Does spirituality come from without within or within without?
Grateful to be here amongst all of you today. And I'll speak today on Bhagavad Gita 9.13 and 14. And the topic will be that, does spirituality come from within to without, from inside to outside, or outside to inside? Some people say that, oh, you know, bhakti, religion, spirituality, all this is a matter of the heart.
Why do you need to do kirtan loudly? Why do you need to go to the temple? It's all inside the heart. So in these two verses, 9.13 and 14, Krishna describes the characteristics of advanced devotees who are devoted to him. And interestingly, 9.13 talks about the internal characteristics and 9.14 talks about the external characteristics.
So 9.13 is, Ananyas Chintayan. Mahatmanastu Mampartha Daivam Prakriti Mastitaha Bhajantyananyamanaso Gyantvabhutadimavyayam The great souls are devoted to me wholeheartedly. Ananyamanaso.
Anya means alternative. I want this, I want that, I want. Ananyamanaso.
That their mind does not go to anywhere except Krishna. And they worship him wholeheartedly. Now the next verse says, what about them further? Is it just inside their hearts? No.
It says that what is inside their hearts is also expressed externally. Satatam Kirtayantamam Yatantashchadrudhavrataha Namashyantashyamam Bhaktya Nityayukta Upasate They are always glorifying. Satatam Kirtayantamam Now glorification is Kirtan speaking.
Yatantashyadrudhavrataha With great determination they try to serve me. Namashyantashyamam Bhaktya They offer their obeisances to me. Nityayukta Upasate In this way they are always engaged in devotional service.
So Krishna is talking here about how the advanced devotees have both an internal devotion and an external expression of their devotion. So the idea that, that you know your bhakti or your spirituality, it's just a matter of the heart. That is at one level true.
It is a matter of the heart. But getting to the heart is an art. Getting to the heart is an art.
And that art is learned by associating with those who are also, who are either masters of that art or who are also developing that art. It is not that the heart can suddenly be changed. The heart can suddenly be spiritualised.
There is a process for that. So yes, it is true that many people are superficial religionists. Superficial religionists means they go to a temple, they go to a mosque, they go to a church.
It is primarily a social affair. Sometimes say on janmashtami or occasions like that. If in India, still a pious country, or sometimes some politicians, some Hollywood stars, they go to the temple.
And then they put it on their Instagram, Facebook, Twitter. Say, I went to the Hare Krishna temple on janmashtami. So they want to get mileage.
Oh, you're such a nice person. You go to temple also. So for them, going to a temple is primarily a photo op.
It's an opportunity to get a good photo. So they are not going to take darshan. They are going to give darshan.
That is their primary purpose. So that is, so some people say, yes, I go regularly to the temple. How regularly? Once a year at janmashtami.
That is the regularity. Of course, that is good. At least that much they are going.
But still, so this is an example of using the spiritual for a material purpose. There is no internal actually. Going to the temple is to increase our bhakti, our devotion to the Lord.
But there is nothing internal over here. There is simply the doing something which is meant to promote the internal. But they're doing it to promote the external.
So sometimes, this is very blatant. But while this may not happen very frequently, what happens is, for many people, going to a religious place, it's more of a, or going to a temple or any other religious place like that, it's more a social occasion than a spiritual occasion. So then we go to the temple only for socialisation.
So then it's largely external. Socialisation means, oh, we want to meet our friends. We want to meet our people.
There's one person. He was connected with me. And he was there in India.
And he was in my same college. Not in my college. He was actually working as an employee in that college.
I knew him from the college. And then he came to America. So when I would tell him to come to the temple, he would hardly ever come.
So then he came to the temple. When I came to America, he once met me over here in one city in America. So when I was there, and then he went to me and he says, I'm coming regularly to the temple.
I said, interesting. Because he never seemed very spiritually interested. Then I talked with him a little bit more.
And then as his guards went on, he said, actually, the temple is a very good place for getting contacts. So he is, so, okay, you know, whom to meet for what purpose. There are many, many people with good position in society.
They come to the temple. So it's a very good place for contacts. So he's not coming to contact Krishna.
He's coming to contact people who will increase his influence in the material world. Who will get things done. Now, of course, as devotees, we want to help each other.
If we have some connections, we'll help. But that should not be the purpose of coming to the temple. So when socialisation just becomes the purpose, either just to have some good talk with people, or it becomes just to develop one social network, then it remains largely an external affair.
So at that time, we come, when this happens, it can become somewhat superficial. Sometimes it can even become hypocritical. So one of my friends is a, once I had gone to a Ganesh temple.
I was at a Ganesh Utsav. I was invited to speak on Dharma. So when I went there, I saw there's a big, beautiful deity of Ganesh.
But there were Bollywood songs going on. Loud Bollywood songs. So then I asked them that, actually, if this is Ganesh Utsav, you should have some bhajans of Ganesh.
Why are you having Bollywood songs? They said, actually Ganesh is Bhakta Vatsala. He loves his devotees. So whatever his devotees love, he loves that also.
