With Resolute Determination

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8 mins September, 2026
With Resolute Determination
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What does it take to be assured of success in our spiritual quest?


By Brajanatha Dasa and Suvarna Radha Devi Dasi



IN ANY FIELD, success isn’t instant. But instant success is easily sold to us in today’s world via marketing. In fact, however, the keys to success and proficiency are commitment, consistency, and resolute determination. Determination makes one continue trying to do or achieve something despite obstacles. Often, people decide to achieve a difficult mission and start pursuing it, but after some time they begin losing themselves in justifications, excuses, and confusion. Or they slip onto a side road, thinking that it looks like the main way. So one should be vigilant not to slip unknowingly onto side roads, avoiding them with discrimination and proceeding with resolute determination to accomplish the mission. This is possible in any endeavor if one has a competent mentor, who can help in many ways. For example, he or she can encourage us, accelerate our learning by setting goals with us, and help us maintain focus, avoid traps, and much more. We have all heard stories of people who with resolute determination and the help of a mentor or coach overcame all obstacles to accomplish great things. For instance, Lionel Messi did not win his first World Cup in 2022 without the aid of a coach. It took years of guidance from a coach, followed by discipline, practice, and resolute determination. Similarly, to achieve anything, either in material life or in spiritual life, one needs a mentor and resolute determination. Krishna consciousness is no exception. First of all, one needs the determination to struggle with the six senses, which include the mind. The senses and the mind are always trying to pull us away from Krishna, trying to divert us from the transcendental path to Krishna. The only way to give the senses and mind the peace they desire is to bring them back to their constitutional position. That means absorbing them in Krishna consciousness. We must remain steadfastly determined to be thus absorbed. We cannot allow ourselves to be deterred. We must diligently stick to the path of unalloyed devotional service to the Lord, and such diligence is possible under the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master. If we act in this way, we are assured of all success. This is the beauty of the Krishna consciousness process. The sincere devotee is guaranteed to win in the struggle against the senses and the mind. How is this possible? With regular practice.



The Yoga Ladder



The practice of Krishna consciousness is known as bhakti-yoga. There are other yoga practices, and all the yoga practices together are compared to a ladder, with each rung representing a different type of yoga. This ladder gradually takes a person step by step further and further away from gross ignorance and misery and closer to the topmost perfection of yoga, pure love for the Supreme Person, the source of all existence. However, to complete each step of the yoga ladder, gradually perfecting each type of yoga, takes many, many lifetimes. But those who understand the essence of yoga come immediately to the highest rung of the yoga ladder. That is bhakti-yoga, and it connects its practitioners directly to the loving service of the Lord. Thus they immediately become the topmost of all yogis and escape the cycle of birth and death, even in one lifetime. The bhakti-yoga system is simultaneously the most difficult and the easiest of all yogic paths. It is very difficult for those who try to make it on their own without the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master, and it is very easy for those who humbly submit themselves as disciples of a bona fide spiritual master.



The Ideal Type Of Yoga



Under the tutelage of a qualified teacher, we are taught how to dovetail our individual consciousness with the supreme consciousness in all of our activities. The bhakti-yoga devotee’s life becomes an exciting adventure of gradually unraveling the original state of being that he once cherished unlimitedly before slipping countless eons ago into the wheel of birth and death by misuse of his independence. Krishna declares in the Bhagavad-gita  (6.47) that bhakti-yoga, in which the highest yogis meditate on Him, the object of all devotion, is the ideal type of yoga. By establishing a connection with Krishna, one gains superior awareness and taste, enabling one to reject negative emotions and maintain one’s focus on the objective. Bhakti-yoga connects one with Krishna, cleansing one of the distracting emotions that weaken one’s resolute determination. Krishna further says in the Bhagavad-gita (7.28) that one who leads a clean life and abstains from impure behavior will become steadfast in his devotional activities. This was demonstrated by Dhruva Maharaja.



Dhruva’s Amazing Success



Dhruva Maharaja was a son of King Uttanapada. When he was five years old, his stepmother, Suruci, prevented him from sitting on his father’s lap. She rebuked Dhruva, telling him that although he was the king’s son, he was disqualified because he had not taken birth from her womb. She sarcastically told him to worship God by penances and austerities so that in his next life he could take birth from her womb.



Dhruva’s mother, Suniti, consoled him and told him that Lord Brahma, his great-grandfather, attained his exalted position as creator of the universe by the mercy of the Lord, which he attained by performing severe austerities and penances to please Him.



