Managing the mind – we control Krishna converts

[Bhagavatam class at Charlotte, USA]

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
about how there is something within us which sabotages us. Whether we are doing our studies or our job or our spiritual life, something stops us from doing what we know is important. And something pushes us to do something which we know we shouldn’t be doing.
And this force obstructs all the more in spiritual life because in material life we are driven by a sense of necessity. I have to do my job. Whereas in spiritual life we don’t really feel that sense of necessity about our devotional activities.
So that inner force which checks and misdirects us, which stops us from going in the right direction and misdirects us to some other direction, that is known by different names in different traditions. The bad dog, the devil, the shaitan or maya. Now for all practical purposes this works within us as the mind.
Maya and mind philosophically are different but practically they are the same. Maya acts through the mind. And to the extent our mind comes under control to that extent we cannot be caught by maya.
So now before we can learn how we can manage the mind, we need to know that although the mind obstructs us still we also need the mind. We need the mind in the sense that the mind is the essential interface between the soul and the body. Just as the mind is like the software, the body is like the hardware, the soul is like the user.
If I have a brand new computer with the latest hardware features but there is no software installed in it, I will not be able to do anything with it. Now, the software is essential otherwise the hardware becomes inaccessible, becomes useless. So like that the mind is the essential link between the user and the hardware.
But just as say sometimes some hackers may take control of our computer and we want to go to one site but suddenly we are redirected to some other site and we end up somewhere where we never intended to be. So like that the user who has to use the hardware and the software is the medium but a software can sometimes take the user where the user wants to go and sometimes the software can take the user somewhere else. So like that the mind although it is essential for us it doesn’t always help us in doing what we want to do and in that sense the mind is troublesome it can be troubling but at the same time it is essential.
So another example is say of a horse. If a farmer not just a farmer actually a rancher a person has a big farm like area where many things are happening and it is a little primitive setting where there are no vehicles. So the rancher needs a horse to cover all the territory and suppose that horse is wild the horse tends to buck and throw off the person riding the horse.
Now the rancher needs the horse to cover the territory but at the same time that horse can be dangerous that horse can knock off the person that horse can refuse to go wherever it is going or the horse can even knock the person down and trample the person break their bones also sometimes falling from a horse can be fatal also. So the horse is dangerous at the same time the horse is indispensable. So we have to understand that our mind is like that.
So basically we can have two attitudes towards the mind. One is we may have implicit trust in the mind we are meant to have implicit trust in Krishna but instead we may have implicit trust in the mind. That means whatever the mind says come on eat this immediately go and eat it watch this immediately go and watch that speak this immediately go and speak that.
We don’t even question it. We think that whatever is inside me is me. Because this thought this idea this desire has come from me it must be mine.
But just because I am sitting on a horse just because it is my horse doesn’t mean that wherever the horse is going that’s where I want to go. No. The horse is my horse but still the horse has its own will and sometimes the horse may be going some other direction.
So like that when we understand this three level reality the body the mind and the soul then we understand that everything inside me is not me. The desires that come inside me the ideas that come inside me they are actually not me. Now sometimes we can realise this most graphically say when we do something we get angry and we shout at someone and then after that we think why did I speak that? How did I speak that? Now if we get angry and lash out at someone and while we were lashing out at that person say somebody recorded all that we spoke and then they play that recording back to us.
My God how could I speak this? What is this? It’s almost like some creature possesses us and somebody else is speaking through me. This is a we what happens is that’s not me or at least that’s not the me that I want to be. This is something else going on something strange is going on over here.
So many times under the impulse of the mind we speak and do things which we would normally not do and then afterwards what happened? Why did I do that? So it’s we normally may ask others you know why did you do that? But when you have to ask why did you do that means you know what you did doesn’t make sense to me but when we ask why did I do that? It means it’s what I did doesn’t make sense to me. What made me do that? What made me do that at that time? So there is this force the mind although it is inside us although it is inside me it is not me. just like say we have our house say this is a house and now I can see the fence outside.
The fence is like the border the premises. Now just because somebody is inside the premises does not mean that they are our family members. Sometimes an intruder might have come in.
So now normally we think of inside and outside from the reference point of the body. So say all of you are outside me and if I am feeling if I am feeling cold, if I am feeling hot all these feelings are inside me. Now this division of outside and inside is from the reference of the body but if we understand that we are souls then from the souls perspective even the mind is outside.
So that’s why everything inside me is not me. I am the soul and the mind from the souls perspective is also external to me. Just as now I am speaking something now you will you will not just immediately accept everything that I am saying.
If two people are talking we won’t just accept anything that that person is saying. We will evaluate. It’s not that we necessarily doubt the person but we don’t necessarily implicitly trust the person.
We don’t immediately agree with whatever that person is saying. Why? Because you know they are a different person I am a different person and I have my life they have their life. If whatever they are saying makes sense to me it’s useful for me I will do it otherwise I will not.
Just as we evaluate what the other person is saying and then decide whether that needs to be done or that need not be done. So similarly we can personify the mind and treat it as another person. So so that means when the mind says something we need to evaluate it.
So to the extent we evaluate it to that extent we will not be we will not be unthinkingly misled by it. So that’s why when the Bhagavatams say when the Bhagavata Bhagavatams they say that the mind is like an enemy. Now this is personification.
Personification means that which is not a person we treat it like a person. It’s a poetic device. So for example we may say the the clouds were roaring.
The clouds were roaring and pouring. And the clouds are not actually person. The ocean was ocean was roaring we may say.
Ocean is not a person. But there the idea that it was creating a fearsome sound that fearsome sound is roaring. So like an animal might roar like a lion might roar like the cloud was roaring or the ocean was roaring.
So personification is a device used to to convey a particular point in a more in a more vivid more graphic more arresting way more effective way. Similarly the mind is often treated as a as a person. So that we understand that it is different from us.
The mind is not actually living. The mind is not a person. The mind is a software.
The software does not have consciousness. But the software is still different from the hardware. The hardware is totally insentient.
But the software has its default settings. Sometimes the software starts off starts off doing something. Certain programmes they may be startup programmes.
As soon as you turn on the computer they just start off. So like that there are certain default settings certain startup programmes in our computer and they just start off automatically. And because of that we tend to feel that the mind has a will of its own.
So the mind is not a person but it acts like a person. Because it has its default programmes and based on its default programmes it starts functioning in particular ways. Like again going to the software example.
Suppose we have we visit a particular website regularly. Say if we go to nytimes.com So now as soon as we type N the browser auto completes NYtimes. Isn’t it? We have not typed NYtimes but it auto completed over there.
Because that has become the setting over there. So it is observing the browser observes which sites we are visiting regularly and it auto completes them. So just as in a browser there can be settings which are not necessarily default but they become become default by regular use.
So similarly for our mind also the things that we have done repeatedly in the past they become like default for us. And that is why the default settings they unless we consciously avoid them. So if I type N and I don’t type anything else it will automatically go to NYtimes.
