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Hare Krsna! I have heard it said that if you take just one step toward Krsna He will take a thousand steps toward you. But is the reverse true? If I take one step away from Krsna, will He take a thousand steps away from me? Is it better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all?
Now that I have remembered Krsna, I am concerned about the relative consequences should I be foolish enough to squander this human lifetime and forget Him once again.
Ron Pitruzzello
Stamford, Connecticut
OUR REPLY: Yes, it is said that if we take one step toward Krsna He takes a thousand toward us, but the reverse is not true.
Rather, Krsna, who in the Bhagavad-gita declares that He is the most dear friend of all living entities, accompanies us in all our wanderings in this material world as the Supersoul within our hearts. Although we are forgetful of Him, He never leaves us. If, however, we try to render Him some devotional service, we become priya, especially dear to Him, and He reveals Himself to us.
It is better to have tried to love Krsna and lost than never to have tried at all, because there is no actual loss. If you do not perfect your Krsna consciousness in this life, whatever spiritual merit you have accrued is never lost. Krsna explains in the Sixth Chapter of the Gita that a devotee who doesn't perfect self-realization in this life will continue in his next life from where he left off.
Regarding the concern you express in the last sentence of your letter What do you think, Ron? Of course you should not squander your life. After all, what assurance do you have of a human birth next life? And even if you do get such a birth, what assurance do you have of getting the opportunity to take to Krsna consciousness? Why take needless risk? Why not take full advantage of your present opportunity?
The ability to recognize and seize opportunity when it's present is as much the formula for success in spiritual life as it is in material life. The Ramayana recommends subhasya sighram: do auspicious things immediately. Kindly give Krsna consciousness due consideration; then act as your conscience dictates. Hare Krsna.