“To be, or not to be” is not only a speech given by Prince Hamlet in William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, but also a daily question that devotees ask themselves.
Should I join the temple? What will my parents say? Should I leave the spiritual practice? What will my friends think of me?
As we go through our lives we are constantly evolving, our desires are also changing, and as a result, our priorities shift as well. Today, spiritual practice is a pressing matter, but tomorrow it may be something else unrelated to spiritual life.
“Every day should be a new beginning,” a friend told me. “We should rejoin spiritual life every day because we are daily neglecting to practice properly!”
Falling asleep during japa, struggling to follow all the rules of bhakti, or not reading the scriptures for weeks is a daily challenge for a devotee. Rather than giving up completely and being negative about our shortcomings, we can turn things around by being positive and “rejoining” the practice, or, in other words, finding new, fresh ways of practising spiritual life according to our psychophysical nature.
I decided to create a new “sloka” for myself and place it on the wall of my room;
“If you want to advance spiritually, don’t do three things:”
1- Don’t criticise.
2- Don’t complain.
3- Don’t gossip.
If we want to improve our japa and progress on the path of bhakti, besides the blessings of the sadhus, we also need to put in our effort and find new, fresh ways that will keep us inspired on the path of perfection.
If prema bhakti is the goal, what is our plan to reach it?
Srimad Bhagavatam 4.30.20 purport- A devotee is inspired by the Supersoul within the heart to advance in devotional service in a variety of ways.
Ananta Gopal Das
24.05.2024
Bhakti Wisdom 