Now, this is a perversion of Bhakta Vatsala. Yes, the Lord or the Devdas, they love those who worship them. But that is meant for what? That their love is expressed by they raising their worshippers to a higher level.
Not that they coming down to a lower level. So yes, the Lord loves us means, wherever we are, at whatever level he loves us. But the way we express our love for him is by practising bhakti to glorify him.
Now that is where we start having Bollywood songs. Then it is the whole purpose and it is not Bollywood religious songs. It is Bollywood romantic songs.
So basically, here the aspect of spirituality is almost completely lost. Where what happens, religion simply becomes a social affair. Social affair means that I am doing it to feel good at a social level.
Or it can be, oh I want to go to a place where I can have nice music, I can have good people to chat with. And when this spiritual substance is lost, then it can even become, just like in any social circle, when spirituality is pursued only externally without looking at the internal purpose. Then, just as in any social group, often there are conflicts, often there are quarrels, like that quarrels also come up.
Generally, wherever people will come together, there will be difficulties. There was a European philosopher, he was asked, do you believe in hell? He said, yes. Hell means other people.
This is a horrible idea. But if some people just don't get along with others, they think just people are hell. But we all are relational creatures, we need people.
But sometimes it may appear as if relationships cause conflicts. Now, if we are doing religion only as an external practise, then the result of such external practise is that we don't see the internal substance. And we sometimes may start fighting over small, small things.
Now, this should be done this way, this should be done that way. Once there was a pastor in a church, and they used to have their liturgy, their rituals, their mass. And a group of the congregation, the pastor said that during this part of the liturgy, during this part of the worship, everybody should stand.
Pastor said, yes, that is our tradition. Other group of people said, that no, during this part of the worship, we should sit down. The pastor said, yes, that is our tradition.
Now, both of them met. And he said, the pastor said, this is, standing is our tradition. The pastor said, sitting is our tradition.
So then both of them came. And they said that, you said standing is our tradition, but you told him sitting is our tradition. Now, we are going to fight.
He said, yes, that is our tradition. Sometimes we get so caught in small, small details that we may forget the principle. So when we get too caught in externals, then the purpose of that external is lost.
And we think this is the way it should be done. Yes, there are certain standard practises which do need to be done. And there is a reason why they need to be done like that.
But the point is that if we just look only at the externals, then we may get caught so much in externals that the Upadesha Amrit calls it as Niyamagraha. Niyamagraha means sticking to the rule of the law or the letter of the law while forgetting the spirit, while forgetting the purpose of the law. So that was what leads to conflicts.
So this is where if we start thinking that spirituality is only an external affair and don't cultivate the heart, don't try for any internal transformation, then it becomes simply a social affair with all the utilitarianism and conflicts that come in social dealings. On the other hand, if we think that spirituality is only an internal affair, then what happens? Actually, inside us, there may be some spiritual urge. But that urge is quite weak.
Sometimes you may feel spiritual and sometimes you just not feel spiritual. So the well-known example that is given that just as a river flows towards the ocean, similarly, let my consciousness flow towards you. Kunti Maharani prays that Just as the Ganga flows towards the ocean, let my consciousness flow towards you.
Now this metaphor is often used by some spiritualists to say that we are going to merge with the absolute. Just as the water enters into the ocean and the water merges with the ocean, like that we will merge. But the Bhagavatam explains the same metaphor in a different way.
Not a merging, but a flowing. Just as the water in a river always keeps flowing towards the ocean, similarly, let my consciousness, O Lord, always keep flowing towards you. Now for this purpose, if we consider our urge, our spiritual urge, is like a small trickle of water.
It is not even, not like a river of water. There's a mountain, there's a tall mountain on top, there's some small trickle coming up. Now how are rivers formed? Trickles of water come together and they become a tributary.
Many tributaries come together and they become a river. And then that river starts moving very forcefully. Similarly, for us, we may have some spiritual inclination internally, but that is like a trickle of water.
And if a small trickle of water from a mountain is to reach the ocean, it'll dry up, it'll get blocked. It'll be very difficult to sustain that. It is, if one trickle of water comes along with another trickle, other trickles come along with more trickles, and then it becomes a river.
And it becomes a river, then it flows forward forcefully. When some obstacles come, the river's force ensures that it moves onwards through the obstacles. So similarly for us, we all, our spiritual urges are like trickles.
When we associate with other spiritually-minded people, their urges are also like trickles and all come together. And there are some, there are some advanced devotees, their urge is much more than a trickle. It's like a, it's like a channel.
It's like a forceful current within a river. And when we associate with them, we also get spiritually surcharged. We also start moving spiritually.
So when we come in the association of devotees, that means externally we come to a place where people are trying to be spiritual, then that inspires our spirituality. If we try to do it alone, sometimes we'll feel spiritual, sometimes we'll not feel spiritual. Not sometimes, most of the times, we'll not feel spiritual.
