WHy no AdvAncement?
Sri Srimad Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja
One may ask, “I have been hearing and chanting for many years. I have been carrying out the order of sādhus, gurus, vaiṣṇavas for many years. Why am I still not making any advancement on the path of devotional service?”
In answer to this, Jiva Goswami has said in his Bhakti- sandarbha that one may not be making advancement because in his heart there is duplicity and crookedness. It is in a subtle corner, not in a gross form. Although you have been performing śravana and kīrtana, hearing and chanting, and you may be offering some service, still you cannot make any advancement. Jiva Goswami also states that although for hundreds of lives you may offer worship to Lord Vishnu, but if you disrespect a vaiṣṇava, a dear devotee of Lord Vishnu, then Lord Hari will never be pleased with you.
You are duplicitous. You have not got complete faith, strong faith. Maybe you have a little faith — soft, pliable faith — but not unflinching faith. You have some desires other than bhakti and thus your attention is diverted to material objects, women, money, etc. You are not careful about your bhajana, you show laziness in your sādhana, and you are a very great, puffed-up fellow. “Yes, I am a seni or devotee. Don’t you know?” Such a big false ego you have. “I have done this and that. And that, and other things.” You have so much dambha, pride.
This is a great disease with you. Although you are hearing from a sādhu, a vaiṣṇava, the disease is not cured. Then you should understand that you have committed many, many offenses. — Lecture, Bhubaneswar, 21 April 1995.
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