute sacrificial performances and dig wells, plant trees and perform other public welfare activities, give in charity, carry out severe vows, worship the demigods, chant confidential mantras, visit holy places or accept major and minor disciplinary injunctions, but even by performing such activities one does not bring Me under his control.

SB 11.12.3-6: In every yuga many living entities entangled in the modes of passion and ignorance gained the association of My devotees. Thus, such living entities as the Daityas, Rākṣasas, birds, beasts, Gandharvas, Apsarās, Nāgas, Siddhas, Cāraṇas, Guhyakas and Vidyādharas, as well as such lower-class human beings as the vaiśyas, śūdras, women and others, were able to achieve My supreme abode. Vṛtrāsura, Prahlāda Mahārāja and others like them also achieved My abode by association with My devotees, as did personalities such as Vṛṣaparvā, Bali Mahārāja, Bāṇāsura, Maya, Vibhīṣaṇa, Sugrīva, Hanumān, Jāmbavān, Gajendra, Jaṭāyu, Tulādhāra, Dharma-vyādha, Kubjā, the gopīs in Vṛndāvana and the wives of the brāhmaṇas who were performing sacrifice.

SB 11.12.7: The persons I have mentioned did not undergo serious studies of the Vedic literature, nor did they worship great saintly persons, nor did they execute severe vows or austerities. Simply by association with Me and My devotees, they achieved Me.

Lord Krsna's Lotus feet - the source of liberation

Rohini Devi speaks to Draupadi on behalf of all the queens rescued from Bhaumasura 

SB 10.83.40: Rohiṇī-devi, speaking for the other queens, said: After killing Bhaumāsura and his followers, the Lord found us in the demon's prison and could understand that we were the daughters of the kings whom Bhauma had defeated during his conquest of the earth. The Lord set us free, and because we had been constantly meditating upon His lotus feet, the source of liberation from material entanglement, He agreed to marry us, though His every desire is already fulfilled.

SB 10.81.40: Thus seeing how the unconquerable Supreme Lord is nonetheless conquered by His own servants, the Lord's dear brahmana friend felt the remaining knots of material attachment within his heart being cut by the force of his constant meditation on the Lord. In a short time he attained Lord Krsna's supreme abode, the destination of great saints.

From the purport:

Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī mentions that Sudāmā's last trace of illusion lay in the subtle pride of being a renounced brāhmaṇa. This trace was also destroyed by his contemplating the Supreme Lord's submission to His devotees.

Krishna cannot repay for the Gopi's love

SB 10.32.22

na pāraye 'haḿ niravadya-saḿyujāḿ

sva-sādhu-kṛtyaḿ vibudhāyuṣāpi vaḥ

yā mābhajan durjara-geha-śṛńkhalāḥ

saḿvṛścya tad vaḥ pratiyātu sādhunā

I am not able to repay My debt for your spotless service, even within a lifetime of Brahmā. Your connection with Me is beyond reproach. You have worshiped Me, cutting off all domestic ties, which are difficult to break. Therefore please let your own glorious deeds be your compensation.

The reason why Krishna does not immediately reciprocate

From VCT Sarartha Darsini Tenth canto commentaries:

Purport to Text 10.32.20:But the reason I do not immediately reciprocate the affection of living beings even when they worship Me, O gopīs, is that I want to intensify their loving devotion. They then become like a poor man who has gained some wealth and then lost it, and who thus becomes so anxious about it that he can think of nothing else.

Srila VCT writes:

Krsna says: For those surrendered souls who worship Me through nama-kirtana and other means, I do not respond in order to make their worship more perfect. O Gopis(abala-gana) who cannot understand My real intention.! Not seeing Me, those surrendered souls develop deep humility, feeling, 'Alas, alas, everything I have done has been useless. Because I am offender, Krsna has not shown even the slightest favor toward me. Let me be damned!"

"By constantly thinking in this way, those who have not yet developed mature love for Me will become free from lust and anger and awaken pure devotion full of power and brilliance. However, the nature of those who already have nature love(krsna-prema) for Me is different. For them, I do not respond in order to increase their attachment to Me. I appear and then disappear, in order to deepen their loving attachment."

"In this way I am actually merciful. It is desirable for My worshipers to have this complete attachment to Me. Thus to increase that attachment more and more, I, even though externally failing to reciprocate very much with them."

"Although you gopis are the ideal examples of those who worship even those who do not worship them, I too am actually very merciful, as muh as you are, since I have given you the gift of my darsana. One should not think that only if I am present that I respond, and if I am absent I do not respond. For then my promise ye yatha mam prapadyante tams tathaiva bhajamy aham, 'I will respond accordingly as they worship Me'(BG 4.11) would be broken"

The Lord's protection to the Brijwasis- Govardhan Hill Pastime

SB 10.25.18:
I must therefore protect the cowherd community by My transcendental potency, for I am their shelter, I am their master, and indeed they are My own family. After all, I have taken a vow to protect My devotees.

Since the Lord was the only shelter of the Brijwasis they were fearless in any condition- they had full faith in His protection. Oh Lord! please help me have similar faith in Your protection and help me take shelter of You in all situations. Let me not take shelter of my whimsical mind and intelligence. Please help me take shelter of You.

Krsna's reciprocation to His devotees

Lord Brahma's prayers:
SB 10.14.37:My dear master, although You have nothing to do with material existence, You come to this earth and imitate material life just to expand the varieties of ecstatic enjoyment for Your surrendered devotees.

