Choosing our mental battles
Hare Krishna Thank all of you for coming today. We are honoured to be here at the Lotus Feet of the Lordships. I feel embarrassed to switch to the Tanutama Guru and speak.
He is one of my greatest mentors. And I always have learned so much from him throughout my life. So I seek his blessing so that I can speak something today.
So This class I see as an audition. He is going to test how I speak and then I await his feedback after that. So I'll speak today on the topic of choosing our mental battles.
Choosing our mental battles. I'll start with a couple of incidents. The mind is a constant factor within us which constantly distracts us.
Here, there, everywhere. So, after a programme recently, sometimes people ask questions. But sometimes when people ask questions, there are some people who don't want to know the answer.
They just want to show how much they know. And then they take so much time asking a question that there is no time left for answering also. So over a period of time, as CMT classes, we understand where a person is coming from.
And sometimes a person is taking too much time. It's not just for me as a speaker, but everyone. If you find somebody taking too much time, then we try to find out some way to end the conversation and move on.
Because we feel this is not really a useful investment of my time. We all have limited amount of time and we need to use our time wisely. So recently this happened once and I was just trying to, you know, after a programme, it was a late night, I was just trying to end the conversation and move on.
And then as I finally managed to move on, it suddenly struck me that that I am from India and in India something had happened because of some devotee had acted in some way, which had irritated me. And then I have been constantly thinking, you know, why did they do like this? How could he have spoken like that? How could they have done like that? Then as I was just leaving the programme, it struck me, see, this person is right next to me and I am cautious enough not to give too much time to this person. But here that person is in India, far away, and I am giving them so much of my mental time.
You know, I am thinking so much about them. Why did he do like that? Why did he do like that? Why? What? It just struck me that the mind is such a thing that it makes us serious about the frivolous and frivolous about the serious. Things which are important, often we just neglect them.
Vishal Prabhupada writes in his seventh canto, Parpod, that we should always be healthy and stout. Prabhupada always says, you are not the body or the soul. So what is Prabhupada talking about? So always be, we should always take care to be healthy and stout in mind and intelligence.
Healthy and stout in mind and intelligence to distinguish the goal of life from a life full of problems. You know, there are hundred problems in our life. But now solving some problems is worthwhile.
Other problems, just tolerate it, live with it. We need to distinguish the goal of life from a life full of problems. So if we don't do some distinction, then small issues we give an inordinate amount of time and when the big issues come, we don't give so much time to them.
We don't have time for them. And this usually with respect to our jobs, with respect to our families, with respect to things where there are physical obligations involved. Now, if we have a job, we have to go to office for a particular amount of time.
If we have family responsibilities, we have to do those responsibilities. So there we just do it because it's an obligation and it's a visible activity, which if we don't do, we will get into trouble. We will be unresponsive.
So at the physical level, we are scrupulous, just like I was scrupulous in not letting that person take too much of my time. So similarly, we are scrupulous. But at the mental level, we often let our mind stay stuck in situations.
You know, so sometimes when problems come in our life, problems come as if with a mental glue. The problem comes and sticks. Sometimes, now if we sit somewhere and there is some glue or tag something, it just sticks on the clothes.
You pull it, pull it. It doesn't come out. You pull it, it just rips off the cloth sometimes.
So like that, problems seem to come with a mental glue. And they stick too. And sociologists have found, psychologists have found that the time people worry the most is the time when they think, I'm going to relax now.
I've done my job. I've done my responsibility. Now, I will just relax.
The time when they are about to relax, that is the time the problems just catch on to them. Like a crocodile catches on to something, it doesn't let go. So like that, problems just catch on to us.
And when a problem catches on to us, we just keep obsessing over it, you know, resenting it, getting frustrated about it. In the Mahabharata, it is said that that if something has gone wrong and just can't be changed. So when Yudhishthira, when Abhimanyu is killed, at that time Yudhishthira feels immensely attacked by guilt.
Why? Because he feels that I was responsible for Abhimanyu's death. The Chakravyuha had been arranged to arrest Yudhishthira. And Yudhishthira sent Abhimanyu into the Chakravyuha and Abhimanyu was trapped.
So he is overcome by such lamentation at that time. Almost on the verge of, he says, you know, either I will, I will avenge the death of Abhimanyu or I will die myself. He rushes into the enemy camp in the evening.
But then Vyasadev comes over there. Vyasadev stops him. At that time Vyasadev says many things, but pertinent for us, he says, lamentation achieves nothing except to sap the energy of the lamenter.
What has happened has happened. What has gone wrong has gone wrong. What is done is done.
And lamentation achieves nothing except to sap our energy. So sometimes, you know, we may make mistakes. Sometimes others may deal harshly with us.
Sometimes just life gives us a lemon, as they say. You know, life gives us a raw deal. When these things happen, the mind just obsesses on it.
Now, why is this happening? Why is this happening? Why is this happening? And it might be a problem. It just comes on its own. It might be a person who is acting as a problem.
But it just sucks on, holds on to us. When it holds on to us, it completely drains us. Sometimes we may wake up in the morning.
