There were four friends named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody.

 

One day there was a service to be done, and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it.

 

Anybody could have done it but Nobody did it.

 

Somebody got angry about that because it was Everybody’s job.

 

Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn’t do it.

 

It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.

 

 

Avoid this situation. Take instructions from a spiritual master and just carry out his orders without delay.

 

In this age of Kali there are two deadly enemies that are always about to devour all the sanctity of our spiritual lives: egoism and lethargy. Krishna tells us in the Bhagavad-gita that we must give up egoism and lethargy.

 

Whenever the false ego becomes prominent, we start thinking in terms of I and mine. Then there is no service attitude. We want to be master. We want to be enjoyer.

 

We even see other Vaishnavas, even our own godbrothers and godsisters as competitors rather than worshipable Lords. We should see every Vaishnava with veneration. They should be objects of our worship. But when there is egoism, we start to see Vaishnavas as ordinary people. When the desire for our own prestige and enjoyment comes too much into our mind, then even great Vaishnavas appear to be insignificant. However, when we have a humble attitude of service, we see even the most ordinary, new, beginning devotee as someone very glorious and worthy of our respect. This is one of the barometers by which we can understand how we are progressing.

 

Due to egoism, everyone thinks, “I can judge others. I am right. You are wrong. If you stand between me and my aspirations of profit, adoration and distinction then you become my enemy.” Where there is disunity amongst devotees there cannot be proper sankirtan. We cannot chant or serve together in the proper spirit to please Krsna.

 

So this egoism is very prominent in Kali Yuga. Kali is trying to destroy everything sacred from inside out. We must be on guard at all times to not be judgemental or make offenses, to be cooperative and eager to serve, eager to uplift, eager to encourage, eager to sacrifice for the benefit of other devotees.

 

Lethargy means laziness. We don’t want to chant, we don’t want to read and even if we chant, we chant lazily. We let our minds just slope along their own natural thought patterns.

 

Egoism and laziness is our downfall. Where there is egoism and laziness, there is also lust, anger, pride, greed, illusion and so much envy. In Kali-yuga, either you fill your mind with Krishna or your mind gets filled with maya. There is no inbetween. (Dhirasanta Dasa)