Tattva-viveka
Going Forward
Swami - February 27, 2007 11:44 am
“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back–
Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one
elementary truth that ignorance of which kills countless ideas and
splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then
Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would
never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from
the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen
incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could
have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do, or dream
you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.
Begin it now.”
—Gothe
Madhavendra Puri Dasa - February 27, 2007 1:04 pm
Deep and strong quote. It is the second time I come across it in the last days. Both times from a Vaisnava. I guess soem higher force wants to tell me something 
It would be nice to hear how devotees here interpret this words, and how they experience its vaildity in their lives.
I feel personally that I have problem with long term commitment. Everything goes nicely untill I feel enthusiasm and taste, but when it´s gone I dont have enough determination to stick to my commitment. So basically when what I do makes me happy I do it, when it doesn´t any more I quit. 
This is the circle which is very difficult to break trough. Any words of wisdom and advice? What´s the alternative for tasteless sticking to commitments after feeling and inspiration for it dissapeard?
Swami - February 27, 2007 7:54 pm
Deep and strong quote. It is the second time I come across it in the last days. Both times from a Vaisnava. I guess soem higher force wants to tell me somethingIt would be nice to hear how devotees here interpret this words, and how they experience its vaildity in their lives.
I feel personally that I have problem with long term commitment. Everything goes nicely untill I feel enthusiasm and taste, but when it´s gone I dont have enough determination to stick to my commitment. So basically when what I do makes me happy I do it, when it doesn´t any more I quit.
If you love your wife, husband, or children, do you abandon them when they don't reciprocate? Are you in this only for yourself? If so, then where is the love. Love is labor--a labor of love. Love is commitment, for better or worse. One should revert to philsophy in the absence of taste. Divne love is well reasoned. You should feel honored, even embarassed that you experienced any taste at all—he is so kind, so generous that it brings one to tears. Gaura's love for his devotees, his gentle dealings, his soft heart—one cannot find this anywhere in any other avatara. Patita pavana Gaura. There is no one like him anywhere in any world. "Go to him now. He calls you. You can't refuse."
Madhavendra Puri Dasa - February 27, 2007 10:05 pm
If you love your wife, husband, or children, do you abandon them when they don't reciprocate? Are you in this only for yourself? If so, then where is the love. Love is labor--a labor of love. Love is commitment, for better or worse. One should revert to philsophy in the absence of taste. Divne love is well reasoned. You should feel honored, even embarassed that you experienced any taste at all—he is so kind, so generous that it brings one to tears. Gaura's love for his devotees, his gentle dealings, his soft heart—one cannot find this anywhere in any other avatara. Patita pavana Gaura. There is no one like him anywhere in any world. "Go to him now. He calls you. You can't refuse."
Thank you Guru Maharaj, when you say it, it seems to be so obvious and simple. I´am feeling so embarassed for my selfishness.
Jason - February 28, 2007 5:18 am
It would be nice to hear how devotees here interpret this words, and how they experience its vaildity in their lives.
This just reminds me that for every step we take towards Krsna; towards service, He will reciprocate, and to a greater degree as well. Those initial surges of enthusiasm that feel so incredible, pale in comparison to what we will experience when we choose to be steady in devotional life. It reminds me that Krsna provides what we lack, so why the hesitancy anyway? As Maharaja said, we can "fall back on philosophy in the absence of taste", but also, if for some reason there is some faltering of faith in God or the philosophy, we can move forward on the strength of Guru; the opportunity to assist him when we doubt our ability to please Krsna, is a catalyst in itself. This is the philosophy anyway, service to Guru will allow us to serve Krsna.
This makes me think about Srila Praabhupada's journey to the states, what he accomplished....all on the "order" of his Gurudeva. "All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred."
Hmmm....great quote. Thank you.
Tadiya Dasi - February 28, 2007 7:34 am
Just what I needed to hear, Gurudev.
Swami - February 28, 2007 12:32 pm
Just what I needed to hear, Gurudev.
Yes, sadhana-bhakti is not a spectator's sport. Mahaprabhu did not come to give santa rasa.