Having been insulted by his stepmother and neglected by his father, Dhruva had a revengeful attitude toward his stepmother and stepbrother, Uttama. In a passionate mood, Dhruva was determined to undergo any austerity to sit in a position greater than his great-grandfather. Since both his mother and stepmother had mentioned that approaching God was the only solution to his unfortunate situation, he left the kingdom in search of Him.



The Lord reciprocated Dhruva’s resolute determination by sending His representative Narada Muni to initiate him in spiritual practice. At first Narada tried to dissuade the young boy, but when all his attempts to discourage him failed, Narada described to him the form and qualities of the Lord (Bhagavatam 4.8.46) and instructed him to constantly chant the mantra om namo bhagavate vasudevaya (“I offer my obeisances to Vasudeva, Krishna, the Supreme Lord”) and meditate on the Lord. He recommended that Dhruva go to the sacred Madhuvana forest of Vrindavan for his meditation.



Dhruva sat down to chant the mantra with great absorption, faith, and emotion. He gradually left his connection with all gross matter, gave up taking solid food, liquids, and even air, and controlled his mind and senses. In six months, by deeply meditating on the wonderful form of the Lord as described by Narada Muni, he attained the stage of samadhi, complete absorption with an undiverted mind. This was possible for Dhruva because he had faith in the mantra, the presiding deity of the mantra (the Lord), and the spiritual master, Narada Muni.



When the form of the Lord on which Dhruva was meditating disappeared, Dhruva was disturbed. But when he opened his eyes, he saw that very Lord standing in front of him. He was confused about how to pray to the Lord, but by the touch of the Lord’s conch shell, all the knowledge and conclusions of the Vedas manifested in his heart, and he offered wonderful prayers. Due to the mercy of the Lord and His personal association, Dhruva realized that what he had been looking for was like broken pieces of glass and what he had achieved was a diamond. Still, the Lord fulfilled his previous desire to attain a kingdom greater than his great-grandfather’s by giving him a planet that is spiritual and never destroyed. It is commonly known as the Pole Star.



Dhruva’s history spans five chapters in the Fourth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam (4.8–4.12). The beginning chapters describe his unbreakable determination, and chapter twelve describes many of his sweet devotional qualities, which devotees are advised to emulate. Dhruva Maharaja’s motive was selfish, but in his quest to fulfill his desires, he followed Narada Muni’s instructions. And when he saw the Lord, he chose the selfless option (devotional service to the Lord) rather than a selfish one (a great kingdom). Through Dhruva’s example, the Lord demonstrated that by executing bhakti-yoga with resolute determination under the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master one can get all material results and go beyond the material world as well, because liberation is automatically included when we develop our relationship with the Supreme Lord.



Fulfiller Of Desires



The Lord fulfills the devotee’s residual material desires in such a way as to eliminate the core of the material tendency. This is contrary to other forms of desire fulfillment, such as worship of demigods, where the core of material desire remains, as exemplified by Hiranyakasipu, Ravana, and others of like mind who received boons from demigods.



Therefore, all kinds of people, whether full of material desires, without material desires, or desiring liberation, are advised to approach the Lord in any condition of life. For the pure devotee, Krishna fulfills every desire, and the pure devotee remains unwavering in Krishna consciousness, whether amid untold opulence or unspeakable misery.



Even great power is available to the devotee. For example, Ambarisha Maharaja had the Sudarsana disc of Lord Vishnu standing by, ready to protect him from any danger. Although all outcomes are possible through devotional service to the Lord, a devotee’s only goal in life is to serve and satisfy the Lord. The result is that the Lord will give the pure devotee things that are not obstacles to bhakti, and the devotee will accept them for his or her service to the Lord.



The history of Dhruva Maharaja demonstrates that even if we are determined to approach the Lord for our own selfish objectives, Krishna may send a transcendental guru to guide us toward Him. And He certainly sends His devotees to this world to guide the sincere devotees who want to always serve Him.



Krishna’s mercy is never missing; what is missing is our determination to benefit from it. Once we muster our determination, we will find Krishna’s mercy empowering us in our journey to the eternal bliss of service to Him. If we follow Krishna’s instructions with resolute determination under the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master, we will one day see Krishna face to face.



Brajanatha Dasa, PhD, and his wife, Suvarna Radha Devi Dasi, PhD, both disciples of His Holiness Radhanath Swami, live in Longmont, Colorado, with their two daughters. They are active in book distribution and in serving Sri Sri Radha-Govinda at ISKCON Denver.

