What can we do practically to make our devotional identity our defining identity?

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
So when I said that we should make or define our identity as servant of Krishna, then how do we, is that the inner change that is foundationally required, sometimes we make a lot of external changes without doing this internal. It’s something which happens gradually.
Intellectually I accept that I am a servant of Krishna, but practically I have to function. So I would say that it’s like when I am talking about inner change, I am not talking at the level of the soul. I am talking at the level of the mind.
When I am talking outer change, I am talking at the level of the body. So we could say that the things which are not in our control for that is dependent on Krishna. That means, okay, there is no change that I can do.
For the things that are in my control, there is diligence for Krishna. So through both ways, through externally and through internally, physically I do some things. Sometimes we may find that our mind is just getting too caught.
Sometimes to get out of the mind is doing something physically. You go to a different place, just go for a walk, come to a temple, just do some physical action to get out of the head. Sometimes we may just be too caught in the head and to deal with the issue we have to get out of the head.
And sometimes we are too caught in the world, we have to get out of the world and get into the head. Don’t just keep doing things, think properly. So both are required at times.
So what is required then? Sometimes we are just running around doing too many things and not really pausing to think deeply. So for people who are extroverts, just are more externally oriented, for them maybe their pause is required. Okay, just stop and think, what are you doing? For people who are introverts, their thoughts are running quite fast.
Get out of your head, do something physically. Sometimes what happens is, with respect to relationships. If I am having a conflict with B, so now if A is having a conflict with B, then a person who is an extrovert will go and tell C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P till Z. Everybody will tell.
But he will not talk with B. On the other hand, a person who is an introvert will imagine all possibilities from A, B, C up to Z. But will not talk with B again. So because A has been hurt by B, so A may feel, I don’t want to talk with B. I just want to tell others how much I have been hurt. But if B may have to pause, okay, let me find out what actually happened.
So then pause, think and then talk with B. So for introvert, I am just talking in the head. This may be, this may be, just speculate, imagine like this. So depending on our position and our situation, we may sometimes need to get more into the head or sometimes we need to get more out of the head.
So the service to Krishna happens both through internal adjustment of our mind and our thought process and it also happens through external actions in the service of Krishna. So who, in what situation, what is needed more, that we will have to think. Does it answer your question? No, it is not the same intellectual exercise.
Intellectual is one part of it. But practical is also involved. And basically, yes, we may go through externals, like we may chant the holy name but we are not really thinking of Krishna or thinking that I am a servant of Krishna.
That’s fine. But through that process, gradually it will come. It’s not that the conviction that I am a servant of Krishna is going to come overnight.
And it is not that I am going to temple, I am going to this program, I am going to that program. But actually no transformation happens. So I will stay at home.
But is staying at home going to help me to develop that? It will play if I have a solid program of spiritualizing my consciousness while being at home. And I want to study Shastra, I want to do this, I want to do that. That’s okay.
So we may each have to find out how best we can