Questions **FOR** the devotees/followers of Krishna?

Question

to whom one should serve
few options for you

is it

1st Krishna
2nd devotees of krishna
3rd every living being.

you may say all but which one would you give first or second priority in your service toward above three options

what kind of your service will please most of the above and why

Answer 1

Number three is my choice.Krsna is the paramatma the supersoul in every being,in the form of Kryodakshaya Vishnu.The paramatma is independent however,and yet the best friend of every living entity,when we are alone in the world,overcome by the grief of material nature,suffering countless births and deaths,the paramatma is there,watching you,always by you,within your heart,and if someone knows the prescense of the paramatma,they know the prescense of Krsna everywhere,in every single atom,although the gross material elements are his inferior energy.

The fact that the paramatma is in everyone's soul means that our foolish interpertation of one person being a part of your family and another person being an outsider is pointless,all the things,the status and the ethnicity of a living entity is temporary.In the end,the soul,supersoul and karmic reactions remain,and that can include devotional service.Before attaining human life we endured millions of lives,with millions of parents,millions of races,ethnicities and forms,why should anyone think themselves superior,if someone of two different ethnicities died,and the bodies were cremated,what difference will there be between them,the bodies are the gross elements,our temporary residence.

But here is the honest truth,I feel more satisfied by serving devotees and serving the Lord,because of my demoniac nature I cannot see Krsna within everyone,although I try to.I am able to see the supersoul within my friends and family,but how in the world am I supposed to see Lord Krsna within the kids who walk down the hallway of my school?Yelling out curse words,indulging in illicit activities with girls,throwing paper everywhere,pushing people aside?Its impossible,even if I try my best,this was so until I visited Gita Nagari.

Before a beautiful kirtan,the harmonium music played,and the tone of the maha mantra was there,it was ecstatic,the very sound,while that was happening the pundit (a women) said "close your eyes,and imagine yourself surrounded by everyone you know or may have known,your friends,family and affiliates,the random people you see on the streets,even your enemies,and behind them all and within your soul and everyone elses,see the supreme personality of godhead".The music got slightly louder,the tone was amazing.Then the pundit said "now forgive your enemies,ask them to come forward and bow down before them,offer your obesciences".Then the kirtan began,it was truly the best I have ever listened to personally being there.

After that my knowing of Krsna's prescense everywhere intensified.
Of course I will serve everyone,it won't be easy but I will try.

The president of my local ISKCON temple always says that a person should serve the servent of Krsna's servent's, servent's,servents,servents,servents servent.

On the first path of devotion one serves Krsna,on the second path they serve the devotees,on the third they see Krsna everywhere so they serve everyone,including Krsna.

Answer 2

We should serve Krsna since by serving Krishna is like watering the roots of a tree which in turn waters the entire tree, which is like the entire cosmic world so by serving the roots ie. Bhagavan Sri Krishna the entire cosmic world is served including the devatas,pitas & forefathers

devarsi-bhütäpta-nrnam pitrnäm
na kinkaro näyam rni ca räjan
sarvätmanä yah saranam saranyam
gato mukundam parihrtya kartam

Translation

Anyone who has taken shelter of the lotus feet of Mukunda, the giver of liberation, giving up all kinds of obligation, and has taken to the path in all seriousness, owes neither duties nor obligations to the demigods, sages, general living entities, family members, humankind or forefathers.” Such obligations are automatically fulfilled by performance of devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Answer 3

The devotee of Krishna First because it pleases Krishna the most so that is also serving Krishna because the devotee is serving Krishna as well. Spreading the holy names and the knowledge of how to come closer to Krishna is the most pleasing to the Pure Devotee of Krishna and Krishna. Also following the instructions of the Pure Devotee- such as regulative principles and chanting the prescribed number of rounds is serving the Pure devotee. There are innumerable ways to serve the spiritual master and other devotees. Serving other devotes also pleases the spiritual master and Krishna such as - (helping them in their service to guru and Krishna is most pleasing to them. Thanks.

Answer 4

Bhagavan Krishna, The Purna Brahman in Himself is'nt a matter of service. He is to be worshipped through trading the path He has made available for us, the devotees. Devotees of Bhagavan Krishna do not need service of anybody as He has advised to be self-sufficient in all respects and to adopt 'self-help' . As per advice of Bhagavan Krishna, His devotees/ followers are expected to serve living beings whoever require any type of help just to make them able to get up and earn their livelyhood at their own. For more details e-mail me for chat on Sundays, we will discuss freely.

Answer 5

CC Madhya 11.26: Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu then said, "My dear Ramananda Raya, you are the foremost of all the devotees of Krishna; therefore whoever loves you is certainly a very fortunate person.

CC Madhya 11.27: "Because the King has shown so much love for you, Lord Krishna will certainly accept him.

CC Madhya 11.28: "[Lord Krishna told Arjuna:] 'Those who are My direct devotees are actually not My devotees, but those who are the devotees of My servant are factually My devotees.'

