Friday, November 8

Transcribed By Dips Prabhu

(Kadamba Kanana Swami 2011)

In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna says:

” Palam balavatam chamah “.

This means that the strength of the strong is meant to protect the weak, but in the age of Kali, it is described here as the opposite is taking place – the strong will exploit the weak. That, of course, is not new to the world that is the history of the world already for a long time.

Call it colonialism, call it whatever you may want, but those who are military stronger had exploited others. Now call it geopolitics…. so many people think that America is interested in the oil in the Middle East but that’s not all what’s going on.

Experts say, it’s called geopolitics – the strategy to make sure that although 80% of the resources of the world are in between Europe and Asia, still America will do whatever it can to retain it’s position of supremacy in the world.

It’s called geopolitics, so it happens on a small scale exploitation and it happens in families, it happens in marriage and abusive relationships where basically one person is exploiting the other and using the strength – whoever is the stronger one will exploit the weak one.
So that is the demoniac mentality:

“I am the enjoyer”
“I am very powerful”
“I am the controller”.

This is the demoniac nature as described in the Bhagavad Gita. This demoniac nature is very deeply rooted in the consciousness of the conditioned soul. It is not that we are exceptions to the rule because all the living beings are influenced by this illusory energy, which causes desire and hate – lust and envy.


This devotional service is diametrically opposed to this mood because devotional service is based on the principal of ‘dāsya’ or service. Service attitude is the one thing that is in the centre of spiritual life and it is this dāsya where a devotee must therefore learn to become a servant.

It is not automatic, it comes by practice and therefore we must engage in activities of service and that will gradually change our mentality from being the monster and the enjoyer.

This tendency to be master is very deeply rooted, and it may come out again also in devotional service. It is described that one may enjoy the side benefits that come from devotional service, as one is engaging in devotional service. It is natural and in this way again one begins to instead of focusing on serving Krishna, again we develop the mood of being the ‘enjoyer.’

So, this is very deeply rooted – deeply rooted – a stumbling block on the spiritual path which harasses us for a long time. We have to be on guard by taking a humble position – humility is the quality that is difficult to develop, but at least a vaishnava can take a humble position by giving all respect to others and by not taking any credit for himself.

It is like if we did some service and someone says:

“Who did it?”

It’s not up to us to say:

“I did it”.

We should keep our achievements private, not looking for glorification – and of course when the vaishnava’s force us, then we are some what in an embarrassed state that we will accept glorification – but it is not that this is something we are looking for. So trying to avoid is not so easy, not easy at all, but that is our approach.

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