Lonely at The Top
BY: PARVATI DEVI DASI
Mar 16, 2012 — VRINDAVAN DHAM, INDIA (SUN) — For more than 30 years, I have consciously watched with concern seasoned and wonderful devotees fall through the cracks on a regular basis. Instead of standing back and assessing the situation from a different perspective to get relief from the pressure of overwhelming responsibilities, the trend is to rush into other situations which are infinitely even more entangling, using a variety of interesting rationalizations.
I know in many ways it is lonely at the top with all the responsibilities that come with it. But that's because most of our guys at the top forget to get enough doses of, or in some cases, any at all, at least like association in their zeal to do their job and everything that comes on top of their heads, as if that will give them complete immunity to confusion and lower modes.
I know you all make an extended effort to offer all the respect offered you back through the parampara, but this is only part of the solution. PLEASE get plenty of like association, seek more advanced association, and the benefit of that and everything which comes with it. Otherwise there is too much danger of falling into the trap of considering oneself the center of the universe. This is your mother speaking.
Consider this simple checklist: If you keep yourself ISOLATED and insulated, stay in your separate ashrams without joining the rank and file temple devotees in the daily programs over there, are basically surrounded mainly by those who worship your feet, and/or if you do not often evaluate and estimate the level of your material and spiritual position (such as sadhana and sadhu sanga), and discuss this regularly with those of at least equal association, then you can expect to get into trouble sooner than later. Guaranteed.
Srila Prabhupada's program is so simple and allows for different individual flavors as long as one stays within certain parameters. We deserve your association, and you ours. Without you, without each other, we are not successful.
I beg to remain your humble servant,
Parvati devi dasi
