The other day I was driving from work to a Hatha yoga class and I begin to reflect on exchanges and relationships I have with persons who are not devotees. It struck me that there seems to be a common thread in all these non-devotional exchanges even if you attempt to transform them in to exchanges of devotion. For the most part non-devotees lack the time and patience to carry on heartfelt conversations with other persons aside from those who are near and dear to them (i.e. immediate family, intimate friends). In all such relationships there is an underlying thought of what can this person give to me, what do I get out of the deal. Whereas when a devotee converses with someone their mood is one of giving. What can I give this person, how can I bring them closer to Krishna. In return they aren’t expecting anything.

Nowadays it seems peoples’ minds are more and more disturbed. So many psychotropic drugs are on the market and so many self-help type books are available to help persons to deal with the chaos that comprises their own mental state. Many persons seek the shelter of a psychiatrist who is basically someone you pay to be your friend and offers advice on how to deal with your problems. Though the doctor may prescribe so many drugs and give the patient so many coping mechanisms the patient will still not be happy. In turn the psychiatrist feels drained by hearing the problems of so many persons each day and eventually becomes depressed. I know of one devotee who is a psychiatrist for psychiatrists. He hears their problems and gives them Krishna conscious solutions so that they will give up their suicidal tendencies. Yet when you talk to this devotee he does not appear to be drained at all, and always has a spare minute to chat with you and offer inspiring words.

Despite the fact that devotees seem to be very busy most of the time, they seem to always make time to help and talk with people. This is one thing which really attracted me about Krishna consciousness. When I first came into contact with my Spiritual Master on the internet (first devotee exchange I ever had), he would go out of his way to answer my questions via e-mail and helping me to be truly happy & properly situated in Krishna consciousness. I remember prior to the first time I met my Guru Maharaj in person I was kinda procrastinating going to meet him. I was offering so many excuses one being that I have no one to watch my dog. So Maharaj called me a couple times on that day to pull me out of maya and bring me closer to Krishna. Finally I surrendered and went to meet Maharaj & Guru Mataji. The same day I met Maharaj I was so inspired by his and his wife’s example that I began to chant 16 rounds and follow the regulative principles.

I could give innumerable other examples about how both my Guru Maharaj & Guru Mataji sacrificed their time to help me stay on the Krishna conscious track. One thing that really amazed me is that in the beginning I was not giving them anything in return. Now I make attempts to reciprocate with the love & kindness they have shown me throughout the years though I never seem to have anything worthwhile to offer and often times create greater disturbance than I do actually please them. Yet they are satisfied simply by my making an effort to be a sincere devotee. It’s not about anything material, it’s about reciprocation of unconditional love.

In the material world this phenomena is quite the rare thing. Srila Prabhupada has said that a mother’s love for her child is the closest experience we have in this world to unconditional love. Yet if you look at the headlines these days it seems even motherly affection is dwindling as parents killing their children is a common occurrence. Nonetheless, as these thoughts crossed my mind while driving up the road, I felt grateful to my Spiritual Master and Srila Prabhupada for bringing me in contact with Krishna consciousness and ISKCON which provides ample opportunities to engage in service & loving exchanges with saintly persons. Many times I have days where I’m totally fried from the material world or fried by the politics which go on within Gaudiya Vaishnavism. These days help me realize what a great asset the holy name is and how fortunate I am to have come into contact with it via my Guru Maharaj & Srila Prabhupada. Really the only shelter we have lies in the Holy name. All these material remedies can only help us to a certain extent. Chanting Hare Krishna is really the only cure-all method for whatever ails us materially or spiritually.

Hare Krsna