Pariprashnena — Q&A Archive

Hare Krishna,

Just wondering what part of the world you are living in - perhaps there are devotees close by that you just have not met up with and someone here can direct you to them.

Haribol,

Thank you for your answer... My question is really not about devotee association or how to get it but about nistha.There are devotees locally but Im not able to associate with them.

[quote][cite] sadhupriya:[/cite]Thank you for your answer... My question is really not about devotee association or how to get it but about nistha.There are devotees locally but Im not able to associate with them.[/quote]

From my personal experience, I can say that reasons for "not being able to associate with the local devotees" may be of greater importance and influence than it may seem at first sight.

So the first stage in the development of a taste for hearing about Krishna is some preliminary appreciation, the second stage is association with devotees, the third is engagement in devotional service, and the fourth stage'97achieved if one is actually executing the rules and regulations of devotional service under the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master'97is freedom from unwanted desires and habits. Then comes nishtha, firm faith in the process of Krishna consciousness. And the sixth stage is ruci, a taste for hearing and chanting about Krishna, serving Him, and so on. (Dharma, ch. 11)

As you can see, without sadhu sanga one cant progress.

Nistha is when no one can convince you that KC is wrong, inefficient, etc. since you have your own realizations of its power.

Allegedly deprogrammers in 80s had the lowest success rate with deprogramming devotees in comparison with other groups.

Veda, which book is that that you reference with "Dharma, ch. 11"?
Thank you.

The full title is Dharma: The Way of Transcendence. It consists of compiled SPs lectures on SB 1.2.1-21.