Nitai Joseph - February 28, 2007 1:20 pm
“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back–
Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation),"
----This says to me that with each progressive step in Krsna Consciousness, unless the sraddha that that step was taken on is real, substantial, then there is chance of regression. Since in our current position faith is a subtle, abstract thing we must really inspect our intention and determination before taking a step, or else the stair might crumble beneath us .
"the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too."
---This makes me think Paramatma. Fully aware of when we really want to remember, and forget. So the moment our hankering is rooted in commitment, plans are underway to bring us there.
"All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way."
---I think, correct me if I'm wrong, that even before we make the decision(to pursue our real identity as a servant of god), that maya shakti and karma is such that it is made to bring us back to reality, or at least to the position of wanting to make the decision to chase reality. But, once we are actively pursuing this line then the arrangements become truly extraordinary and unpredictable. Everyone has some far-out story about how they or someone they know came in contact with Krsna consciousness. All we have to do is sincerely commit, and Krsna really does the work.
This reminds me of a Srila Sridhar Maharaja quote, "Everything within the environment is helping us, everything is sympathetic to us from all sides"and, "Everything is all right with the infinite and the environment. We have only to correct ourselves" <---thats alot to chew on.
Rama-priya - March 1, 2007 10:26 am
If you love your wife, husband, or children, do you abandon them when they don't reciprocate? Are you in this only for yourself? If so, then where is the love. Love is labor--a labor of love. Love is commitment, for better or worse. One should revert to philsophy in the absence of taste. Divne love is well reasoned. You should feel honored, even embarassed that you experienced any taste at all—he is so kind, so generous that it brings one to tears. Gaura's love for his devotees, his gentle dealings, his soft heart—one cannot find this anywhere in any other avatara. Patita pavana Gaura. There is no one like him anywhere in any world. "Go to him now. He calls you. You can't refuse."
Wow, Thank You very much Guru Maharaja, it is real solution how to be ever inspired. Only need always remember these words, put in the frame, on the wall in order to put in the heart, be always conscious about it.
Babhru Das - June 7, 2008 4:35 pm
Something along the same line from Napoleon:
"Take time to deliberate, but when the time for action has arrived, stop thinking and go in."
Babhru Das - June 7, 2008 4:37 pm
And another from Napoleon, which Srila Prabhupada repeated many times:
"Impossible is a word to be found only in the dictionary of fools."
Zvonimir Tosic - June 7, 2008 11:45 pm
And another from Napoleon, which Srila Prabhupada repeated many times:"Impossible is a word to be found only in the dictionary of fools."
The original actually says:
'Impossible' n'est pas français. (Impossible is not [in the] French [language].) What he wanted to say is that impossible in not a French word (but rather Latin). However, this was such a popular saying that many have adopted it since.
Napoleon was quite a unique character. Although a conqueror and leader of many war campaigns in Europe, many people are still remembering him today by quoting his famous sentences and appreciating him for ... developing their countries. How's that possible in the black & white world of today? Namely, when he was engaged in war fares, similar to old Romans he was building infrastructure too. He was opening new roads people still use today, and was connecting new places. In many towns today people still use old Roman aqueducts (which were obviously built to last), and also, the width of the modern rails ... it's actually the exact width of the Roman track -- the distance between the wheels on the old Roman horse / oxen carriages. Tracks were same throughout the empire, measuring system common too; thus standardisation and unification of the communication systems gave Romans actual power and envious admiration of the barbarians. Something modern world and few countries can still learn from, too.
Few more from Napoleon:
-- Death is nothing, but to live defeated and inglorious is to die daily.
-- He that makes war without many mistakes has not made war very long.
-- Victory belongs to the most persevering.
-- From the sublime to the ridiculous is but a step.
-- Strategy is the art of making use of time and space. I am less concerned about the latter than the former. Space we can recover, lost time never.
And one of his most famous:
-- If you want a thing done well, do it yourself.
Thanks for the inspiring postings, Babhru! You've created an avalanche! (Which is a French word)
Yamuna Dasi - May 22, 2009 11:53 am
I was meditating about the commitment and its aspects. If when committing one had been cheated about something basic and later on discovers it, then one is not obliged to stick to the form of the commitment... even though can continue to stick to it's essence.
