Saving oneself vs saving others?

krsna · February 6, 2004

I used to be a missionary preacher distributing Srila Prabhupada's books far and wide to hundreds of souls,

but now since I've gotten married and had kids I just want to save myself and do solitary bhajan.

Did I go wrong somewhere?

krsnadas

Dervish · February 6, 2004

Can't try to do both?

I think even married folk can afford to go on a naga sankirtan once in a while, but it all depends on association.

yasodanandana · February 6, 2004

preaching is essentally done by example, achara.. if you became krishna conscious you save your close parents and relatives and you will be followed by the people who see you so happy, mercyful and well behaved.

in my opinion you are doing a greater service to srila prabhupada now, following one of his final instructions.. to implement varnashrama system..

in this way, if devotees of krishna spread them in the society, very soon we will have the need of gurukulas, and from these schools many will choose to enter grihasta ashram (with their own important way to preach) and many will choose to live a real life of brahmachary, sannyasi and preachers in traditional ecclesiastic sense

in the prabhupada times everyone has helped prabhupada in the emergency to have to implement a complete brahminic/vaishnava system in the west in ten years, and we have seen people of any guna and karma doing any dharma .

now we are out of the emergency, we are no more justified when we force our nature, we have to follow the arjuna's example and serve krishna according our own nature, not maybe our gratification to be martyrs and ascetic..

so, please, be happy to chant hare krishna, to preach and please guru and gauranga in your own way and many thanks.. you are saving the world, myself included

(if you are so satisfacted to do so, why not, in collaboration with the temple, go out with books in some spare time or in some holidays?)

(another way of thinking could be that before you were working on quantity.. many contacts, little time and maybe superficial preaching.. .... now you, with friends and relatives you have time, you can really completely bring people back to godhead following and caring for their complete spiritual evolution... if you think about it you can see your situation as an improvement, a spiritual advancement.... and more responsability, before a book and run away, now you have to care for your "disciples" and for the example you give)