How do we see the joy of living in the present from the bhakti perspective?

Answer Podcast

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
So according to the ideas of Eckhart Tolle and especially of presentism if we can calm our mind and then don’t get carried away by thoughts then we can naturally experience peace and even joy. So how do we understand this from a Vaishnava perspective? Yeah, if we see in Bhagavad Gita 6.27 Krishna is talking about more or less the same state.
It’s not exactly the same but it’s a similar thing where he is saying The mind has become peaceful. The yogi experiences transcendental happiness and that state is characterized by which is basically the cause of hankering and lamenting. So that becomes pacified.
And that there is the state of which is a very peaceful state. So we need to know that this stage is progressive on the way towards what 6.30 tells. So 6.27 and 6.28 are talking about Brahman perception more or less.
6.29 talks about Paramatma perception. Manu sees all living beings situated in that absolute truth and that absolute truth situated in all living beings. They are seers and the next verse he describes after that is Bhagavan realization.
You see me everywhere and see everything in me. They are never lost to me nor am I ever lost to them. So here we clearly see a progression of realization.
And what is sometimes called as the being when one is aware of being. So that is basically something like Brahman realization. Aham Brahmasmi.
So where I just I just observe myself without having the mind drag and draw my observations anywhere. And that can definitely bring peace. So now the important thing is that when the mind is agitated and when it is dragging our consciousness from one object to another and in that we are experiencing dissatisfaction, anxiety, irritation.
So at that time just the calming of the mind brings peace. At the same time this is not a very sustainably satisfying condition because in this case situation the object of observation and the subject of observation are the same. We are observing ourselves basically in a sense.
We are not exactly observing ourselves but we are observing the forces that are agitating us having calmed down that our consciousness becomes aware. And now the Atma is Anu and therefore just the perception of the Atma because the Atma is Sat as compared to the Asat world the shifting the consciousness from the Asat world to the Sat Atma can bring peace. But because the Atma is Anu that peace and joy which comes from perceiving the Atma is not very enduring.
It will give some peace, some joy but that pales in comparison to the peace and joy that comes by focusing on the consciousness on Krishna. So Bhakti Yoga involves redirecting our consciousness towards Krishna and that also to some extent involves decreasing the rajas. But sometimes when we are doing services we may get carried away by rajas.
We are trying to use rajas in Krishna’s service but sometimes we get consumed by rajas also. So for those who are introspectively inclined they can to some extent find the method of calming their consciousness through introspection and then directing the consciousness towards Krishna they can find it that more spiritually satisfying. So we all we are here say Krishna is here.
We have to go towards Krishna. In one sense the acharya has given a broad path for us to chart. At the same time within that broad path we have to take our individual steps.
So as per our nature, as per our conditioning as per our inspiration we may have to do things which help us gain satisfaction and grow. So they say you know be mindful. That’s one way they put it.
Mindfulness is basically said to be a sense of awareness. Be aware of where the mind is. That is good.
Our purpose is not just to be mindful but ultimately is to make the mind full of Krishna. So we want to go from that state of being mindful to being to making the mind full of Krishna to permeate our consciousness with Krishna’s presence. And that requires effort.
So it’s definitely possible to do that effort and get desired results. And how we go through that those who have say there can be bhaktas who are of karma orientation. There can be bhaktas of jnana orientation.
There can be bhaktas of yoga orientation. All of them are fine. What we need to see is we all find our way towards Krishna.
So if we find that introspection and self-awareness help us to calm down then that is good. What we should know that at our stage if this feels higher that is higher because our consciousness is in rajogunas right now. Rajas, sattva, tamas, it means going up and down.
And this gives us some experience of something above sattva. Not really be perceiving the self in the sense of atma but we are perceiving the presence of something beyond the mind. And that also is pacifying.
So we can use that as a as a stabilizer for our consciousness as the consciousness moves forward towards Krishna. It is whatever stabilizes us, we can do that. It’s like some devotees may just like to recite verses.
Some devotees may like to sing music. Some devotees are of a more introspective brand of mind. They may do some introspective exercises for calming themselves by which they can direct and focus their bhakti practices.