Question:
Question: I need your guidance. By the Grace and the Kindness of Krishna Almighty, I have progressed in my life in terms of my standard of living, and have acquired a respectable job that does not give me physical stress at all, (though there is a considerable amount of mental stress). I am happy, there is no doubt, but the drawback is, I have involved myself a lot into materialistic attractions of this world – MAYA. And I can realize very well that I have moved millions and millions of light-years away from my Dear Lord, who gave me what I asked for, who answered my prayers, was always by my side when I wanted Him to be, was my Guide, my Motivator, my Consoler, my Counselor — almost everything to me.
My question is: I feel like a very selfish and a self centered person, who remembers his Lord only when he needs something from Him and when I receive what I asked for, I just forget my Lord. This is a very ungrateful attitude on my behalf. I know it’s a terrible sin. I feel so ashamed of myself that I am just not able to even join my hands, and look up to my dear Lord anymore because of this terrible guilt. Please guide me, what should I do? How could my Lord forgive me?
Answer by Romapada Swami:
The fact that you are able to appreciate the many favors bestowed upon you by the Lord and recognize the shortcoming in your own reciprocation with Him, is in itself a very positive beginning step. Gratitude is a key to furthering your spiritual progress. Now you just need to act positively, in ways that further express your feelings of gratitude, directing those actions as an offering of your gratitude and love to Lord Sri Krishna. This is devotional service!
As you have very nicely expressed, the Lord has been your constant companion and faithful friend, not just in this lifetime, but in countless lifetimes in the past! Not only is He granting your prayers and desires, but He is also providing everything for your sustenance – all the basic necessities of everyday life that most of us take for granted. Thus we basically owe Him everything we have. Therefore, just as a child should serve the parents when he grows up and recognizes the sacrifices of the parents in raising him, similarly now in this human form of life, when we have the developed consciousness to recognize the Lord’s kindness, we should express our gratitude by serving Him.
In a sense, regret for not having done so in the past is a good sign, because sincere feelings of regret and repentance burn away any residual tendency to repeat those acts or tendencies that we regret; and they can provide the impetus towards rectification. However, let those feelings not magnify into shame and lamentation that hold you back you from coming closer to the Lord. Anything that impedes the favorable cultivation of our eternal relationship with Krishna is to be rejected as a product of ignorance only. Instead we can come before the Lord, submitting our repentance before Him as sincere expressions of our feelings for Him, making a firm commitment to rectify the situation. Although we might have ignored Him foolishly, Krishna does not feel reproachful. He is ever merciful, and always willing and eager to forgive the sincerely repentant souls and accept them back into His fold.
Expressing our gratitude towards the Lord is not very complicated. Krishna simply wants our love and He is satisfied simply with a fruit or flower or leaf offered with love and devotion. One can begin simply by regularly coming before the Lord, as in the temple, or at one’s own home before one’s place of worship, and offer before Him the fruits of one’s labor with sincere expressions of gratitude; make it a practice to offer all food first to Krishna, and then only accept His prasadam; chant His Holy names; and read / hear about His glories in the association of devotees. These simple acts of devotion are not only most pleasing to the Lord, but have the potency to revive the deep feelings of devotion dormant in our hearts. You can also see that as these practices are taken up, all other unwanted entanglements in one’s life will gradually disappear without much extraneous endeavor, and those material involvements that one does have can easily be dovetailed in service to the Lord. I hope this is of some help to you.
