​Growing in devotion through assimilation, application and appreciation

​Talk at Philadelphia, USA

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
Jai. On the topic of application, assimilation, application, appreciation. The three stages of devotion.
When we practise bhakti, bhakti, Krishna talks about it throughout the Gita. It’s interesting that he ends the Gita on a note on a note that is both very devotional at the same time, it is also intellectual. The Gita ends with Krishna telling Arjuna, give up everything else and surrender to me.
That is clearly a call for bhakti. At the same time, this is 18.66, and 18.70, four verses later Krishna says that It’s 10.45. He says that that those who that those who start practising, that those who study the knowledge of the Gita, they are actually worshipping him with his intelligence. So, he is talking about bhakti as not just an activity of the heart, he is talking about it also as an activity of the head.
We study with the intelligence, and through that normally when we think of worship, we think that we have deity of Krishna and we do aarti, we have a lamp, we have incense, we have flowers, and normally we think of that as a devotional activity. But ishta means to worship. Ishta daivat is the worshipable deity.
So, Krishna uses the word ishta. He says they worship me with their knowledge, with their intelligence. That means sometimes some people have the idea that they say that for those who are physically orientated, karma yoga is the path.
For those who like austerities, ashtanga yoga is the path. For those who are intellectuals, jnana yoga is the path. And for those who are emotional, bhakti yoga is the path.
Now, this is true at one level. But it is not that just because somebody is emotional, they can practise bhakti nicely. Bhakti involves emotions, but bhakti actually is much more than simply emotions as we understand them.
Because bhakti encompasses our entire being. We may work, we may work, but we may not put our heart in whatever work we are doing. You know, physically we may be cleaning or we may be doing some job, we may not put our heart in it.
Sometimes, even sometimes we may study a subject, but we may study that subject primarily because we are, we want something out of that subject. Many students study in college because they want a job out of it. They are not really interested in the subject.
So like that we can do karma, but there may not be any consciousness of Krishna. Like that there may be some cultivation of jnana, but there may not necessarily be higher interest in higher realisation. It can just be simply an intellectual activity.
And some people may do austerities, but the purpose of their austerity may just be show off to others. It may not be to actually go closer to God. And austerity actually should lead to purity, it should lead to mercy, it should lead to transformation of the heart in a positive way.
Now one of the greatest tyrannical rulers of during Islamic occupation of India was Aurangzeb. And Aurangzeb actually lived a very austere life himself because he considered himself to be a very devout Muslim. So although he would live in palaces, he would live very simply.
But despite his simple, almost austere living, he was responsible for the death of 3 million people. They fought so many different wars and he caused the whole he caused not only the end of the Mughal Empire, but he caused a disruption of the whole Indian economy at that time. So sometimes just austerity alone can cause harm rather than good.
And the Bhagavatam also shows us how there are demons who perform enormous austerities, but by their austerity they try to acquire power which disrupts the cosmic order. So bhakti, but when we love someone, at that time, we naturally use all our resources in trying to express our love for that person. That means we do with our body whatever is required.
If a mother loves a child, then she uses everything that she can for serving her, serving the baby. If the baby wakes up in the middle of the night, she may be tired, but still she wakes up and takes care of the child. It’s austerity.
She does that. Similarly, if my baby is sick, what kind of medicine should I give? What should I do? She takes care of it all. So where the heart is invested, everything else follows.
So bhakti in that sense is not just a path of emotions. It is actually a path that is inclusive of our entire being. And that’s why there is a difference between emotions and emotionality.
Emotionality is where a person is very prone to being driven by emotions. I feel like something, I’ll do it. I don’t feel like doing it, I’ll give it up.
Now, emotionality may be a personality feature of some people, but emotionality alone is not always healthy for emotions. You know, if say if we are forming a relationship, my husband tells his wife that, I like you today, I don’t like you tomorrow. If I like you, I’ll have a relationship.
If I don’t like you, I won’t have a relationship. If there is emotionality, nowadays when there is no commitment in relationships, then people want to, instead of marrying, just live together. Or even if they marry, they just leave when there are slight problems.
So here, actually emotionality becomes unfavourable for deep emotions. Emotionality, when people are always driven by their emotions, they do everything based on whether they like doing it or they don’t like doing it, then a deep relationship cannot develop. Because, if a person is very emotionally driven, then the other person just doesn’t know how they are going to react.
Like if a person is too emotional, then working with them is like living in an area where there are landmines. Suddenly, what will cause an explosion, you don’t know. It’s like that.
So, similarly, bhakti is not just a matter of emotions. Bhakti is a matter of developing a relationship. We are developing a relationship with Krishna.
And for developing the relationship with Krishna, ultimately, we want deep emotions. We want to have great bhava for Krishna. But that bhava is not emotionality.
See, there is, in the material world when we live, there are these two aspects. There is emotionality and there is rationality. So, emotionality means people are just driven by their emotions.
And rationality means people think only with reason, only with logic. Now, just as emotionality has its danger, rationality also has its danger. Sometimes when people are too rational, then they become desensitised from others’ feelings.
And they always think in terms of logic and they don’t think in terms of the heart. That is also harmful. So, at an extreme example, when somebody is hyper-rational, then, you know, they can, Hitler, when he was ruling, you know, actually Hitler’s ideas of Nazism were driven by science.
Just as there was Darwin’s theory of evolution which said that the unfit will be eliminated and the fit will survive. So, he adapted that to humanity. There is now an outdated idea called social Darwinism, which said that actually among human races, human beings also there are different races and some are more fit than others.
So, he conjured up his own idea that the Nazis are the most fit race and the Jews are the most unfit race. And he said, anyway by the course of evolution the Jews will be eliminated, but we will help nature on the way. We will help nature on the way and we will kill.
He killed 6 million Jews and 6 million other people. Totally heartless. So, if there is too much rationality, that can make a person heartless.
There is emotionality and there is rationality. Now, the emotions of bhakti are actually beyond these both. They are transcendental.
So, roughly speaking, it is a very rough parallel, you know, rationality, we can say it is associated with the mode of goodness. Emotionality is associated with the mode of passion. That means when a person is in goodness, they are thoughtful, they are introspective, they think and it is their thoughts that lead them.
That is good. Of course, when people are in mode of passion, they are driven by their emotions. I like this, I want to get this.
I like that, I want to get that. I don’t like that, throw it away. So, like that.
Bhakti is transcendental. Now, of course, both emotionality and rationality, they can get distorted in the mode of ignorance. In 14.13 in the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna says that prakasha is illumination, which you could say is like rationality.
Pravrtti is inclination. I want to do this, I want to do that. That is, we could say, emotionality.
There is neither illumination nor there is action. People are neither thinking nor acting. They are lost in their illusion.
So, such is the mode of ignorance. These three modes we can say in a way that some people make things happen, some people watch things happen and some people wonder what happened. So, those who make things happen are actually in goodness.
