Becoming an Instrument of the Lord

Becoming an

Instrument of the Lord

Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. It is very easy to become humble when one is a newbie. He has nothing to be proud of. After some time when one spends a few years in this movement and gets power, facilities, and prestige, which is simply a tiny fragment of Krishna’s opulence, that very achievement becomes a source of bewilderment.

yad yad vibhūtimat sattvaṁ… mama tejo-’ṁśa-sambhavam (BG 10.41)

Every opulence in this world is meant to be enjoyed by Krishna, not us. A devotee of the Lord should feel himself very small and insignificant.

dhūlī-sadṛśaṁ vicintaya (Śiksastakam 5)

In the law of physics, the negative pole attracts the positive pole. Similarly, the greater than the greatest Lord Krishna is attracted by His humble devotees who feel themselves smaller than the smallest. All our acharyas, who were very exalted personalities voluntarily agreed to become menial servants of the Lord. They were never puffed up on account of their exalted position. Pride cometh before fall. We shouldn’t be carried away by the vices of this world.

We have to pay utmost attention to the warning signs in this world. Anytime we can slip. That’s why we’re given Guru, Sādhu & Sāstra. We really have to pay attention to these. What we search for could be where we least expect it to be. Our greatest misfortune is that we’re unable to utilize this valuable culture and are instead bewildered by the false promises of Western society.

We need to have real courage to reach our goals. We are in a heavy war with Maya. Hence, proper preparation is required. As many heads are there, as many prescriptions there may be. We shouldn’t be distracted and confused by those.

vyavasāyātmikā buddhir ekeha kuru-nandana bahu-śākhā hy anantāś ca buddhayo ’vyavasāyinām (BG 2.41).

Above all the things in this world, we must really trust our heart and never be afraid to be happy. While it is important that we stick to one line, at the same time we shouldn’t humiliate the weaker ones in that line. Those who are weak can soon become stronger than us. Whether to act with humility or pride is in our hands. When we’re humble, we’ll be bestowed with tremendous blessings. Our inquisitive approach should always be humble.

tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena (BG 4.34).

Everyone might be facing the same problems in life, but how we react is what matters. As can be seen in space technology, gold and platinum are used because their resistance is very less. Even when large amount of energy is passing through them, they remain unagitated. Copper isn’t used because of its immediate agitation against the opposing forces. As Srila Prabhupada states, “The greatness of a man can be understood by his ability to tolerate provoking situation.” If we really want to become instrument of God then we have to be ready to face many provoking situations in our lives – spiritually, socially, mentally and physically. We have to go with high determination to cross these stages. Besides, when life is going too smoothly, then it is rather a sign of dead person. Life means ups and downs. That’s perfectly OK. A question then arises, how can we maintain ourselves in such situations? It depends on whether we’re gold or copper. Whether we resist guru’s order or not?

What is the aim of our life in Krishna Consciousness? How to know where are we going? First thing is our desire or passion. Passion means something that we love to do without feeling any amount of stress. We should align our passions with what Krishna plans for this world. We should understand our Needs, Interest, Concern and Expectations and act accordingly in Krishna’s service. It doesn’t matter what our social position is. Everything can be used for Krishna’s service as is allowed by one’s capacity.

yat karoṣi yad aśnāsi yaj juhoṣi dadāsi yat yat tapasyasi kaunteya tat kuruṣva mad-arpaṇam (BG 9.24).

The greatest qualification of a disciple is to stand and serve as Krishna wants us to.

As it is important to have proper guru, it is equally important to have responsible disciple also. Nowadays, spiritual life is generally perceived through external signs – the outer appearance and symbols. But spiritual life is something inside. Success is not always what we see externally. In China, there’s a species of bamboo which grows visibly only after four years of constant care. During the first four years, the whole effort might seem total wastage. But after the fourth year, it grows and fully matures within forty days. Expensive furniture is made out of it. All those formative years, it was undergoing constant growth, but inside. Similarly, in martial arts sometimes the same move is taught monotonously for several years. While it might not seem something dynamic, that very move treads the path for success after years of constant practice. Guru knows what kind of instruction is fit for the disciple. We should be able to simply tolerate and follow it for the time being. Spiritual life isn’t actually about show. It is all about dedication to the single instruction of guru.

The word śiṣya comes from śaṣ dhatu that means discipline. A disciple cannot get bhakti merely by some material qualifications, or by reading religious books, going to pilgrimages or performing austerities and penances. He can get bhakti only by satisfying his guru, by following guru’s instructions. Srila Prabhupada also states, “Satisfaction of self-realized guru is the secret of advancement in bhakti.” It means that we have to become instrument of the spiritual master. Surrender mood actually means submission.

vettha tvaṁ saumya tat sarvaṁ tattvatas tad-anugrahāt brūyuḥ snigdhasya śiṣyasya guravo guhyam apy uta (SB 1.1.8)