Because when we are alone, we are not actually alone. We are alone with our mind. And Shri Bhakti Siddhantara Satsangi Thakur, the spiritual master of Shri Prabhupada, says that you should remember that your mind is a non-devotee.
Our mind is a total materialist. Mind is completely filled with material impressions. Eat this, watch this, touch this, enjoy this, do this.
And if we associate, if we are not physically associating with people, if what happens is most of the times, we are associating with the mind. The mind says, do this, do that, do that. And that way, we become filled with material consciousness and all kinds of anti-spiritual thoughts, desires, emotions start submerging us.
So for us, if we could be at the spiritual level when we are alone, then yes, we might be able to become more reflective and absorb ourselves. So spirituality is there within us. The soul is there within us.
And the super soul is also there within us. But if the soul and super soul are here, before that is the mind. So there's the spiritual level of reality.
There is the mental level of reality and the physical level of reality. So we want to go to the spiritual level of reality. But if we try to go inwards, actually speaking, we don't reach the soul.
We reach only the mind. And when we reach the mind, the mind is hardly ever spiritual. The mind is very materialistic.
And that's why when we are alone, not with others, quite often, we tend to find our mind getting agitated in various ways. The mind gets agitated broadly in two ways. One is desire and the other is fear.
The Bhagavad Gita actually talks about three factors that drive the mind mad. Raga, Bhaya and Krodha. This Raga attachment.
I want this, I want that, I want that, I want that. How can I get it? What if I lose this? What if I lose that? What if I lose that? That is Bhaya. And if I lose it, you know, why did this happen? Why did this happen? Why did this happen? Krodha.
So these three emotions, they make the mind wild. And the mind is always there with us. So usually, the soul is here, the mind is here, the body is here.
Normally, the soul's consciousness comes through the mind to the body and is channelled to the outer world. But if we are at a place where the physical level of reality does not require immediate attention, then we get caught at the mental level. So for example, if you are driving through a crowded place, there are a lot of vehicles coming, then we have to pay attention.
Then we are attentive. Looking this way, I should go. Should I go this way? Should I turn like this? But if it is a long, clear road, then sometimes you may drive for half an hour and then you think, I did not see anything on the road.
What happened? Because the physical level of reality did not need attention, so our consciousness went at the mental level. At the mental level, it goes here, there, everywhere, and it does not stay in place. Sometimes when we try to chant the Hare Krishna mantra, and they would ask me, why is chanting so difficult? I said, chanting is difficult.
It's difficult for me also. It's difficult for everyone. But chanting is difficult for us because we are not chanting at all.
What do I mean? What is happening is, the tongue is chanting, the mind is wandering, and the soul is thinking which of the two to do. And most of the time, the soul goes with the wandering mind. So at that time, chanting starts with the tongue and just stays at the level of the tongue.
It isn't chanting. Yes, it's a physical sound which we make, but it's meant to come in words, absorb our mind, and then activate our soul spiritually. But it just stays at the external level.
So when we are alone, we are alone with our mind. And the mind can make life miserable for us. So therefore, it is said that many people speak not because they have something to speak, but because they find speech more tolerable than silence.
Because when there is silence, then what happens? The mind is speaking. Hey, this went wrong. What if that goes wrong? That person did like this.
You know, when am I going to get this? The mind is screaming. And somehow you want to stop the mind screaming to start speaking something. Or if you don't speak something, then we have a device which speaks something.
We have a phone. We have a TV. It's basically people.
Why are we so dependent on entertainment, so dependent on devices? Is we have work to do. But most of the times, you see, even if people visit news sites, which are the thing which people read the most, most of it is actually simply some entertainment, some gossip, something which is not vital. So why are people, why do we want it? Because we want to somehow get away from the mind.
The mind internally troubles us so much that let's get out to some other thing that you can get away from the mind. So yes, if the mind is sometimes peaceful, then being alone, being reflective, being introspective, can deepen our spirituality. But there is no guarantee of that.
In seclusion, there is no guarantee of spiritual elevation. And similarly, even in association, there is no guarantee of spiritual elevation. In association also, we can have socialisation.
Then there is no spiritual elevation, very little spiritual elevation. So the important thing is not that whether spirituality comes from without to within or within to without. The most important thing is what is our intention? If we desire to be spiritual, we will be guided how to be spiritual both in seclusion and in association.
But primarily, the intention is what matters. Now, the intention comes from the soul. What do I want to do? There are inclinations that are present in the mind.
Now, inclination means that if somebody is alcoholic, then their mind is inclined to think of alcohol, to drink alcohol constantly. That's an inclination. But they can make a decision, okay, I'm going to break this.
They may not be able to break the habit immediately, but actually the intention has to be there. So, if that intention is not there, then there is no chance of their ever giving it up. Now, having said that, the intention is what is most important.
But how do we act out and strengthen that intention? How does that intention lead to transformation? If I have an intention, okay, I want to become a better human being. I want to become a better spiritual, more spiritual person. I want to become more devoted to Krishna.
