Yet another episode of ISKCON experience to me today...
An interesting happenstance this time...The same preacher, about whom I wrote in my previous blog, came for a spiritual discourse or satsang...
The discussion was about 18 principles which should be followed during delivering service to the lord...
These 18 principles (viz., honesty, tolerence, devotion, etc.,) were explained with the help of an instance where Chaitanya Maha Prabhu taught his desciples about sacrifice in service...(Jagannath Rath Yatra's origin instance)
I got an interesting and convincing answer for the doubt I raised to him:
A doubt cropped up in my mind, when he said that in service to the lord, we should not dwell upon mistakes (that are bound to occur), but forget the mistakes and should go forward without putting rocket logic about 'why this discrepency has occured?'...
I enquired him, why shouldn't one analyse the mistake and correct it next time, so that desired perfection in service could be achieved...
My question was theoritically flawless, but I'm convinced by his answer because, it contained the practicality aspect...
He told that we can analyse the mistakes to some extent, but so called thorough analysis is potent enough to disturb the ultimate goal of serving the lord...and narrated a small story of centipede and frog...
Paralysis by Analysis:
Once upon a time there was a frog and a centipede...
The frog hated the centipede and constantly tried to trip him up. The centipede, however, moved so fast because of his many legs that the frog could never catch him. One day when the frog saw the centipede walking down the street the frog called out, “Hey Mr. Centipede”. The centipede stopped. “Yes?” “I have been wondering for a long time when you walk, which foot do you put first? I am so impressed. With all those legs how do you know which foot to put first? When you are managing to do such a great thing, you should be defenitely having some formula for the movement of your legs...”
The centipede stopped, scratched his head and responded, ‘Oh gee Mr. Frog I never thought about it'.... And from that day the centipede started analysing movement of each leg in an attempt to figure out, which leg is moving first and what is the sequence!!!...and finally the centipede could never succeed to walk like before...
So, a balanced analysis can be made...but well within the limits...
||Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare ||
Reference:
http://www.isralight.org/assets/Text/RDA_shlach05.html