Those who watch things, I want to do this, but this went wrong, that went wrong, they are in passion. You see, all things going on. And some people just don’t know what is happening.
They are in the mode of ignorance. So, now, bhakti, as I said, has this aspect of incorporating our entire being. So, I talked about three things.
Assimilation, which involves internalising the concepts. Application, and then there is appreciation. So, assimilation means that actually the knowledge that we hear, when we hear the philosophy, the knowledge actually enters into our head.
Normally when we hear, things enter into our ears. But assimilation means we contemplate with our head and after contemplating, we internalise. That is assimilation.
And Krishna actually calls for such assimilation when he tells Arjuna at the end of the Bhagavad Gita, Vimrishshaitakasheshena, Arjuna, deliberate deeply on what I am telling you. Vimrishshana is deep contemplation, assimilate. So, if you don’t assimilate a subject, it’s like sometimes some students study, they study for getting marks, they memorise some things, but then they are not really deeply understanding the subject.
So, after memorising, after a few months, they forget everything. So, like that, when we also hear the philosophy, usually the temptation is when we are hearing, I have heard this. I have heard this.
Whatever we hear, the mind tends to say, I have heard it. But actually, if we are asked to speak, what should I speak? Or if we are asked to repeat, what did you hear in the class? It’s often quite difficult. Because the mind’s statement, I know this, I have heard this, that is like a deflector which doesn’t allow the knowledge to sink into us.
It’s like if somebody is punching and somebody else has got a shield, then the punch can’t hit if the shield is there. So, the mind has this punch, sorry, mind has this shield which prevents the knowledge from punching into it. The mind needs to be disciplined.
The mind needs to be changed. But the mind doesn’t allow the punch to hit by saying, I have heard this. I have heard this.
I have heard this. I have heard this so many times. Yes, I have heard it, but have I actually understood it? How much have I applied it? So, that assimilation is what is required if the knowledge is to benefit us.
It’s like if somebody wants to go from, say here, to New York. Now, getting a map is good. But having a Google map in our car and starting it on, okay, entering the destination, I want to go to New York.
That’s good. But just entering the destination and seeing the map in front of us, that is not going to take us there. We have to actually start our car and move along.
Similarly, when we just hear the knowledge, we have the information. But that information does not transform into comprehension. So, it is just information that is there.
When I start moving along, oh, this is not the way I should go. This is the way I should be going. We start actually seeing the territory that is depicted on the map and we can move onwards.
So, assimilation means we use our intelligence to contemplate what is being said. Chaitanya Chaturthi Ambedkar said that, Oh, all this is philosophy. I don’t need to study this.
I am a bhakta. I just have bhakti in my heart. I don’t need philosophy.
Chaitanya Chaturthi Ambedkar said, don’t think like this. Don’t be lazy. Don’t do laziness.
Why? By the siddhanta, by the philosophy, what will happen? By this, our mind will become fixed on Krishna firmly. If our philosophical understanding is not very clear, then at one time we will feel attraction towards Krishna, but afterwards we may feel attraction towards something else immediately. So, just like for many people, especially people who are from a Hindu background, from a pious Hindu background, for them, hearing Bhagwat Katha, hearing Ramayana, hearing Mahabharata, that is like a pious form of entertainment.
There can be sensual forms of entertainment where people watch romantic movies and there can be pious form of entertainment. Now, it’s good. Pious form of entertainment is definitely better than sensuous forms of entertainment, but still their attitude is, oh, this is nice stories.
Nice stories. So, somebody might be watching on TV some Ramayana or Mahabharata and then in the Mahabharata, they see how Abhimanyu fights so gallantly and Abhimanyu is killed. And then they see Abhimanyu’s heroism and martyred and they may start crying.
Or they may see Jatayu. Jatayu being killed by Ravana and they start crying. And then the programme ends and they change the channel and the cricket match is going on.
And then Virat Kohli gets out for zero and they start crying there also. So, what is happening there? Actually, it’s just the tendency to be emotional. We are getting emotional about one thing, we are getting emotional about another thing.
There is no difference. So, yes, it is good to have emotions in connection with Krishna. But bhakti, pareesha anubhava, viraktiranyatraja.
If there is genuine bhakti, what does that bhakti lead to? Paraeesha anubhava. It leads to the experience of God. Paraeesha anubhava.
And when that experience of Krishna happens, then viraktiranyatraja, we become detached from other things. So, when the detachment is not happening, that means what is experienced is not actually bhakti. It is some emotionality and because it is connected with Krishna, that is good.
But that is not really bhakti. It can be a precursor to bhakti. So, there has to be what happens when we assimilate the philosophy is that we understand that Krishna is the eternal reality.
And everything else is temporary. So, I don’t need to get so infatuated, so excited about temporary things. The assimilation of the philosophy helps us to separate between the eternal and the temporary.
And that’s how the study of the philosophy makes us… By this, our consciousness gets fixed on Krishna much more firmly. Without a philosophical understanding, we will be driven largely by our emotions. Sometimes we will practise bhakti enthusiastically and sometimes we just become apathetic.
Sometimes we chant the holy names and then sometimes people take out the beads. 108 beads or 1008 beads? It is not getting over only. Mala is just going on and on.
So, that happens because we are driven too much by our feelings. So, if you philosophically understand that the holy name is the means to purify myself, then we will apply ourselves. So, that brings us to the second point.
Assimilation leads to application. So, application means that we do what is beneficial for us. So, as long as we are not convinced, if we have not assimilated spiritual knowledge, then we not feel very convinced about applying what we are doing.
Just like, if a doctor has told, take this medicine and it is a bitter medicine, it is maybe a little expensive medicine and it is time consuming to get it, take it. Now, if I am not convinced that I have a serious problem, then I won’t take the medicine. Why is that? Why put so much effort in it? It is not such a serious problem.
So, if we understand that there is a serious problem and doctor gives a prognosis this can lead to this complication, this can lead to this complication, just take the medicine now. All those complications can be avoided. If you understand that, if what a doctor has said goes inside, we assimilate it, how serious the disease can become, then the impetus for application becomes much more.
Without that, we won’t take the medicine properly. So, now, this brings us to we can analyse this in terms of the mind and the intelligence. See, even when we assimilate the knowledge, that does not mean that the mind changes.
Just like, to give a simple example, that suppose we, many times there are some schemes which come up. Oh, get an iPhone for one dollar. Or get this for a very absurdly low price.
And sometimes you try such schemes and we find that they don’t actually work. They just allure us and they take our time and we don’t get something out of it. Sometimes there are schemes which may work, sometimes some schemes don’t work.
So, if we see a lot of advertisements around us and we decided, you know, I’m not going to get involved in these advertisements. So, I’m not going to fall for these schemes. Then, just because we are not going to fall for the schemes, does not mean people are not going to make the schemes.