Normally after resting, we have physical energy. But if our mind is obsessed with some problem, some problem, it's like leeching on us. And then even without doing much, just in a few hours, we feel tired.
I just don't feel like doing anything. The mind is actually sucking our energy, sapping our energy. So now, how do we deal with this? Krishna says the mind can be our friend and the mind can be our enemy.
It says uddharet ātmanātmānaṁ nātmānaṁ avasādayi. Elevate yourself with the mind and don't degrade yourself with it. So the key thing is, we all have some level of control in our life.
And when we feel as if we are losing control, then it becomes very difficult for us to deal with that situation. We wanted things to go this way. We want that person to act this way.
And that person is not acting that way. And then it just incenses us, irritates us, outrages, infuriates us. And then we start, we can be lamenting, we can be resenting, we can be revenge fantasising, whatever it is.
Actually, none of this is constructive use of mental energy. There's a problem and the problem needs to be solved. But when the mind is obsessing over it, we don't solve the problem.
We just make things worse. And this kind of obsessing over problems especially affects our spiritual life. Why? Because with our professional obligations, with our family obligations, there are physical things to be done.
And if we don't do them, we are held accountable. So we have to do them. But when we are chanting, there is no one to hold us accountable.
Krishna is going to hold us accountable, but Krishna is not there immediately. So what happens? The lips are saying Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna. But the mind, I'll get back at you.
I'll get back at you. So at that time, the mind doesn't allow us to focus on Krishna. Or even when studying scripture, you know, we will sit and study, but then the mind goes here, the mind goes there.
And the main problem that happens in such situations is that we feel as if I'm not doing anything. Just chanting, just studying. This person is behaving in a terrible way.
What is this chanting he's going to do? I should be doing something practical. And the mind saps our energy like that. So choosing our mental battles means there are certain situations when we just need to let go.
If every day we look at the news, but there are so many things wrong happening in the world. Now, how many things can be said right? There are terrorists killing innocent people. There are child abusers.
There are thieves. There are natural calamities. But we understand that most of that we can't do much about.
So, similarly, with respect to our life also, there are many situations which may be wrong. And there are many about which we can't do much. So when that happens, if we just focus on that which we can't do anything about, our mental energy gets drained.
And that about which we could have done something, we can't even do that. So therefore, choosing our mental battles means deciding. This, I'm just going to let go.
I'm going to focus on this. Now, letting go of things appears very disempowering. Because you know, I'm just doing nothing.
But we can just turn that thinking around. So that actually, instead of thinking that I'm letting go of this problem or I'm letting go of this person, we can think of that as I'm catching hold of my thoughts. Ultimately, that person's behaviour or that problem's resolution is not in my control.
But what is in my control is my own thoughts. What am I thinking about? So if you think of letting go as disempowering, then why should I? I shouldn't disempower myself. But if I think of holding on to my thoughts, you know, my thoughts, my consciousness is mine.
It is my mental energy which is getting wasted. It is my mental time that is getting wasted. And okay, this person has done something wrong.
I'll find out how to deal with it later. But I don't need to let my mental energy get wasted like this. Because my mental energy is too precious for getting dissipated on such situations.
So Prabhupada says our mind and intelligence should be strong and stout so that we can focus on the purpose of life instead of just the many circumstantial problems that are there. And the primary problem in life is that we are disconnected from Krishna. Now, usually, if something goes wrong in our life, okay, this person has acted like this, or, you know, this economy has gone down, this boss is doing like this, this relative is doing like that.
Those problems are there and they are serious problems. But if we just look back at our life, at all times, there has always been some problem or the other. And when that problem is there, it appears as if if that problem is not solved, the whole world is going to come crumbling down.
But now, if we look back at, say, five years ago or one year ago, at some problem which we had faced, we look at it and, you know, we may think how worked up I was, how worried I was. It's not such a big deal. The problem was there and we dealt with the problem.
So problems sometimes come to us by our past karma. And when the problems come, we just have to endure them. I'm not saying that we just passively don't do anything about them.
But when the problems are there, letting them consume our mental nourishment is only disempowering. The problem is there and it's going to be there for some time. And I will do something to resolve it.
But at this point, if I let the problem control my thoughts, I disempower myself and I make things worse for myself. So when we are chanting, when we are studying scripture, what are we doing? We are connecting with Krishna. And Krishna, the remembrance of Krishna at the very least, what it does is it calms us down.
So once we understand, okay, this is when the material level of consciousness, we think of only two alternatives, that things are in control or things are out of control. But when we become Krishna conscious, we understand that the things that are out of my control are not actually out of control. They are in Krishna's control.
So things may not be in my control, but they are still in Krishna's control. And that itself, okay, I don't know what Krishna's plan is right now. I'll just try to keep serving.
I'll try to take one step forward, one step forward. Let me do what I can in the situation. So when we are saying that, no, let go of problems, what does it mean? It doesn't mean we don't do anything about the problem.
It means that we draw our consciousness back from being obsessed with the problem, get it back to ourselves, get control of it and focus on Krishna. That connection with Krishna itself calms us down. And further, when you understand Krishna is in control, that calms us down further.
