We all need appreciation, encouragement, and love to march ahead swiftly in the journey of Krishna consciousness. Krishna consciousness is not a 100‑meter sprint. Rather, it is a lifelong marathon.
We often speak of marathons in bhakti – the book distribution marathon, the Harināma marathon, the Bhādra Pūrṇimā marathon, and many others. But our spiritual life in its entirety is itself a marathon.
In any marathon run, there are refreshments placed at various points along the route – water, juices, small boosts that help the runner continue. I remember in my childhood, when I would participate in swimming competitions, mainly 100 meters and 200 meters breaststroke — people would shout and cheer so that we could go faster and perform better. Whenever my head would come out of the water, and I would see my near and dear ones, I would feel inspired to push myself harder.
Sometimes, I wouldn’t even know for whom they were shouting. I would assume they were shouting for me, and that assumption itself would give me energy to go faster. Even in competitions that lasted just a couple of minutes, sometimes even less, we needed that encouragement.
Sometimes, even during practice sessions, I remember my coach standing right in front of my lane. As my head would pop up, I would see him urging me to pull faster, and I would try to clock my best time.
In our bhakti life also, we require encouragement – during our daily or weekly sprints as well as during our long challenges, struggles, and service commitments. And as devotees, we also have the responsibility to impart that encouragement to others.
The Fire Extinguishers
Sometimes, due to our prejudices, preconceived notions, we may look at the world through the lens of our own anarthas. We may assume that everyone else is like us, or that everyone must go through the same problems and challenges that we are undergoing. And sometimes, due to our arrogance, we may feel someone fallen just because they don’t fit in our definitions of bhakti.
There are many people whose spiritual life gets halted because of fire extinguishers that enter their lives – people who remove, or rather extinguish, even a small flame, a spark, or a blazing fire of devotion that exists in another person.
Dhruva Mahārāja had an innocent desire: to sit on his father’s lap. But his stepmother, Suruci acted as a powerful fire extinguisher. With her harsh words, she completely dampened his spirit and made him cry. One cruel interaction extinguished the natural affection and innocence of a child.
During Śrīla Prabhupāda’s time, a devotee committed an apparently abominable action. The other devotees spread the incident so widely and so negatively that Śrīla Prabhupāda later commented, “By your behavior, you have made it almost impossible for him to come back to the association of devotees.” They all became fire extinguishers in that devotee’s life.
The queens of Citraketu poisoned the small child Harsasoka. They not only extinguished the fire of devotion in Kṛtadyuti by making her blame providence, but by their nasty behavior, they extinguished the fire within their own hearts as well.
As devotees, we must be extremely careful that we do not become fire extinguishers, either in our own lives or in the lives of others.
To extinguish a fire is very easy. One only needs to pour some water. Even if a big fire is burning, we simply call 911 – the fire brigade comes and extinguishes it.
Sadly, this has happened to people, even within our society. Their spirit of Krishna consciousness was dampened by one individual, or sometimes by an entire group acting like a fire brigade, extinguishing not the fire of material existence, but the fire of devotion.
Devotion is delicate. A small spark, if protected and nourished, can become a blazing fire. But if neglected, criticized, or attacked, it can be put out very easily.
Becoming a Fire Kindle
On the other hand, there are devotees whose only business is to encourage, uplift, and empower others, and to bring out the best in them. Their goal in life is to see others happy and to kindle even the smallest spark of Krishna consciousness present in the heart.
Sunīti, unlike Suruci, became a fire kindle for Dhruva. Because of her gentle encouragement, Dhruva met another fire kindle in the forest – Nārada Muni. The grace of these two fire kindles helped Dhruva have darśana of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Śrīla Prabhupāda was one such great fire kindle. When he saw the hippies, he did not criticize them. He did not reject them because of their unkempt dress, unruly behavior, lack of culture, or lack of scriptural knowledge. He did not turn them away.
Rather, he simply kindled the spark of devotion that already existed in their hearts by the touchstone of his mercy. Many of them became stalwart devotees. And to such an extent that they themselves became fire kindles, igniting devotion in the lives of thousands and thousands of people.
The Cost of Kindling a Fire
In our every interaction, in our every decision, and in our every action, we must ask ourselves: Am I becoming a fire kindle or a fire extinguisher?
To become a fire kindle is not easy. It takes patience. It takes courage. It takes enthusiasm. And above all, it takes devotion.
I remember back in India, during Kārtika yatras, we would cook using coal. Igniting the fire through coal would take a long time. It was challenging. Some devotees would give up because the fire just wouldn’t catch.
Similarly, to become a fire kindle for someone is not easy. It is ultimately the result of Krishna’s grace. Still, at the very least, we should try our best not to become fire extinguishers in someone’s life, and not make a mess of our own lives in the process.
Creating a Safety Net
Once, my spiritual master was asked: if a person is sitting on the branch of a tree and cutting that very branch, isn’t it advisable to shout at them and warn them that they are in a dangerous situation?
My spiritual master replied that the real question is not whether we shout or remain silent. The real question is whether, by our behavior, we are causing that person to cut the branch even faster, or whether we are helping them cut it more efficiently so that they fall harder.
Rather, the most important thing is how we provide facilities for that person. Even if they fall, there should be a safety net. There should be first aid. There should be care, concern, and shelter so that their fire does not get extinguished, but instead gets rekindled.
When that fire grows into a blazing flame, it can attract Krishna. It can attract others. And it can illuminate the whole world.
We could try to have a daily check in our lives: Did I try to be a fire kindle for someone, or did I become a fire extinguisher for someone’s Krishna Consciousness?
To the degree we become a fire kindle, Krishna will kindle our heart with more and more devotion, and to the extent we become a fire extinguisher, our hearts will feel a void and it may lead in a diminuition in our bhakti.