That intention, if it is not there, both in seclusion and in association, we will get into trouble. In association, we will simply have more conflicts, some mundane socialisation. And in seclusion, we just wander off with the mind here and there.
So, the intention is what is most important. Now, how does this intention develop? Intention is basically you could say, a strong sustained desire. Many desires come within us, but the intention is a strong sustained desire.
This is what I want to do. It's like, say, I go on my computer and, okay, I want to read this article. I got an exam and I need to read this book or read this chapter from the book to prepare for this exam.
So, I go there with that intention. But when I open my computer, I may find, okay, there's a notification for Facebook. There are five emails from here.
There is this, there is that. If I'm going on the internet and looking at one, and reading a particular page, say, on Wikipedia, and there will be so many other links. So, now, I go with the intention to read a particular thing.
But on the screen, there are so many other things which are there. And if I get caught, let me look at this, let me read this, let me watch this, then we get distracted. So, we go, but if I just go on the computer, okay, I'm bored, let me find out something interesting to do.
Then we don't have any intention. Then the computer may offer us something good. The computer may offer us something bad also.
So, first and foremost, the intention is important. So, the mind is like our inner screen, computer screen. There are many things which are opened on that screen.
And we have to choose what I want to do. So, the mind will offer, why don't you read this? Why don't you watch this? Why don't you do this? But if our intention is not strong, we will get caught by this. If our intention is strong, okay, this is not so important, right? Maybe later.
Vishal Prabhupada was asked, if our desire is to serve Krishna, why is maya so strong? Prabhupada said, because your desire is not strong. Because your intention to serve Krishna is not strong. The intention is strong, that even if those promptings come, we'll be able to say no to them.
So, the intention is what is most important. But how are our intentions developed? Now, first and foremost, our desires are not just linear. They are also triangular.
Triangular means our desires develop by the kind of people we associate with. A few years ago, several years ago, first time I went to Australia. So, I was invited to devotee's house for prasad.
So, the devotee said that, no, we have prepared baklava. Would you like to have baklava? I had never heard of what is a baklava. So, I said, maybe later.
And then there's another devotee with me. He's a good friend. He was also taking prasad.
So, this devotee, they served him baklava and he took it and he was eating it with great relish, savouring it. I look at him and say, give me one also. So, then what happened? Just seeing the baklava did not create any desire.
So, the baklava is there. I am here. There's no desire to eat it.
But when I say somebody else eating it, that triggered the desire. So, this is our desires are not just linear. They are also triangular.
Linear means we and the object. But triangular means we, the object and somebody who is engaged with that object. Somebody who is enjoying that object.
When we see them, we get the desire. This triangularity of desires is the reason why whenever companies launch any products, at that time, they have celebrity endorsements. So, new smartphone has come.
Okay, so many smartphones come. But then if there's some Bollywood star, some cricket star, some VIP, some celebrity, they say, you know, I'm using this phone. Oh, really? If you're using it, I also want to use it.
So, seeing them creates our desires. Many times sports players, actually, they don't earn as much through their player, through their sports, as much as they earn through endorsements. Because once they become famous, people want to do what famous people are doing.
People do what those whom they consider great are doing. So, this principle of triangularity of our desires is vital for our spiritual growth. Because at least in material things, the objects, they look attractive.
Say food looks attractive, different objects look attractive. This at the spiritual level, sometimes things may not look that attractive. How many of us first time saw Bhagavad Gita and felt, oh, I want to read this book.
Now, we distribute so many Bhagavad Gitas, people take Bhagavad Gita as it is, and then they keep it as it is. So, it is only when we associate, maybe we come to some temple, or we hear some devotees speaking on the Bhagavad Gita. Really, there's so much in the Bhagavad Gita, I didn't know that.
Then we start thinking, let me read about it. If you associate somebody who has great taste for the Gita, and they speak on the Gita, and they have so much realisations. Really, there's all this in the Gita, and I want to know what it is.
So, just looking at the Gita may not create much desire in us. But, when we associate with somebody who is relishing the Gita, then we get the desire, yes, I want to, I want to read it. So, the desires are triangular.
And same applies to our intentions also. So, if you associate, say, if you want to study scriptures, study Shastra, and if you associate somebody who is regularly studying Shastra, you say, in the last week, one week, I read this much. Oh, really, I also want to read it.
So, if we associate with others who are trying to cultivate something, which we also want to cultivate, then that creates a combined momentum. That strengthens our intention. So, intention, which is internal, is strengthened by association, which is external.
So, sometimes, even the intention is not only strengthened by the association, it is also stimulated by the association. It may not be there also, but it starts off by association. We come to a temple, and then we associate with devotees, and they tell us, please read this Bhagavad Gita.
Okay, you're saying, let me try it out. So, even the desire is stimulated by association. So, yes, going spiritual means going within to realise the soul.
But, how do we realise that? We need external stimulation. And that comes to association. So, in this case, it is spirituality comes from without to within.