So like that we have certain default settings unless we consciously avoid them you know we will automatically act on them. Every morning we set an alarm clock to wake up. And you know most of us when the alarm rings we stop it.
Now that is the default tendency we may have. Although we set the alarm what happens? Again that is the default setting. So we say now that is something we have done once twice thrice four times and then it becomes habitual.
So there is there is this actually the alarm says wake up and there is something inside later. And then we go to sleep. So that something inside me is the mind.
Now if I understand that this mind is different from me then we will not so uncritically accept it. Now sometimes it may happen that you know we are really very tired and we need to sleep and we just set the alarm too early or maybe we set the alarm but we are not able to sleep for one two hours. That is why I do not want to wake up.
The exceptions are there. But usually what happens just because the voice comes inside we accept it. But if we are philosophically alert if you are philosophically educated and alert then we learn to evaluate the mind.
And sometimes we may accept this idea sometimes we may not. But this stage of evaluation is very important. And so the attitude of implicit trust in the mind not just trust in the mind we identify with the mind.
At least when we are trusting this person is here I am here and I am trusting this person. But when it comes to the mind it is not even trusting it is directly identifying misidentifying with the mind. We think this is my desire.
But the first stage is that this is understanding this whatever thoughts are coming in my mind they are not necessarily my thoughts. Whatever ideas are coming in whatever desires are coming in they are not mine. But this sense of distancing itself is very helpful.
Because if you can distance like this then we will be able to evaluate and we will because when I think something is my desire and then no I should not do it. Then I feel as if I am being deprived. But if I understand this is someone else is suggesting this then actually the psychology works very subtly.
If somebody else is suggesting it and I say no actually I am not depriving myself I am exercising my freedom. I am exercising my independence. I may still be sensitive and I don’t want to hurt the other person when I say no but we don’t feel when we are saying no to someone it’s not that we automatically feel deprived.
They have their life they have their priorities I have my life my priorities. Sometimes I may not say no I may just say no I may have to say no I may want to say no whatever it is. So the whole dynamics shifts inner dynamics shifts from deprivation to assertion.
Assertion is you know I have my I have my life I have my priorities and I cannot just do everything that another person tells me to do. So this the shift in inner dynamics from deprivation to assertion that happens when when we recognise that I am not the mind that is actually very empowering and fighting against the mind. Because as long as I feel that oh it’s I who can’t do this I am not allowed to do this then we feel why should I not be allowed to do it I want to do it.
But this understanding is not my desire it’s the mind’s desire I am going to resist it. I don’t have to do it. So that is helpful very helpful in empowering ourselves to make right choices.
Now the once we start understanding how the mind is obstructing me then we may go to the other extreme. The other extreme is hating the mind. You know this mind is so terrible this mind is so useless this mind is so troublesome this mind is so dangerous this mind is so dangerous I just wish I could get rid of the mind.
Now the simple fact is our mind is not like a replaceable part. If my cell phone doesn’t work I can get a new cell phone. If if my car doesn’t work I can get a new car.
If my house doesn’t work for me I can get a new house. It’s not a battery in a cell phone. Yeah, correct.
So the thing is our mind is the only mind we have. So we have to learn to train it. So hating the mind having an adversarial relationship with the mind is not going to work.
It’s like sometimes in a family say two family members the husband and wife don’t get along with each other. But if they have to be together then having an adversarial relationship is not going to help. They may have sometimes different values different priorities different backgrounds but even with all this they have to find a working relationship.
If there’s just an adversarial relationship between them then it will make domestic life very very difficult. So similarly we understand that the mind can act as any but we can’t have a default relationship of hate with the mind because our mind is the only mind we have. Just like for just like say a person a rancher who leads a horse if the rancher is always going to hate the horse then the rancher cannot work with it.
So the best dynamic to the best metaphor to understand how to work with the mind is that of a parent and a child. A parent and a child sometimes the child may be unruly the child may be naughty sometimes the child may be even violently disruptive. Now the parents are naturally disturbed when the child behaves in an undesirable way but the parents don’t hate the child.
Even when the parents are displeased with the child even when the parents are angry with the child they don’t hate the child. They have a relationship in which they understand that I have to help this child grow up. So like that so using the child example parent-child example going back to the first way is whatever the child says the parent do.
Child says I want this toy yes I want this thing I want that thing I don’t want to study ok don’t study I want to go here ok go there. Now parents who just agree with whatever the child is saying you know they are actually not acting like parents. They are the child has become their parent.
So if the parents are very indulgent then it becomes a problem. At the same time the parents so the parents have to know that yes the child is still a child. So what happens with the child? The impulses are stronger the long sighted vision is not so much there.
So the parents need to guide the child. So overall the relationship has to be a relationship of of congeniality. It’s affectionate relationship in which the idea is not just that the parents make the child do what they want to do.
You know the best parent is that the best parent is one who awakens the parent within the child. That means even within the child there is a childish side who just wants to do this do that do that. You do immediately but within the child also there is an intelligence.
There is a there is a there is a faculty which sees long term. So to the extent that child that is awakened then the child also grows up. So of course for many children when they grow up and become parents then their parent awakens.
And then they understand what my parents were saying was right. Yeah by that time it becomes too late. But the idea is that you know the parents can’t just keep tell at one level the parents have to tell the child do this don’t do this.
But at another level the parent’s purpose is not just to constantly instruct the child. The parent’s purpose is to help the child grow up so that the child can make wise decisions. So similarly when we are dealing with the mind there is controlling the mind and there is converting the mind.
So controlling the mind means the mind is impulsively rushing off here rushing off there. No. We should not let the mind do that.
But that is not something which we can forever keep doing. Controlling the mind is important but it is intermediate. The real thing is to convert the mind.
That’s why Krishna says that the mind can be the friend and the mind can be the enemy. And our goal is to make the mind from an enemy into a friend. So when the mind is the mind is attracted to good things and the mind becomes apathetic towards bad things currently it will be the opposite.
But when the mind’s ideas change the mind becomes attracted to good things then actually the mind is becoming our friend. So now we we will see that the mind is not always entirely bad. Sometimes the mind comes up with some good ideas also.
Maybe we should do this. And sometimes the mind may come up with some idea of doing something devotional. Even within devotional service some of us may like certain things and we feel naturally inspired to those things.
Some of us may like kirtans, some of us may like the philosophy, some of us may like deity worship. So basically in that case the mind naturally moves in that direction. So controlling the mind means the mind wants to go off in the wrong direction and we get it… we force it to go in the right direction.
So that is what is required in sadhana bhakti. So our part largely is the mind goes off in different directions and we get it back. Krishna says in 6.26 in the Bhagavad Gita That wherever and whenever the mind wanders we need to bring it back under the control of the centre.
So Krishna is very realistic over here. Krishna is not telling us your mind should not wander. Krishna is not expecting us that our mind should be so controlled that it will never wander.
Krishna recognises that our mind is going to wander. But what he is saying is that you don’t wander with the mind. The mind is going to wander, you be aware and get the mind back.