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With Resolute Determination

With Resolute Determination
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What does it take to be assured of success in our spiritual quest?


By Brajanatha Dasa and Suvarna Radha Devi Dasi



IN ANY FIELD, success isn’t instant. But instant success is easily sold to us in today’s world via marketing. In fact, however, the keys to success and proficiency are commitment, consistency, and resolute determination. Determination makes one continue trying to do or achieve something despite obstacles. Often, people decide to achieve a difficult mission and start pursuing it, but after some time they begin losing themselves in justifications, excuses, and confusion. Or they slip onto a side road, thinking that it looks like the main way. So one should be vigilant not to slip unknowingly onto side roads, avoiding them with discrimination and proceeding with resolute determination to accomplish the mission. This is possible in any endeavor if one has a competent mentor, who can help in many ways. For example, he or she can encourage us, accelerate our learning by setting goals with us, and help us maintain focus, avoid traps, and much more. We have all heard stories of people who with resolute determination and the help of a mentor or coach overcame all obstacles to accomplish great things. For instance, Lionel Messi did not win his first World Cup in 2022 without the aid of a coach. It took years of guidance from a coach, followed by discipline, practice, and resolute determination. Similarly, to achieve anything, either in material life or in spiritual life, one needs a mentor and resolute determination. Krishna consciousness is no exception. First of all, one needs the determination to struggle with the six senses, which include the mind. The senses and the mind are always trying to pull us away from Krishna, trying to divert us from the transcendental path to Krishna. The only way to give the senses and mind the peace they desire is to bring them back to their constitutional position. That means absorbing them in Krishna consciousness. We must remain steadfastly determined to be thus absorbed. We cannot allow ourselves to be deterred. We must diligently stick to the path of unalloyed devotional service to the Lord, and such diligence is possible under the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master. If we act in this way, we are assured of all success. This is the beauty of the Krishna consciousness process. The sincere devotee is guaranteed to win in the struggle against the senses and the mind. How is this possible? With regular practice.



The Yoga Ladder



The practice of Krishna consciousness is known as bhakti-yoga. There are other yoga practices, and all the yoga practices together are compared to a ladder, with each rung representing a different type of yoga. This ladder gradually takes a person step by step further and further away from gross ignorance and misery and closer to the topmost perfection of yoga, pure love for the Supreme Person, the source of all existence. However, to complete each step of the yoga ladder, gradually perfecting each type of yoga, takes many, many lifetimes. But those who understand the essence of yoga come immediately to the highest rung of the yoga ladder. That is bhakti-yoga, and it connects its practitioners directly to the loving service of the Lord. Thus they immediately become the topmost of all yogis and escape the cycle of birth and death, even in one lifetime. The bhakti-yoga system is simultaneously the most difficult and the easiest of all yogic paths. It is very difficult for those who try to make it on their own without the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master, and it is very easy for those who humbly submit themselves as disciples of a bona fide spiritual master.



The Ideal Type Of Yoga



Under the tutelage of a qualified teacher, we are taught how to dovetail our individual consciousness with the supreme consciousness in all of our activities. The bhakti-yoga devotee’s life becomes an exciting adventure of gradually unraveling the original state of being that he once cherished unlimitedly before slipping countless eons ago into the wheel of birth and death by misuse of his independence. Krishna declares in the Bhagavad-gita  (6.47) that bhakti-yoga, in which the highest yogis meditate on Him, the object of all devotion, is the ideal type of yoga. By establishing a connection with Krishna, one gains superior awareness and taste, enabling one to reject negative emotions and maintain one’s focus on the objective. Bhakti-yoga connects one with Krishna, cleansing one of the distracting emotions that weaken one’s resolute determination. Krishna further says in the Bhagavad-gita (7.28) that one who leads a clean life and abstains from impure behavior will become steadfast in his devotional activities. This was demonstrated by Dhruva Maharaja.



Dhruva’s Amazing Success



Dhruva Maharaja was a son of King Uttanapada. When he was five years old, his stepmother, Suruci, prevented him from sitting on his father’s lap. She rebuked Dhruva, telling him that although he was the king’s son, he was disqualified because he had not taken birth from her womb. She sarcastically told him to worship God by penances and austerities so that in his next life he could take birth from her womb.



Dhruva’s mother, Suniti, consoled him and told him that Lord Brahma, his great-grandfather, attained his exalted position as creator of the universe by the mercy of the Lord, which he attained by performing severe austerities and penances to please Him.



