Do you think a preacher should respect everyone equally? You may think so,because God is in every soul. But this is a❌idea.
BhaktiSiddhanta Sarasvati said that this is a demonic philosophy. A preacher should not be naive,but wise.He should know who is a beginner,who is an advanced,who is a fake,who is deviated and who is not.
Why is this important? Because seeing God in every soul is not enough.One has to understand God’s mission too. God’s mission is to free people from their karma and their body.He wants them to stop the cycle of birth and death and go back to Him.This is the ultimate goal of life.
So,how should a preacher deal with different people? He should follow four principles: love God, befriend advanced devotees, show mercy to new devotees or the ignorant,and ignore the envious.
Love God ❤️
This is the most important thing.Love is for God alone.He is the source of all love and happiness.He is our eternal friend and master.
Be friend advanced devotees 🤝
This is how we can learn from them and grow in our devotion.They have knowledge (jñāna), experience (anubhav),and devotion (ṛtam). They can guide us and inspire us.We should close our mouth and open our ears to take association from them.
Show mercy to new devotees or the ignorant🤚
This is how we can help them and share the message of God with them.They have ideas based on ‘me and mine’. We do not agree with them,but we can be nice and friendly to them. We should close our ears but open our mouth to give them association.
Ignore the envious 🙏
This is how we can protect our selves and avoid unnecessary conflicts.Envious people get more envious when we tell them about God.If preaching makes them more envious,we should ignore them by not preaching.Unless we are strong and smart enough to convince them that Krishna is God.
👉This is the art of preaching. By following these principles,a preacher can serve God’s mission and also help others in their spiritual path.He can also protect himself from the lower modes of nature and stay fixed in his love for God.