That we feel stimulated and strengthened to go towards the spiritual level by association that is external. And not just association, it is actually engagement. What are we doing in association? If you're doing some devotional activity, we come with devotees, and we do kirtans, we do katha, we do some seva, that stimulates our spiritual desires.
So, spirituality has to, for most of us, it has to come from without to within. By within, the intention has to be there, to at least a small extent. But for it to be sustained, there has to be some stimulus from without.
If that is not there, we will not be able to sustain it for long. And that is why the association is the single most important thing in spiritual life. Most of you have heard this prayer, Mahaprasade Govinde Nama Brahmani Vaishnavi Swalpa Punya Vratham Rajan Vishwaso Neva Jayate Well, it is not yet prasadam time.
So, you'll have to be a little patient. But this prayer, it says, how that the vishwas, Mahaprasade Nama Brahmani Vaishnavi Swalpa Punya Vratham Rajan Vishwaso Neva Jayate Vishwas, the faith that there is something higher in life, and I should pursue it. That Krishna is the highest reality, and I should become devoted to him.
That faith doesn't awaken within us. Swalpa Punya, because we have very little spiritual piety. But how will it awaken? Three things.
Mahaprasade Govinde, by taking the prasad of the Lord. Then Nama Brahmani Vaishnavi, chanting the holy name of the Lord and associating with devotees. So, even honouring prasad can help us move towards Krishna.
And chanting, of course, is very powerful. Now, among these three, taking prasad, chanting the holy name, then associating with devotees. Which is the most important? Chanting, association.
Both are important. In spiritual life, there can be many most important also. But, although chanting is the Yuga Dharma, actually, we may not feel inspired to chant or continue chanting.
If we associate with devotees, then the devotees will give us prasad, and they will ask, are you chanting well? So, the other two will automatically happen. So, in that sense, association is foundational. Actually, Prabhupada said that the purpose of the Krishna Consciousness Movement is to provide spiritual association to people.
So that we all can become spiritualised. So, our spirituality will go from without to within on most occasions. Now, having said this, as I said, within also, there is a subtle level of reality, where there is the mind and there is the intelligence.
So, the mind is what is quite materialist. It also goes in various directions. But at the subtle level of reality is also the intelligence.
And intelligence means that actually, it is our capacity to evaluate, our capacity to analyse, our capacity to choose what is the right course of action. So, when we come in association, we might do some devotional activities. We may worship the deities, we may do the kirtans.
But one important thing that we also do is, we hear the philosophy. Actually, Prabhupada, in one lecture which he gave in Hindi, in Delhi, he says that if thoughtful people come to the temple, they will not be satisfied simply beholding the aarti of the Lord. They will want something more substantial.
He said, we in our temples should have classes on the philosophy. That is what will nourish thoughtful people. So, there are some people who are naturally pious, and then they come just when the aarti is going on, and they take darshan of the Lord, and the aarti is going on, and they leave.
Now, of course, many people come not for the aarti, but what comes after the aarti. That is, they come for prasad, which is also good. At least they are getting prasad.
But that will not lead to much transformation. That will lead to very slow transformation. But what happens to the classes when we hear the philosophy? At that time, our intelligence gets nourished.
It becomes convinced. And that conviction is what gives us internal momentum. There is external momentum that will come through association.
But internal momentum can come through our intellectual conviction. So, to the extent we study the philosophy and get ourselves convinced to the philosophy, to an extent, we will pursue the practise of bhakti, even when the mind doesn't feel like doing it. Sometimes, if you are doing something optional, say, we decide, okay, you know, I want to learn, say, I want to learn some, I want to learn French.
And we start learning French, and we find it difficult, forget it. So, something is not very important, something just a casual interest, we may do it or we may not do it. But suppose we have to get a job.
And for that job, knowledge of French is required. Then our whole approach to studying French becomes different. I have to study this.
Because that's vital. So, what has happened before and after? The difficulty in learning the French is the same. And it's not that my mind is going to change.
Yesterday it says, I don't like French, today it's saying, I like French. But our intelligence has understood the importance. When the intelligence understands the importance of something, then we do it, even if we don't feel like doing it.
If something is unimportant, we leave it to our feelings. If I feel like it, I'll do it. If I don't feel like it, I won't do it.
But if something is very important, even if I don't feel like it, I will do it. Why? Because this is important for me. A simple example, say, if you're sleeping at night and the phone rings.
Now, anybody might be calling, say, forget it. Let it go to the OSP. But if we are expecting a friend or relative to come, or if somebody in another part of the world, they're having a surgery or something like that, then the phone rings, immediately wake up and go.
Now, in both cases, we may be tired. But in the second case, we feel this is important. So, when we understand something is important, who is understanding it? The mind may still feel tired.
But it is the intelligence. If the intelligence understands the importance of something, then we don't let our feelings come in the way of doing it. So, now for us, now, what happens is bhakti, how important is it? How important do you think bhakti is? Sorry? It is vital.
