​While practicing bhakti, how can we avoid losing interest in our work?

Answer Podcast

Transcript

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Krishna.
So, thank you very much. Shri Prabhupada. So, how can we work with devotional attachment? How can we avoid losing interest in our work? Yes.
See, at one level, to become uninterested in anything other than Krishna, that is a sign of spiritual advancement. So, if I become interested in Krishna, then I don’t become interested. I lose my interest in other things.
But this is one way of looking at things. Another way of looking at things is also that actually Krishna is not just someone who exists in the spiritual world. Krishna is not just someone who exists in the temple.
Krishna pervades all of existence. And that’s why this verse 18.46, often the second part is quoted, Svakarmanatam abhyarcha siddhil vinnati maanam. By your work, worship him and you’ll attain perfection.
But the first half of the verse is significant. The first half of the verse is, Yathah pravrttir bhutana ye na sarvam idam tatam. From whom the whole world has come and by whom the whole world is pervaded, that Lord you worship through your work and thus you’ll attain perfection.
That means when we say that worship Krishna through your work, what that means is, we understand that Krishna is not unconnected from the work. Krishna, the whole world has come from Krishna. The world is pervaded by Krishna.
So, for example, if I’m studying science, then if I can study science and I understand, say, the principles of how atoms work, how molecules work, how electromagnetics work, I can see all this is the super intelligent design of God. So by that there are many scientists, especially before the theory of evolution propagated, that for them the study of science brought them closer to God. And even now there are many scientists who actually, many people scientifically minded, by their study of science they can go closer towards God.
So that way we can all be creative and find out how we can see the Krishna connection in our work. So that will require some internalization of the philosophy. So that is, so if we see Krishna as disconnected from the world, then we have one level of realization of Krishna.
We don’t have a higher level of realization. Krishna is not only disconnected from the world, Krishna is also pervading the world. And that’s why we can see Krishna in our workplace also.
That means through the work that we do, through the subjects that we study, through the skill that we learn. So suppose I’m working and then I’m not able to solve the problem. Then suddenly I get an idea and I’m able to solve the problem.
And I see that, oh, actually this idea came, this idea, where did it come from? It’s the super soul acting. So somebody is brilliant at work also. We see not just the brilliance of this person is so good.
We see Krishna says that I am the talent of the talented. I am the strength of the strong. So this person’s ability is Krishna.
So actually we can see Krishna in whatever we do. So that requires a little bit internalization of the philosophy. So we understand that Krishna pervades the world and then we can see our work in this world also as a means of getting deeper realization of Krishna.
Does it answer your question? Yes, Madhu. So while praying, how can we