How can we remember that we are devotees when we are with materialistic people?

Answer Podcast

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
So, how can we remember that we are devotees when we are materialistic? It’s easy to remember that when we are not devotees. Yes. Genuinely, the remembrance is primarily in intention.
Our Acharya, Krishnaji, Krishna Thakur, he used the example. Let’s say, a person has a family. And, then, they will get a distinct place, working, to earn a living for their family.
Now, they will do various kinds of jobs, eating this person, selling this product, doing this, doing that. Now, through it all, at the back of their mind, I am in this family. So, although they are not there with the family, intention is there.
And, that intention comes from affection, from love. So, similarly, for us, the primary connection with Krishna is through our intention. Now, the intention is not simply a sentiment.
I am doing this for Krishna. Actually, the intention will be there strongly when there is affection for Krishna. So, in the initial stages of Bhakti, at least when we come into the association of devotees, at that time, we remember the spiritual side of our, remember our spiritual identity.
And, by the regular coming of the association of devotees, that remembrance becomes reinforced. We may come to the temple or to the association of devotees once a week or whatever. Along with that, daily we can have some time for sadhana.
When we chant the holy names, we study the scriptures. By that, that daily recollection starts happening. And, as this daily recollection keeps going on, then our affection for Krishna increases.
Even before the affection increases, at least our intellectual conviction is, this is who I really am. And then, initially, for us, Krishna will be the background of our awareness. So, I cannot even remember, I am just doing this, I am doing that, I am doing that.
But, as we keep practicing Bhakti, what we are doing, that, we do it, but that doesn’t remain the forelock. Krishna remains the forelock. What I am doing, I do it well, but I remember for whom I am doing it.
Initially, that may be in the background, but eventually, it comes to the forefront, as our connection with Krishna remains. So, at this stage, even if we can’t remember that constantly, if we keep doing the activities that remind us of that connection, regularly, coming to the temple, coming to the association of devotees, and doing our sadhana bhakti practices, then at least it will stay in the background of our awareness. Gradually, it will come to the forefront.
So, that’s one part of it, that, it is, intention is one thing, and secondly, it’s that, after we do an activity, I intend to do this activity for Krishna, why do I do that activity? I remember Krishna, but I am doing this for Krishna, but after it is done, I say, Krishna, this is for me. I offer this to you. So that, at least in the beginning, even when we have classes, we start with prayers, we end with jyotish, whereas, at least in the beginning, we connect with Krishna consciously.
So, if we do that, then, even in the activity, we do not remember him, but we have the guru offering to Krishna. And, apart from that, it’s not that our, when I say I am a bhakta, I mean this activity. This, is a consciousness, which, becomes more and more, more and more, innate to us, when we keep practicing bhakti.
Not only the awareness of Krishna, but also the awareness of our own spiritual identity. Because, as we go through life more and more, we go through different roles. Initially, when we come to bhakti, we have one or two roles, we have a family role, we have this role, that role.
But, as we go through the years in our life, we find we have gone through many roles. When we do those, the roles change, but I remain the same. The experience of lived life, creates a certain distance between us and our roles.
Because we understand, I did that role, I did that role, I did that role. So, that way, even by a little reflection in our way, in the way we have lived in our material life, helps us see the difference between our identity and our roles. And then, we find that the role, the identity, that grants to the greatest singularity.
The identity that is rooted in the ultimate certainty. That identity is, that I am this way, I am this way, I am this way. And then, we naturally go towards that identity.
We may do various activities, but the Bhagavatam gives the example that a traveler may go to many different places. But as soon as the travel is done, come back home. Dhautatma, Purusha, Krishna, are the modal names.
Mukta, Sarva, Parikrishna, Pandha, Susha, Amrita. So, like that, we may do various different roles. We may have to do various activities in those roles.
But as soon as that is done, we return back to our manners of our spiritual identity. To awareness of our relationship with Krishna. So, gradually this will happen.
Right now, in this program, we are making sure that we have a periodic, focused connection with Krishna. Through our satsang and through our sadhana. And then, in the beginning and the end, we can offer the activity to Krishna.
Thank you.