And once we are calmed down, our own intelligence awakens. I can do this. I can do that.
Maheshwara Prabhupada was asked, what is the best prayer that you can offer to Krishna? So Prabhupada said that, you know, please pray to Krishna, please give me the strength to serve you. Please give me the strength to serve you. So every situation that we are in, now when we see the problem, every problem basically means that we are losing control.
And it is not that we are meant to lose control. Actually, even for doing any service, we need some control, right? Now I'm speaking, so I need control over my speaking faculty. I need to control over my throat.
So we need control. But there are times when in certain situations, we may lose control. Now, if we identify ourselves as the controller.
Now, if I identify myself as a parent, and then my child doesn't listen to me. What is this? How can the child not listen to me? If I identify myself as a husband or a wife, and I find that my spouse is not listening to me. Then how can they not listen to me? So in this world, we are going to play many roles.
But our fundamental identity is that we are servants of Krishna. We are parts of Krishna, and we are meant to serve the whole Krishna. So quite often, if we just shift back, okay, this is a role.
For doing this role, I need some control. But if I don't have that control, I may not be able to play that role as effectively. But still, I am a servant.
I am not that role. So when we identify ourselves with the role, and if I identify myself as a speaker, and I'm answering some question, and the other person is just not listening to me. How can you challenge me like this? But if I identify, I am a servant.
I have the service of speaking. Sometimes Krishna may empower me to do the service. Sometimes for whatever reason, I may not have the power to do that service.
So I may not be able to do that particular service. So if I identify with the role, I feel personally threatened. But if I don't identify with that role, then I can find out, okay, how can I serve right now? Okay, this person is not in a position of hearing spiritual instruction.
Just let me be a friend to this person. Or okay, this person is not going to listen. Let me move on to someone else.
So if we have that mood of service, then the problem doesn't dominate us so much. See, the forms of service can be obstructed by the world. But the principle of service can never be obstructed.
I may want to do a particular service in a particular way, and I might just not be able to do it. Whenever there is a big project, which is to be done, there might be the same thing could be done in three, four different ways. Ultimately, there's only one project.
We have to do it only one way. Because otherwise we get frustrated. You know, why is my way not being done? So yes, our suggestions, our plan, if we see that as a service to Krishna, I offered that service.
Okay, if that service didn't work out, I'll serve in some other way. So if we keep that mood of service to Krishna, then Krishna is in control. I am meant to serve him.
If I can't serve him in this way, Krishna, please give me the strength to serve him. That means, Krishna, please guide me. How can I serve you in this situation? So normally, we think of strength as required to control.
Give me the strength to control this. We think something's going wrong, I'll control that requires strength. But why does it say strength to serve? Strength to serve, Prabhupada said, give me the strength to serve.
Why? Because sometimes, you know, to let go of things also requires strength. Sometimes it requires courage to speak loudly. And sometimes it requires courage to speak softly.
Because the impulse, the other person is shouting at me, my impulse is to shout back again. So sometimes it requires strength to speak loudly. But sometimes when the impulse is to shout back, to speak softly, that requires strength.
So if we have the stereotype understanding that strength means I should be able to control things, then we set ourselves up for frustration. But you understand, yes, I may need to control things and that controlling is also a way I'm served. And sometimes I may not have the control to serve, then I'll find some other way to serve.
So if we keep our purpose of life is to serve Krishna, then we'll always find some way to serve. The problem will not trouble us so much. But this does not mean that we let the problem stay as it is.
But it is that we don't let the problem consume more of our mental energy than it is worth. We have a hundred things to do in our life. Yes, we do whatever thing with that problem, and then we move on.
Sometimes we just have to live with the problem. Sometimes we can do a few things to resolve the problem, but not much. So about how to respond to different situations.
Now when we say, when we let Krishna, and Krishna will take, things are not out of control, they are in Krishna's control. And I am Krishna's servant. So if I can't serve in this way, let me serve in this way.
Let me find out some other way to serve. And there'll always be some way we can serve. So if a child is not listening to us, at least we can do is pray to Krishna.
Krishna, please, you are in his heart, please give him intelligence, please give her intelligence. And we can say, what can I do? Maybe I can become more, hear them more, to understand them better, whatever it is. Now if we have that mood of service, we will find doors will open for us.
If we have attachment to controlling, even for the sake of service, we find doors close. And the door closes, we get frustrated. Sometimes we waste so much time and energy is glaring and staring at the closed door, that we don't even see that some other door has opened.
That some other door has opened. So broadly speaking, when we face problems, there are three ways in which we can deal with it. One is change ourselves and tolerate the problem.
The other is change the other person or change the situation. Third is just walk away from it. I have better things to do in life.
I won't spend my time on this. It's not that one is right and other is wrong. All these three can be done in a mood of service.
And all of them can help us move closer to Krishna. And all of three can be attempted in a mood of controllership. And all three can get us frustrated.