Arjuna committed himself to killing whoever would offend his bow but also committed himself to help his brother Yudhisthir Maharaj regain the kingdom and later on when Yudhisthir M. offended his bow Arjuna had to consider to which of his commitments rather to stick (breaking the other) and made his choice. Breaking a commitment is not always a bad thing or a symptom of weakness.
We are not slaves even of our own commitments. In this world of false images and appearances we have to stick to our goal and to our ideal even if our path towards it will have to pass through breaking some of our own commitments. If a commitment is no longer serving the highest goal and ideal what is it for? To prove what? And to who? Or to pay a price for making a mistake? The price for every mistake we make will be paid inevitably in one way or other.
If a sannyas falls in love with a woman what is more correct - to keep outwardly his "sannyas" in order not to disturb the path of his disciples or to break his sannyas vow and to marry taking all the sequences of creating a great disturbance for the faith of his disciples? He was sincere when making his sannyas vow, but he did not know what will come to him later. He was sincere when accepting his disciples, but also didn't know what will come later. Something has to be sacrificed - either his sannyas, or the woman, or the disciples, or the truth... He cannot have it all.
In order to choose to what or to who to commit we need to know the truth, all of it. How otherwise can we make the right choice or who can blame us for not making the right choice if we did not know all the truth when making that choice? Then one of our goals should also be to develop real insight, to be able to see the reality and the truth... otherwise what will be the value of our commitments if we don't know what and who are we committing to really.
I myself would rather break a commitment then stick to it if I find that there was a lie from the other side. I want to find and serve the Supreme Truth and I don't believe I could ever reach it through lies or by following lies.
Can a liar teach us the truth? Some say "yes"... others say "no"... it's not a simple question. I would prefer to learn about truth from someone who is truthful himself. But fate has her own ideas of how things should happen. Who knows, maybe a liar can teach me better how to love truth even more.
We see in Scriptures that sometimes commitment is glorified even when the object is demoniac. Tulasi's commitment to her husband-demon was not objected, it was honored. Life is complicated and so are the choices we have to make sometimes.
I like the quote and take it rather as a push to start acting and doing... and also not to be afraid of committing. Nowadays I see that many men and women live together but they are afraid to commit to each other in marriage and just keep a relation without doing it. I cannot see true romanticism in it. It seems to me like two persons living at the threshold, not daring to enter and not daring to leave. There must be some good reasons if scriptures recommend commitment. Commitment is for the brave, those who are not afraid to jump. Cowards live at the threshold trying to convince themselves and others how comfortable it is living at the threshold having the view over both inside and outside…
One of the first books about yoga which I read as a child was "Autobiography of a Yogi" by Paramahamsa Yogananda. There is a story about a disciple approaching a guru asking him to be accepted. The guru rejects him and the disciple says that then he will jump from the rocks in the abyss and the guru says "ok, jump if you wish so". The person jumped and died, but the guru gave him back his life and accepted him as his disciple. I was very impressed by this story and thought that one day I will also have to jump.
Many years later I had a dream in which the situation was similar to that in the book - I had to jump for something I believed in. It was so hard to win over all the fears and go against my own nature of loving life and sticking to life... it was a long struggle and finally I told myself "just stop thinking, the choice is made, JUMP"! And I did it, I jumped... but there was only a moment of satisfaction, just a moment of contentment "good! I did it!" because I was flying downwards but before crushing on the rocks at the bottom of the abyss an unknown force returned me to the edge at the moment before my "glorious" jump... and I had to start again all the struggle from the very beginning.
When I woke up I realized that it will not be just one "glorious" jump and triumph after - there will be an endless sequence of jumps and each of them will be no easier than the previous one.
Tadiya Dasi - March 5, 2010 5:17 pm
I just discovered two more great quotes from Goethe:
"Who wants to understand the poem
Must go to the land of poetry"
and
"If we treat people as they are, we make them worse. If we treat people as they ought to be, we help them become what they are capable of becoming."
Babhru Das - March 5, 2010 8:49 pm
Very cool--both of them. Thanks, Tadiya. Moreover, they brought me back to this thread and to the quotation with which SM opened it, which I need to savor and assimilate.
Also, I hope that your birthday was a good one and that all your wishes may come true.