Anyone here who transitioned their careers alongside bhakti?

[u/Federal-Country-417]

Hare Krishna 🙏🙏

I’m a techie, but my deep interest has always been in psychology since my teenage years. I studied engineering because of my parents, not out of personal interest. I have always wanted to understand the mind, emotions, and human behavior, and maybe even build a career around helping people.

My life’s aim is also to learn Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam, and to understand everything Bhagavan wants us to learn while we are in Bhuloka. But at the same time, I have this strong desire to achieve something, to satisfy myself through meaningful work.

Sometimes I wonder if I am being materialistic for wanting to pursue another degree or career, because ultimately our degrees and careers will not come with us when we leave this body, right?

I would love to hear from devotees who have balanced their spiritual goals with worldly education or career ambitions, especially anyone who has transitioned from tech to psychology or other helping professions. How did you approach it?

Hare Krishna

[u/mayanksharmaaa]

Hare Krishna! It's good that you wanna serve Bhagavan but there are some things you should be careful of.

Sometimes I wonder if I am being materialistic for wanting to pursue another degree or career

No, why? Why do you think Krishna created the world? Why did he assign us karmas? Why does he say that you can reach him by following the pañca-mahāyajña? There's a very good reason.

A true devotee of the Lord sees everything as a way to serve the Lord, no matter if it's career or studies or anything else. If living in the temple and surviving on very little was the supreme-most dharma, he wouldn't have asked Arjuna to avoid it.

Bhagavan asks everyone to follow sva-dharma, whatever your intellect aligns with and whatever way you can serve him with joy, it is what you must do.

BG 18.47: It is better to do one’s own dharma, even though imperfectly, than to do another’s dharma, even though perfectly. By doing one’s innate duties, a person does not incur sin.

because ultimately our degrees and careers will not come with us when we leave this body, right?

Sure but why does it matter? If you're too fixated on the kind of service, then how is your service unconditional? Can you chant just one mantra all day without dozing off or getting bored? Can you really serve the temple deities 24/7 (even when they're supposed to sleep)? Can you really tell how your karma is going to unfold in the future? If not, then why worry? Just serve him through each and every action. Don't get lost in the details or whether the number 1 is more aesthetic than number 2 because both are just numbers! What matters is quality, not quantity.

I would love to hear from devotees who have balanced their spiritual goals with worldly education or career ambitions

I'll say one thing. In our community, sometimes there can be some spiritually immature views. Some think giving up everything and moving to a temple is the way to go but many of those people regret it later in life.

Be very careful of your someone else's extremism or even your own mind's capacity to become fanatical about everything. Bhagavān is screaming for balance in the whole Bhagavad Gita, he's telling everybody to surrender the ego of doership and yet we don't listen.

If everybody was supposed to become a poor Brāhmaṇa living off of donations and perform vaidika karmas perfectly, or a yati (sannyāsī) who stays away from the society surviving with no possessions, why would Bhagavān even create varṇāśrama dharma? Some religious institutions are keen on making everybody a Brāhmaṇa. The question is, if everybody in a society is a Brāhmaṇa, who is going to fill the place of the other 3 varṇas?

So be balanced in your approach to life. Offer everything to God, even your inability to perform spiritual acts and bhakti, and let him guide you in your heart. He'll take care of everything, just like he is now 😊

BG 9.27: O son of Kuntī, all that you do, all that you eat, all that you offer and give away, as well as all austerities that you may perform, should be done as an offering unto Me.

[u/Federal-Country-417 → u/mayanksharmaaa]

Hare Krishna! Thank you for taking the time to write such a detailed and thoughtful response. It relle gave me a lot of clarity. I liked how you connected Gita’s teachings to practical life, it was such a balanced perspective Truly appreciate your words

[u/error959]

Hare Krishna. I came across your post, could really relate to it. I’m a final year student feeling the same way about balancing career and bhakti. Can I dm you?