Why most people in India are not interested in seriously practicing Krsna Consciousness?
Krsna says in the Gītā that among thousands of men, one may endeavor for perfection. This proportion is found more os less universally. Everywhere, people are mainly interested in material development
“As a person born in India, it makes me sad to see that most indian people are not interested in reading Prabhupada’s books or even practicing Sanatana Dharma at a superficial level. I see that many westerners have so beautifully adopted Krsna Consciousness and become learned in the scriptures, but unfortunately, I can’t say the same about the majority of indians. I see that many followers of Islam and Christianity are well-versed in their scriptures and serious in practicing their respective religions, and I wish more indians would also take the studies of the sastras and chanting seriously.”
As they say, the grass on the other side always appears greener :-) Often, devotees from the West have the impression that everyone from India is already a devotee from birth, and similarly, Indians may think that everyone in the West is adopting Krsna Consciousness and becoming perfect devotees based on a few nice devotees they know, but reality is that there are challenges everywhere.
Krsna says in the Gītā that among thousands of men, one may endeavor for perfection. This proportion is found more os less universally. Everywhere, people are mainly interested in material development, or just too distracted by social networks to seriously enquire about the goal of life, and even amongst the rare people who come to the point of becoming frustrated with material life, and looking for something higher, it is not so easy to find someone who will seriously adopt Krsna Consciousness. Just like most indians are too distracted with their material pursuits to seriously adopt Krsna Consciousness, others have the same problem.
Religions such as Islam and Christianity can be easier to propagate because they are more connected with economic development. It is easier to convince someone to worship God with the promise of material rewards than to convince someone to accept the path of devotional service. However, we can see that most people are not interested even in this mundane level of religion.
Periods of rapid growth of our movement happen at different times in different places. In the beginning, our movement was growing very fast in North America, powered by Srila Prabhupada’s first disciples, then in Europe, Australia, Russia, etc. Now it is growing fast in India, and soon we may see other places. When we compare the new devotees who are starting now with older and more mature devotees from other places, it may seem that they are not very serious, but it is usually just a matter of time for them to progress.
However, it is a mistake to think that things are easy anywhere. Although human life represents the peak of the path of spiritual evolution the soul goes through, passing through plant and animal species, there is also a process of evolution even amongst human beings, where one gradually evolves from sinful to pious life, and from there one may gradually come to the spiritual platform. Normally, this is a very slow process that takes several lives, but Krsna Consciousness is the process that allows anyone to jump the line and come immediately to the spiritual platform. Because the holy names are the direct manifestation of the Lord, sincere chanting goes directly to the soul, bypassing all material contamination one may have. However, even though the holy names are so powerful, one has to be sincere for the process to work. A few may have beem practicing in previous lives and bring this sincerity with them, but in most cases, sincerity appears from coming in contact with other sincere devotees. Thus, when we see people following Krsna Consciousness, be it in the West or in India, we should understand that behind it there is the hard and selfless work of devotees who leave aside their personal comfort to help others.
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura used to say that we should be prepared to sacrifice twelve gallons of blood to bring just one person to Krsna Consciousness. It may sound like an exaggeration at first, but when we see the tireless work that both he and Srila Prabhupada performed to establish their movements and train their disciples, we see that it is indeed true.
More than just canvassing, however, bringing others to Krsna Consciousness demands that we personally practice it on a high level. We can’t do much to convince people based on words alone. People observe our example, and when they see that we have good spiritual qualities, some of them become interested in following the same path. A few rare people can start following Krsna Consciousness by just reading a book from Prabhupada, but most have to see a devotee who is seriously practicing what the books teach to become convinced. If we want to bring others to Krsna Consciousness, we need to personally become this devotee who personifies the teachings of Srila Prabhupada, and can connect others with him, or assist other devotees who have this potency in their mission.
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