It is, ultimately, we are souls, and the soul is going on, separated from Krishna for many, many lifetimes. And for the soul, bhakti is what is going to be the satisfaction. Bhakti is what is going to be the protection from the distresses of old age, disease, death, the samsara chakra.
But, although bhakti is so important, its importance is usually not felt immediately. Because when we live at the material level of reality, material things are what are felt as important. Oh, you know, I need some money, I need to get some, I need to get some food, I need to make this arrangement, I need to make that arrangement.
Yes, these things are important, no doubt. But, bhakti is also equally, if not more important. If I'm driving a car, making sure that the car is fuelled well, making sure that all the parts of the car are good, making sure that I don't hit into any other car, that I stick to my lane, all that is important.
But all that is meant so that by the car I can go to the right destination. If I take care so much of the fuel and the car parts, and then in doing that, I forget where I'm going. So, we are souls who are in a multi-life journey of spiritual evolution.
And, whatever we are doing in this world, it's important. It's, in one sense, vital for us to do it well. We need food, we need clothing, we need shelter, we need a respectable position in society.
But these are transitional. We are souls who are going through this life, and this life is not going to be for infinity, it's going to be for a few decades. So, where we are going through this life is vitally important.
But, the nature of the mind is, it gets carried away by the circumstantial. Circumstantial means, okay, this has come up, do this, this has come up, do this, this has come up, do this. The mind just gets carried away by the circumstantial.
Now, if a child, the mind is like a child. Say, if a child has to study, and an exam is coming. The child doesn't understand the importance of the exam.
The child looks around, sees a toy over there, and starts playing that. Another toy, and starts playing that. Whatever catches its fancy, the child will start doing that.
But the mother will get, no, no, study now, you can play later. So, what happens? Our mind is like a child. So, it doesn't understand the importance of things.
But suppose, see, the mind is, the mind is meant to be controlled by, or directed by the intelligence. Which is, meant to be like a mother. So, suppose, the child is playing, and tomorrow is the exam.
And then the mother says, come on now, study, you have to study. No, no, no, I want to play. And, suppose the child is very sweet, and the child is very persuasive.
Then, the mother has come to tell the child, study. But the child is so caught in play, that the mother also forgets about study, and the mother also starts playing with the child. Then, who will protect? So, our intelligence is meant to be like the mother.
But sometimes, our intelligence also becomes like the mind. So, the mother is meant to help the child grow up. The child is not meant to make the mother like a child.
So, what happens? If we don't study Shastra, if we don't nourish our intelligence properly, then the mind reduces the intelligence to its level. And once the mind reduces the intelligence to its level, then the mind starts doing whatever it wants, and the intelligence also goes on with that. The intelligence starts justifying whatever I am doing.
So, some people, I met one person, he said that, I invited him, come to the temple. He said, no, no, no, I can't come to the temple. I said, why not? He said, you know, actually, I am a very sinful person.
I am such a sinful person that if I come to the temple, the temple will become contaminated. That is like saying that somebody is saying, oh, you know, somebody is very dirty, they are stinky. They say, you know, please, there is a river over there, go and take a bath.
No, no, if I take a bath, the river will get contaminated. The river is very big. If somebody says, I am so fallen that I will contaminate the temple, that is not humility.
That is actually false ego. Because they are thinking, my sinfulness is greater than God's potency to purify. Which is just not true.
And simply, the intelligence is rationalising what the mind wants to do. So, what happens? Internally, to the extent we hear philosophy regularly, to that extent, our intelligence becomes strong. Jiva Goswami says that for the pure devotees, for the siddhas, they stay at the spiritual level because of their preti.
They love the Lord and that is why they remember the Lord. But for the sadhakas, they stay at the spiritual level primarily by their buddhi, by their intelligence. Krishna says, in this way, with your intelligence, understanding yourself to be transcendental, situate yourself on the spiritual platform.
So, that is how it is. By situating our, using our intelligence, we situate ourselves on the spiritual platform. And this intelligence needs to be nourished regularly.
So, we may say, I want spiritual association. But if my bhakti is dependent only on association, then what will happen? When the association is not there, my bhakti will also not be there. There is no association, no devotion.
It cannot be like that. Even if we don't have association, we need to continue our devotion. And for that, we need conviction.
Intellectual conviction is what will keep us going on, even when there is no association or even when the mind is going off in other directions. So, in this case, if somebody goes to a distant place where there are no devotees, somebody just transferred somewhere and there is no association over there, then what happens? If they have internal, they have conviction internally, then that conviction will make sure that they practise, not only practise, they will start sharing over there. And wherever we go in the world, there will be some people who will be spiritually interested.
And that's how, even if there is no association, we may create association over there. So, when we do that, then at that time, spirituality is coming from within, without. It is our conviction because of which we were spiritual.
And by being spiritual, we inspired others to be spiritual. So, spirituality comes both from without to within, and it comes from within to without. But the vital thing is that each of us has to make sure that we stay spiritual.
