The desire for sense enjoyment is very strongly rooted in the heart of the conditioned soul, and due to this he has been rotting in the material world, struggling for existence, since time immemorial. Due to inestimable good fortune the conditioned soul gets a chance to associate with a bona fide spiritual master and thereby begin the path of devotional service, the path of supreme liberation.
The challenge that the beginner in bhakti yoga faces is the strong desire for sense enjoyment in his heart. Although he has been enlightened by the instructions of the spiritual master and accepts the principles of devotional service, while trying to progress in spiritual life he is constantly distracted and attacked by his deep rooted desire for sense enjoyment, which he has become addicted to since time immemorial. He does not have firm faith and conviction that engaging in the principles of devotional service is the only way he will ever be happy and satisfied. He still has faith that material sense enjoyment will make him happy. Thus his mind is in a constant tug-of-war between materialistic life and devotional life, and sometimes he temporarily relapses back to his activities in material sense enjoyment.
The only way to strengthen his faith and conviction in devotional service is by taking shelter of the instructions of the bona fide spiritual master. He must somehow gather the determination to apply himself to regularly hearing from the spiritual master, and by such association, he will surely understand why material sense enjoyment cannot make him happy, and how and why devotional service to Krishna is the only purpose of life and is the only thing that can make him happy. Thus his faith in the materialistic way of life will diminish and his faith and conviction in spiritual life will grow. In this way all his devotional activities become enthused and potent. We need to be convinced that material life is miserable and spiritual life is blissful. We have to understand why this is so. Our illusion is telling us just the opposite. We have to dispel this illusion with the words of the spiritual master.
Wanting to back to Godhead means not wanting to enjoy the material world. If we want to advance in Krishna consciousness we have to want it. We must have the determination. That is the key ingredient. Otherwise, we can go on performing devotional activities forever, and deprive ourselves of sense enjoyment forever. But unless there is a sense of determination and eagerness to advance in Krishna consciousness our minds will always remain attached to fruitive activity, and our activities in Krishna Consciousness will only be superficial. Wanting to advance in Krishna Consciousness entails submissive hearing from the spiritual master. We must completely devote ourselves to the instructions of the spiritual master, having the faith and conviction that executing those instructions will definitely destroy the material contamination in our hearts and develop in us an ever-increasing attitude of devotional service to Krishna. This result we can begin to experience immediately. The spiritual master gives many instructions, of which the chanting of the Hare Krishna maha mantra and avoiding the four pillars of sinful life stand first. But there are many more instructions the spiritual master gives to supplement our progress in Krishna Consciousness and these instructions must not be ignored. Determination means eagerly trying to learn from the spiritual master every possible way we can advance in Krishna Consciousness.
It is the great fortune of this age that Lord Chaitanya has appeared and freely given the easiest and most sublime method for deliverance, namely the chanting of the Hare Krishna maha mantra. And it is also our great fortune that we have the self-realized, pure devotee, bona fide spiritual master, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, to deliver us from the struggle for existence and guide us back home, back to Godhead. Srila Prabhupada’s instructions are there in his transcendental books, and we must associate with him in that way and apply his teachings in our lives. Then surely we will be promoted to the spiritual world after this life.
Om tat sat
Your servant,
Vidura Mahatma das
20 July, 2023
Pamho agtacbsp , determination in krsna consciousness come from previous lives when one realized that nothing is left in this material world then the SRI HARINAM , determination is also that I keeping going with krsna consciousness even if one live in the wrong place with the mind against and plenty of hidden invisible enemies that make everything wrong but one never given up KC this is also determination through full faith in SSGG ,because we born in Kali Yuga under the three guna in a sick society full of mental health hospital everywhere the influence of Kali devi is very bad for whoever don’t follow the yuga dharma of SRI HARINAM especially in this terrible age where everyone get harassed by visible and invisible enemies.anyway we are lucky because we got the way out from the cycle of birth and death by keeping chanting regularly the maha mantra hare krsna.PURUSOTTAMA MASA KI JAY GOVARDHANA DHARAM VANDE GOPALAM GOPAM RUPINAM AGTACBSP YS HARIBOL