Isn’t it? Advertisers, just because I decide I’m not going to purchase an advertised product, does not mean that the advertisers will stop advertising. Similarly, when we start practising Bhakti, we decide, okay, I’m not going to get involved in these sensual things. I’m not going to do this.
I’m not going to chase after material things. But the mind is Maya’s internal advertising agent. The mind is Maya’s internal advertising agent.
And the mind keeps advertising. Come on, eat this, buy this, watch this, get this. And just because we have decided I’m not going to do these things, that doesn’t mean the mind is going to stop advertising.
The mind is still going to say, I want this, I want this, I want this. And when it comes to practising Bhakti, the mind is saying, why? It’s so troublesome. Why do that? Chanting, every day you’re doing it.
What difference does it make if one day you chant and act into it? You just don’t bother about it. So, the mind is not going to stop its ways just because our intelligence is convinced. But, if the intelligence is not convinced, then we will listen to the mind.
If the intelligence is convinced, we will not listen to the mind. Going back to that earlier medical example, suppose there’s a child, say a small girl is there, and she’s got some disease. And the mother takes the girl to the doctor.
And the doctor tells how serious the disease can be. Right now it’s in a preliminary stage, but you have to make sure that she takes the medicines morning, afternoon, evening. Now, as far as the girl is concerned, the doctor may just smile at her, maybe give her some chocolate, give her some sweet, and just be nice with her.
But, all the serious discussion will happen with the mother. And the doctor is not going to be there with the girl 24 hours. It is afterwards, the mother comes back.
Now, it is the mother’s responsibility to make sure that the girl takes the medicine. And the girl may not want to take it. It’s so bitter, I don’t want to take it.
The mother has to make sure, you know, I take the medicine. So, in this example, the spiritual master is like the doctor. The mind is like the small girl.
And our intelligence has to be like the mother. Our intelligence has to be like the mother. And the holy name or remembrance of Krishna is the medicine.
So, when we go to the go to devotees, we go to spiritual master, we go to senior devotees, at one side, they are nice with us, they smile with us, talk with us. They encourage us. That is good.
It is like the doctor, you know, taking care, doctor smiling at the girl and giving her some chocolates. Sometimes people, most of us, when we come to temple, the thing we like the most is prasad. Nice prasad.
People give it, serve it, prasad, we like it. That is good. Prasad also purifies.
And we have emotional side, we have feelings which need to be taken care of. But along with that there is philosophy. The philosophy helps us to press on even when the feelings obstruct.
Sometimes the feelings also help us to move on, sometimes feelings obstruct. So, philosophy helps us to move on when the feelings obstruct. So, when we start, when it comes to application, the previous stage of assimilation is important.
If the assimilation is not there, then when the feelings start obstructing, I don’t feel like doing it. Just give it up. It’s like the girl says, I don’t want to take the medicines.
And the mother says, okay, if you don’t want to take, don’t take. No. So, what the mother has to be mature.
Similarly, our intelligence has to be mature. The extent our intelligence is mature, to the extent we understand, actually the holy name will purify me. Remembrance of Krishna, service to Krishna, this will lead me to higher happiness.
It will help me to become a better person. It will help me to become a better devotee. Therefore, I want to do this.
So, that application rests on assimilation. Without assimilation, if there is application, then the application is not sustainable. We’ll apply for some time, afterwards we’ll give up.
And that’s why we will see that sometimes when we become discouraged in bhakti or we become distracted in bhakti, if we come in the association of devotees and we hear some inspiring classes, then we’ll get rejuvenated. See, bhakti is not intellectual. But the intellect helps us to practise bhakti.
Jiva Goswami explains in the Sandarbhas that the siddhas, the siddhas are the pure devotees, they stay at the spiritual level by their priti. They have affection for Krishna and naturally, therefore, they want to serve Krishna. Siddhas stay at the spiritual level by their priti.
But it is for sadhakas, they can stay at the spiritual level by their buddhi. For us, priti is not sustainably there. That’s why we need buddhi.
It is our intelligence which will keep us on the spiritual platform. evam buddhe parambudhva samsthabyatmanam atmana jahichatrum mahabaho kamarupam durasidam In 3.43, in the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna says, evam buddhe parambudhva. In this way, with your intelligence, understand that you are transcendental and evam buddhe parambudhva samsthabyatmanam atmana and therefore, situate yourself on the spiritual platform.
That is application. And to the extent there is application, then we come to the third stage, that is appreciation. Appreciation means we start developing a taste in bhakti.
We start appreciating. Appreciate. See, the word appreciation is often used in many contexts, but we can analyse in different ways.
There is opposite of depreciation. Sometimes a property, it gets devalued or it depreciates in value. So when we purchase it, it might have been of a particular amount, but if the value goes down, then that same property, if we sell it, we don’t get that much money.
There is appreciation means the value increases. Depreciation means the value decreases. So in that context, when we develop appreciation for Krishna, it is not that Krishna is actually a supreme treasure.
It is not that Krishna’s value increases, it is our understanding of Krishna’s value increases. That means, many times, initially when we come to practise bhakti, now we see God as a tool to the world. That means I want this, I want that, I want that.
I am not able to get it. God, you help me to get it. It’s also good.
At least we are coming to God instead of going to someone else. But what is this level? This is like Krishna is playing his flute and he is inviting us. Come and join me in performing in my pastimes in the spiritual world.
But what we want is, Krishna, I want to perform pastimes here, you assist me here. I want to do this, I want to do that, I want to achieve that. Krishna, you assist me here.
This is also not a wrong level. It is also pious if you are approaching Krishna. But if we keep practising bhakti, in the initial stage, what happens is the things in the world are very important and God is important if he can help me in this world.
Which is fine enough, at least we are approaching God. But if we truly connect with Krishna, if we experience Krishna, if we start practising bhakti and by that we experience the joy that comes from connecting with Krishna, then that experience helps us to realise that Krishna is realer than reality. What does it mean, realer than reality? Now the reality means, okay, I am sitting on this chair, you are in this house.
All this is reality. But this reality is all temporal. It will be there, it will not be there sometime.
But Krishna is the enduring reality. So it is realer than reality means we consider this world to be reality but this world is temporal. Just like we have dreams.
In dreams we see things and as long as we are in the dream, they seem real. But as soon as the dream ends, they will be gone. So the scriptures often compare our material existence to also a dream.
The soul is dreaming that I am a male, I am a female, I am an Indian, I have now become an American, whatever it is. Now this, now when we use the word dream, it does not mean that it is to demean the experience that we are having. See, as long as we are in a dream, the experiences are real for us.
Like that, what we experience now is real for us. But it is a temporary reality. Whereas Krishna is the eternal reality.
So the more we practise bhakti, the more we experience Krishna. And this experience of Krishna can actually be very defining when our world starts crumbling apart. Sometimes, what happens? A lot of problems come in our life.