So you can look at the example of the Pandavas again. In the Mahabharata, they all adopted these three different approaches at different times. So for example, initially, when the Pandavas came from the forest to the kingdom after Pandu passed away, then suddenly Duryodhana found that he had a challenger.
He thought that he was going to be the next king. And he was a pampered, spoiled, what in today's language, spoiled brat he was. And he suddenly found that Yudhishthir was more cultured, more courteous than him.
At least I am stronger than Yudhishthir. But then he found Bhima was stronger than him also. So every way he was outclassed by the Pandavas.
And he just started scheming against them. He was barely in his teens. And he organised a whole party, in today's words, in which he poisoned Bhima.
He made a whole conspiracy. And then somehow Bhima survived Krishna's plan. But he survived.
And then Yudhishthir told, let's not bring this in the public. Let's not aggravate situations right now. He just tolerated it.
Again, they were sent to the house of Lakh, Varanavad, and they attempted to be burned alive. The Pandavas just fled. Even when they came back, they did not make an issue out of it.
So here they just adapted. Okay, let's try to, let's try to live with the situation. But eventually, when Draupadi was disrobed, and Draupadi attempted to be disrobed, and she was dishonoured, at that time the line was crossed.
And then the Pandavas fought. They realised that such a vicious person, who could dishonour an honourable lady in public, if such a person was allowed unfettered rule, it would break havoc in society. So the Pandavas did not fight the war to take revenge.
If revenge had been their goal, then they would never have agreed to a peace proposal. They tried repeatedly for peace. Their goal was not revenge.
Their goal was dharma. They had to maintain dharma. And they realised Duryodhana had no plan to be dharmic.
Then they fought at that. Sometimes, that's what is required in a particular situation. And later on, when Krishna departed from the world, and they got the news, he just left the world.
They walked away. Now walking away is different from running away. When we are running away, our focus is not on where we are going, but where we are going from.
So our mind is still filled with that problem. I just want to go away from this problem. So walking away means not there.
Yes, this problem is too troublesome. This problem is too messy. But the point is, I'm not going away because this problem is too messy.
I'm going away because I have better things to do in my life. And this problem is not worth so much of my time. So in different situations, we may adopt different, each of these methods for dealing with the problem practically.
But the important thing is that if we have the attitude of service, that Krishna, I'm your servant, how best can I serve? Then whatever situation we are in, we won't get unduly agitated by it. When we are disconnected from Krishna, even small situations agitate us. Connected with Krishna, even big situations can be endured, can be faced.
So when we are facing, when some problem is just eating our mind, at that time, instead of thinking, why is this problem coming in my life? Sometimes we pray to Krishna, that Krishna, please solve this problem. And then the problem is not solved and we think, does Krishna even care for me? No, Krishna can solve the problems. Krishna will solve the problems in due course.
But sometimes going through the problem helps us to grow. Sometimes when the problem is there, that is an opportunity to discover how real Krishna's shelter is. If we define or if we, sometimes we accept in principle that God is unlimited.
But in practise, we limit God. What do you mean by limit God? We limit God means we think that God should solve this problem in this way only. So we want a relationship with God, we want a partnership with God.
But the terms of the partnership are God, my intelligence and your strength. So I can't solve this problem, but I know how to solve it. I can't do it.
So this is my plan, this is my intelligence and your strength. So solve this problem. Now Krishna doesn't work like that.
Krishna is not only stronger than us, Krishna is also wiser than us. So therefore, faith in Krishna doesn't mean just faith in half of Krishna's power, half of Krishna. It's Krishna's omnipotence.
You also have faith in Krishna's omniscience. He also knows better than us. And that means because he knows better than us, therefore he will deal with the problem in the way that is best for us.
And sometimes just facing the problem inspires us, compels us to take shelter of Krishna. To remember him more because we see nothing is happening externally. I have to do something internally, otherwise I'll just be destroyed mentally.
We take shelter of Krishna. And then when we take shelter of Krishna and we absorb ourselves in his remembrance, then we realise that actually this Krishna consciousness works. Although my problem is still there, but I am feeling calm, I am sheltered.
If Krishna had not been there in my life, this problem would have caused me to crumble. But now with Krishna, I am able to deal with it, although the problem is there. So sometimes Krishna, instead of solving the problem, he uses the problem to toughen us internally, to help us to discover how tough Krishna consciousness can make us.
And when that happens, that is a far greater realisation, far greater asset than simply a problem-free life or a life with less problems. Because in life, eventually problems are going to come. Old age is there, disease is there, death is going to come.
But if we have realised that with Krishna we can, with Krishna's shelter, we can go through life, even if it becomes very difficult. And that, that realisation will be our lifelong asset. And with that asset, any problem we face, we will be able to deal with it.
So first we take shelter of Krishna, then that calms us down. And then with that shelter, that calmness, we explore. Should I do this? Should I just tolerate? Should I just change things? Or should I just walk away from things? Whichever option is best at that time, we will be able to think with clear intelligence and act accordingly.
But whatever we do, we will do in the mood of service to Krishna. And irrespective of whether that specific problem is resolved or not, we will grow spiritually. We will grow in our faith in Krishna, we will grow in our devotion to Krishna.