Purport:
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura points out that just as a lamp does not seem to shine as brightly in sunlight as it does in the shade, or as a diamond does not seem as brilliant on a silver platter as it does on a plate of blue glass, the Lord's pastimes as Govinda do not seem as amazing in the transcendental abode of Vaikuntha as they do within the material realm of Maya. Lord Krishna comes to the earth and acts toward His pure devotees exactly like a devoted son, boyfriend, husband, father, friend and so on, and within the darkness of material existence these brilliant, liberated pastimes give unlimited ecstasy to the surrendered devotees of the Lord.

In his Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Srila Prabhupada quotes Lord Brahma as follows: "I can also understand that Your appearance as a small cowherd boy, a child of the cowherd men, is not at all a material activity. You are so much obliged by their affection that You are here to enthuse them with more loving service by Your transcendental presence. "

We cannot change Krishna's plan : thus accept and tolerate

When I am in difficulty I try with all my might to come out of it, identify the perpetrator, indulge in the blame game and many such acts except "Accept whatever is in store for me". There is some acceptance however there is more retaliation to the situation.


In the Brahma Vimohana Lila - Lord Brahma was bewildered when he saw all the calves, cows and cowherd boys with Krishna even when he had stolen them a year ago. SG says:

SB 10.13.44
"Thus because Lord Brahmā wanted to mystify the all-pervading Lord Kṛṣṇa, who can never be mystified, but who, on the contrary, mystifies the entire universe, he himself was put into bewilderment by his own mystic power."

SB 10.13.45
"As the darkness of snow on a dark night and the light of a glowworm in the light of day have no value, the mystic power of an inferior person who tries to use it against a person of great power is unable to accomplish anything; instead, the power of that inferior person is diminished."

Lord Brahma wanted to mystify Krishna but he was put into beweilderment as a result of His own plan.

In the purport to 10.13.44 Srila Prabhupada writes:

"Instead of defeating Krishna, Brahma himself was defeated, for he could not understand what Krishna was doing. Since Brahma, the chief person within this universe, was so bewildered, what is to be said of so-called scientists and philosophers? Sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66]. We should give up all our tiny efforts to defy the arrangement of Krishna. Instead, whatever arrangements He proposes, we should accept. This is always better, for this will make us happy. The more we try to defeat the arrangement of Krishna, the more we become implicated in Krishna's maya (daivi hy esha guna-mayi mama maya duratyaya). But one who has reached the point of surrendering to the instructions of Krishna (mam eva ye prapadyante) is liberated, free from krishna-maya (mayam etam taranti te [Bg. 7.14]). The power of Krishna is just like a government that cannot be overcome. First of all there are laws, and then there is police power, and beyond that is military power. Therefore, what is the use of trying to overcome the power of the government? Similarly, what is the use of trying to challenge Krishna?"

The difficulty hurts because of breaking of a certain relationship, loss of reputation, feeling betrayed, etc.It hurts because the material conception of life that I carry needs these things to be in place for me to happy and when these break down the material conception of a happy life suffers and thus cause pain.The pain and betrayal is too much for the false ego - if it accepts everything the complete conception of the self will break down and because that is intolerable we retaliate. 


Instead of wasting my energy on trying to fix the situation, or clarify my position, it is better that I continue doing my service to the Lord.None of the measures can give me any peace of mind because the difficulty remains for a reason in spite of me trying so many ways to overcome it. The reason it remains is so that I learn to accept it as Krishna's plan. The sooner I accept it as Krishna's plan the sooner I will feel mental relief. The sooner I realize that I am not the controller Krishna is , the sooner I get relief - the difficulty may remain but my perception would have changed.I can get relief from the difficulty only by accepting the situation and tolerating it. I cannot change Krishna's plan. Everything that is happening to me is under His divine arrangement and who am I to be able to change Krishna's plan or fool Krishna by trying creative ways to resolve the situation.
As long as I realize no matter what happens my identity as a servant of Krishna cannot be changed by any force.That identity remains and nobody and no force can change that. Nobody can take away my relationship with Krishna. As soon as I situate myself in such a conception no dualities will affect me, I will see everything as Krishna's loving hand of reciprocation.

No Hope without the mercy of a devotee

In the Damodara Pastime after Mother Yashoda binds Krishna, Krishna went outside towards the twin trees of Yamala-arjuna who were Nalakuvera and Manigriva in their previous lifetime. Because of an offense they were cursed to become trees by Narada Muni and that they would be delievered by the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

SB 10.10.24: The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krishna, to fulfill the truthfulness of the words of the greatest devotee, Narada, slowly went to that spot where the twin arjuna trees were standing.
SB 10.10.25: "Although these two young men are the sons of the very rich Kuvera and I have nothing to do with them, Devarshi Narada is My very dear and affectionate devotee, and therefore because he wanted Me to come face to face with them, I must do so for their deliverance."

SB 10.10.26: Having thus spoken, Krishna soon entered between the two arjuna trees, and thus the big mortar to which He was bound turned crosswise and stuck between them.

Because Narada Muni desired that Nalakuvera and Manigriva see the Supreme Personality of Godhead face to face, the Lord fulfilled the words of His very dear Devotee Narada Muni.

Without the favor of a devotee one cannot approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead, what to speak of engaging in His service.

Narada Muni's curse was a benediction for Nalakuvera and Manigriva for it not only help them get purified of their propensities but by the curse

1. they became trees in the courtyard of Nanda Maharaj's home and were able to witness the Lord
2. see His beautiful pastimes with Mother Yashoda and the vrajavasis
3. come face to face with the Supreme Personality of Godhead and be delivered by Him.

They recd all this great fortune only by the mercy of Narada Muni a very devotee of the Lord.

Thus we must first take shelter of a Spiritual Master and the devotees - only then there is hope of any progress in spiritual life.When the spiritual master prays for us and gives us His mercy Lord looks upon us.