So it may wander here, it may wander there. You bring it back. And this is where our process of mantra meditation can help us.
You know many times we may feel that actually in my chanting I am not able to concentrate on Krishna at all. Sometimes my mind seems to wander more when I start chanting. So what is the point of chanting? Actually the point is that we recognise how much the mind wanders.
See, recognising that the mind is wandering is a step higher than wandering with the mind. So, even if you are not able to focus on the Holy Name, just recognising oh my mind wanders so much. That is also a step forward in self-awareness.
That is a step forward in recognising the difference between me and my mind. So even if in the initial stages our chanting doesn’t really help us to focus on Krishna, at least our chanting becomes like a torchlight. It shows us there is this mind which is very different from me.
There is something within me just wandering here and there. I don’t want to go there. Still it is going there.
So even that process of the mind going off somewhere and getting it back, even if it doesn’t, even if say we chant many mantras and we barely hear even one mantra. But if we are getting the mind back again and again, that itself is a step forward. It is a significant step forward if we keep getting the mind back again and again.
And over a period of time, so our effort is to control the mind. The mind goes off, bring it back. It goes, bring it back.
Now, this may seem to be simply a mechanical process that the mind goes off, I bring it back. Every day I keep doing the same thing. How long can I keep doing it? Sometimes we tell new people, meditation will make you feel peaceful.
Meditation will relax you. But actually, when we chant, meditation is often, chanting is exhausting. It takes energy.
So, chanting is purifying, chanting is relaxing. But the relaxing comes after the exhausting. It’s like when people do a workout.
The workout is not pleasant. You have to stretch your muscles, you have to lift weights, you do all kinds of exercises. But afterwards, through it all, the body’s muscles become stronger.
We feel fresher, we feel more energised. So like that, the process of chanting itself is exhausting. It is demanding.
But, the fulfilling lies at the other end of the demanding. When we go through the demanding phase, then we come to the fulfilling phase. Then we feel relaxed, we feel empowered, we feel peaceful.
Krishna says, chanting in Sanskrit 18.37, the Bhagavad Gita says, That which tastes like poison in the beginning, will taste like nectar in the end. So now, this means that we have to go through the poison phase till we can reach the nectar phase. Without going through the poison phase, we can’t reach the nectar phase.
So imagine, there’s some drink. You know, some drink, at the top, it’s all very very bitter and the bottom it is sweet. Now you might say, I just pour off the top part and drink the bottom part.
No, we can’t do like that. We’ll come to that. So chanting is often like a drink.
We can’t pour off the bitter part and take the sweet part. We have to drink the bitter part and then we’ll come to the sweet part. That’s why the demanding is the phase we need to go through to come to the fulfilling.
And what does it mean? Why is it like that? Why do we have to go through the demanding phase? Actually speaking, Krishna is all attractive. Krishna is the source of all happiness. However, the mind is so caught with its own ideas of what is enjoyable that even when the mind comes in contact with Krishna, it’s not so special.
I want something more. The mind has had in the past so many experiences of so many objects which promised pleasure but which didn’t deliver pleasure that the mind is on a default next thing mode. Next thing, next thing, next thing.
Next thing means that the mind enjoys one thing and past experience has been that the enjoyment, whatever it is enjoyable, it gives a little enjoyment but afterwards it’s over and the mind starts exploring the next thing, the next thing, the next thing. So when people say are watching TV, surveys show that actually people are more attentive when they are surfing channels rather than they’re watching a channel. Because in surfing channel, maybe something new will come, something new will come, something new will come, something new will come.
But once they start watching a channel, okay one programme is going on. I know that thing is going to be very great. So like that what happens with the mind that when because the mind is always caught in a surfing mode, surfing channels, surfing channels.
So for the mind, Krishna also becomes like another channel and even when it comes to Krishna, it keeps surfing to the next channel. So therefore, what we need to do is get the mind to focus. So Krishna is a channel where there is unlimited happiness available.
There is unlimited happiness, fulfilment available but we need to focus on that channel. But because of its default surfing mode, the mind keeps going to the next channel, next channel, next channel and that’s why it doesn’t focus on Krishna. So what we need to do is control the mind.
The mind tends to go off the next channel. Like sometimes, you know, even a remote control, there is a button if you press, it just keeps surfing. You don’t have to press to keep surfing.
It just keeps moving, moving, moving, moving and you have to press to stop it from surfing. So surfing can become the default setting and we have to intervene to stop it from surfing. So like that the mind is in perpetual surfing mode and when we are meditating, we need to intentionally stop the perpetual surfing mode of the mind.
So that requires effort. So that is the phase of controlling the mind. So the mind goes off, we control it.
Goes off, we control it. Along with that, Krishna is doing something transcendental. Krishna is actually purifying the mind.
Krishna is as it is said about the holy name in the Harer Nama Ashtakam, that is the most pure of all pure things, the most auspicious of all auspicious things. That means that the more we connect with Krishna, the more we become purified. So Krishna is also, when we are working at serving Krishna, at remembering Krishna, chanting Krishna’s names, now Krishna is also working.
Krishna is working to convert our mind. So purification basically means that the default settings of the mind change. For us, when there is redirection, when there is control means the default setting is still there, the mind goes off there, but I get it back here.
That is mechanic. But purification means the default settings themselves change. And once the default setting changes, then the inner struggle goes down substantially.
So some of us say, might have been, before we were introduced to bhakti, might have been eating some substances, eating some items which we now don’t eat, maybe tea, coffee, meat, eggs, whatever. And we might have been attached to it also. But now when we see those items, we don’t feel attracted to them.
Why is that? Although we had that attachment earlier, we don’t feel attracted to them now. So this is the purification. Purification means the default setting itself has changed.
For some cases, we have to fight. Even now we feel attracted to those things, and then we have to resist them. But in some cases, we don’t even have to fight.
Why? Because the purification has happened. Purification means the default setting has changed. So Yamanacharya says that, when I think of sense gratification, I spit at the thought.
So now we are far from that level. But suppose we are travelling in a plane and say somebody is eating beef or meat or something like that. We may spit at that thought.
Although we might have been eating that earlier, but now we don’t. So what has happened? Our taste has completely changed. So such change where that which we were attached to earlier, that which we had difficulty in giving up earlier, now there is no struggle at all.
This is like testimony for us that bhakti does change the mind. We don’t have to perpetually keep controlling the mind. The mind will get converted.
For some attachments, the conversion may take more time than others. But the conversion does happen. So when we are working to control the mind, Krishna is working to convert the mind.
And when Krishna converts the mind, then what happens? When the mind becomes conquered, at that time we can experience really deep peace. How does this happen? Paramatma samataha. It reaches the Supersoul.
We become connected with the Supersoul. And then the dualities of life that are there, they don’t trouble us so much. So dualities at the level of the body, dualities at the level of the mind, pleasure-pain.
Dualities at the level of the ego, honour-dishonour. None of these affect us so much because we are internally connected with Krishna. And that connection brings deep satisfaction.
