Results 1 to 3 of 3

Thread: CNN's Narayanan Krishnan (Bhakti vs. Seva)

  1. #1
    Join Date
    July 2012
    Age
    52
    Posts
    2,088
    Rep Power
    2640

    CNN's Narayanan Krishnan (Bhakti vs. Seva)

    Hello,

    This news came to me yesterday via facebook. One Shri. Narayanan Krishnan, born of a Brahmin family, quit his cushy job as a Chef in London and now serves destitute people in Madurai, TN, India through his charitable foundation 'Akshaya Home' since 2002! He has been acclaimed a 'Hero' by CNN.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_3BEwpv0dM

    It reminds me of the good conversation regarding bhakti vs. seva I had in here, at HDF in the recent past.

    I had argued that the most noble goal for a human birth is to aim for 'Moksha'. The counter-argument was that one should not even aspire for one's own spiritual ascension but should serve others unconditionally.

    While I do respect the other view, I still stick to my own view because,

    1. Most people like myself, cannot render seva at the capacity of one Shri. Narayanan Krishnan. I cannot touch, bathe, shave, clean and feed destitute people in the street who are in the condition shown in the video above. I am sorry to say this, but that is my limitation.

    * I believe that service to Lord over time (or many lifetimes) will only give me the ability to operate at the capacity of this noble man, that is, to not feel a certain sense of disgust at external impurity *. And I believe this would be true for most people - hence to me, seva to god comes first to purify a man to be capable of doing such things.

    2. Even if I were to do seva at some other capacity right now, I think for me and for many others, the ego will step-in at some point of success and fame and will render them/me laden with superiority complex. *Thus bhakti comes to me first*.

    3. I stated that about .1% of the population (leaving out 99.9% of the rest) are only capable of functioning at this level (of Shri. Krishnan) - both do extreme seva as well as not take to egotism. To them, hats-off, as I bow down to the divine inside of them. They are all-set in this path, I am 100% sure, but to those others who are not at this level, for the reason of points 1 and 2 mentioned above, bhakti would be best (seva being an adjunct to bhakti).

    May I know your kind opinions on the same?

    Thanks & Regards,

    Viraja
    Last edited by Viraja; 14 September 2014 at 07:05 PM.
    jai hanuman gyan gun sagar jai kapis tihu lok ujagar

  2. #2
    Join Date
    July 2010
    Location
    The Holy Land - Bharat
    Posts
    2,842
    Rep Power
    5499

    Re: CNN's Narayanan Krishnan (Bhakti vs. Seva)

    Namaste,

    Old news Viraja, he was in the CNN hero list in 2010.

    Regarding the relative superior merits of sewa, bhakti, moksha (and ???), why not leave it to individuals? We all have different personalities and tend to feel comfortable with different things in life. Forcing oneself to behave in a certain way is fruitless. So if one person likes to do bhakti, let him; another one wants to do sewa, let him; the third one wants to do neither, let him. Does everything have to be prioritized and people programmed to follow one path?

    At a personal level, all this intellectual talk of the complicated religious terms and philosophies is a waste of time. Just get on with whatever it is that suits your taste for spiritual development and keeping your sanity. No two people should be required to follow a certain path to the detriment of their natural inclinations. In the long run, a forced regimen breeds resentment and results in disassociation with the very goal/process. Listen to the Chinese philosophers and follow the natural flow of life. Moksha will follow; one does not have to chase it. For fallen people like us, it will take hundreds or thousands or tens of thousands of human births to rise to that level. I certainly do not harbor any illusions of becoming a self realized soul (whatever that means) any time soon and attaining moksha.

    Pranam.

    PS, those sound like the most unwise, obfuscatory words ever spoken.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    July 2012
    Age
    52
    Posts
    2,088
    Rep Power
    2640

    Re: CNN's Narayanan Krishnan (Bhakti vs. Seva)

    Oh, the news is that old! I only heard about Shri. Krishnan yesterday.

    I am not sure of the rest.. Vaishnava acharyas, including those of modern times say that to pursue devotion and to take to full-fledged surrender to the Lord is the most noble pursuit/endeavor for a human birth... Regarding the 3rd category of people you mention about, those who are neither oriented towards bhakti nor seva, they can be motivated to take either courses IMHO, because in the long run, they give quicker results in cultivating/moulding them to be better persons by inculcating discipline in thoughts... but as you say, one should be prepared to eat it, even if one were to receive 'payasam'. No amount of forcing will do good.

    By the way, great insights from you Believer ji.. although I stated what I felt regarding the teaching of Vaishnava Acharyas in para above, I like the note of freedom in what you have written, that vibes with the true American spirit in me acquired from 20 yrs of living in this country! Thank you.
    jai hanuman gyan gun sagar jai kapis tihu lok ujagar

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Similar Threads

  1. CNN Hero Narayanan Krishnan: A True Karma Yogi
    By TatTvamAsi in forum Hot Topics
    Replies: 11
    Last Post: 24 June 2013, 06:37 PM
  2. Gaudiya Vaishnava Dharma - The goal of life
    By anadi in forum Vaishnava
    Replies: 112
    Last Post: 20 February 2013, 09:42 AM
  3. Replies: 39
    Last Post: 01 June 2012, 04:24 AM
  4. Replies: 38
    Last Post: 08 January 2012, 07:51 PM
  5. Replies: 48
    Last Post: 12 October 2011, 11:22 PM

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •