Things I Wish Someone Had Taught Me When I Started Krishna Consciousness

Things not always go as expected in spiritual life. This is a book describing challenges that devotees commonly face in spiritual practice and how to recognize them before they stall our progress.

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📖 Buy a printed book

This book will be available as a PDF here after I finish publishing the chapters on the website. For now, you can read online or buy a printed copy.

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➡️ Read the book online:

(New chapters are being published daily)

+ Introduction

+ Part 1: Dealing with our personal struggles

• Emotions play an important role in spiritual life

• Sometimes our spiritual progress depends on our mind and the false ego

• Depression is also a problem amongst devotees

• Learning to love ourselves

• Fear and guilt can be a difficult obstacle in our spiritual practice

• Struggling with spiritual principles is not a reason to leave Kṛṣṇa Consciousness

• Often we associate with devotees but are still alone

• Balancing self-care and determination

• The māyā we should fight is inside ourselves

• Developing good qualities is the real test of success, not material results

• Caring for others makes our problems small

• A mistake that can make our hearts harder over time, instead of softer

• Avoiding burnout

• We can’t love Kṛṣṇa while mistreating His devotees

• We should be kind, like Kṛṣṇa

• Not trusting everyone is one of the secrets to having good friends

• Kṛṣṇa doesn’t send us more difficulties than we can handle

+ Part 2: Dealing with the challenges of family life

• There are lessons to be learned in family life

• Often, it is not about becoming a pure devotee, but escaping sinful life

• Astrology is not the best tool to find a spouse

• Making our family part of our service to Kṛṣṇa

• Illicit sex has three different meanings

• Finding the right spouse by developing our qualities

• An important secret for a happy marriage

• Love and relationships play an important role in our spiritual practice

• Women value men who are in control of their desires and emotions

• The male fantasy of a submissive wife

• Inferiority complex

• The three essential qualities of a great man

• It is not māyā to become a parent

• Tulasi Devi speaks about family life

+ Part 3: Dealing with bad examples from the top

• What to do when senior devotees don’t act properly?

• Two dangerous mistakes we often make in spiritual life

• The worst betrayal

• If I take shelter of you, and you cut my throat, that’s the worst sin

• We also have a role to play

• Forgiveness breaks the cycle of conditioned life

• The role of a spiritual leader is to inspire, not to repress

• Vices of the material world can also creep into spiritual societies

• The temporary harm and the eternal good

• Living in a spiritual society is not always easy, but it brings us the best chance of progressing

• Devotional service is often performed under the three modes of material nature

• Our attitude in facing challenges has a great influence on the outcome

• A spiritual institution can still be imperfect

• The role of trust in spiritual life

• The principle of authority is a central point in the scriptures

• Every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future

+ Part 4: Finding the right balance and the right path

• Beware of personality cults

• Using our natural talents for Kṛṣṇa

• The trap of entitlement

• Without education, varṇāśrama doesn’t work

• Dealing with different opinions in spiritual life without becoming bewildered

• Material science is not necessarily an enemy

• Waking up early solves many of our problems

• “We are what we eat”

• Simplicity makes us rich

• The danger of impersonalism

• We can progress on our own only up to a certain point

• Hearing the spiritual master demands giving up our previous conditioning

• Some say Prabhupada only taught the ABCD. They are wrong

• The ritvik philosophy is a dead end

• Finding our way out of battles of quotes

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☀️ What is the book about?

We usually come to Krishna consciousness looking for shelter or relief. Material life is hard. Expectations can be crushing, relationships unreliable, friendships disappointing, and life exhausting. Unfortunately, we soon find that the spiritual path is also full of challenges, with the ideals we read about in the books not always matching what we encounter in our devotee interactions. Instead of a quick and direct path back to Godhead, we often find ourselves struggling to navigate our internal battles, our relationships, our communities, and our attitude toward the spiritual process itself.

Some time ago, I wrote a short article outlining eleven conclusions that I wish someone had taught me when I started practicing Krishna consciousness. That reflection became the seed of this book: a practical look at common challenges we face, and how to recognize them before they quietly stall our progress.

The obstacles are many and often subtle. A strong false ego can be a powerful enemy, but a broken ego can be an even more formidable challenge, requiring an entirely different approach. The same rules meant to guide us can, when misunderstood, turn into fanaticism, which damages individuals and communities. Mental health can become an issue, and family life, which is supposed to be one of our supports in life, can easily become a battleground. We often feel alone even while surrounded by devotees, bogged down by fear and guilt, or caught in the trap of projecting an idealized image just for the sake of maintaining appearances.

Sometimes, the hardest challenges come from the top, with bad examples or even betrayals from trusted seniors leading us toward bitterness or even considering giving up the process altogether. Even when we can avoid this whole maze of pitfalls and challenges, there is still the danger of impersonalism, which can go much deeper than we imagine, undermining the very basis of our spiritual practice.

Most of these lessons came to me only after years of trial and error. If I had understood them earlier, I could have avoided much unnecessary pain and frustration on my spiritual path. This book is my attempt to share those lessons, in the hope that others may walk the path with more clarity and confidence.

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