So although at one level the process of sadhana bhakti may seem mechanical and repetitive, every day we have to struggle against the mind. Every day we have to struggle against the senses. But it is not just mechanical and repetitive.
Every day that we are practising bhakti, every day that we are bringing the mind in connection with Krishna, the mind is changing. Just like a child. Every day the child is growing up.
And as the child grows up, the child is brought up well, then the child is also developing their intelligence. So the parents may have to discipline the child in childhood. But as the child grows up and becomes an intelligent young woman, then the parents don’t have to discipline the child.
In fact, the child then shares the responsibilities of the parents. In fact, takes up the responsibilities of the parents. So like that, the growth of the child in terms of biology is automatic.
In terms of psychology, in terms of becoming more mature, more responsible, more thoughtful in terms of long term, that is something which depends on both the child’s nature as well as the parent’s expertise. But normally, everybody when they become adults, they do become more responsible in what they were in childhood. So similarly, the process of bhakti is the process by which the mind keeps growing up.
As the mind grows up, grows up, grows up, we’ll find that the mind doesn’t get so worked up about small, small things. Sometimes the child, a small toy is taken away, the child throws a big tantrum. But when adults, they may lose something, they don’t throw a tantrum like that.
Because they can see things in perspective. So like that, our mind will get converted. So now if a mother is very anxious for the child to grow up, and every day the mother feeds the child and takes a tape to measure how tall my child is, how many inches my child has grown.
It’s not going to work like that. The growth is gradual. So like that, if we are every day constantly in an evaluating mode, has my mind changed? Has my mind changed? Has my mind changed? We will feel as if the process of bhakti is not working only.
But it is working. Every day that we are connecting with Krishna, the process is working. The mind is getting transformed.
It is growing up. So what makes the mind grow up, the biological growth of a child is natural. But the growth of the mind is not automatic.
What makes the mind grow up is contact with Krishna. So in the process of chanting, our focus is on controlling the mind so that the mind focusses on Krishna. To the extent the mind focusses on Krishna, to that extent it will grow up.
Grow up means what essentially? That the mind’s taste will change. Basically, what does a child’s growing up mean? When a child is small, child thinks playing is the most important thing in my life. The child grows up, understands that okay, playing is one part of life, but there are many other more important things in life.
So basically, growing up essentially means changing our conception of what is important. From playing, to working, to doing our responsibilities, to taking care of our family members, to developing our bhakti, all these are more important. So similarly, growing up for the mind means, the mind thinks that sense objects are the most important thing in my life.
The mind thinks that worldly pleasures are the purpose of life. But as it grows up, it understands okay, sense objects, worldly pleasures, they have their role. But they are not the purpose of life.
Life is meant for something much more. My relationship with Krishna, my relationship with Krishna’s devotees, my consciousness, all these are much more important. And basically, the mind’s value, when the mind’s values change, when you say values, values essentially means we should have some values.
What are your values? We should have spiritual values. What does values mean? Values simply refers to what we consider as valuable. When a person has high moral values, that means that person considers proper moral conduct as valuable.
A person with low moral values, that person, if they are given some adequate amount of money, then they may just compromise, they may just sell themselves off, sell some secrets. So they are, as I say, corruptible. What that means is, for them, they value money more than morality.
So basically, our values are essentially about what we consider valuable. So when we practise bhakti, when we bring the mind in contact with Krishna, our values become spiritualised. That means previously, we start thinking of, we think that material things are all very important.
But as we keep practising bhakti, the mind starts realising, you know, I was getting so excited about this, but you know, okay, there’s not all that much pleasure in this. It’s not all that important. But when I connect with Krishna, if I really have connections, I establish there’s so much peace, there’s so much joy, there’s so much strength in this.
This is what is important. So as the mind’s conceptions change from considering material things important to considering Krishna important, that is the growing up of the mind. And that happens as we keep practising bhakti.
And Krishna assists us in this growing up by His mercy. You know, the mercy of Krishna can come in various ways. Sometimes when the kirtan is going on, we feel ecstatic.
That is at one level Krishna’s mercy. But a deeper, more sustainable, more transformational form of Krishna’s mercy is when we get it internally. When we get it, this is what matters.
This doesn’t matter so much. When we get that, you know, my relationship with Krishna is what really matters. Then when that conviction comes from within, that is Krishna’s great mercy.
And Krishna is giving us that mercy. Every day that we’re trying to practise bhakti, Krishna is giving us some taste by which our values are changing. And Prabhupada translates this as bhakti becomes established as an irrevocable fact.
So right now for us, you know, our bank balance, our home, our this, these are the irrevocable important facts of life. And God, okay, maybe He exists. Yeah, okay, maybe He’s important, but not all that important.
What is important is what is happening over here. But bhakti becomes established as an irrevocable fact. So by our hearing, by our chanting, Krishna is acting within us.
And by His acting within us, Krishna becomes the central reality of our life. And when the mind recognises Krishna as central reality, when the mind starts finding happiness in Krishna, then what happens is, In 2.65, the Bhagavata Krishna says that our distresses decline and because our inner connection with Krishna is there, we are always cheerful by that connection. And at that time, the intelligence becomes fully established.
So the previous verse is, So by following the principles of bhakti, diligently what will happen is, we’ll get this mercy. And that mercy is that we start connecting with Krishna internally. We start realising that Krishna is what matters in my life.
And then when we’re connected with Krishna, we feel satisfied with Him. We become joyful with Him. So while we are endeavouring to control the mind, we needn’t become disheartened thinking every day I will do the same thing.
No, every day Krishna is also working to convert the mind. And as the mind becomes converted, the struggle becomes lesser and the joy becomes greater. So I’ll summarise.
I spoke about managing the mind. We control, Krishna converts. So I spoke about the mind as the force within us which obstructs us from doing good things and which misleads us toward doing bad things.
This is in material life as well as in spiritual life. And to deal with the mind, first of all, we have to understand that the mind is different from me. So we can have two extreme attitudes towards the mind.
One is of misidentification with it, implicit trust in it. Whatever desire comes in me, I think it’s my desire and I act on it. So if we understand that the mind is like the software, so we are the soul, the mind is software, the body is the hardware.
And software can have default settings which may not be what I want to do. So like that the mind acts in ways contrary to us. So by recognising that everything inside me is not me, we can avoid this misidentification or implicit trust of the mind.
When another person speaks something to us, gives us some proposal, we don’t immediately accept it. We evaluate it. So the mind is, we can’t trust it implicitly.
We have to evaluate what it is saying. But when we understand that the mind acts against us so many times, we may start becoming hateful of the mind. But that is also not helpful because we need the mind.
Our mind is the only mind that we have. It’s like a rancher who needs a horse. So we also need the mind.
And therefore, the attitude towards the mind is, the best attitude is that of a parent towards the child. So the parents do need to control the mind. But the purpose of the parents is not to forever control the child.
Purpose is to help the child grow up. The best parents are those who awaken the parent within the child. Like that, we want the mind to grow up.