So we will not just go through the problem, we will grow through the problem. And last point, I will make last example. So suppose there's a child who has not done homework.
And then the mother knows that the teacher is very strict. And say the teacher is going to show your hand, stick. Teacher is going to punish the child.
And the mother doesn't want the child to be punished. At the same time, the mother also wants the child to be disciplined. So what the mother does, and when the child is going to school, she knows the child has not done the homework.
She takes a nice thick glove and puts it on the child. And the child goes to school. The teacher says, have you done the homework? No, come here.
And then show your hand. Now loud noise comes. But no pain is felt because the glove is sheltering.
So actually, material nature is like that teacher. Krishna is like that mother. And we are like the child.
So sometimes by our own past karma, we are meant to go through some problems. So we are going to get that beating with the stick. But Krishna gives us the glow of Krishna consciousness, of absorption.
If you're absorbed in him, if you're remembering him, if you're praying to him and taking shelter of him, the blows of the world hit us, but they don't hurt us. Because we are internally sheltered in Krishna. But suppose the child is going to school.
And the child says, what is this glow? I don't need it. The child takes out the glow and throws it away. And then goes to school.
And then tak, tak, then sticks it. So when we are facing problems, if we think, I started by saying the mind makes us serious about the frivolous and frivolous about the serious. The mind makes us, what is this Krishna consciousness? There's a big problem in my life.
What is this Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna? What is this going to do? No, I'm just coming here, reading some Bhagavad Gita, hearing some classes. What is the practical help? We throw out the glow. And we throw out the glow and then tak, tak, tak.
The problems start beating us up. But if we take shelter of Krishna, if we absorb ourselves in Krishna, the blows of life may hit us, but they won't hurt us. Krishna says, if you become conscious of me, you will pass over all problems.
You will pass over all obstacles by my grace. So whatever, whatever karma may get us to, Krishna will get us through. Whatever karma may get us to, Krishna will get us through.
We have to stay connected with Krishna. And being connected with Krishna, we will find the best way to deal with that problem. And thus, we will grow through life, growing in our devotion and responding in the best possible way to whatever problems life gives our way.
So I'll summarise. I spoke about choosing our mental badges. We spoke about how, you know, if somebody is taking too much of our time, we just try to end the talk and move on to save our time.
But sometimes the problem takes too much of our mental time and we don't move away from it. We think that moving away from it or it's like disempowering. I'm letting go.
But actually, some problems don't deserve so much of our time. They don't have to monopolise our time and mentally tyre us and not be able to do anything else. So Prabhupada says, we stout and strong in mind and intelligence to distinguish the purpose of life from a life full of problems.
So the purpose of life, what is it? That we are souls and we are meant to serve Krishna. And for serving Krishna in our various roles that we have, we need some amount of control. And with that control, we do some services.
But sometimes that control is taken away from us. And then we feel frustrated. What can I do in this situation? But if we identify ourselves with the role in which we control, we'll get frustrated.
But if we shift back, I'm a servant. And if I can't serve in this way, how can I serve? Then we will always find some way to serve. Instead of thinking of letting go as disempowering, as acknowledging powerlessness, we can think of letting go as empowering.
Letting go means we are letting go of the problem so that we can take hold of our thoughts. Take hold of our thoughts and focus them on something constructive. And you focus the thoughts on Krishna, that helps us and that calms us down.
It helps us realise that things that are out of my control are not out of control. They are in Krishna's control. And I just need to find a way to keep serving.
And serving means that it can take different forms. I discussed three broad alternatives. So three broad alternatives.
Sometimes we may just change ourselves and tolerate. Sometimes we may change the other person or change the situation. Or sometimes we may walk away.
Talk about Pandavas tolerating when initially they are poisoned or burned. Then attacking when Draupadi was dishonoured. And then finally walking away when Krishna departed.
Each of these, they were not motivated simply by concerns of power or powerlessness. They are motivated by the attitude of service. So with the attitude of service, whatever situation we are in, we will be guided by Krishna how to deal with the situation.
Sometimes we limit Krishna by telling Krishna that this is how the problem should be solved. But instead of half trusting Krishna, trusting only his power and not his intelligence, we fully trust Krishna. Krishna, this is how.
I don't know how this problem is going to be solved. How do you want me to serve in this situation? If we do that, sometimes Krishna can solve the problem. Sometimes Krishna will let the problem remain, but he will give us absorption in him internally.
And that will shelter us. That will help us to discover how tough remembrance of Krishna can make us. So like a mother who gives a glove to a child who is going to be beaten, so that the child is hit but not hurt.
Like that when we are remembering Krishna, life may hit us, but it won't hurt us. And lastly, I concluded by talking about we get problems because of past karma. And what problems come in our life may not be in our control.
But whatever karma may get us to, Krishna will get us through. Thank you very much. Okay.
So what is the WWS concept? It is basically a way in which our whole life gets sucked away. If you look at people, their life is spent in three activities. Work, watch, shop.
