Are you an aspiring devotee ??? {The key word here is aspire}

krsna · November 5, 2004

Yes ,I aspire to become a real devotee some day soon. A LAULYAM,a spiritual greed for Krsna's love and mercy.

Also LALASAMAYI, a constant hankering for spiritual perfection where one's eternal spiritual form and service is revealed and Krsna becomes one's all and very life. Yes???

A dictionary definition is interesting:***

as·pired, as·pir·ing, as·pires

To have a great ambition or ultimate goal; desire strongly: aspired to stardom.

To strive toward an end: aspiring to great knowledge.

To soar.

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[Middle English aspiren, from aspirer, from Latin asprre, to desire. See aspirate.]

as·pirer n.

as·piring·ly adv.

aspire

\As*pire"\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Aspired; p. pr. & vb. n. Aspiring.] [F. aspirer, L. aspirare. See Aspirate, v. t.]

1. To desire with eagerness; to seek to attain something high or great; to pant; to long; -- followed by to or after, and rarely by at; as, to aspire to a crown; to aspire after immorality.

Aspiring to be gods, if angels fell; Aspiring to be angels, men rebel. --Pope.

2. To rise; to ascend; to tower; to soar.

My own breath still foments the fire, Which flames as high as fancy can aspire. --Waller.

That gallant spirit hath aspired the clouds. --Shak.

aspire

v : have an ambitious plan or a lofty goal [syn: draw a bead on, aim, shoot for]

jayaisvara · November 5, 2004

After seeing this definition for aspire, I don't know why I try to practice krsna consciousness, at least, I don't know yet. But I guess I do it so one day I will have the feeling to aspire towards Krsna Consciousness.

theist · November 5, 2004

Aspirations will become more firmly fixed by the process of sadhana bhakti, the transitional stage, until finally becoming an intense one pointed desire.

Most have heard the example of the student asking his teacher when the truth will be revealed to him. The teacher takes the student a ways out into the river. Both standing in the water the teacher takes the student and forces his head under water. The student begins to struggle mightily for air.

The teacher lets him up and he takes a big gulp of air while gasping for breath.

The teacher tells him that he will know the truth when his desire for it is as intense as his desire for that breath.

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stonehearted · November 5, 2004

thiest:

Aspirations will become more firmly fixed by the process of sadhana bhakti, the transitional stage, until finally becoming an intense one pointed desire.

And the process of sadhana bhakti becomes steady in the company of devotees and under the guidance of devotees more advanced than the sadhaka. Mahaprabhu boiled all the processes of devotional service down to five, which he said are powerful enough to effect Krishna prema: association of sadhus, congregational chanting of the holy name, hearing topics of Krishna, living in a holy place such as Mathura, and faithfully serving Krishna in his Sri Murti.

theist · November 5, 2004

If we try to imitate Haridas and move to a lonely cave then we will not succeed.

jayaisvara · November 5, 2004

I've had that feeling for breath before. But doesn't one have to become serious about spirituality? Sometimes people become spiritual after a serious incident that affects their lives. Should we pray for such incidents which actually reveals the gruesome nature of this material world? I am sure people who are very intelligent need not experience these things themselves. They can clearly see what's going on in places like Middle East. But, for some others, shouldn't there be an incident which triggers the surrendering mood to the vaishnavas?

theist · November 6, 2004

SB 1.8.18: Srimati Kunti said: O Krishna, I offer my obeisances unto You because You are the original personality and are unaffected by the qualities of the material world. You are existing both within and without everything, yet You are invisible to all.

SB 1.8.19: Being beyond the range of limited sense perception, You are the eternally irreproachable factor covered by the curtain of deluding energy. You are invisible to the foolish observer, exactly as an actor dressed as a player is not recognized.

SB 1.8.20: You Yourself descend to propagate the transcendental science of devotional service unto the hearts of the advanced transcendentalists and mental speculators, who are purified by being able to discriminate between matter and spirit. How, then, can we women know You perfectly?

SB 1.8.21: Let me therefore offer my respectful obeisances unto the Lord, who has become the son of Vasudeva, the pleasure of Devaki, the boy of Nanda and the other cowherd men of Vrindavana, and the enlivener of the cows and the senses.

SB 1.8.22: My respectful obeisances are unto You, O Lord, whose abdomen is marked with a depression like a lotus flower, who are always decorated with garlands of lotus flowers, whose glance is as cool as the lotus and whose feet are engraved with lotuses.

SB 1.8.23: O Hrishikesa, master of the senses and Lord of lords, You have released Your mother, Devaki, who was long imprisoned and distressed by the envious King Kamsa, and me and my children from a series of constant dangers.

SB 1.8.24: My dear Krishna, Your Lordship has protected us from a poisoned cake, from a great fire, from cannibals, from the vicious assembly, from sufferings during our exile in the forest and from the battle where great generals fought. And now You have saved us from the weapon of Asvatthama.

SB 1.8.25: I wish that all those calamities would happen again and again so that we could see You again and again, for seeing You means that we will no longer see repeated births and deaths.

SB 1.8.26: My Lord, Your Lordship can easily be approached, but only by those who are materially exhausted. One who is on the path of [material] progress, trying to improve himself with respectable parentage, great opulence, high education and bodily beauty, cannot approach You with sincere feeling.

SB 1.8.27: My obeisances are unto You, who are the property of the materially impoverished. You have nothing to do with the actions and reactions of the material modes of nature. You are self-satisfied, and therefore You are the most gentle and are master of the monists.

krsna · October 2, 2005

is required. That IS what Krsna is looking for:

SB 1.8.26: My Lord, Your Lordship can easily be approached, but only by those who are materially exhausted. One who is on the path of [material] progress, trying to improve himself with respectable parentage, great opulence, high education and bodily beauty, cannot approach You with sincere feeling.

krsna · May 15, 2006

SB 1.8.27: My obeisances are unto You, who are the property of the materially impoverished. You have nothing to do with the actions and reactions of the material modes of nature. You are self-satisfied, and therefore You are the most gentle and are master of the monists.

Am I materially impoverished? Does that mean I have no more material asperations? :pray: