When you have deep attraction and love for Krishna, who cares what others think or say, just like when dogs bark at your car, one just keeps driving undisturbed.
There will always be envious fault finders out there who will always be odious and offensive by barking their foul mouth at your sincere endeavors of telling others about Krishna.
Therefore, just like one ignores a barking dog, just ignore the envious.
The fact is, the great movement of selfless Sankirtan (preaching) is never stopped or disturbed by the envious pretenders, including many in devotional dress pretending.
No cults like ISKCON or splintered Gaudiya Math groups have absolute ownership, control or demands over Lord Caitanya's great Sankirtan Movement no more than the Catholic Church has absolute control over Christianity.
You do not have to be a member of any cult to be a devotee of Lord Krishna.
Just like Prabhupada rejected his Godbrothers and the Gaudiya Math and established his own Movement, today some devotees, sannyasis and Gurus are doing the something beyond the influence and reach of ISKCON or the Gaudiya Math to preach the message of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
So have faith that the REAL preaching of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu's Sankirtan Movement will ALWAYS go on and on by genuine selfless caring devotees and will always grow, as we are all seeing all around the world in the homes of so many people.
Srila Prabhupada - "If you have no free will, then you are a stone. The stone has no free will. You want to be stone? Then you must have free will! But don't misuse your free will. But don't try to become stone either. That is not life". (August 5, 1976, New Mayapur France)
ReplyDeleteSelfless love (Bhakti that means devotion) is the key ingredient to making all relationships successful.
Understanding this is also the standard in Spiritual life or Krishna Consciousness when properly understood.
On the spiritual level of Vaikuntha and Goloka Vrindavana, one never denies, or attempts to extinguish their free will or individuality thinking that is becoming selfless, or is the meaning of surrender.
Being the unique person one eternally is, and having the free will that enables one to give the very best of their character in the service of the Lord, is what selflessness and surrender really means, and is basis of who one is as that independent person.
This is the constitutional make up of every marginal living entity.
Srila Prabhupada - "If you have no free will, then you are a stone. The stone has no free will. You want to be stone? Then you must have free will!". (August 5, 1976, New Mayapur France)
Srila Prabhupada - "So, unless there is a possibility of misusing our free will, there is no question of freedom.” (Dialectical Spiritualism, Critique of Descartes)
The jiva souls in Vaikuntha or Goloka Vrindavana therefore are forever expanding their sense of individuality with personal offerings based on selfless loving reciprocation with Krishna, it is NEVER a one sided relation with the Lord.
Srila Prabhupada - "Love is reciprocal, voluntary, good exchange of feeling. Then there is love. Not by force, no, Krishna does not want to become a lover like that, ‘You love me, otherwise I shall kill you!" (July 8, 1976)
Real love or Bhakti is reciprocal, as said above, it is NEVER a one way street where surrender to Krishna takes away one's sense of self, individuality and personal contributions.
Devotee - "Srila Prabhupada why did Krishna give us free will if He knew we would miss use it in the material world?"
Srila Prabhupada - "If you have no free will, then you are a stone. The stone has no free will. You want to be stone? Then you must have free will! But don't misuse your free will. But don't try to become stone either. That is not life". (August 5, 1976, New Mayapur France)
This is important to understand because each individual jiva-soul has their own independent personality, sense of self and unique characteristics that THEY only individually have, that is part and parcel of each individual marginal living entities make up as the independent eternal "person" they are.
Srila Prabhupada - “Because you are Son of God you have got independence, full independence, almighty—therefore you have acquired the quality of your father. You have got little independence. "So God does not interfere with your little independence”. (Conversation in Melbourne, Australia June 25, 1974 between Srila Prabhupada and his disciples)
Devotee – "But In the Srimad-Bhagavatam, it says that Krishna did not want us to come to this material world. If Krishna did not want us to come, why are we here?” Why doesn’t He save me from thinking like that?”
Srila Prabhupada - “That means YOU lose your independence. That is force, in Bengali it is said, ‘If you catch one girl or boy, ‘You love me, you love me, you love me.’ ” Is it love? “You love me, otherwise I will kill you!’ Is that love? So Krishna does not want to become a lover like that, on the point of revolver. ‘You love me, otherwise I shall kill you!’ That is not love; that is threatening. Love is reciprocal, voluntary, good exchange of feeling. Then there is love. Not by force; that is rape. Why one is called lover, another is called rape?” (July 8, 1976 in Washington, D.C)