We work so hard. We work so hard. And after we work hard, we want some break.
So we come back home and watch our televisions. Or now we watch on our phone itself, whatever. So we watch.
So we work, then we watch. And when we watch, sometimes we may watch a three-hour movie. But within that three-hour movie, there are advertisements.
And if you look at the budget, actually the amount of money that is spent on the three-hour movie is far less than the amount of money that is spent on the 10-10 second advertisement throughout the movie. Because, you know, the advertisements contain the real call for action. They impel us, buy this, you know, your phone.
Old version, new version, you have to get it. This is wrong, that is wrong, you have to get that. So after watching, we get filled with desire.
Then we go shop, shop, shop, shop. There is a big form of addiction called shopaholism. Like there is alcoholism, shopaholism.
People are compulsive shoppers. Just keep shopping, shopping, shopping. Shop till you drop.
It is like that. So now, then when we shop a lot and then I don't have money, we shop on credit. And then when we come back home and we find that, oh my God, I have taken so much credit.
So I have to work more. And I work more, work more, and then I feel more tired. So therefore, I need more breaks.
I watch more. And I watch more, watch more, I get more desire. Then I shop more.
So like that, work, watch, shop, it becomes like a vicious cycle. It traps us entirely. So this WWS is Worldwide Stupidity.
So by practising Krishna Consciousness, moving Krishna into the centre of our life, then we work for Krishna and then we want relief. Instead of watching television, we actually connect with Krishna, hear about Krishna, speak about Krishna. Then what happens? That instead of getting frustrated… Another WWS is, we do work, then we worship Krishna.
And then we serve. So work, worship, serve. That is the way out of worldwide stupidity.
Any other questions? Thank you. Okay, then we will come back to you. Does anyone else have any questions? We talked about, we identify with the roles that we are in in our life, like parent, husband, like that.
But instead, try to shift to the role that we are a servant of Krishna. So how can I serve in this situation, in that particular role also? But I also heard in the past that that identification is coming because of my material identification with the body, and the things related to body. So the way to get rid of it is through Krishna Consciousness, by chanting and by practising Krishna Consciousness.
Like that, I heard a solution. So now, what you're saying, in thinking that I'm a servant like that, is there still a practise that I need to cultivate while I'm getting purified myself? That will help? Or is there a different way to switch the role from identifying with one of the roles in life to a spiritual service role? I know it's unclear. I'll try.
If I understood you correctly, so it seems you're thinking the roles are in conflict with each other. There's my spiritual role, and there's my material role. Yeah.
Yeah, something that you are currently a servant to that. Yeah, if I'm to be a servant, then I have to minimise these material roles, because how can I serve Krishna? We were discussing on the way up, actually, our process is not one of denunciation, really. Our process is one of bhakti.
So the question is then, how do we get out of these roles? How do I spiritualise these roles? And spiritualising those roles is service to Krishna. So if you have a house, you're a householder, you're holding a house or something, like when you spiritualise that house, when you have pictures of Krishna, when you have an altar, when you offer your food, when you have kirtan, when you mow the lawn to make it neat, so people realise the devotees of Lord Krishna are neat, that's directly service to Krishna, although it's done through a different role. So when we become devotees, all those roles should become Krishna-centred.
And if they're Krishna-centred, then they become, as Chaitanya Prabhu was describing, then they're no longer a source of problems, because whatever difficulties are there, we see as an opportunity to focus on my identity as a servant. So the problem is not that I'm a father, and geez, that's an obstacle to my Krishna consciousness, or I'm a wife, sometimes that's an obstacle. But if I'm thinking I'm the enjoyer as a wife, or I'm the enjoyer as a husband, or I'm the controller as the son, or I'm the controller as the employee, and I'm thinking I'm a servant of Krishna, who's also serving in these other capacities, then there's no conflict, and then we can spiritualise all those different roles nicely.
And also, as Chaitanya Prabhu was describing, we see that ultimately Krishna's always in control. So even this problem that's in the office, it's not coming because this co-worker's making a problem, because my boss is greedy, or because this problem… No, actually, it's not that Krishna's just in the temple. When I go and sit at my desk, there's my chance to do service to Krishna.
Because whatever he's put in front of me, I can do that in a mood of service, I can do it in a mood of devotion. So if I sit down as a conflict with a co-worker, that's an opportunity to be Krishna conscious. So how would Prabhupada want me to act in this situation? How would my spiritual master want me to act in this situation? How would a Krishna conscious person, who's seen everyone as spirit soul, who's not seen my co-worker as a competitor, but seen them as a fellow devotee of Krishna, who's somehow kind of forgotten their identity, how can I act in a way that pleases Krishna? And how can I act in a way that, if nothing else, models a Krishna conscious behaviour for them? So that way, every moment is a chance for service.
Other questions? Yes, you had a question. You had a question, yes, I did. Yeah, you can speak.
And the question is that how to control the mind. Now, my mind has been controlled. Okay, good one.
Especially when I sit down, mind will go all over the universe. Usually the lower planets. And what happens? Well, I have heard the solution.