And for that, our intention is important. And that intention, for most of us, it is nourished by association as well as by conviction. So, ideally, if we come in the association of devotees and discuss Krishna Katha, by which we get both association and conviction together, then that will act as a spiritual surcharge, a spiritual boost, which will help us move forward even during the times when there is not much association available.
I'll conclude with one incident. One devotee was telling me that he was in a college and he was brought up in a devotee family. Now, there's a difference between people who are born in a devotee family and people who, in adulthood, choose to become devotees.
For those who choose to become devotees, most of us, we may have been in a culturally pious family also in the past, but we come to the temple, especially in the Krishna Consciousness Movement, we hear some classes, we hear the philosophy, and then after hearing the philosophy, then we start adopting the cultural practises, the spiritual practises. Okay, you're not the body, you're the soul, there's Krishna, there's devotees are born, there's a giant Hare Krishna. So, for us, the philosophy comes first and then the spiritual practises come later.
But for children who are born in devotee families, for them the cultural and the spiritual practises come first because from childhood parents give them that. But then the philosophy doesn't come so much. Even if they come to a Sunday school and they come to a temple, it's general classes which may not address the specific questions that they have.
So, when they come to teenage years, their intelligence starts working and at that time they have questions and they see the temple primarily as a place for cultural practise. You know, their classes, they don't really find, no, where can I address my questions? So, anyway, what happened to this devotee boy? He had gone to a hostel. He was staying in the hostel and he thought, you know, there's a lot of peer pressure in hostels.
So, this boy thought, if people come to know that I have a bead bag and I chant Hare Krishna, they'll laugh at me. So, every morning, he had a common room with another boy. So, he would wake up in the morning.
His parents had told him he should chant. So, he also wanted to chant. So, he'd wake up in the morning and under his blanket, he would take out his bead bag and chant.
So, to his friend, he would appear that he's sitting and sleeping. And happened to have one day, two days, three days. And then after a week, he observed that the other person was also awake.
And then he, what is happening? Maybe he's watching me through a little apprehension. And then he just went out to go out for a few moments. When he came back, he just passed by the other person who was sitting on the bed in the other room and he heard some sound.
And then he went closer and he found that he was also chanting Hare Krishna. So, what had happened was, he was also a devotee, but he was afraid what will others talk about me. So, he was hiding his devotion and this other boy was also hiding his devotion.
But when both of them came together, why do we need to hide our devotion? Both of them started practising together. So, here what happened was, because of whatever scene, they wanted to hide it internally. But Krishna arranged that although the internal desire to continue was there, so Krishna arranged that they came together and they both could continue together.
So, if we maintain our intention, Krishna, even if there's a difficult situation, Krishna will give us some way to go through that situation by which we can continue our devotion. And that's how, rather than saying spirituality comes from within to without or without to within, we focus on being spiritual and we need all the resources that we can get. So, we try to be in association as much as possible, so that externally also we get spiritual stimulus and we try to study and understand the philosophy also as much as possible, so that internally also we get the conviction.
And eventually, by this, there will be purification. Purification means the mind will stop going here and there and the mind will become naturally attracted towards Krishna. When that happens, then we will become association for others.
We will be able to give association to others and wherever we go, we will be spiritual and we will be joyful. Bhagavatam gives an example, that just as a wealthy person, wherever they go, they have money, they can spend money and enjoy. So, it's like that, somebody who is devoted to Krishna, who has devotion to Krishna, whichever part of the world they go, they can just remember Krishna, chant Krishna's name, glorify Krishna and they can be happy.
So, devotion becomes our inner wealth. Right now, devotion requires an inner struggle. I feel like doing it, I don't feel like doing it.
It's an inner struggle. But as we keep practising bhakti, devotion becomes our inner wealth, where anywhere in the world we go, by our remembrance of Krishna, we stay always joyful. So, I'll summarise what I spoke.
I spoke on the topic, does spirituality go from without to within or within to without? So, I said that for us, it works both ways. So, without to within means, that spirituality is actually externals are needed to promote the internals. But people may feel it's only external.
Then the problem with that is, it may just become a social affair for socialisation or for social networking or a photo opportunity. And there will be all kinds of conflicts that come because of external vision, getting caught in small, small trivials. If we think it's only internal, then inside us is our mind.
And our mind will take us on a long tour of the whole universe and will be everywhere except with Krishna. So, the mind is a non-devotee. And when we are in seclusion, we are associating with this non-devotee mind, with this materialistic mind.
And that's why for most of us, our spiritual urge is there, that's the intention of the soul. But that is like a small trickle of water. And for that trickle to reach the ocean of Krishna, it needs many other trickles with it.
So, when we come in association, then we get spiritual inspiration. Our intention is strengthened by association because desires are not just linear, they are also triangular. By seeing others relishing bhakti, we get the taste to practise bhakti.
At the same time, just the external association is not enough because we will not always be in association. So, we also need internally, at the level of the mind, but there is also the intelligence. So, intellectual conviction will keep us spiritual.
