On Humility

He that is down needs fear no fall,
He that is low no pride.
He that is humble ever shall
Have God to be his guide
                              John Bunyan

Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu has implored us to practice humility if we wish to be able to properly serve the Holy Name of Lord Krishna. But what actually is real humility and what does it mean to be truly humble?

Humility by its very definition is a true realisation of our utter dependence on the Lord and an appreciation of  the miniscule and insignificant nature of our very existence. So why does our ego tell us that we are important and deserving of recognition? The concept of humility seems to go against our nature, our very sense of being and seems to seek to reduce us to nothing, an abject non-entity. Can this really be desirable?

If we examine the character of the great Vaishnavas we must conclude that they are inordinately exalted but at the same time we see that they express genuine humility to an almost unbelievable degree. And those expressions are not merely poetic hyperbole but their genuine heartfelt sentiment.

Genuine humility is commensurate to ones advancement in spiritual life and ones advancement is largely dependent on the degree of ones humility. Therein lies the conundrum.

If I have no humility then how will I advance in spiritual life?

We will have to practise humility as a sadana or discipline for it to become our natural inclination. So what does that mean in a practical sense, in our day to day lives?

A cloying, servile attitude along with a show of being a 'very fallen soul' will not cut it. That may very well make us Uriah Heap rather than Krishna das. Srila Swami Maharaj Prabhupad is quoted as saying, "too much humility is the sign of a thief." So how do we practise humility?

The first step in embracing humility is to accept an inward vow of obedience to our master. As much as I am able I accept whatever is asked of me by my Lord and in the practise of my devotional life this will necessarily require constant adjustment, sincere introspection and personal sacrifice

It is not humility if I become proud of my obedience, and as long as I want recognition then I am again automatically barred.

Srila Sridhar Maharaj said, "humility means to the sadhu and not to the mad people", but that doesn't mean we should show arrogance to all but the sadhu. If we are really obedient to our master then that will reflect in our dealings towards everyone. The natural companion of humility is respect and if I am humble then my dealings will naturally be respectful to all.

Ambition will be our enemy if we desire humility. Our only ambition should be to sincerely serve and that will help us to be humble.

Wealth, success and independence are all part of Maya's trap and foster our false notions of self-importance, but no less seductive is the allure of fame and for the aspiring devotee this manifests in the desire to receive recognition as a noteworthy devotee. This is known as pratistha and is only yet another subtle snare in Maya's arsenal.

We all desire encouragement in our devotional lives and we want to know that our Gurudev and the Vaishnavas are pleased by our service attempt but ultimately we will have to be satisfied that we are allowed to serve in whatever meagre capacity and count ourselves as blessed to have the company of the Vaishnavas.

If we are truly sincere then we will see that service and the company of loving devotees is in itself its own reward.

In my humble opinion.