Financial problems, health problems, relationship problems. Then at that time we pray to Krishna. Krishna, help me, help me, help me.
And then no help seems to be coming. We may start developing No, does Krishna exist? Does Krishna care? Why is Krishna letting all this happen to me? And it can lead to doubts. That’s possible.
But another thing that can happen is that when these problems start coming up and problems start becoming unbearable, that is when we take shelter of Krishna. And when we take shelter of Krishna, at that time we experience relief. We experience strength from within.
Even if the problem is not solved, just the connection with Krishna gives us peace. It gives us strength. And that helps us to understand that there is something higher over here.
That even when, even when, say, I’m having so many problems, but still, by remembering Krishna, by trying to connect with Krishna, I’m experiencing peace. I’m experiencing relief. There is something higher over here.
So as long as we think of Krishna only as a protector of our material life, Krishna does protect things. But if we see Him only in those terms, then we cannot grow very much in bhakti. But if we practise bhakti diligently, in the activities of bhakti itself, we experience peace, we experience joy.
And then, when the life sends its blows, life always has ups and downs. Sometimes life gives its blows to us. So at that time, if we have habituated ourselves to take shelter of Krishna, then we can gain that shelter, and thereby we experience relief.
It’s like, say, it’s hot outside, and then we come inside an air-conditioned room. Then when we come inside the air-conditioned room, the heat outside has not stopped. But we have got relief.
So similarly, our mind thinks of hundreds of things. And when we think of those things, we get agitated. But if we bring the mind to Krishna, dhautātmā puruṣaḥ kṛṣṇa pāda-mūlam namuncati mukta-sarva-parikleśaḥ pāṇṭhā sva-śaraṇam yathā That for the purified soul, when they fix their mind on Krishna, what happens to them? mukta-sarva-parikleśaḥ Parikleśaḥ is misery.
Mukta is free from. They become free from all misery. And the example is given, pāṇṭhā sva-śaraṇam yathā Now, pāṇṭhā is a traveller, one who goes on a pantha, a path.
pāṇṭhā sva-śaraṇam yathā sva-śaraṇam refers to one’s own home. It’s like a person has gone to a long troublesome journey. When they come back home, they feel safe, they feel happy, they feel secure, they feel loved, they feel a sense of belonging.
Now I have come back home. So like that, when we bring our consciousness to Krishna, then we feel at home, we feel safe. And with that security, with that serenity, then we can deal with the problem with greater maturity.
The problem is not going to go away just because we are thinking about Krishna. But problems often become bigger than what they need to be when we think about them too much. See, we have to think about a problem to solve the problem.
But at the same time, when we think too much about the problem, the problem starts consuming our consciousness. Yeah, what is going to happen? What is going to happen? Suppose, you know, I have been diagnosed with some disease. Now, if it’s a serious disease, I have to be careful.
Okay, I have to decide. Okay, I have to get the treatment. I have to try to take the treatment.
I have to arrange my finances. Who will take care of things? Now all those things are valid and we have to think about them. But if, because of the diagnosis of the disease, I start thinking, Oh, you know, maybe I’ll lose my ability to move.
I’ll be bedridden. This will happen. That will happen.
That will happen. See, the mind goes off on an imagination. And when it goes off on imagining things, then maybe right now there is only a preliminary diagnosis and it may turn out that the disease can be very well checked and cured.
But when we start imagining things, that imagination becomes a big, big, big burden. So, it’s like, say, suppose we are supposed to go on a journey and on the journey, we need to carry some luggage with us. So, say, we are carrying 20 kg.
We need to carry 20 kg with us. But instead of carrying 20 kg, I carry 80 kg with me. Then that 80 kg, I have to lug around.
Now, what has happened is, like that, we have a problem in life. That problem is 20 kg. But when we worry too much about it, fantasising, this may go wrong, that may go wrong, that may go wrong, and then that makes the 20 kg problem into 80 kg problem.
And when it becomes 80 kg, then we feel crushed. I cannot deal with this. Well, we can deal with it.
We can deal with the problem. But we can’t deal with the imagination around the problem which the mind has created. That’s why when if you are driving a car, and the car suddenly starts moving very fast, if someone presses the accelerator, then we need to press the brake.
Say, I am driving a car, somebody is next to me. Or somebody is driving the car, and they are young and impetuous, and they start going very dangerously fast. Then, they are pressing the accelerator.
We have to press the brake. So, like that, for the mind, imagination is the accelerator. Whenever any problem comes up, and the problem has come, and then the mind presses the accelerator of imagination.
And suddenly, one problem becomes like a destroyer of my whole life. Become paralysed. So, when imagination becomes the accelerator for the mind, you know, our faith is the brake.
Our faith in Krishna is the brake. Yes, Krishna will take care. It’s not that you know, I have gone through many, many, I am a soul, I have gone through many, many lifetimes, I have faced many problems.
I am still here. I have faced many problems even in this life. Krishna will take care.
So, we have to have faith as a brake. And faith, that brake of faith comes. We can apply that brake of faith when we turn towards Krishna.
If we turn towards Krishna, first for Krishna, you solve this problem. If that’s all that we are thinking about, then as long as the problem is not solved, we cannot experience Krishna. But if you focus on, okay, I have this problem.
I want relief from this problem. I may not get a solution to the problem. It’s like if it’s very hot outside, it’s not that the heat is going to go away.
But if I enter into an AC room, I get relief from the heat. The heat is still there outside but I get relief. So, like that, when we turn our thoughts towards Krishna, we are getting our consciousness into a Krishna conditioned room.
And there we can experience relief. But sometimes, while practising bhakti, instead of being Krishna conscious, we are problem conscious. That means what? Okay, there’s air conditioning in this room.
I open the door, but instead of coming in the room, I expect that the air conditioning will make the whole atmosphere cool. And that’s not going to happen. If I want relief, I have to come inside the room.
So, like that, when we connect with Krishna, and when we try to pray to Krishna, if our primary focus in praying to Krishna is Krishna, solve this problem, solve this problem, solve this problem. Like we are opening the door to Krishna, but rather than coming into the air conditioning, we are wanting the air conditioning to cool the whole atmosphere. That can also happen eventually.
But that’s not the point. When we practise bhakti, when we open the door to Krishna, rather than expecting Krishna immediately to change the things in this world for us, we can enter into the room. That means we can transport our consciousness towards Krishna.
We can absorb ourselves in Krishna. When we do that, we experience relief. So, the mind has made the 20 kg weight into 80 kg weight.
But when we think about Krishna, then that 60 kg falls in. When we think about Krishna, we absorb ourselves in Krishna, we pray to Krishna. At that time, we experience security, we experience serenity.
And then we can say, this problem is there. It’s a serious problem, but it’s a manageable problem. The problem is manageable, but the problem plus the mind’s imagination, that is unmanageable.
