Recently, as I was hearing from my spiritual master, a statement struck me deeply. I have heard that quote many times, and might have even spoken it quite a few times.

It was a quote of Martin Luther King that said, “If you don’t have an ideal worth dying for, there is nothing in life worth living for.”

I began to ponder,

Some people live to eat, others live to sleep, and a few others live to enjoy. Is there something I am living for? Or am I simply passing days and nights in vain?

I completed 33 the last month, and it appears very less time is remaining in this short life. What is the ideal I am willing to die for?

VISION IS NECESSARY:

Even in material life, anyone who has achieved success has followed certain ideals.

I have heard my spiritual master speak about Sindhutai Sapkal, a great social activist who ran many orphanages and mothered thousands of orphaned children. She was put to die in a cowshed by her husband while being in the ninth month of pregnancy. She faced multitudes of challenges in her life, but they only increased her determination to give back to the society. She lived and died for the ideal of sheltering the orphans.

We know of many freedom fighters who lived and died for the cause of the nation. To name a few, we had Bhagat Singh, Subhash Chandra Bose, Rani Laxmibai etc.

Similarly, there are many people those who have carved their existence by being fixed on their ideals.

DEVOTEES’ IDEALS’:

Just as these personalities have changed history or made tremendous imapact on the society, we have devotees who have excelled in their spiritual life following their ideals.

Raghunatha Dasa Goswami found an ideal devotee in Haridas Thakura. Although living in the midst of princely opulence, Raghunatha’s goal was to follow the footsteps of Haridas Thakura who was residing in the jungle caves. What a profound attachment Raghunatha had for renunciation! And he was willing to die for it! He was willing to do anything and everything for attaining it. He ran from his home many a times to go to Jagannath Puri. Finally, by the grace of Lord Nityananda, he was able to successfully attain Lord Caitanya’s lotus feet in Jagannath Puri.

Yamuna Devi, a disciple of Shrila Prabhupada, was willing to die simply for offering him a meal of hot rice in the train. One time, one of the devotee who came to meet Shrila Prabhupada asked him why he was allowing a woman to cook for him. Prabhupada replied, “She is ready to slit her throat for me, and I am ready to cut my throat for her.” Prabhupada had intense affection for his disciples, and they also felt likewise for him.

Prabhupada himself followed the ideal of his spiritual master. He was ready to go to any extent to fulfill the instruction of his guru. Sumati Morarji told him that if he went to the West, he would surely die, but Prabhupada was unfazed. He read the commentary of Vishwanatha Chakravarti Thakura on the 41st Verse, 2nd Chapter of the Bhagavad Gita which said,

“My sādhana is to serve the lotus feet of the Lord, to remember and glorify Him as instructed by my guru. That is also my goal (sādhya). It is my life sustaining medicine, for I cannot give up the sādhana and the sādhya. This is my most desirable object, my duty, and nothing else is my duty; nothing else is desired, even in dreams. There may be happiness or sorrow. Saṁsāra may be destroyed, or may not be destroyed. That is no loss for me. Let there only be resolute intelligence fixed in pure bhakti.”

Lord Caitanya based the entire Gaudiya Sampradaya on eight ideals, taking two from each of the four sampradayas. When Vallabha came a commentary on Bhagavatam that superseded Sridhar Swami’s commentary, Mahaprabhu wasn’t the least pleased. He held Sridhar Swami as the greatest ideal and original commentator on Srimad Bhagavatam.

What IDEALS can WE FOLLOW?

If we wish to attain perfection in Krishna Consciousness, it is impossible to do so without keeping an ideal. We could have one ideal, or many ideals. We could have ideal devotees whom we can follow, or we could have ideal purposes that we must never put at stake.

Chanting the Hare Krishna Mahamantra, and following the four regulative principles of no illicit sex, no meat eating, no gambling and no intoxication have become a non-compromising part of our ideal. Beyond that, having some ideals, or role models can shape our devotional service to perfection.

A few examples could be:
– Dedicating our existence for serving devotees in various ways.
– Simply wanting to assist our superiors in their mission, or their contribution to Shrila Prabhupada, without any reservations out of deep affection for them.
– Not offending devotees at any instance – Keeping this as a pole star in our life.
– Na dhanam na janam na sundarim – Mahaprabhu’s Pole Star that he has given for us all.
– Taking one instruction of Shrila Prabhupada, or our spiritual master/superiors and executing it to the highest degree possible.

There could be many ideals as mentioned above that we can yearn to follow. If we are unable to resonate with any ideals, we could keep on practicing Krishna Consciousness intensely waiting for some ideal to be revealed by Krishna.

I have this following picture stuck on the wall in front of my desk. If I am able to live upto the ideals, even one percent, of even one of these devotees, then my life is a success!