(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 11 April 2018, Cape Town, South Africa, Srimad Bhagavatam 1.16.26 – 30)
We really have to take responsibility for our own Krsna consciousness; to make arrangements for it. If we say, “Oh, I find it very difficult to be a devotee. I find it difficult to avoid the influence of maya.” In such an instance where it is difficult to resist maya, we must be careful and consciously keep a safe distance from such maya.
Sometimes, we have devotees who are also professionals. They have their jobs which require them to perform all kinds of activities, but then they are also devotees. If one can manage that successfully, that is good! However, if one cannot do that, there is still no need to be ashamed. There are many people who cannot do that. It is very difficult to wear a tie at work and then take that thing off when you come home. If you are struggling to do this, then it is best to surround yourself with devotees. So in this way we are taking responsibility, by taking into consideration who we are and protecting our own Krsna consciousness. We have to watch out for maya as she is very strong! Maya does not always come with a boxing glove. No, sometimes maya comes very subtly, little by little. So we must be very careful to cut all the material connections to which we have attachments. We have to trim it back!
So this is what responsibility means; by taking responsibility for our own Krsna consciousness, protecting it and making the necessary arrangements for it. If one takes a job in a city where there is no temple and there are only two families of devotees living there, then it is going to be tough, as it is going to be them and their mind. And we all know how hard it is to live with our mind. So therefore, knowing that our mind is strong and that we are weak, we must make arrangements to protect ourselves. That is called being responsible. Such responsibility means that we have to be a bit realistic and honest about ourselves and our limitations, and accordingly deal with our Krsna consciousness.
