As soon as someone thinks they know everything, and they have nothing else to learn, they become "old".
Well, they're like the proverbial "wise sage" sitting in a corner distributing their "pearls of wisdom" to those who "don't know".
Sure, the "children" will gather around to hear what the wise old sage has to say, but what of the wise old sage?
Can you grow, can you learn? Is there any new life for you? Something you don't know or have not experienced yet???
If you have nothing more to learn, then you are not growing. Life means growth. When you stop learning, you may as well be dead.
Try something new today. Talk to someone you have never talked to before. Listen to what they are telling you. Consider their thoughts seriously. You may find that they have experiences and wisdom you never dreamed of. Not everyone is willing to share what they have been through, or what they understand with "everyone".
If you have deep faith in the Lord, then why are you threatened by that? Krishna has unlimited means to teach you the things he wants to teach you. Why do you think it comes only through your own mind and your own perceptions? (or for that matter, the people that "fit" into those thoughts and perceptions).
We are not independent beings in a universe alone with only Krishna. We are inter-dependent. Spiritual awareness comes from others as well as our own personal realizations. Krishna does not limit Himself to only one vehicle of expression that appeals to you most.
Real knowledge comes when we understand that every message is Krishna, and we can see what we need to see, in every thing and every person that we come into contact with.
We cannot grow if we create our own "little universe" to live in, gathering around us only the people that "fit" into the experiences we understand and feel comfortable with.
That is becoming old, no growth. No life. Death of the spirit.
Shiksha Guru
Shiksha guru can be more than one. Thats what my mother says.
What ever we learn from a learned person (related to KC) that person becomes our Shiksha Guru.
Is that Right Navasi Mataji?
Instruction
That's right Abhishek.
Anyone who teaches us about Krishna consciousness becomes a shiksha guru to us.
Shiksha guru means "instructing guru".
That can be (and usually is) many persons.
Navasi
Learning from others
WoW! Mataji that means all of us who have joined connect will never grow old.
How about the slogan " Join connect to stay young"?
On a serious note, I think every individual has something to teach us. Krishna, can make anybody his instrument to teach us what he wants to. In fact, I feel every person that we come across in are life, has been arranged by Krisna to teach us something. When we meet devotees, Krisna wants wants us to learn their good qualities and their realizations. On the other hand when we come across material people, Krishna wants us to learn how not to live life. And of course, let that person know about KC. Thus, there is always a give and take possible with anybody we come across, but we must receptive and willing to have such a relation with others.
Hare Krishna!
Snehal.
Being Receptive
Dear Snehal,
You are so right, we must always stay receptive and desire to learn, and be willing to learn.
Connect is a place of thousands of opportunities for that learning for sure. If we take advantage of the opportunity by being willing, receptive and looking for the lessons, we will surely stay "young" and always learning.
We can walk through life with thousands of learning opportunities placed in front of our eyes, yet be so "locked in" to our own conceptions we still learn nothing. We are staying blind.
So, I love that point you're making, we have to be ready to:
See
Listen
Look
Understand
Accept
Learn
Krishna is surely trying to teach us constantly.
Hare Krishna,
Navasi
Learning forever
Well said , Snehal. This was exactly the first thought that came to my mind.
This message is not applicable to readers on Connect, because otherwise they wouldn't wander here in the first place.
As you said, we have to be receptive with everyone, give and take appropriately, and also not make assumptions about anyone.
Babies and children teach us lessons too.
Then, just think of Lord Dattatreya's list of Gurus - tree, moon, bird, earth (tolerance) , water (stillness, coolness)....
Assumptions
Dear Krishnnali,
It seems to me that you are making quite a lot of assumptions about quite a lot of people yourself when you say:
"this message is not applicable to readers on connect"
How could you possibly know what the thousands of people who read connect would need to "hear" that might benefit them?
It does not seem at all "receptive with everyone" to make that kind of a judgment.
If babies, children, trees, moons, birds, earth, etc... can teach us, then why should any single message be ruled out as not being "applicable" to an entire realm of people who make up the thousands who "read connect".
How could you possibly know what thousands of people you have never even met could learn something from?
It seems to me that you are not only making assumptions about the people you come in contact with, but also, thousands of people who you don't know a single thing about.
Hare Krishna,
Navasi
HARE KRISHNA
THANX mata g for such perfect words