The problem plus the mind’s imagination can make even a small problem huge, unmanageable. But what happens when we practise bhakti is that we are able to separate the problem and the mind’s imagination about the problem. And when we are able to separate that, we can say, okay, all these worries, if they happen, we’ll take care of them.
Right now, this is the problem. What can I do about it? And as this requires, I’m talking all this in terms of appreciation. We develop appreciation for Krishna.
Initially, we may have some appreciation for Krishna only in terms of what Krishna does for us. Like when Duryodhana and Arjuna went to choose, both of them went to choose, Duryodhana, before the Kurukshetra war, Duryodhana did not have any appreciation for Krishna. He thought of Krishna only in terms of a source of an army for him.
And when he heard that, okay, Krishna is going to one side and the army is going to the other side, he said, what is the use of Krishna? I just want the whole army. But whereas Duryodhana saw Krishna as a means to an end, Arjuna saw Krishna as the end. He says, if I have Krishna, I have everything.
And that’s what it turned out. Although Krishna did not fight in the Kurukshetra war, but Krishna guided Arjuna at all the critical moments. And Krishna’s guidance of Arjuna was defining for Arjuna’s eventual victory.
Similarly, as we practise bhakti, our appreciation for Krishna increases. That means we see Krishna not as a means to an end, but we see Krishna as an end in himself. That if I can just remember Krishna, if I just become absorbed in Krishna, if I just serve Krishna, everything else will work out.
Everything else will be taken care of. When we appreciate Krishna, then we don’t make our bhakti conditional to the things in this world working out. Rather, we focus on making our bhakti work and then we know that other things will work out.
And at this stage, when we come, then our bhakti becomes irrevocably stated. Prabhupada translates this as Bhakti becomes an irrevocable fact because we have ourselves experienced Krishna. Krishna Prabhupada, when he came to America, if you look at it from the material perspective, at least in India, he had a status as a sadhu.
Pious Indian society respected sadhus. They may not want to follow him, but he could go to any pious Indian’s house and they would provide him some food, they would provide him some donations. Prabhupada wanted people who were seriously willing to live according to the Bhagavatam.
And he was not getting that in India. But when he came to America, he did not have anything. He did not have money, he did not have institutional support, he did not have followers.
And he came to the Lower East Side and there, the one student, a boy named David, who seemed to be very enthusiastic, who said, I would like to become your disciple, Swamiji. One time, he himself took so much drugs that he went mad and he attacked Prabhupada. He attacked Prabhupada and it was a multiple storey building and Prabhupada had to just run down those narrow, dark stairs just for his own life.
And he came out on the streets and he realised that on top of the roofs of the buildings, there were some birds which were moving aimlessly around. And Prabhupada realised that I am just as homeless as those birds. He did not have anywhere to go.
And at that time, Prabhupada did not even have money. He had just come out without anything. But Prabhupada always had Krishna with him.
He had the intention to serve Krishna. And with that intention to serve Krishna, he was fixed. So, initially he was also thinking, what to do now? But then, Prabhupada writes in one of his purports that a devotee may be perplexed, but a devotee is never discouraged.
Perplexed means to not know what to do. Discouraged means to not want to do anything only. Just give up.
Even devotees, advanced devotees may be perplexed. You may try to do one thing and it doesn’t work out. Then you don’t know, what should I do then? But a devotee is never discouraged.
Why never discouraged? Because a devotee knows Krishna is always there in my heart. Krishna is always with me. Krishna always loves me.
And Krishna will always give an opportunity for me to move on. So, at such a stage, faith can have many definitions. I’ll conclude with one practical understanding of faith.
See, faith simply means to take one step forward, even when the full path is not clear. It is a dark path. And I am lost right now.
So, if I simply have a small flashlight, with the flashlight, I cannot see the full way ahead. But what I can see is, just one step ahead. Okay, take one step ahead, that’s enough.
If there is no ditch over here, there is no danger over here, take the step forward and the flashlight will show me one more step. And we keep taking one more step, one more step, one more step ahead and eventually we’ll reach the destination. So, when we have problems, so Prabhupada at that time didn’t know what to do.
The only disciple whom he had, only person who was about to become a disciple, he had turned against him. So, what did Prabhupada do? No, Prabhupada just went to a nearby phone booth. He did not even have money.
So, he just requested the person, can I make a phone call? And he called some other people who had come for his programme. I told them, can you arrange something? Then they immediately worked together and they arranged for Prabhupada to go to another place. And then actually that place turned out to be much more favourable.
And then the people started coming regularly and then that is actually in New York, the 26th Second Avenue, where the first concenter was established. So, Prabhupada did not know exactly how he was going to work. But his faith was, okay, I’ll take one step forward.
One step forward. So, when we have appreciation for Krishna, when we are experiencing Krishna within us, then even if there are big problems outside, we may be perplexed about how to deal with them. We may not know how to deal with them.
But we will not become discouraged. We will not think, oh, these problems are so big, I’ll just give up. No.
Okay, these problems are big. I may not even know how to solve them right now. But let me take one step at a time.
One step at a time. One step at a time. And with that flashlight of faith, we keep taking one step, one step, one step.
Eventually, it will cover a long distance and we’ll be able to overcome the problem. Krishna says in 18.58 in the Bhagavad Gita, He says, machittaha, if you become conscious of Me, sarva-durgani, all obstacles, mat-prasadat, by My mercy, tarishasi, you’ll cross over the obstacles. This is Krishna’s guarantee that if you become conscious of Him, He’s not saying obstacles will not come.
Obstacles will still come, but by My mercy, you’ll be able to cross over all the obstacles. And that is what we all can do when we gain appreciation for Krishna. So I’ll summarise.
I started by talking about how our devotion can progress through three stages. Does anyone remember the three A’s? Assimilation, application, appreciation. Yes, thank you.
Assimilation, application, appreciation. So in terms of assimilation, I discussed elaborately about how some people think that different yogas are for different people. Karma yoga is for those who work hard.
Gyan yoga is for those who are intellectual. Ashtanga yoga is for those who perform austerities. And Bhakti yoga is for those who are emotional.
This is an oversimplified understanding because all the other activities, in fact all these four activities, some people may just work, work, work and they may become passionate. Some people may just think, think, think and they’re just lost in their head. Some people may perform austerities but that may not lead to character.
They may be very cruel, unfeeling in spite of their austerities. And some people may have too much emotions and they may become hyper emotional. So all of these are aspects of our being.
And bhakti is the process of spiritualising our entire being. So we discussed about emotionality and rationality. Emotionality, if there is too much emotionality, that is unhealthy for deep emotions.
Because when a person is too emotional, then they cannot be trusted about how they will behave in different situations. Relationships cannot become deep without trust. On the other hand, if a person is too rational, then they become unfeeling.
And then, even then, there cannot be good relationships. So we can roughly correlate that emotionality is associated with the mode of passion. Rationality is associated with the mode of goodness.
