I have been following your teachings on social media. I have many questions to ask out of which one is here : You mentioned complete surrender to lord Krishna and you yourself left the corporate world to be in spiritual mode full time . On the other hand Krishna says that human life is to do karma . If everyone leaves the materialistic world and do 24*7 Bhakti then how will the world grow ? Where are we doing the karmas here . How will doctors , engineers and other professions will emerge which are essential to run this world. Even this software where I am typing my query is developed by some computer engineer . So if we all become like you and get fully immersed in Bhakti all day long then isn’t we missing our karma / role plays . Even Krishna advised Arjun not to escape from battlefield and fight against his brothers, doing karma . Please enlighten . I can’t stop thinking over this contradiction that whether to do karma or leave everything and just do only Bhakti
2 Answers
You should remember Gita 18.59 and 18.60
Vain is your resolve not to fight, born as it is of self-conceit. Nature will compel you.
Gita 18.59
O son of Kunti! Duties which your natural tendencies have imposed upon you, but which out of delusion you refuse to do, even them you will have to perform by the compulsion of nature.
Gita 18.60
It is the innate nature of a person that determines what he will do. If a person is naturally inclined towards Bhakti then he will follow the path of bhakti. If a person is naturally inclined towards secular matters then he will naturally gravitate towards medicine or engineering. So find out your natural inclination and follow that.
Bhakti and Karma are not contradictory to each other. They do not exclude each other. Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita, adhyAya 12, bhakti yoga -
12.9 If now you are unable to focus your mind on Me, then seek to reach Me, O Arjuna, by the practice of repetition (abhyasa yoga).
12.10 If you are unable to practise even this Abhyasa Yoga, you can do actions (karma) for My sake; even by doing actions for My sake, you can attain perfection.
12.11 If you are unable to do even this, i.e., taking refuge in My Yoga, then, with your self controlled, renounce the fruits of every action.
Krishna is not forcing anyone to stop doing karma. Karma can be done for the sake of Krishna (God). Or karma can be done without worrying about whether the result will be success or failure.
