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The task of the devotees

The task of the devotees is to found schools for brahmanas and inject a new fundament for making the world conscious. To make teachers, artists, scientists, doctors, married men and women, conscious, to make them conscious of their duties based on the wisdom from the Vedic culture, based on common sense, filled with relevant information, inspired by the eternal wisdom of Lord Krishna Himself, that He shares with us in His Bhagavad Gita.

One who is so brave to open new oasis of conscious-making of the Srimad Bhagavatam and the Holy Names in this mundane plane and to maintain the firmness as a true service, has the blessings from the Panca Tattwa over him. Therefore, heart to heart means a long-term compromise with those who Krishna sends to cross your way, and is expanding to their friends and family members.

If you love me, love my dog

Srila Prabhupada used to quote the saying: "If you love me, love my dog". So, if I love a person in the preaching, I also begin to preoccupy for those who are dear to them, this is natural. If I have a spiritual master, I should also love those whom he loves. In that way, I begin to love very much and I become a well-wisher of all my spiritual sisters and brothers, so what to say about my sentiments towards my Parama Guru, who is the life and soul of my Guru.

Kali Yuga tries to seduce us at each moment

A lot of strength is required to maintain in this process, because Kali Yuga tries to seduce us at each moment and in all directions. Maybe in your house, your conscious mum, your false ego and in the temple, they massage your caprices. Maybe in the street they offer great opportunities to earn money and in the temple one has to fill the head with the economical roles of the temple, and practically as a resident of an ashram, practice the voluntary poverty. Maybe in the world there are many nice beings inviting you for gratification of your senses, while in the temple you have to get up for Mangala Aratik and you cannot walk around coquettish. The world of Maya offers many colours, rhythms and smells, but finally it ends up in many pains.

The market of the Holy Name

Srila Prabhupada opened the market of the Holy Name, to distribute in a wholesale style, retail style or even if you want like foreign trade. Sri Nityananda prabhu is the original founder of the market of the Holy Name, and he said that in this market, the only accepted currency to buy merchandise is Faith and Humility. Sadly, in this era this is something very rare, and therefore the devotees of the Lord pray to Srimati Radharani, the Supreme Controller, also know as Srada devi, to please help us in our service to our spiritual master and please to give faith to people.

The prayer of a preacher

Srila Prabhupada described it like this: "How will people from here come to understand my message, my Lord? Please, my Lord, make me dance as You wish, empower my words in a way that people can feel that I am talking Your way". Srila Prabhupada only came to give things; he did not come to take anything from anybody. "How can I convince the entire world of this? To take Your blessings seriously?" The prayer of a preacher, who wants to have some success, should be more or less like this. Everything is in the hands of the Lord, and He is our only comfort, in success as well as in failure. He is the only one who can guide me again, Krishna is our friend and He will never stop to be that, and if we cannot be so brave preachers, there is no problem; we can humbly support a devotee who is occupied in this way.

Even the little dusts carried by the little spider, which helped to build the bridge of Hanuman, were highly appreciated. The generosity in devotional service is immense; everyone can find a service to participate. In our farms there is so much to do, we have many fields of action. For instance, the mothers can help to take care of the children and the grihastas can bring sweets to offer to the Deity, etc.

The collection of Vedic Wisdom

All devotees should have the collection of Vedic Wisdom (the collection is being translated to English and uploaded on: http://www.vns.st/wisdoms) to distribute it everywhere to all needy. It does not exist even one person on this planet, who does not share some point or need, touched upon in the collection of Vedic Wisdom that can help them. The collection let the devotees have immediate conversations anywhere.

When the Vedic Wisdom collection is printed locally, do not forget to put a local address for contact. The temples that distribute this material should put on each one a stamp with their local contact, so people get encouraged to come and search for help. This is very important, since the majority of people do not have interest, especially in South America, or they do not understand how to subscribe on our e-mail listing. I have learnt from a professional designer, that publicity has to be such that even a fool can understand.

