If past mental impressions stay despite a long practice of bhakti, what to do?

Answer Podcast

Transcript

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So applying the positive takes a long time. And the past… If it doesn’t seem to work, the past mental impressions seem to be staying on for a long time, what do we do? Yeah.
The, the key thing for us is not necessarily the transformation itself. The key thing is the conviction to keep pursuing it. So again with respect to our own lives, we will see that there are some areas in which the practice of bhakti has transformed us.
And there are some areas in which the transformation has not yet happened. So we have to choose where we focus. If we are feeling discouraged and disheartened, then we need to focus where we have actually been transformed.
And that will give us the conviction. So for example, some of us might have been habitually eating meat in the past. Or maybe habitually taking some beverages which we have thereafter given up.
Now if we see somebody travelling in a train or a plane and some neighbour starts eating meat. Now that might be an item which we might have associated in the past. But now most devotees won’t feel any craving for that.
So prasadam is higher taste. this here is an example. It’s not that we have to apply willpower to change.
The change has already happened. And the desire itself has gone. So we have to find out areas in which we can see the process has worked.
And by that we gain the conviction that the process is working. In some areas, some impressions may be very deep rooted. And that’s why it may take some more time.
So we need to direct our vision towards that which strengthens our faith. Not that which weakens our faith. Of course, if in some cases the the past is troubling us again and again.
Then we may have to see am I doing something to trigger the past. Let’s say if I had two rashes. Say one on my left leg, one on my right leg.
And I apply the same ointment. And the rash on the left leg has been cured. But the rash on the right leg is still there.
Now why is it like that? Maybe here the rash was worse. So it’s taking time. Or maybe my right finger is too itchy.
So somehow where am I noticing when the itch comes it’s too itchy response. I keep I keep touching it and I don’t touch it on the left side but I keep touching it on the right side. And because of that that is not getting cured.
Sometimes our past we we don’t we say I want to give this up. But somehow we keep keep connecting with it. And keep indulging a little bit.
So if that happens then because of that that past may not be going off. So we may have to see what is the cause why it is continuing. But even if we can’t find a cause or even if we can find a cause the important thing is to just keep moving onwards.
Drop it from where the process has worked for us and keep applying it. It’s not necessary that just removal of the past influences is the sign of success of the process. Sometimes some influence of the past may remain and they may push us or impel us to take greater shelter of Krishna.
And if that happens then that is positive. So rather than seeing that as a negative thing we can see how that can inspire me to take greater shelter of Krishna. And the other thing is