“And because you are submissive, your spiritual masters have endowed you with all the favors bestowed upon a gentle disciple. Therefore, you can tell us all that you have scientifically learned from them.” In order to be submissive, one should feel that he knows nothing and his guru knows everything. Sometimes, guru may seem to repeat the same old message again and again. But guru knows what the disciple needs to hear again and again. Rupa and Sanatana Goswamis, although previously Saraswata brahmanas and ministers, approached Lord Chaitanya very humbly. Lord Chaitanya even remarked that He was melted by their genuine humility. It may seem that the disciple has better material qualifications than the guru. But those qualifications don’t count a bit in spiritual life. Indeed, they can become great obstacles for us to become instruments. Guru has the wealth of Krishna and he can give us that wealth if we submit to him. We can receive the transcendental knowledge if we’re really qualified. That qualification is submissiveness. With the mood of submission, one should simply follow guru’s instruction and surrender to him.

Surrender means to follow the instructions, but not blindly. A disciple should use his intelligence to surrender to the guru. Srila Prabhupada told in his letter to Karandhara Prabhu told, ‘Krishna Consciousness Movement is for training men to be independently thoughtful…. spirit of enthusiastic service, which is individual and spontaneous and voluntary.’ Nobody will force us in our service. Even Krishna will never force us, He can do everything by Himself. But He gladly accepts our love which we willfully wish to reciprocate.

Every guru is supposed to be a perfect disciple. Otherwise, his teachings will have no effect. First, he has to surrender and then he can teach others how to surrender. Lord Chaitanya has also told, āpani ācari prabhu jīvere śikhāya. Indeed, guru’s life his is lecture.

Sometimes, even when the instructions are difficult to follow, one must follow them without any doubt. It was very heavy for Dhritarastra to follow the instructions of Vidura, but he followed any way. Krishna consciousness isn’t just an entertainment process. It is meant to train oneself as a warrior in Lord Chaitanya’s army. On receiving order from Srila Prabhupada, his disciples got down from the train in the middle of journey and started a center in Delhi. Devotees printed 19 volumes of high-quality Chaitanya Charitamrita in just two months, which is ordinarily impossible in this world. On Srila Prabhupada’s order, devotees went to war-torn Pakistan even when their own life was at risk. Devotees were ready to please Srila Prabhupada to any extent. They were sent to different parts of the world, but they wholeheartedly accepted Sirla Prabhupada’s order because he had given them the real bliss and they were grateful for it. This profound quality of surrender to guru in Krishna consciousness movement is what helped it spread all over the world in only 10 years.

yasya deve parā bhaktir yathā deve tathā gurau (SU 6.23).

Nowadays we’ve invented some imaginary concept of bhakti. We think that we can understand bhakti by downloading some lectures over the internet. But bhakti cannot be attained only through those lectures. All that we need to do to advance in bhakti is to be sincere. And nobody can actually teach us to become sincere. Srila Prabhupada said that the process to become sincere is to become sincere. Sincerity can arise only when we have love for guru. It is because of this love for Srila Prabhupada that his disciples were ready even to die for him.

We have to be really eager to follow the instructions of guru. We shouldn’t argue if we don’t like to follow. Its not that the service will go unattended if we don’t do it. There’s always someone who can do it. It’s only that whether we’re enthusiastic to follow or not. Guru’s instructions are meant to keep us in discipline, which’ll build our foundation of integrity. Thus, surrender starts with one’s respect of guru.

US Navy Admiral William H. McRaven gave 10 lessons for changing the world, which is equally applicable in our devotional life as well.

1. Start off by making your bed.

We shouldn’t bother to do menial services even though we’re aiming for becoming great soldiers in Lord Chaitanya’s army.

2. Find someone to help you paddle.

We can only succeed if we’re working synchronously in a team, not alone.

3. Measure a person by the size of their heart, not the size of their shoes.
4. Get over being a sugar cookie and keep moving forward.

Sometimes, even if we try our best, we’ll simply fall back. We should accept this.

5. Don’t be afraid of the circuses.

We have to go through the difficulties, and we have to put some extra stress. But those put under extra stress are the ones who succeed, not ones who were always afraid and were getting away with that.

6. Sometimes you have to slide down the obstacle head first.

If we want to succeed then we have to be ready to take risks.

7. Don’t back down from the sharks.

When we meet the sharks of this world, we shouldn’t be afraid and instead punch them in the face.

8. You must be your very best in the darkest moment.

Sometimes we may have the darkest experience in our life. We shouldn’t be bothered by that but concentrate to give our best even in such situations.

9. Start singing when you’re up to your neck in mud.

In order to be an instrument of God, we have to be able to give hope to others.

10. Don’t ever, ever ring the bell.

However difficult it may be in life, we should never give up chanting 16 rounds and associating with devotees.

If we really want to help others, then we have to first dress, then address. Firstly, we ourselves have to be physically, mentally, socially and spiritually strong. Only then can we become proper instrument in the hands of the Lord. This can be attained by following Sāstra, Sādhana, Sadācāra through the instructions of guru, the main instruction being faithfully chanting holy name.

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare,
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.

– This article is a transcribed lecture of His Grace Patri das.