Who Am I To Lord Krishna? A devotee, wanderer or volunteer

[Harigaran]

Hi am Hari here from Singapore. I'm 24 years old. Well from last year I have been going to Hare Krsna centres around my area. Initially I was introduced to Hare Krsna movement in 2007 when I was 20 but back then I didnt understand what their concepts and theories and I didnt go till last year. Well the Hare Krsna devotees from various centres say that Im fortunate and to go to the Hare Krsna centres because there are not many people who are blessed to go there. When I first went there last year, the devotees said I will turn into a great devotee but yet till now after attending for about one a half years, Im stil the same. I never chant Maha Mantra, I eat meat, I speak vulgarities and so on so the question is the devotees said Lord Krishna selects and blesses people to come to the centres but why me when after all I never follow the rules and dont even chant the Maha Mantra? This is a question which I dont know the answer
Another part of me is I love to do social service. I love to give things to others like buy sweets, buy books, buy drinks and so on. For the Hare Krsna centres, I have sponsored for their free book distribution programme, I have bought sweets and drinks for festivals such as Janmasthaami, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Appearance Day etc. Very soon I will also be sponsoring a Prasada Seva, I have also helped out at Ratha Yatra and so on. The thing about me is wherever Lord Krishna is I want to do this kind of service which is like buying sweets, drinks, food for Lord Krishna and the devotees and help out in other ways. Some devotees like what Im doing while most say im not a devotee but a wanderer who just go to all Hare Krsna centres. They said is no point unless i become a member and turn myself into a devotee at just one particular group. As I said I dont want to do this as I want to do service to wherever Lord Krishna is. So far I have done many and I want to do more. I also want to do social service to the public like helping out and sponsoring food at orphanges, old folks homes etc and the reason I came to Hare Krsna movement is to introduce the concept of social service to the devotees but many devotees dont like the idea of social service and they prefer devotion is the best way and they just cast me aside. So the reason why i want to introduce social service to Hare Krsna movement is to prove that Spirituality and Social Service are one as you dont think about yourself but of God and others respectively. When you do service to others with love, the materialistic things will slowly vanish from the heart and love of God will appear and thats when we can reach God. So actually Social service paves the way for spirituality. So my question now is who am I to Lord Krishna? Am I dear to Him? Am I a devotee or a social worker? Why am I being cast aside by most devotees

[charitra]

“ So my question now is who am I to Lord Krishna? Am I dear to Him? Am I a devotee or a social worker? Why am I being cast aside by most devotees “

To Krishna, you are a beloved devotee, you need no certification of authenticity from anyone.
Yes you are dear to him. Ever heard ‘manava seveh maadhava sevah‘ ?(service to human is service to god). By being a karma yogi (social worker) you are already following one path that leads to moksha.


They don’t cast you aside, looking from here I speculate they don’t know you that much so they are taking their own time. If a newcomer enters our local mandir people will be courteous alright but they don’t fall head over heels welcoming them, there is this transition time or warming up that is bit too prolonged in hindu mandirs. If you are not feeling that good then there are other mandirs in Singapore you can attend.Namaste.

[devotee]

Namaste Hari,

Everything of the past samskaars cannot be set right in a day. These samskaars that you are carrying now have been collected over many births ... so, if you are really into all the things you mentioned as a habit (& not as aberration) then it does tell the effect of strong impressions of your past lives. These won't go so easily ... not until you really try hard.

Lord Krishna loves everyone and those who try to tread the path advised by Him, earn His special love. However, it depends upon your present Karma which direction you will go from here. As you are engaging in social service, your worldly life will be good ... that is for sure ... even in next birth. However, you will have to mend your ways if you want liberation.

If you try, Lord Krishna will create conducive environment for you to succeed. :)

OM

[Eastern Mind]

Vannakkam Harigaran: The group helps the individual and the individual helps the group. Within any organisation, there is a wide variety of people, all contributing in their own unique way. I like the deck of cards analogy, wherein we think of 52 cards, each representing a different trait, and God dealing each of us any 10 of them. So the temple groups are like that. Some focus on things like the negativity of meat-eating, yet they themselves are lusting after another's wife, lieing about sadhana, and fakes in other ways. Nobody in any group not led by a realised soul is perfect.

At the temple I attend there are lots of service people, lots of bhakti people, lots of people who do neither but give a ton of money, etc. if everyone at a temple were an extremely focussed bhaktar, who would count the money and take it to a bank, or clean the latrines? Somebody has to do the dirty work.

The problem, as I see it, is that few are able to see the big picture, and the lower human nature trend of finding faults with others all the time rears its ugly head. This inability is a reflection of where the consciousness resides, or egos. The solution, from my point of view is to rise above it yourself. Ignore the negativity, and just continue to go out and do the great things that you do. There will be a natural progression upwards.

Best wishes.

BTW, I've only heard the greatest things about Singapore and especially the Hindu community there. I plan to visit (mostly Malaysia) one year soon on another sojourn out of this bitterly seasonally cold country, Canada.

Aum Namasivaya

[Achintya beda abheda]

All glories to my spiritual master,

My dear Harigaran,
Its so good to here that you are visiting temple not only that but also doing service, specially helping book distribution means you acting as an instrument to change the lives of the people by distributing the vedic literature. Lord says in Bhagavad-Gita that "svalpamasya dharmasya trayato mahato bhayat". Knowingly or unknowingly you have selected the right path actually the best path.
Basically the answer lies in your question.
The question is whether u r a devotee , wanderer or a volunteer?
Its very simple,
First,when one has the feeling for the society, the living entities in general, now acting on that platform to help them to come out of their pains, one volunteers himself. Here he may come to krishna in order to do this or he may act independently.

Second, when one understands that by just giving food, bed basic comforts to the people it doesn't change their future it requires to change their character, attitude that happens only by their change in thinking, feeling and willing that means change in consciousness. This person becomes basically a wanderer who is in the platform of 'Curious of Knowledge' for the same reason he becomes wanderer or a jnani.

Finally after coming to a conlusion that "vasudevam sarvam ithi" that lord Krishna is ultimate he'll surrender to the lord by accepting spiritual master who is a pure devotee or bonafide acharya in the Guru Parampara. So he is a Devotee.
But nevertheless SrimadBhagavatham says "akama sarva kama moksha kama va" a person for any of those reasons if he comes to serve krishna he is really intelligent comparing to all those millions of people who have not yet reached that platform. And that happens only because the lord's pure devotees Special mercy which I believe its their upon you which is very rare to obtain "Ei bhramanda bramite koi bhagyavan jiv, guru krishna krpa paya bhakti lata bij".
All the best for your advancing in Krishna consciousness... Just keep on visiting the temple irrespective of the various inputs that u get from various people as it is said "adau shraddha, thata sadu sanga thatha bhajanakriya, thatha anartha nivrithi" anartha means contamination like meat eating and many other things. When a hunter mrgari can become devotee by the blessings of Srila Narada muni then why not you?(This is narrated in Srimad Bhagavatham).
So don't expect immediate changes, but it will definitely happen because you are on the right path. As Lord Krishna as chaithya guru in our hearts will lead us to the right goal.
Thank you.