“That’s not practical.” We may thus dismiss forms of spirituality that require commitment like devotional service. We usually consider as practical that which requires little commitment and makes us feel good fast.
Little do we realize that our demand for instant spirituality is like a chronically sick person’s demand for instant cure. Just as opportunist doctors fleece such patients by giving painkillers, so do opportunist spiritualist teachers by giving pop spirituality. Just as authentic doctors insist on commitment to the necessary treatment, so do authentic spiritual teachers insist on commitment to devotional service.
Narrow preconceptions of what is practical can be self-destructive. After all, sickness itself isn’t practical. It doesn’t politely accommodate itself within our practical plans. When sickness comes, especially serious sickness, we have to revise our conception of the practical and make time for the treatment. Else we become sicker, suffer terribly and die.
Gita wisdom indicates that we all are spiritually sick. We are eternal beings infected with the disease of materialism that subjects us to the sufferings of old age, disease and death – lifetime after lifetime. Our devotion to the practical can’t save us from these miseries. Only our devotion to the transcendental can save us, as the Bhagavad-gita (07.29) indicates.
That’s why we need to expand our definition of the practical to include the spiritual and make time to practice devotional service. Learning to love Krishna thus helps us discipline our stray desires, focus our mind and sharpen our intelligence. This enables us to do things earlier considered impractical, just as the recovery of health enables a sick person to do things earlier considered impractical. And ultimately redefinition of the practical to include the spiritual elevates us to Krishna’s world of love, where the spiritual becomes eternally, ecstatically practical.
Bhagavad Gita Chapter 07 Text 29
"Intelligent persons who are endeavoring for liberation from old age and death take refuge in Me in devotional service. They are actually Brahman because they entirely know everything about transcendental activities."
I have been battling bone caner ( Multiple Myeloma) for a while now and just got out of Duke Hospital after receiving a stem cell transplant (they harvested the stem cells from my own blood) . I was there for 3 months getting chemo everyday and was so weak I almost died and without Krrshna I KNOW I would not have made it through those 3 months and was is hopefully a full recovery.
Krishna saved me form the door of death and I will try my best to uplift him to everyone I meet.
Steve Harvell
Dear Steve Prabhu
It’s touching to hear about your struggle and your sincere faith. My prayers and good wishes are with you.
ys
ccdas
a beautiful writing. the right spiritual medicinal dosage for the materially diseased person.
the nature of pop spirituality / instant spirituality vs. the real eternal spirituality
understanding the formula and the procedure of attaining eternal spirituality