Growing up essentially means it changes its conceptions of what is important. So in the process of bhakti, our part is to control the mind. Mind may go off here, there.
The mind is in a perpetual surfing mode because nothing has ever satisfied its quest for happiness. So that’s why it gets one thing and it gets some pleasure. It thinks now the pleasure is going to end.
So it goes to the next thing. And even when it comes to Krishna, it keeps going to the next thing. So we have to keep getting it back.
Keep getting it back. This is a mechanical process and that requires effort. So the process of meditation, of fixing the mind on Krishna, it is not simply relaxing.
It is exhausting before it is relaxing, before it is purifying. Just like a workout, we need to stretch our muscles before we feel energised. Similarly, we need to be prepared for that hard work of fixing the mind on Krishna.
But such hard work is not necessarily a lifelong sentence because the parents do have to control the child, but the child is also growing up. As the child grows up, its values change. Values basically means what we consider valuable.
So a child values playing, but a person who has grown up, they value their work, their family, their bhakti much more. So like that the mind presently values worldly objects and worldly pleasures. But as it grows up, it connects with Krishna through the process of bhakti.
It starts recognising that, oh, these worldly objects, they are not giving me that much pleasure. Krishna gives me far greater pleasure. Connecting with Krishna is far more fulfilling.
Therefore, let me focus on Krishna. So gradually, the mind will become attracted to Krishna and that the conversion of the mind is a reality. We can get that conviction from experiencing how some of our attachments from the past, we may have struggled to give them up, but now we don’t even have to struggle.
They just go on in the past. So like that, what is strongly, what we are attached to strongly, they will also go away. So Krishna purifies us.
Purification means changing our default settings. So currently our settings are, the default settings are wrong. So we have to keep coming back to the right, keep coming back to the right.
But over a period of time, Krishna will change those default settings and Krishna’s mercy can come as a sensation of ecstasy at certain moments in our spiritual life, but Krishna’s mercy comes more transformationally as a conviction of that Krishna is what matters. And when that conviction sets deep within us, then we naturally get connected to Krishna and then our bhakti becomes joyful and thus we can, with less struggle and greater joy, march towards Krishna. Thank you very much.
Hare Krishna. So are there any questions or comments? Hmm. So how does the Shloka, always fix your mind on me and do you prescribe beauty of fighting? How does that relate with what we have discussed about controlling and converting? How does that multitasking work? Yeah.
Actually, when Krishna says, always think of me and fight, now there are two things over here. One is the action, the other is the intention. Now, when we are doing a particular activity, that intention is what is motivating the action.
But we are not necessarily always consciously aware of the intention. Just like say, yesterday Krishna Satcharita drove me from Relic to here, Charlotte. So now, the intention is there to come here.
But at some times, we may be so caught in the traffic. Okay, should I turn this? Should I turn this way? Who is coming from there? Now, the intention is what is driving us. But while driving, sometimes we may be caught in specifics of the action.
It’s perfectly fine. So similarly, when Krishna says, is it that when Arjuna was in the thick of the battle, at every moment, it’s not that to be a bhakta means like we have to be some kind of schizophrenic. You know, half of the mind is thinking of Krishna, half of the mind is thinking of the work.
No, rather our intention is to serve Krishna and that intention is what motivates us. And sometimes we may be caught in the nitty-gritties of actions. Like we say, when we are giving class.
Now, we are speaking about Krishna, but it is not always that we are constantly thinking about Krishna. Sometimes we are looking at, you know, are people understanding? What are people’s response? You know, how can I speak this in a way that people can understand? Sometimes we may be thinking more about the people and how to communicate the message to them. Then we are specifically thinking about Krishna, which is fine because our intention is to serve Krishna.
So, at first level, the intention is spiritualised by our direct devotional activities. And secondly, we work according to that intention in the mood of service to Krishna. But the later part is, what that means is that initially, Krishna is at the background of our awareness.
You know, yeah, God exists. Many people say, yeah, God exists. He is there.
I am here. He is happy there. I am happy here.
So, we feel God does not matter really much. Yes, God exists, but He is somewhere in the background of our awareness. But as we keep practising bhakti, Krishna starts coming from the background to the foreground of our awareness.
So, initially, when we are doing some activities, say, when people start public speaking for the first time, they are very self-conscious. You know, how are people looking at me? Am I conducting myself properly? Am I pronouncing properly? They are very self-conscious. But if you keep doing public speaking regularly over a period of time, what happens is, the setting does not matter so much.
The substance matters. What am I speaking? So, like that, as we keep practising bhakti regularly, the specific activity that we are doing, we still do it well, but Krishna starts coming more and more in the foreground. So, this will happen by the practise of bhakti.
So, it’s not that in order to remember Krishna, we have to be half-hearted in what we are doing. Whatever activity we are doing, we do it responsibly. We do it diligently.
We do it wholeheartedly. At the same time, by our remembrance of Krishna exclusively during our sadhana, that Krishna will always be there in the background. By studying the philosophy regularly, we remember Krishna is the ultimate purpose of what I am doing.
And that way, Krishna is there at the background of our awareness, and from there, he keeps coming towards the foreground. So, mayi arpita mano buddhir means, the inner world, the mind and intelligence are offered to Krishna. That means, Krishna has come at the centre of our inner world.
So, in the external world, whatever is happening, Prabhupada left Vrindavan to go to America, to come to America. But actually, that’s only in external sense. Prabhupada did not leave Vrindavan to come to America.
Prabhupada carried Vrindavan with him to America. Because the pure devotee may leave the dham, but the dham never leaves the pure devotee. The pure devotee carries the dham.
So, like that, Krishna was mayi arpita mano buddhir. Wherever he was, he was having the same vraja mood of serving Krishna selflessly. So, that way, the process of bhakti involves not exactly multitasking.
It is, we can in certain situations do multitasking also, if that’s what helps us to best focus and be productive. But the process of bhakti is more of redirecting our intention. Initially, we are doing things for our pleasure, for our gratification, for our ego.
But now, we do it for Krishna. And as Krishna becomes our intention, then that mayi maam anusmara —remember me. So, usually we start our day, end our day with remembrance of Krishna.
And as we keep moving onwards, then gradually, throughout the day also, throughout the activities also, we remember Krishna more and more. So, Krishna comes in the foreground of our awareness as we become more and more Krishna-centred. Does it answer the question? Yeah.
Yes, sir? In extension to what Prabhupada asked about the aspect of multitasking, so many of us work in IT. One of the job requirements rather than the job description is that we multitask. We should be able to handle many things at the same time.
If we can, we can survive in the job. So, given the most productive time, knowing that IT jobs are not easy to find, but it carries forever. We work very hard.
We start very late. Given our productive time of the day, we do multitasking. Now, we come to chanting.
That ekagrata means focus on becomes very tedious task. Okay. So, we have to do multitasking at our work.
And because of that, when we come and chant at home, the focus of the mind on one thing becomes difficult. Not necessarily. We have to see that the mind has certain energy.