They pray to Krishna, and then they are controlled. But praying to Krishna is the biggest problem also. How to pray to Krishna? If I was told to bathe my body, I have a thousand words to do that.
But when I have to pray, no words come out of my mouth. And mind says, hey, you know, you can't do it. Let me do my own business.
And that's how we control that. So how can we control the mind, especially when we are chanting? So Jiva Goswami, in his Shatrath Sandarbha says that, you would like to answer? Oh, sorry. So he says in the Sandarbha that the Shuddha Bhaktas, the pure devotees, they stay at the spiritual platform because of their priti.
Because they have love for Krishna, affection for Krishna. He says, the sadhakas, they stay at the spiritual platform because of their buddhi, because of their intelligence. So the intelligence is vital for us sadhakas when we are practising bhakti.
If the intelligence is not strong, then we will drag down to the material platform. So, specifically this with chanting, one of the best metaphors I personally find for dealing with the mind is to treat it like a child. Say, there's a child who is sick.
The mother takes the child to the doctor. Now, the doctor may smile at the child. He gives a little chocolate to the child.
Doctor will talk all the serious business with the mother. You know, this is his problem. And you have to give him this medicine morning, afternoon, evening.
And the doctor gives the medicine to the mother. And then the mother and child go. Now, it is the mother's responsibility to make sure that the child takes the medicine.
And it's not just a ritual. You put a spoon in the bottle and move it towards the child's mouth. Child moves his mouth away and all spills off.
No, it's the mother's responsibility to make sure that the child takes the medicine. So, similarly, in this example, the guru or spiritual guides, they are like the doctor. The holy name is the medicine.
The mind is like the child. And we, or more specifically our intelligence, is meant to be like the mother. The spiritual master, you know, when we meet our spiritual guides, they may be nice with us, talk nicely with us, maybe bless us, hug us, talk with us nicely, whatever.
That's very good. But that is, feeling good is nice. But the real business is, they speak the message of Krishna.
That they speak to the intelligence. So, it is the intelligence which has to be like the mother. And with the intelligence, with the intelligence strong, the child may say, ah, this medicine is so bitter, I don't want to take it.
And the mother starts thinking, oh, you know, my child is so unhappy, why should I give him the medicine? Let him be. If the mother becomes sentimental over there, the child will be ruined. So, the mother has to be convinced.
Although the child may protest, I have to make sure that I give the medicine to him. So, usually our mind will wander. But if our intelligence is strong, we will get it back.
And that's why we will find that, if we hear regularly, not just hear general philosophy, general philosophy also helps, but hear especially about the importance of controlling the mind, the importance of connecting with Krishna, hear about that, with that strengthened intelligence, thereafter when we chant, we will be able to chant with greater conviction. So, the mind may stray away. But don't let it stay away.
We stray away, but we can get it back. We can get it back. And we may think, how long can I keep doing this? Every day it strays away, every day I get back.
But through it all, little drops of medicine are going in. Even if we chant 16 rounds out of which, even if a few mantras we are hearing nicely, that medicine is going in. Even the mantras that we are not hearing attentively, still some medicine is also going in.
But every day the medicine is going in, the mind's taste is changing. See, bhakti basically progress happens in two ways, intelligence and taste. First comes intelligence.
This is what I should do, this is what I should not do. Although I may not like it. But just as the child is also growing, and as the child starts growing, the child also understands, no, this medicine is important for me, I will take it.
So, it's not that the bitterness of the medicine will go, but the child will take it. So, as we keep practising bhakti, the mind also starts growing up. The mind starts realising, I'm getting so excited about this thing, I'm getting so agitated about that thing.
But you know, these sort of things always keep coming and going. There's no need to get so worked up about it. Or just living life helps us understand it.
So, always some problem or the other is there. There's no need to get worked up. Problems come, problems will go.
We calm down. Yashas calm down. If you consider the sine wave, the mind just goes ups and downs.
So, initially the sine waves are like huge. Now, one day I feel like, he says, chanting should never end. I have a pure devotee.
And the next day we feel, chanting is never ending. So, it's like the mind goes to the other extreme. So, these sine waves are there, ups and downs.
But if you keep practising bhakti, the sine waves, the amplitude decreases. Amplitude decreases. And the mind wavers, but the range of its wavering is lesser.
So, with intelligence, when we persevere, gradually the taste awakens. When the taste awakens, then it becomes much easier. Because the mind naturally wants to go towards Krishna.
That's why hearing about the importance of fixing the mind on Krishna is vital for us to be able to use our japa time constructively. Otherwise, the mind will just waste that time. And we will also feel, I'm wasting my time.
Why am I doing this? We are spending a little time regularly reinforcing our intelligence. That helps us, gives us a conviction to focus. And along with that, we can also find out the mind is going to wander.
So, there is this concept that there is a point of concentration and then there is a circle of concentration. That means the mind, it's very difficult for the mind in the initial stages to stay fixed on the sound of the holy name. So, at that time, we can give the mind something related with the holy name, related with Krishna, around which to wander.