Having been insulted by his stepmother and neglected by his father, Dhruva had a revengeful attitude toward his stepmother and stepbrother, Uttama. In a passionate mood, Dhruva was determined to undergo any austerity to sit in a position greater than his great-grandfather. Since both his mother and stepmother had mentioned that approaching God was the only solution to his unfortunate situation, he left the kingdom in search of Him.



The Lord reciprocated Dhruva’s resolute determination by sending His representative Narada Muni to initiate him in spiritual practice. At first Narada tried to dissuade the young boy, but when all his attempts to discourage him failed, Narada described to him the form and qualities of the Lord (Bhagavatam 4.8.46) and instructed him to constantly chant the mantra om namo bhagavate vasudevaya (“I offer my obeisances to Vasudeva, Krishna, the Supreme Lord”) and meditate on the Lord. He recommended that Dhruva go to the sacred Madhuvana forest of Vrindavan for his meditation.



Dhruva sat down to chant the mantra with great absorption, faith, and emotion. He gradually left his connection with all gross matter, gave up taking solid food, liquids, and even air, and controlled his mind and senses. In six months, by deeply meditating on the wonderful form of the Lord as described by Narada Muni, he attained the stage of samadhi, complete absorption with an undiverted mind. This was possible for Dhruva because he had faith in the mantra, the presiding deity of the mantra (the Lord), and the spiritual master, Narada Muni.



When the form of the Lord on which Dhruva was meditating disappeared, Dhruva was disturbed. But when he opened his eyes, he saw that very Lord standing in front of him. He was confused about how to pray to the Lord, but by the touch of the Lord’s conch shell, all the knowledge and conclusions of the Vedas manifested in his heart, and he offered wonderful prayers. Due to the mercy of the Lord and His personal association, Dhruva realized that what he had been looking for was like broken pieces of glass and what he had achieved was a diamond. Still, the Lord fulfilled his previous desire to attain a kingdom greater than his great-grandfather’s by giving him a planet that is spiritual and never destroyed. It is commonly known as the Pole Star.



Dhruva’s history spans five chapters in the Fourth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam (4.8–4.12). The beginning chapters describe his unbreakable determination, and chapter twelve describes many of his sweet devotional qualities, which devotees are advised to emulate. Dhruva Maharaja’s motive was selfish, but in his quest to fulfill his desires, he followed Narada Muni’s instructions. And when he saw the Lord, he chose the selfless option (devotional service to the Lord) rather than a selfish one (a great kingdom). Through Dhruva’s example, the Lord demonstrated that by executing bhakti-yoga with resolute determination under the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master one can get all material results and go beyond the material world as well, because liberation is automatically included when we develop our relationship with the Supreme Lord.



Fulfiller Of Desires



The Lord fulfills the devotee’s residual material desires in such a way as to eliminate the core of the material tendency. This is contrary to other forms of desire fulfillment, such as worship of demigods, where the core of material desire remains, as exemplified by Hiranyakasipu, Ravana, and others of like mind who received boons from demigods.



Therefore, all kinds of people, whether full of material desires, without material desires, or desiring liberation, are advised to approach the Lord in any condition of life. For the pure devotee, Krishna fulfills every desire, and the pure devotee remains unwavering in Krishna consciousness, whether amid untold opulence or unspeakable misery.



Even great power is available to the devotee. For example, Ambarisha Maharaja had the Sudarsana disc of Lord Vishnu standing by, ready to protect him from any danger. Although all outcomes are possible through devotional service to the Lord, a devotee’s only goal in life is to serve and satisfy the Lord. The result is that the Lord will give the pure devotee things that are not obstacles to bhakti, and the devotee will accept them for his or her service to the Lord.



The history of Dhruva Maharaja demonstrates that even if we are determined to approach the Lord for our own selfish objectives, Krishna may send a transcendental guru to guide us toward Him. And He certainly sends His devotees to this world to guide the sincere devotees who want to always serve Him.



Krishna’s mercy is never missing; what is missing is our determination to benefit from it. Once we muster our determination, we will find Krishna’s mercy empowering us in our journey to the eternal bliss of service to Him. If we follow Krishna’s instructions with resolute determination under the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master, we will one day see Krishna face to face.



Brajanatha Dasa, PhD, and his wife, Suvarna Radha Devi Dasi, PhD, both disciples of His Holiness Radhanath Swami, live in Longmont, Colorado, with their two daughters. They are active in book distribution and in serving Sri Sri Radha-Govinda at ISKCON Denver.