Bhakti is beyond this. Bhakti is transcendental. So, when we practise bhakti, bhakti encompasses our entire being.
We work with our body in service of Krishna. We use our intelligence to understand the philosophy. We also perform some austerities when there is fasting or other times.
And we offer our heart to Krishna. So the emotions of bhakti are the mature fruit of purification. They are not just ordinary emotionality.
And so at the first stage, Krishna says in the end of the Bhagavad Gita is that, worship me with your intelligence. Those who study are worshipping with their intelligence. So bhakti includes in its ambit even intellectual activities.
So that is assimilation. When we assimilate the philosophy, then it is not just something information in our ears, information going through our ears. It is comprehension which is entering into our head.
So when we assimilate, then we can apply. So without assimilation, things just stay theoretical. So bhakti remains a pious form of entertainment without assimilation.
So we were entertained by bhakti and then we are entertained by sensuality also. So if you don’t want that to happen, we need to assimilate. By siddhanta, by studying siddhanta, our consciousness becomes fixed on Krishna.
And then there is application. So once our intelligence is convinced, that does not mean that the mind will not obstruct, the emotions will not obstruct. Just like if I have decided I am not going to purchase the advertised products, that does not mean the advertisements are going to stop.
It just means that I will say no to the advertising. So like the mind is like an advertising agent, it will keep advertising. But if our intelligence is firm, then we will not fall for the mind.
I gave an example of a mother and a child, for how mind and intelligence works. Can anyone say what are the parallels in that? Who is the mind, who is the intelligence? Intelligence is the mother. Medicine is the holy name.
child is the mind. And the doctor is the? Spiritual master. Yeah, the spiritual master, the spiritual guide.
So, thank you. Now the mother, the child may not want to, the girl may not want to take the medicine. That’s like the mind may sometimes feel like chanting, sometimes feel like chanting, not feel like chanting.
But the mother has to be mature. Like intelligence. Intelligence ensures that the child, the intelligence ensures that we chant the holy name, we practise bhakti, like the mother ensures that the child takes the medicine.
So that’s why application is not sustainable without assimilation. We start practising but we will give up if we are not steady, if we are not steady, if we are not convinced about it, if we are not assimilated. And then there is appreciation.
Appreciation means we see, we value Krishna not for what he gives us in this world. We don’t value Krishna just as a means to the end in this world. We value Krishna as a end in himself.
Duryodhana saw Krishna as a means to the Narayana Sena. Arjuna saw Krishna as an end in himself. And when we practise bhakti, if we see Krishna as a tool to the end of things in this world.
And if things in this world don’t work out, our bhakti will become very shaky. But if we understood Krishna as an end in himself, then when problems come, we will take more shelter of Krishna. Like, okay, it’s very hot outside.
Let me come into the AC room. Let me get relief. Like that when we feel very agitated by problems, we will take shelter of Krishna and we will experience relief.
We will experience peace. And with that peace, we can separate the problem from the mind’s imagination of the problem. 20 kg is the weight of the problem, but 60 kg is the mind’s imagination.
And together they become unmanageable. But separated, then we can manage. So when imagination becomes the accelerator for the problem, what is the brake? Faith is the brake.
Faith, yes. Krishna has taken care in the past. Krishna will take care now also.
Let me have faith in Krishna. And faith doesn’t mean just passively, oh, I just leave everything to Krishna. Faith also means, we practically do what we can.
Like a torch light if I have, Prabhupada says, even a devotee may be perplexed, but a devotee is not discouraged. So when we have big problems, we don’t know how to solve the problems. If we have faith in Krishna, we won’t become discouraged.
What can I do right now? One step I can take. Like a torch light in dark, it may show me one step ahead. I take that one step ahead.
I take one step ahead. Like that we move on. And eventually, we will find a solution to the problems emerging.
So by, when we appreciate Krishna as end in himself, then we experience Krishna in a very deep and transformational way. We experience Krishna not just as reality, but as realer than reality. The things of this world, the problems of this world, they will come and they will go.
But Krishna is our enduring companion. And by appreciating for Krishna, we become peaceful and joyful, even through life’s ups and downs. Krishna assures us that if you become conscious of me, you will pass over all obstacles by my grace.
Thank you very much. Are there any questions or comments? Yes. Thank you so much for such a nice, wonderful talk.
Probably one statement you made, like Prashadam also purifies. Hmm. Prashadam also purifies.
So, I’d like to know more about that. Because we know that we offer to the Srimla, and then we offer it and then after some time we accept it as Prashadam, as we call it, spiritual food. How does it actually work? And can you elaborate more on that? Okay.
So, how does Prashadam purify when you offer the food to Krishna? Krishna is Pavitranam Pavitramyo Mangalanam Chamangalam. That is, He is the most pure among all pure. He is the most auspicious among all auspicious things.
So, anything that comes in contact with Krishna, that becomes pure. So, when you offer the food to Krishna, at that time, Krishna is omnipotent. So, Krishna doesn’t have to physically consume the food.
Krishna can just glance with His eyes. All His senses have the potency of the other senses. So, even when Krishna glances at the food, He actually, by the glance, is accepting it.
And when He accepts it, the food becomes purified by contact with Him. So, the food that we offer is actually a means for expressing affection. It’s like, say, usually in cultured families, if you go to visit some relative or you go to visit some friends, we make it, say, take a tiffin or we get a small box in which we made some delicacies for them.
And then, say, one child goes from one house to another house, the mother may give some tiffin with some sweets over there. And somebody seeing from outside, the tiffin went inside. And then, when the child is returning from this family back, that family also, they will not give the tiffin empty.
They will fill it with some other sweets. And they will give it back. From the external point of view, the same tiffin is going in, the same tiffin is coming out.
But internally, what is happening? There is reciprocation. The sweet that went in, that expressed the affection of this family for that family. And the sweet that is coming out, that is expressing the affection of this family for that family now.
So, like that, for us, when we offer food to Krishna, that food is an expression of our bhakti for Krishna. And that’s why when we offer bhoga, we try to cook with a devotional attitude. We try to have some kirtan or something like that going on when we are cooking the food.
We offer the food to Krishna properly, prayerfully. And so, then our bhakti is being offered to Krishna. And then, when Krishna accepts it, Krishna gives His kripa, His mercy.
So, the food externally remains the same just as the box remains the same. But, when our bhakti goes to Krishna, Krishna reciprocates by giving His kripa. And when His mercy comes through the food, those who eat the food, they become purified.
So, now, prasadam purifies. Prasadam is a means to purification, but it is not the only means to purification. That means, if I just take prasadam, I don’t do anything else, I’ll be purified.
But, whenever there is anything spiritual manifesting in this world, the spiritual manifestation also follows, usually doesn’t violate the material laws. That means, if I have the Bhagavad Gita, Bhagavad Gita is a very sacred book. But, if I put the Bhagavad Gita in water, the pages will get spoiled.