The natural symptom of a member of the family

The true devotees are very, very interested to know and care for what their spiritual master is doing and that all members of the congregation are happy. This kind of preoccupation is the natural symptom of a member of the family. The indifference of the well-being of others is the contamination of impersonalism and selfish materialism. It is interesting, the materialism, that says that the world is an accident and the impersonalism, that says that the world does not have a conscious creator, nor a well-wisher of everyone. They are very similar in their way to see the things. Too similar, considering that the impersonalist reject the irreligious enjoyment, but both are in the same inclination to the indifference before the possibility to create harmony in the relation to the will of a Supreme well-wishing being of all. For the materialist the idea is: "Enjoy to the maximum, because when we die, everything is finished", while the impersonalist wants to finish with everything, inclusive his individuality, because for him the material world is false.

Para Upakara, make good for the others

But it is exactly through Bhakti Yoga that one can understand the concept of Para Upakara, make good for the others, the transcendental benefit. Because the devotee knows that Krishna loves everyone and that the world is not false, it is just temporal, because Krishna wants to have everyone with him. Therefore, he created temporal circumstances so the conditional souls can learn, suffer and enjoy what is appropriate for them. The generating force of all variety and of every living being, of every individual, proves itself the existence of an immense intelligence and it does not exist even a remote possibility that such a sophistication comes from mechanic laws; interactions of ingredients which origin would clearly remain unknown in the materialistic as well as in the impersonalist plane.

The mother of all caprices and irresponsibility

The attempt to reduce all beauty in the creation to formulas or automatic interactions is a similar stupidity (crazy repulsiveness, cunning shamefulness, arbitrariness before the intelligence and common sense) that must be rejected by every sincere soul, at least as a less rational and contradicting hypothesis for the development of love for other beings. Or rather, responsible for the grave situation of the indifference to the pain of others, based on conclusions of materialism or impersonalism, that in both cases rejects all kind of responsibility for their present state. This because they do not accept that they have consciously received a charge of responsibility through the free will that is given by an institution of Supreme person.

These philosophies are the mother of all caprices and irresponsibility, and ever though the mayavadi could profess that he wants to do good for others (the altruist materialists can profess the same), the only purpose he has is his personal salvation (or his improvement of the emotional state in case of a materialist).

The way out of this world

What a relief then, is the understanding that permits a spiritual family to this world! Para Upakara for a Vaisnava is not any therapy or some methodology; it is the natural attitude from a heart that obeys to the will of a common creator. It is the power to be able to show the realization of the natural affect towards other beings. It is the constitutional relation to be a member of a loving family. It is the beauty of the very being, given by his father who naturally is the most loving of all, and the growing of this attitude is the fundament of the qualification, to be able to get out of the entanglements in the world of egoism.

More proofs that we are in Kali yuga

So, the exploitation as well as the indifference, are totally unacceptable for a person on the path of devotion and dedication to the Truth, which is the underlying principle of all that exist. It is astonishing, the extent of popularity of the exploitation, as well as the indifference, but this seems to be just one more proof that we really are in Kali yuga, and that the fight against the illusion must be a real fight. It is not enough with a little of prasadam on the Sunday feast and the rest of the week living like anyone else, without rounds, without service, attached to the television. And after that I am surprised why I do not make any spiritual advance or I start to doubt that the process of Bhakti yoga will help, or better I consult a witch what to do. In other words, Para Upakara must be a part of our continuous plan of action.

The most important in a spiritual oasis

To open a temple and establish a spiritual oases can be considered the maximum one can do to practice Para Upakara. Please, do not forget that came to know about our spiritual identity only because some devotee opened a spiritual oasis. It has to be emphasized here, that the most important with a spiritual oasis is that there is daily recited the illuminating message of Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam. Apart from this, the devotees want to do good in thousands of other ways, distributing prasadam, advices, literature, radial preaching, or simply invitations to the temple and to visit our web pages; there are already an immense of efforts to do Para Upakara.

Please, do not forget to convince the others to become vegetarians, to understand the law of karma and to become responsible in their family relations with the others.

The dignity of our endeavours

The devotees are the best friends and well-wishers in all humanity, and this must be to the smallest detail, because that is our reason to exist and the dignity of our endeavours. Krishna consciousness is not simply another way support one's living; it is the sacrifice of the era. The loving service that cures us from uncountable lives in egoism and errors, that puts us in contact with the causeless mercy and lets us put others too in contact with this same mercy. Therefore, we must not lose enthusiasm.

Always your well-wisher,
Swami B.A. Paramadvaiti