Listen "Continue Devotional Service Amidst All Your Obligations | HG Vaisesika Dasa | Pune | 28 Oct 2025"
Episode Synopsis
During our lives, we'll go through various eras, and in some of the eras we're required to work. It's not going to be possible to dedicate the same amount of time that others can at different periods in their life. Let's use Śrīla Prabhupāda as an example. He had a family, children, and he was also working as an employee in a chemical company in high-level management. He expressed how little time he had too during that era.
Evidence: He split his rounds up throughout the day. He mentions this, that he chanted four, four, four, and four, because he had to time it so that he could chant his rounds around his work schedule and around his family schedule. Another piece of evidence is that when Prabhupāda joined his spiritual master's Yātrā in Vṛndāvana, it was a ten-day Yātrā, and he could only go for one day because he had so much work to do. So, Prabhupāda during that time maintained sādhana as best he could, but he also had those other obligations.
Then, at a particular time in his life, he got the opportunity to become a vānaprastha and then a sannyāsī. Most people see Prabhupāda during the time when he was a paramahaṁsa and not sleeping and engaging in spreading the movement and writing all night and things like that. But he also went through the different stages of life, and during those times, he apportioned his time accordingly. So, this is natural, and it is accommodated by the varṇāśrama system that there are going to be different phases of life.It's nothing impractical. In fact, in the Śrī Īśopaniṣad, a favorite verse of mine, is:
vidyāṁ cāvidyāṁ ca yas
tad vedobhayaḿ saha
avidyayā mṛtyuṁ tīrtvā
vidyayāmṛtam aśnute
"Only one who can learn the process of nescience and that transcendental knowledge side by side can transcend the influence of repeated birth and death and enjoy the full blessings of immortality (Mantra 11)."
https://vedabase.io/en/library/iso/11/
So, it's not a big surprise that we have obligations in the material world, but what's required is to continue your hearing and chanting even as you're doing that, according to your capacity.
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To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/
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Add to your wisdom literature collection:
https://iskconsv.com/book-store/
https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/
https://thefourquestionsbook.com/
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Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868
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#spiritualawakening #soul #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualgrowthlessons #secretsofspirituality
#vaisesikaprabhu #vaisesikadasa #vaisesikaprabhulectures #spirituality #bhaktiyoga #krishna #spiritualpurposeoflife #krishnaspirituality #spiritualusachannel #whybhaktiisimportant #whyspiritualityisimportant #vaisesika #spiritualconnection #thepowerofspiritualstudy #selfrealization #spirituallectures #spiritualstudy #spiritualquestions #spiritualquestionsanswered #trendingspiritualtopics #fanthespark #spiritualpowerofmeditation #spiritualteachersonyoutube #spiritualhabits #spiritualclarity #bhagavadgita #srimadbhagavatam #spiritualbeings #kttvg #keepthetranscendentalvibrationgoing #spiritualpurpose
Evidence: He split his rounds up throughout the day. He mentions this, that he chanted four, four, four, and four, because he had to time it so that he could chant his rounds around his work schedule and around his family schedule. Another piece of evidence is that when Prabhupāda joined his spiritual master's Yātrā in Vṛndāvana, it was a ten-day Yātrā, and he could only go for one day because he had so much work to do. So, Prabhupāda during that time maintained sādhana as best he could, but he also had those other obligations.
Then, at a particular time in his life, he got the opportunity to become a vānaprastha and then a sannyāsī. Most people see Prabhupāda during the time when he was a paramahaṁsa and not sleeping and engaging in spreading the movement and writing all night and things like that. But he also went through the different stages of life, and during those times, he apportioned his time accordingly. So, this is natural, and it is accommodated by the varṇāśrama system that there are going to be different phases of life.It's nothing impractical. In fact, in the Śrī Īśopaniṣad, a favorite verse of mine, is:
vidyāṁ cāvidyāṁ ca yas
tad vedobhayaḿ saha
avidyayā mṛtyuṁ tīrtvā
vidyayāmṛtam aśnute
"Only one who can learn the process of nescience and that transcendental knowledge side by side can transcend the influence of repeated birth and death and enjoy the full blessings of immortality (Mantra 11)."
https://vedabase.io/en/library/iso/11/
So, it's not a big surprise that we have obligations in the material world, but what's required is to continue your hearing and chanting even as you're doing that, according to your capacity.
------------------------------------------------------------
To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/
------------------------------------------------------------
Add to your wisdom literature collection:
https://iskconsv.com/book-store/
https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/
https://thefourquestionsbook.com/
------------------------------------------------------------
Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/
Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868
For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark
For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark
------------------------------------------------------------
#spiritualawakening #soul #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualgrowthlessons #secretsofspirituality
#vaisesikaprabhu #vaisesikadasa #vaisesikaprabhulectures #spirituality #bhaktiyoga #krishna #spiritualpurposeoflife #krishnaspirituality #spiritualusachannel #whybhaktiisimportant #whyspiritualityisimportant #vaisesika #spiritualconnection #thepowerofspiritualstudy #selfrealization #spirituallectures #spiritualstudy #spiritualquestions #spiritualquestionsanswered #trendingspiritualtopics #fanthespark #spiritualpowerofmeditation #spiritualteachersonyoutube #spiritualhabits #spiritualclarity #bhagavadgita #srimadbhagavatam #spiritualbeings #kttvg #keepthetranscendentalvibrationgoing #spiritualpurpose
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