That energy needs to be used. So, some people’s mind, some people actually need to multitask. It is not that their job requires them to multitask.
If they are just doing one thing, they feel bored. You know, if you have one tab open on your computer browser. No, there are 10 tabs open, 10 programmes open.
This, this, this, this. See, different people’s minds are different. So, for some people, multitasking is a burden.
Some people, multitasking is a joy. So, it’s just, it’s just the way the mind is. Like some, with respect to music.
Some people, you know, they just like the kirtans. Simple, sweet kirtans. You can keep hearing.
Some people, they have high musical intelligence. Now, they just sing such complicated tunes. And they delight in that.
They are not just to show off. They delight in that action. But others, they struggle to follow the tune sometimes.
So, what has happening? Their musical intelligence is high. So, their need is high. They need to have some musical gymnastics over there.
Others don’t need that. So, different people’s mind is different. Some people need to multitask.
Some people don’t need to multitask. Now, whether a job requires them to do it, that’s a different issue. Now, specifically with respect to the mind, it’s not necessary that the habit of the work culture of multitasking is what distracts us.
Now, even people who don’t multitask, it’s not that they are easily focused. What causes the mind to get distracted is rajoguna. Now, in rajoguna, sometimes people who are in sense gratification, you know, they are not doing multitasking.
They are completely absorbed. When a cricket match is going on, you know, people just want to close. Like, when people want to watch a movie, what do they do? First thing is, they switch off the lights.
No multitasking. I just want to watch the movie. No distractions.
So, sometimes people, while doing sense gratification, also may be completely absorbed in one thing. So, actually, what distracts us from Krishna is not whether we are habituated doing one thing or doing many things. What distracts us from Krishna is the level of our consciousness.
If our consciousness is materialistic, then we will be distracted towards material things. If our consciousness is spiritual, we will be focused on Krishna. I have seen many devotees, many advanced devotees also do multitasking.
Some advanced devotees just focus on one thing at a time. Now, whichever way, they are all different and they will work differently, which is perfectly fine. The important thing is that we try to spiritualise our consciousness.
So, the more our consciousness becomes spiritual, the more we will be able to focus. Now, sometimes if we have the tendency to multitask, we can use that in bhakti also, in chanting also. Chanting means, that means, see, at one level, chanting means just hear the sound of the Holy Name.
But sometimes if that doesn’t work, then we can put a picture of Krishna in front of us. We can write the written Hare Krishna Mahamantra in front of us. We can have some verse which talks about the glory of the Holy Name written in front of us.
So, the idea is, okay, the mind can’t focus on the Holy Name. Then let it focus on something connected with the Holy Name. So, the mind needs something more than the Holy Name to chew on.
We can give it, instead of letting it take something from the material world and distract it, give it something connected with Krishna. Some devotees, after chanting a few mantras, they stop and they recite the Shikshashtakam, one verse. Just give the mind something to churn on.
So, we have to find out how best we can focus on Krishna. Because, as I said, our mind is the only mind that we have. Now, how your mind can be best focused on Krishna will be different from how my mind is best focused on Krishna.
So, I have to take inventory of my life, my mind and find out how I can best focus it. So, each of us need to do it similarly. Some of us may find that when we sit and chant, we just struggle against it.
We walk and chant, we will chant better. But some days we are fresh and that time we walk and chant, that walking is distracting. So, it’s like, basically dealing with the mind is like fighting a war.
In a war, general has a strategy for fighting the war. But every general knows that we can’t simply translate the strategy into action. Because the enemy may attack in a different way.
And we have to modify our strategy according to the way enemies attack. So, like that, we do have a plan for how to deal with the mind. But the mind comes up with different ways of trying to distract us on different days.
So, we have to find what works. So, in that sense, if we, rather than affixing the blame either on our conditions or on our conditionings, we recognise that this is where I am. This is the battle I have to fight.
Okay, how do I best fight this battle? You will find a way ahead. And each day also we may require slightly different things. Or some days we may require some things more, some days some things less.
So, if we keep that purpose in mind that this is the battle I want to fight, this is what I want to do, we will get the intelligence to fight that battle. And over a period of time, we may find these are things which work for me. You know, when I just feel bored, I feel distracted, you know, I can do, maybe I can recite some verses, maybe I can just read some sections from scripture, maybe I can just pause and pray, maybe I can take a few deep breaths, maybe I can just chant loudly, maybe I can chant softly.
There are various things which we can do. Just because the mind is not focussing doesn’t mean that we have to just accept it or we have to resent it. We have to find out what works.
Through all this resourcefulness and trying various things, we are showing Krishna, I want to focus. You know, Krishna doesn’t just see our feelings. He also sees our feelings about our feelings.
That means, I am feeling bored while chanting. But Krishna, I don’t want to feel bored. I want to focus.
Now, the other is, Krishna, I am feeling, I am feeling bored. When will this japa end? That means, I am accepting the feeling of the mind as my feeling. But Krishna sees our feelings about our feelings.
I am feeling bored. I am feeling tired. But I want to be fresh.
I want to be focused. Krishna, help me. So, if Krishna sees that, he’s pleased with that.
Even if you are not able to focus, that intention will please him. And we will grow in bhakti just by that intention, even if it is not translated into concentration. Does that answer your question? Any other questions? Yeah.
We’ll be asking. Does anyone in the conference have any questions? Hare Krishna. Yeah, you have so much knowledge, information.
And at the same time, I would struggle to get rid of the unlimited ignorance. So, my question, simple question is, I want you to elaborate. You are right.
What is a healthy situation? To be overwhelmed by our ignorance or to be overwhelmed by our knowledge? Okay. What is a healthy situation? To be overwhelmed by our ignorance or to be overwhelmed by our knowledge? Actually, it is best to be overwhelmed by Krishna. And depending on time, place, circumstance, sometimes awareness of our ignorance is what takes us towards Krishna.
This world is so big. This philosophy is so big. I don’t know Krishna.
I just surrender to you. Sometimes, becoming aware of how little I know, that can inspire us to surrender to Krishna. Sometimes, understanding the profundity of the philosophy.
The more we understand, oh, this is like this, this is like that. The more things fall in place, the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle fall in place, at that time, the more the knowledge inspires us to surrender to Krishna. So, we see both examples in Shastra.
In the Chaitanya Charitamruta, it is said that saying that this is philosophy, I won’t study this. I am just simply interested in Rasa. No.
So, understand the philosophy. By understanding the philosophy, what will happen? We will understand that Krishna is the only ultimate reality. All these attractive things, they are insubstantial.
So, that way, So, sometimes, the philosophy itself will inspire us to surrender to Krishna. So, deeper emergent philosophy will inspire us to surrender to Krishna. And other times, just awareness that Krishna is so great.
We see in the Brahma Vimohan Lila, when Brahma becomes bewildered and then he is offering prayers to Krishna, then he says, Krishna, it may be possible for someone to count the number of atoms in the whole universe, but they cannot count your glories. The only thing they can do is surrender to you. So, in that case, awareness of how little we know, that inspires us to surrender.