CC Madhya 11.29-30: "'My devotees take great care and respect in rendering Me service. They offer obeisances to Me with all their bodily limbs. They worship other devotees and find all living entities related to Me. For Me they engage the entire energy of their bodies. They engage the power of speech in the glorification of My qualities and form. They also dedicate their minds unto Me and try to give up all kinds of material desires. Thus My devotees are characterized.'
http://vedabase.net/cc/madhya/11/en1

Sri Chaitanya Bhagavatam mentions,
“amara bhaktera puja—ama haite bada”
sei prabhu vede-bhagavate kaila dadha
That same Supreme Personality of Godhead has declared in the Vedas and Srimad Bhagavatam, “Worship of My devotees is superior to worship of Me.”

Krishna is never alone. Krishna is with Nanda, Yasoda, Radharani, Lalita, Visaka, Subala, Raktaka, Patraka . . .

Prabhupada said that only Mayavadis want to see Krishna alone.

Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu declares in
Sri Caitanya Caritamrita Madhya-lila,
Chapter 13: The Ecstatic Dancing of the Lord at Ratha-yatra
Verse 80

naham vipro na ca nara-patir napi vaisyo na sudro
naham varni na ca griha-patir no vanastho yatir va
kintu prodyan-nikhila-paramananda-purnamritabdher
gopi-bhartuh pada-kamalayor dasa-dasanudasah
"'I am not a brahmana, I am not a kshatriya, I am not a vaisya or a sudra. Nor am I a brahmacari, a householder, a vanaprastha or a sannyasi. I identify Myself only as the servant of the servant of the servant of the lotus feet of Lord Sri Krishna, the maintainer of the gopis. He is like an ocean of nectar, and He is the cause of universal transcendental bliss. He is always existing with brilliance.'"

Answer 6

At the perfect level (uttama) of devotion- all are served similtaneously and inconceivably. (Like watering of roots)

It is only at the intermediate and lower levels of bhakti development do we have this choice. Actually we cannot truly serve Krishna in our conditioned state. Remember bhakti is translated as devotional service. The conditioned soul cannot really (in full) perform this (since it is done perfectly with siddha swarupa). The developing devotee cannot see Krishna or Guru in truth so how can true service of this occur?
We also cant serve every living truly in our conditioned state, because of attachment to the body to smaller or greater degree, we will have partiality.

For the developing devotee- it is best to serve the devotee of Krishna- He/she is the abode of devotion. Lord Siva tells Devi that worship of Sri Hari is the best, however better is to worship His (Hari's) devotee.(padma purana) Thus by engaging in the devotee's service, we automatically serve Krishna and jivas in general. This because the devotee is more merciful than Krishna and our devotional service will become purer and more intense by his/her mercy..Also the devotee will only engage us in Krishna's service anyway. Still as far bhakti goes- this is only applicable to Sri Krishna- He is the only object of devotion. When reach pure devotion, then we can really serve. Right now in conditioned state- we can only serve temporarily, artificially or at best partially. Therefore attempting to serve the devotee- we will attain the perfect standard by his/her mercy (and Krishna's mercy since He will be pleased to see our attempt to serve His devotee).

Even though we cannot truly see the devotee (because of this material disease), still he/she showers mercy upon us because of the humble attempt to serve him/her.

The best service to Guru, Krishna and devotees is to follow instructions. We should chant Krishna's name- this namaseva is guruseva. The conditioned soul cannot see the potency or how this is... but by the mercy of Guru, Krishna nama and nama bhaktas he/she will see everything.

Answer 7

The fiorst and the last options are the same .the lord bing in everything animate and inanimate serving everybeing is serving god and also serving the lord would amount to serving every being too.th emiddle one will be restricting service to the devotees of of krsihna only and leaves out the rest , thereby leaving the rest of the lives in ?god .So any one the firsat and the last option is fine for everybody and anybody.
Since every body has to perfom his duty , the duty assigned to him or underaken y him as a sacred offering to god without any expectation, we shall hav to restric our service byganting sucbn assisstnce as is necessary only to those who are eunable to do anythng / or incapable opf performing his own sacred duty , Service does nt mean ganting freebies to alland sundries who are able to work and perfom their own duties and make them lazy and prevent them from perfoming their own duty .This is what krsihna teaches in Bhagavad gits .krishna being god capable of doing anything ( inact he says that he has already killed those whom Arjuna had to fight ) could have killed the Gowravas .but he goads Arjuna to do it .the reason is that is the duty of Arjuna as a King ,as a warrior to perfom his sacred duty of destroying the evil forces and that he should doit without fear of favour .
Doing one 's own duty imperfectly is better than doing another man's duty perfectly. one shoul dnot do hat .that is alois the teaching of Krishna
So serving does not mean washng he feet of alzybums and all people and feedinghem while they can themselves do all that .Serve only the needy and the deserving .serving he undeserving and those who do not need willbe a sin of prevening them from doing their own sacred duty of earning for themselves .and others who need .

Answer 8

If i have understood Krishna,i Should serve and respect to all living beings.
Krishna said he is in everything,his image is found in everything(even in non-living things), he is everywhere.
and if i say all living beings automatically the second option in included.
And if i serve both the options I automatically Serve Krishna.

Answer 9

Whenever i get a chance i server all. So, my option is 3.

By serving to every living being, you are serving to Krishna. He resides in every one.*

Answer 10

One should serve every living being, because lord krishna himself in his preachings said that i m there in the soul of every living being.