So, the Bhagavad Gita’s spirituality is not seen by if I put the Bhagavad Gita in water, does it get spoiled or not? That’s not the way to see it. But, if I study the Bhagavad Gita, I approach it with a devotional attitude, then its wisdom will illumine me. So, like that, prasadam also, it will follow the material laws.
So, if I overeat, it may cause me stomach upset. If I overeat, I may become fat. All that is possible.
But, that material laws apply, but above the material, there is a spiritual reality. That, when we take prasadam, because Krishna’s mercy is there, it purifies us. And then, the extent to which it purifies us will depend on how much is our devotional disposition also.
So, if we take prasadam with a very devotional attitude, prayerful attitude, then the purification is much more. But, overall, anything that has contact with Krishna, that purifies. And prasad is actually, because it has been offered to Krishna, it is permeated with His mercy.
And that’s how it is purifying. Does it answer your question? Yeah, you had a question? So, about appreciation. You said, appreciate Krishna.
Even before that, you know something about Krishna Yeah, correct. Yeah, correct. So, do we need to appreciate devotees before we can appreciate Krishna? Yes, definitely.
When I talked about assimilation, application, appreciation, all these three require devotee association. Because even when we have to assimilate, how are we going to assimilate? If we study Bhagavad Gita ourselves, we may understand a few things, but there are many questions which may also come. And to get the answers to those questions, we need to associate with devotees whom we can ask the questions and who can answer our questions.
So, for assimilation, association is required. Even for application also, when we have to practise, if we alone have to practise, it becomes quite difficult. But if we come in the association of devotees, then the same devotional activities become not only easier, they actually become joyful.
So, and definitely for appreciation, it develops to the extent we associate with those who are appreciating Krishna. So, for example, if we see Deities, if we go to some other devotee’s house who has got Deities, and they are serving the Deities with great care, with great reverence, with great bhakti, and we see that, oh, they do this like this every day for so many days, so many years they are doing it, that seeing that inspires us. And we may also get Deities, and we may have had some picture of Krishna in our house, but when we see others serving Krishna very nicely, we also feel inspired to serve.
So, appreciation comes by associating with those who are appreciating. And in that sense, our desires are not just linear, they are triangular. What do you mean by triangular? So, I normally think of desire as I see some object, and I desire that object.
So, I am here, the object is here, I desire it. We think of that’s how desires develop. That’s true.
That’s one way desires develop, but that’s not the only way desires develop. Say, for example, an Indian comes to America. India, practically, no one knows about baseball.
But, say, an Indian student comes to an American university where everybody is passionate for baseball. Then, by associating with those who are mad after baseball, say, a friend says, come, let’s go for a baseball match. Initially, it doesn’t make any sense, but the others are so excited, so wild about it.
Then, the student also starts developing interest. Then, he also becomes excited. After 6 months, he may also be maniac about baseball.
So, what has happened? The baseball was here. First time he saw baseball, he said, what is this? It doesn’t make any sense to me. But then, by associating with someone else who loves baseball, then from their attraction to baseball, his attraction to baseball also develops.
So, our desire is not just linear, it’s triangular. So, this especially applies for bhakti, for the spiritual manifestations of Krishna. For example, Bhagavad Gita.
Many of us, if we have come from a pious background, we may have recited some Bhagavad Gita verses in our childhood. Especially, sometimes our children are told, memorise some Bhagavad Gita verses. And, that’s good.
But when we associate with those who are not just memorising the Gita, but they are living the Gita, then our appreciation for the Gita increases much more. So, it’s like, if I just study the Gita, ok, it’s a good book. But if I study those who are living the Gita, by associating with them, my appreciation of the Gita increases much more.
So, yes, definitely, we need association of devotees for assimilation, for application and especially for appreciation. Does that answer your question? Thank you. Yes, Mataji.
… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … So, if while practising Bhakti, sometimes bad thoughts come and trouble us, what should we do? See, as I explained in the class, that just because we have decided to change the way we live, Advertisers are not going to stop advertising. Similarly, the minds patterns are not going to change immediately. Say, most of us use computers, we may surf on the internet.
Now, if we say use Google, then if we visit a particular site repeatedly, then what happens? Google starts doing autocomplete. If I just type, if I visited India.com or IndiaTimes.com, whatever, then I just start typing IN, immediately the remaining gets completed. So, like that, our mind has got certain default patterns of functioning.
So, we start, we start thinking and suddenly the mind thought go here or they go there, they go somewhere. So, now, just as when the browser does autocomplete of a link, of a site name, now, we don’t have to go along with that autocomplete. You know, if I want to go to some other site, even if that autocomplete is there, I reject that and I type where I want to go and I go ahead.
So, similarly, we can see these bad thoughts coming, like say autocompletes, but I don’t have to go along with that autocomplete. So, the more we dwell on the thought, the more the thought will grow. Now, just because a thought is present in the mind, does not make us bad.
It does not make us evil or fallen or anything like that. No, it’s only when we act on the thought. So, Akshila Prabhupada would say, to have a wrong desire is not a problem.
To act on that wrong desire is a problem. So, negative thoughts, terrible thoughts, whatever they may come in, we don’t let them grow. And how do we do that? See, the best way to deal with negative thoughts is to not deal with them.
What that means is, sometimes if a salesman comes along, and that salesman is very skilled. Now, if we try to convince the salesman, why I don’t want this product, a salesman will convince us why you want this product. So, best thing is, we just don’t talk with the salesman.
If we start talking, they are expert at talking. And they will outwit us. So, like that, when the thoughts come, if we start focussing on them, even if this is not true, this is false.
This is not the way I am, this is not the way I want to act, this is not the way I want to think. But the more we dwell on it, actually that desire will become stronger, that perception will become stronger. So, best is to direct the thoughts somewhere else.
And chanting is, of course, one powerful way, but it is not the only activity in Bhakti. See, we have to find out for ourselves what is the best way I can fix the mind in Krishna. So, for some of us, it may be kirtans, just having some nice kirtan going on, or ourselves singing some tune.
For some of us, we may find some pictures of Krishna, some picture of Deity is very attractive. Just keep them always with us. And then, whenever we feel such negative thoughts coming, turn towards them and pray to those pictures.
Just look at those pictures. Or we may find, maybe reciting Vishnukas or hearing some classes. Whatever it is, we find can quickly direct our thoughts towards Krishna, we should have that with us regularly.
So, when we have that way, then when this thought starts growing, we don’t let it grow, we direct our thoughts towards Krishna. And gradually, as we stop paying attention to those thoughts, thoughts will decrease, decrease, decrease. And then eventually they will go away.