So, basic principle of Bhakti is, So, sometimes, knowing how little we know, it can be favourable for us to surrender to Krishna. But sometimes, you know, a little knowledge can be unfavourable. Because if there is little knowledge, we may feel that, you know, this is also attractive, that is also attractive, in that case, more knowledge, philosophically understanding what is actually substantial, that can help us in surrender to Krishna.
So, if we keep the purpose of going closer to Krishna, if we keep the purpose of focussing on Krishna as central, then how to appropriately approach knowledge or our lack of knowledge, we will be able to do that properly. Sometimes people may feel, oh, I know so little, I will simply surrender to Krishna. Now, if that inspires one to surrender to Krishna, that is very good.
But that shouldn’t become an excuse for intellectual laziness, thinking that, you know, I don’t want to study this philosophy. No, if somebody has an intellectual capacity, somebody has intellectual energy, then they can exercise that intellectual capacity. And by that, their conviction will improve.
So, by keeping our purpose clear, we can use either our knowledge or our lack of knowledge, both for moving closer to Krishna. Does that answer your question? It could be a blockage. You said very well.
Oh, yeah, that’s true. Thank you. So, any other questions? Prabhuji, such a wonderful class.
We have become an enlightened association, and so often you’ve come on the call and, you know, enlightened us and giving a totally, a very, very practical saying that, you know, it takes a lot of effort to chant. But the results are very good. We exercise, it’s hard, but it’s good for us.
So, when you mentioned, I thought everything about chanting is, like, wonderful. And you said something about, just excuse me for my, you know, less hearing, but something about, you know, like effort is needed and a lot of energy is needed. So, how do we understand that? Okay.
So, it is said that chanting is joyful. Prabhupada also said, chant and be happy. So, now, but I said that chanting requires effort.
It requires energy. So, how do we understand this? Actually, yes, on some days, we’ll find that chanting is blissful. Some days we will find that chanting is just, sometimes we want chanting to go on endlessly.
And sometimes we feel as if chanting is going on endlessly. Why is this not getting over? It should get over now. So, actually, the mind is fickle and that is why we need to be ready.
It’s like, you know, some people are very moody and then, you know, when, say, if a moody person is our colleague, you know, one day they are very irresponsible, the other day they are very irritable. Then when you go to work with them, you don’t know which person is going to come today, isn’t it? Is the responsible person going to come or is the lazy person, irritable person going to come? So, like that, when we chant, we don’t know which mind is going to come today. Sometimes the mind which is focused, which takes joy in chanting comes.
Sometimes the mind which is distracted, it just wants to go here and there comes. So, whenever the mind is, whenever we find chanting joyful, that is wonderful and we should see that as Krishna’s blessing, as an opportunity for us to dive deeper into the nectar of remembrance of Krishna. At the same time, we shouldn’t be, we should be prepared for the mind being uncooperative also.
That means, we shouldn’t become, otherwise if you are expecting that, oh chanting will be joyful and then we are not able to focus, then that frustration of our expectation will dishearten us. So we go prepared. If the mind is helpful, wonderful.
If the mind is not helpful, I am ready for fighting. So now, chanting does become more and more joyful as we keep practising bhakti because we become attracted to Krishna. But initially, there is struggle in it.
And that’s why I said, chant Hare Krishna and be happy. This is, is this one instruction or is this two instructions? It does not mean that. Is it that chanting Hare Krishna will make us happy? Is it a causal connection that chant Hare Krishna and you will become happy or is it two instructions? Chant Hare Krishna and while you are chanting Hare Krishna, be happy.
So, actually it is both. In 1.2.23 in the Bhagavatam, it is said, attavai kavayo nityam bhaktim paramaya mudha vasudeve bhagvati kurvanti atma prasadhanim. It says, in this way, the attavai kavayo nityam, in this way the wise people always bhaktim paramaya mudha, they joyfully practise bhakti.
bhaktim paramaya mudha kurvanti atma prasadhanim. Vasudeve bhagvati, means Vasudeva. And this bhakti, what does it do? Atma prasadhanim.
It makes the heart joyful. So, there is a paradox here. It is said that the wise people joyfully practise the process which makes them joyful.
Now, what does it mean? Is the practise joyful or is the fruit joyful? So, the idea is both. Just like if I have been sick for a very long time and now I have found a medicine that works. My sickness has not yet gone away.
I have not yet become healthy. So, when I become healthy, then I will naturally be happy. But even now, I am happy because I have found the right medicine.
So, although I am not fully healthy, although I might still be in pain, still the disease is there, but happy that I am on the way to cure. So, like that, the sages, they are joyful that they have found a way to joy. So, like that, chant Hare Krishna and be happy.
It is a causal process. By chanting Hare Krishna, we will become happy. But that may take some time.
And in the intermediate process, we are happy that we are on the path to happiness. So, sometimes chanting Hare Krishna itself may not make us happy. But we are still happy that at least we have the process to purify ourselves.
We have the process to make our mind grow up. So, even when a devotee is struggling with chanting, a devotee is at least happy. At least I am connected with Krishna.
I am trying to connect with Krishna. If I had not been struggling with chanting, my mind and senses are so wild that they would have made me struggle similarly to satisfy them. So, at least now, I am struggling to satisfy Krishna instead of slaving to satisfy the mind and senses and doing some bad activities.
So, even when we are struggling in chanting, we can still be happy that at least we are on the path to spiritual recovery and spiritual happiness. Does that answer your question? Why is the mind considered a sense? Yes, Indriyana Manas Chasmi it is said. Krishna says in the 10th chapter of the Bhagavad Gita that among the senses, I am the mind.
Basically, the word sense is used in different senses. In the Bhagavad Gita, normally when we use the word sense, it is used to refer to the sensory organs like the eyes, the ears. Along with that, actually the subtle body also has senses.
So, for example, right now if we see each other or right now if you are hearing, what is happening? There is the physical organ ear. Then there is the subtle ear or subtle hearing faculty that is there in the mind. And then there is the soul.
So, when all three come in one line, then there is perception that happens. So, that is why sometimes some sound may be going in our ears. But if the mind is thinking of something else, we do not hear it.
We say, what did you say? He asks again. So, all three have to come in line. So, when we say the mind is a sense, so there the word sense is not used in the sense of a sensory organ.
It is used in the sense of a tool that is required for getting sensations, for becoming aware of things around us. So, in Shrotram Chakshu Sparshanamcha Rasanam Ghranamevacha Adishtaya Manaschayam Vishayan Upasevate. Krishna says that in 15.9 in the Bhagavad Gita that the five senses are centred around the mind.
And with the mind and senses, the soul functions in the body, soul pursues sense objects. So, that means that as a part of our mechanism for interacting with the world, getting information from the world, and for functioning in the world, the senses and the mind are together as one apparatus. And among these, in this sensory apparatus, the mind is the central unit.