That means keep a picture of Krishna, keep a picture of our favourite deities. You know, if the mind wanders at that, this is the lord I'm calling out. Maybe keep a picture of our spiritual master taking vows.
You know, I have taken a vow, I'll chant seriously. Keep some maybe the printed Hare Krishna Mahamantra, move our eyes along that. That might calm us down.
You might find that some of us might keep some quotes about the importance of the holy name, importance of fixing the mind. And basically, when the mind wanders, rather than letting it wander all over the universe, or the lower planets, so letting it wander like that, we let it wander within a limited range. We don't completely control it, but we let it wander a little bit.
So, okay, you wander, so whatever it wanders to, it looks at the picture of Krishna, it looks at things about this quote. Oh, I should really focus on Krishna. It brings it back.
So that way, if we do, we'll be able to gradually spiritualise the mind. So rather than thinking about chanting as a digital process, you know, I'm concentrating or I'm not concentrating. We can see chanting as an analogue progression.
Every day that we're chanting, the graph of our consciousness, the indicator, the marker of our consciousness moving towards Krishna, towards Krishna. The movement will be slow every day, but it is happening. It is happening.
And I said that's why about chanting, about the whole process of Krishna consciousness, the process is evolutionary, but the result is revolutionary. The result is revolutionary. Eventually, if we keep practising, then our heart will be turned from the world towards Krishna, absorbed in Krishna.
And then we will attain Krishna. That is the ultimate revolution, where we go beyond the control of the mind and we will absorb in loving union with Krishna in a mode of eternal service. Does that answer your question? Thank you.
I just said one thing. Sometimes during Japa, outside of Japa, we're also supposed to be in meditation. So sometimes a little thing that's just practical, it can help not just to pull the mind back, but have a little conversation with the mind.
So maybe I'm driving in the car, or I'm doing something, and my mind feels some, it brings up, oh, you're lusty towards this thing, or I don't like that person, or this upsets me. And sometimes we can just let it go, but sometimes it helps to just say, no, actually, I'm not lusty towards that. So maybe some feeling of jealousy comes up, and just say, actually, I'm not jealous of that person.
This is a part and parcel of Krishna. This is a devotee of Krishna, and I'm not jealous of that person. The jealous feeling came, but I'm not jealous.
Or the anger came, but I'm not angry. I'm the soul. So sometimes just to be having that little conversation with, you know, you're driving down the road, your senses want to go someplace, go, no, I don't want to look at that.
I choose not to look at that. I'm not going to look at that. And then by doing that, we get strength.
Same thing with the japa. It's like pulling it back, pulling it back. Sometimes just also that little conversation can be helpful.
Sometimes the mind beats us up. You know, you're angry about this. You're upset about this.
You're disturbed about that. But it helps to go, no, actually, I'm not. Those feelings are coming.
That's the trick. The feelings come when you, oh, I'm this feeling. I'm such a sad person.
I'm such a mad person. I'm such a bad person because these things are coming. I got one in finally.
I was waiting to mimic his ability to put these great expressions. I'm not sad. I'm not mad.
I'm not bad. I found one. But we tend to think, no, I am the thoughts.
So I am sad or I am bad or mad or whatever. But to be able to stop that process and say, no, I'm spiritual. I'm Christian service.
So I'm not angry, you know. I feel some jealousy towards the person. No, I don't feel jealous towards that person.
I'm not jealous of that person. I choose not to be jealous of that person. And then my kind of has to be quiet because you just, you kind of made the statement.
That's not me. And the thoughts are a little quieter. So sometimes you have to just say it out loud or yourself.
No, that's not me. I don't choose that. I reject that thought.
Because my is always there. I say, do you want this? Here's a shiny thing. Isn't this pretty? Doesn't everybody want this? And the mind goes, oh, oh, you know.
And then you go, no, I don't want that thing. Oh, but oh, no, I don't want that thing. Oh, I don't want that thing.
You know, and usually three or four times has passed, you know. So that can be helpful sometimes too. How much time do you spend talking to your mind? The problem is how much time the mind spends talking to us.
I mean, generally it's advised we should just ignore. And if we ignore, it goes away. But sometimes it gets brutal.
In my experience, sometimes the mind is very brutal. You know, I've described this as our worst enemy. Once in a while, you get the experience.
This is my worst enemy, talking to you like you're my worst enemy. Nobody would say anything bad. No one would say that to anyone unless they're their worst enemy.
Why are you saying this? So and sometimes you have to kind of stop and say, no. I'm not going to continue to listen to these thoughts. I choose something different.
So you may rattle on with your nonsense, but I'm choosing a different path. I'm not going to listen to what you say. You don't want to spend too much time doing that.
But if it's too disturbing, then it can help sometimes. In the context of leaving the mind with the soul and room, how does it apply in here? It's a mantra, sir. Chanting itself is that.
It's an allegory. Don't take it seriously. Not literally, but seriously, yes, not literally.
I mean, the service is like that. Service to Krishna sense is pushing the mind back, pushing the mind back. Chanting is pulling the mind back.
So Prasad is 10 minutes ago.