It’s just like, if we repeatedly don’t visit a particular site, then the Google autocomplete will go to other sites, then autocomplete will not pop up again, because we’ll go in the past, remote history. So, the same way, for us, we shouldn’t become disheartened just because the thoughts are coming. We should say, okay, these thoughts are coming from the past, somewhere, something, I may not know also from where they are coming, but I don’t have to dwell on them.
And it’s not possible to just say, don’t dwell on them. Rather, find out something positive to dwell on. And don’t make it a stereotype that I have to chant only.
We have to find out, according to our individual nature and interests, what is it that we can direct our thoughts towards. And then we’ll be able to, by neglecting those thoughts, we can counter them. Now, if some same thought patterns keep coming repeatedly, then we may use our intelligence to deal with it.
Let me say, if I have a tendency to worry about something a lot, then we can use our philosophical knowledge to, okay, just write it down. Okay, this is my worry, this is my fear. And then after that, I write down, okay, but this is unlikely to happen.
We can write down some rational way of countering the fear. We may not be able to do it at that time, but afterwards. And then when we write down, okay, if this is the problem, I can deal with it this way, but this problem is not likely to happen.
Whatever it is, we can objectively write down how to address that fear. And then afterwards, if we write it down and keep it with us, then later, when that fear comes, we can just refer back to it. Yeah, this makes sense.
I don’t have to worry so much. No, we all are expert at giving advice to others. There’s nothing which we give as freely as advice.
But what we can do is, we can use that tendency on ourselves. That means, yes, I have this fear. You see, if I have this worrying tendency.
So, if somebody else came to me with this worrying tendency, how would I counsel them? And then try to apply that to yourself. Now, we may consult someone else also to deal with specific issues. But that way, we can use our intelligence also to counter that worry or counter that negativity, whatever it is.
But primarily it is, we don’t dwell on it. If we don’t dwell on it, it will gradually go away. And if we have something more positive to dwell on, then not dwelling on it becomes much easier.
Does it address your question? That is okay. So, if thoughts distract us while we are chanting and focussing on Krishna, yeah, we don’t have to have unrealistic expectations. It’s like, if a mother tells the child, you sit here.
You can’t expect the child to sit there peacefully. Child may go here, child may go there. So, the mother may be doing some other work, but she’ll keep an eye out.
Okay, what is my child doing? And the child goes somewhere else, she’ll bring the child back. So, like that, our mind is like a child. Sometimes, basically, we hear a lot of different metaphors for understanding things.
So, sometimes we treat the mind as an enemy, very dangerous. That’s fine. It’s a good metaphor to use for recognising the danger that the mind can get us into.
But then, if the mind is an enemy, we may be able to kill the enemy. But the mind is not killable. We have to live with the mind.
So, when we have to deal with the mind, another useful metaphor is like a child. So, a child may go here, a child may go there. A child may sometimes do dangerous things also.
So, what the mother has to do is, keep an eye. So, like that, Krishna also says in 6.26, So, He uses the adjective to describe the mind as chanchala. Chanchala is often an adjective used to describe children.
Restless. So, Krishna says the mind is chanchala. And what should you do? Yato yato nishchalati.
Whenever the mind wanders, bring it back under control. So, Krishna says, don’t expect that the mind will be controlled and don’t become angry because the mind is not controlled. So, between the two extremes, one is, it’s unrealistic expectation that the mind will be controlled.
The other is the frustration that the mind is out of control. Between them is the realistic attitude. The mind is going to wander, let me bring it back.
Let me bring it back. And by that, gradually the focus will increase. This is a child who grows up.
The child also understands, okay, I have to study. This is important. Child will grow up.
So, like that, the mind will also grow up gradually. He says, we cannot accelerate the growth of a child. Similarly, we may not be able to accelerate the growth of the mind.
The mind will take its time and during that time, we have to be watchful. Does that address the question? Any other questions or comments? Okay, last question. How can rationality be in goodness? See, it’s a rough parallel.
It’s not necessarily entirely true. I’m just giving a correlation. Two points.
In 14.11, the Bhagavad Gita Krishna says, The body has many doors, the eyes, the ears. When these are illuminated, at that time, when they are illuminated like this by knowledge, at that time, know that it is mode of goodness. Now, when they are illuminated, it is not that a person in goodness, their eyes give out some light or ears give out some light.
Basically, what it means is that if there is a door and the door is dark, then anybody can come inside and we will not know who is coming. And if somebody slips in, we will not know whether this person is a friend or this person is an enemy or is a thief. We won’t know anything.
But if the door is open, if there is light in the doorway, we can say, hey, this person is a friend. Welcome! This person is suspicious. Wait! Watch! Who is he? This person is a thief.
Get out! So like that, when the door is illuminated by knowledge, we can discern whom to let in, whom to not let in. So like that, when there is goodness, that means whatever is coming at the door of our senses, we are able to discern. The eyes fall on something.
Should I be seeing this or should I not be seeing this? We are able to discern. We say, no, I don’t want to see this. The tongue starts watering on seeing something.
Should I eat this or should I not eat this? We are able to discern. So we don’t let the information about the world come in unprocessed into our consciousness. That is mode of goodness.
And rationality helps us in that. Now when we are rational, at that time we can observe and we can evaluate. If we are not rational, we are emotional, then what happens is that we are just driven by our likes.
Oh! This looks good. Let me do it. But then it may look good, but it may not have a good effect on me.
So rationality, in one sense, raises above emotions and helps us to objectively observe. Now the problem is, when I talk about Hitler, Hitler was not in goodness. He was in tamoguna.
But I was giving an example to illustrate that rationality, when it becomes excessive, just as when emotionality becomes excessive, it can become destructive. So in that case, to lose our rationality is bad. But to lose everything except our rationality, that is also bad.
I have no other things. I am just functioning like a machine as per a programme. Okay, this makes sense, this makes sense, this makes sense.
There are no emotions involved. So we see that Krishna talks about dushkrtina. In 7.15 Bhagavad Gita, he says that there are some people who are demoniac.
The krti means, Prabhupada writes in that purport, that they are talented. But dushkrtina means their talent is misdirected. So for example, terrorists.
Now when the terrorists execute an attack, often they have to use their intelligence to penetrate into a particular country and to take the bomb at a particular place and get there. But it’s all tragically, horrendously misdirected. So there is krti.
So when rationality is there, part of that rationality has become caught in only a particular frame of thinking. And one doesn’t feel anything apart from that. It’s actually not rationality.
It is irrationality only because rationality is meant to be used for a particular purpose to get a broader understanding of things. So what I was saying is, if there is only logic and there is no other aspect to it, and if that logic gets misled, it can be horrendous. People don’t feel any emotion.
So logic alone is not necessarily a virtue. It can be a virtue when it is a part of a broader framework of life, broader understanding of life. Otherwise, it can be disastrous.
So broadly, in goodness, one is not just driven by one’s emotions. And in rationality also, one is not just driven by one’s emotions. In that sense, we can correlate rationality with goodness.
So thank you very much.