All the five senses are centred around the mind, just like we have the five fingers, they are centred around the palm, like that the five senses are centred around the mind. Now, if my eye doesn’t see something, I won’t be able to see it. But even if my eye sees something, if my mind is not there, I will not be able to perceive it.
So, in that sense, in the process of perception, the mind is in a process of even sensory perception, the mind is a central agent. That’s why the mind is not only considered a sense, the mind is considered to be the most important sense. That’s why Krishna in the Vibhuti Yuga chapter says that among the senses, I am the mind.
Does that answer your question, Madhuji? Thank you so much. Are there any other questions? So, although chanting is most important, still we often give priority to other things in our life. Especially, if we can’t chant in the morning, then it becomes difficult to focus during the day.
See, we have to understand, we can’t isolate chanting from the process of bhakti. Chanting is important. At the same time, the process of bhakti is meant to develop a relationship with Krishna and developing a relationship with Krishna means the relationship has many aspects to it.
Actually, Prabhupada told us chanting is extremely important. But Prabhupada himself, if he had considered chanting the only thing to do, then he could simply have stayed in Vrindavan and chanted. You know, he travelled all over the world.
There’s so much inconvenience in travelling, meeting with people, managing people. There’s one incident where Tamal Krishna Maharaj comes to Srila Prabhupada, the Juhu project is going on and he tells that the devotees are not getting permission from the government because one local politician was obstructing them. So, Tamal Krishna Maharaj told Prabhupada that all these land dealings are causing me so much anxiety that they are disturbing my chanting.
And Prabhupada replied, they are disturbing my chanting also. And then Prabhupada told Tamal Krishna Maharaj, your anxiety for serving Krishna will take you to Krishna. So, you know, when your anxiety for serving Krishna will take you to Krishna, that means that actually we have a relationship with Krishna.
And in the relationship, we are meant to take up responsibility and every responsibility brings with it some anxiety. So, it is not that we want to have chanting, we want to give new priority to chanting. But we have to know that we are developing a relationship with Krishna.
And our relationship with Krishna depends on how we do our practical services. They may be services, whatever preaching, book distribution, and they may be also our job, our family responsibilities. We don’t have to divorce them from Krishna.
We are serving Krishna through everything. If a devotee is doing family responsibilities diligently, now that also is important as a part of the overall setting in which we can practise and preach. Now, if our family life is completely disrupted, if we are negligent, if we are irresponsible, now we may preach and give good classes, but how many people are going to be attracted? If we are not doing our job well, and we are neglecting over there, then people are going to see that.
People are seeing that we don’t do our work well, and if we invite them for programmes, they say, I don’t want to become like you. So, our service to Krishna is centred on chanting, but it is not limited to chanting. So, sometimes in a practical sense, other services may be more important.
They are not more important in the ultimate sense. In the ultimate sense, we have to remember Krishna at the time of death. But in an immediate sense, some other service may require immediate attention.
So, it is not that we have to feel guilty if we are not able to chant as attentively all the time. It is good that we try to arrange our schedule in such a way that we have quality time for chanting. If we have that attitude that I have many other things to do in my life, and in between I will squeeze in chanting somehow, then if that is our default attitude, then our chanting will never be attentive.
And when we say that the whole point of developing a relationship with Krishna, of taking responsibility for our relationship with Krishna, that means we take responsibility for our chanting also. So, we try to arrange our schedules in such a way that we have time for chanting in the mornings and we try our best to chant attentively at that time. But sometimes there may be late night programmes.
Sometimes there may be some family emergency. Sometimes my job may demand too much. We may not be able to chant in the mornings.
So, at that time, we do the best we can. So, generally, in principle, we shouldn’t reduce bhakti to chanting. The tendency may be to neglect chanting as unimportant.
That is also not healthy, not at all healthy. But at the same time, we have to see bhakti as a process of developing a relationship with Krishna. And that has many aspects to it.
And sometimes, one aspect of developing that relationship with Krishna may take more priority than chanting at that time. And that is perfectly within the purview of devotional service. If Prabhupada had wanted to have no anxiety, as I said, he could have stayed in Vrindavan and he could have chanted peacefully.
But Prabhupada wanted to share Krishna’s messages all over the world. So naturally, he took up anxiety and that did distract him at times. But that was all for Krishna’s sake.
So the point is that chanting is a very powerful way to bring Krishna into the centre of our consciousness. At the same time, if Krishna is in the centre of our consciousness, we may recognise that at other times, some other service may be more important at that time. Having said that, when we are chanting, if we actually philosophically understand the nature of how things work, that in everything that we do, there are some things which are in my control and some things which are not in my control.
And by our chanting, we are praying to Krishna and Krishna can take care of the things which are not in our control. So basically, we think of things only in two ways. Things are in control or things are out of control.
And if things are in control, we feel, oh my life is going on well. Things are out of control, we feel oh things are chaotic. And then our chanting may get very disrupted.
But if we think that actually even that which is out of my control is not out of control because it is still in Krishna’s control. Things may be out of my control, but that doesn’t mean they are totally out of control. Krishna is in control.
Just like a child or a young man is learning to drive a car. And then suddenly they lose control. Sometimes when there are cars used for training and there are expert car trainers, they may have a remote control with them.
Even if this person is not able to control the car, immediately they take control of it. So like that things may go out of control for us. But still they are in Krishna’s control.
So what happens is, when we have a lot of things to do, we get distracted from chanting because we worry about the things that are not in our control. Or we think, oh I have to do this, this, this, how will I manage it? But if we understand that Krishna is in control of that which is not in my control. And it is that Krishna that I am connecting with right now.
So if I please Krishna through my chanting, Krishna can take control of those things and Krishna can even give me intelligence of how to manage things. So this whole fragmented vision of seeing chanting as one activity and the rest of life as another activity. We can avoid that by seeing that Krishna is the Lord not just of my chanting.
Krishna is the Lord of my work also. Krishna is the Lord of my family also. Krishna is the Lord of all my responsibilities.
And Krishna can help me in all these things also. So then our chanting, we can see that as a means for… we can actually, even the worries that we have in our life, we can use them as an impetus for focussing on chanting. So to the extent we think that everything has to be in my control and because this is not in my control, what should I do? What should I do? What should I do? We get worried.
But if you understand that actually Krishna is ultimately in control and that Krishna, I can pray to. Then we will be able to… even when we have a lot of workload, we will be able to focus on our chanting. And indeed there is a Vaishnava poet who has said that Krishna is speaking to the devotee.
He says that, Tumhara mann mere naam mein, toh main tumhare kaam mein. If you fix your mind on my name, I will get in your work. I will guide you.
Tumhara mann tumhare kaam mein, toh main mere dhaam mein. If you are thinking of your work while chanting, I will state my abode. You know, you think you can take care of things, you try it out.
So, if you recognise Krishna is the supreme controller, then even when we have a lot to do, we can still focus our mind on Krishna knowing that He is the supreme controller. He can help us if we pray to Him sincerely through chanting. Does it answer your question? Thank you.
So, shall we stop here? Thank you very much.