And our mind will always be like a child, sometimes feeling doing it, sometimes not feeling doing it. But when we understand the importance of doing something, then we don't let our feelings come in the way of doing it. So, the mind will be like a child, but the intelligence has to become like a mother and make sure that we do what needs to be done.
And this intellectual conviction will ensure, comes by hearing philosophy, by studying the scriptures. And best is if we have association that nourishes our intellectual conviction. And by this external association, internal conviction, when we engage in bhakti, then we become purified.
And then bhakti changes from a struggle to a treasure. Wherever we are, we can naturally remember Krishna and delight in that remembrance. Thank you very much.
Hare Krishna. Thank you very much for teaching such an inspirational and insightful class. I'm sure you guys have some questions.
We have a few minutes for questions. What is emotion? Okay. What is emotion? There are two different ways of looking at it.
Basically, the external world or its replica inside us, when we perceive it, we may connect with it through our analysis, through thinking and analysing, or we may connect with it through our feelings. So basically, we could say that, how do we choose to do some things? There is a logic and there is a mood. Sometimes we use the word mood negatively, but you could say a taste.
So if there are five items to eat, which item do I eat? I could say my logic, you know, I'm a little, I don't want to gain so much weight, so I'll not take sweets. But if there are two sub-cheese, and neither of them is fat, which one do I take? That will be based on my taste. Now, what is the taste? There can be a logical connect or disconnect, which we make with the external world, but there can be also a connect or disconnect, which we make with our taste.
So taste basically relates with emotions. So basically, we connect with things, with our intelligence or with our mind. So the intelligence does analysis, logical evaluation.
The mind goes by feelings. So feelings and emotions are broadly the same. Now generally, some people may be more emotional and some people may be more rational.
So that means that, some people connect primarily by feelings. Some people connect, first they have things that make sense, then they will do it. So this is just the way we are.
But people who are more emotional, they need to increase their rational side so that they do not get misled by their feelings. People who are more rational, they need to increase their emotional side so that they do not just become too analytical and calculative and desensitised. Now, this is the concept of emotions.
Along with that, emotions are also a state of consciousness. So first, say, some idea comes up within us. There is a thought.
Thought here is basically an event in the inner world. I got a thought. And then as we think about it more and more, then we start feeling about it.
So feeling me at a thought means, it's simply an observation. But when there are feelings, then we become emotionally involved in it. I like it, I don't like it.
So emotions are a natural feature of consciousness. The soul is the source of consciousness. The soul's consciousness comes through the subtle body, to the gross body, to the outer world.
In the pure state, the soul's consciousness goes towards Krishna. This consciousness is broadly directed according to two channels. Offer your mind and your intelligence to me.
That means offer your emotional faculty to me and also offer your rational faculty to me. So these are two channels broadly along which our consciousness moves. So for us, the emotional faculty is what we want to purify so that it is directed towards Krishna.
So at this stage, most of the emotions that we experience are connected with the material world and they are conditioned emotions. So at this stage, we need to restrain our emotions, not repress them, but regulate them with our intelligence. And then, as we practise bhakti and we become purified, then the pure emotional energy of the soul gets spontaneously directed towards Krishna.
And the purest emotion of the soul is devotion for Krishna. So by, basically right now, our consciousness, instead of going towards Krishna, is going towards the world, through the emotional channel, through the rational channel. And that's also required for functioning in the world.
So we have to make sure that this is regulated in a way that we function properly in the world. And also, we engage both of these in serving Krishna. And by this, we will become purified.
When we are fully purified, then the emotion will naturally flow towards Krishna. And at that time, our rationality will be there, but we will use it to serve Krishna. Yes, okay.
I have a question about this. When you are watching a movie for three hours, what are the things our intelligence and mind both is going to get lost in that movie? So mind doesn't know whether we are in there. But when you are chanting, and like every five, every now and then, mind goes to someone's room or something.
So why is there a difference between these two? Okay. So when we are watching a movie, the mind doesn't wander. But when we are chanting, the mind wanders.
Why the difference? Many reasons. First is that based on our present level of consciousness, certain things seem interesting to us. And certain things don't seem interesting to us.
So even in a movie, somebody like more action movies, and the romantic movie, their mind will wander. They just go because maybe their family members wanted them to go for the movie. So it's not that movies attract everyone all the time.
Even with the movies, also people get bored. So basically, based on our present level of consciousness, we have developed attraction towards some things. So an attraction to a pre-existing attraction towards something means it's like a channel for our consciousness.
So the floor is here, it's flat. But if there's floor, there is a groove. There is a small ridge or a passage.
Then if water is filled over here, water will naturally flow over there. If I want the water to flow over there, I may have to push it. So whatever we have developed attachment to in the past, we could say there are grooves in our consciousness.
So our consciousness naturally flows in that direction. But towards Krishna, right now, there is no such groove. So therefore, we have to, if I want the water to go that way, I have to push the water, push the water.
So sadhana bhakti is the process of voluntary force. It is a sadhana bhakti. Voluntarily, I have to force it.
Nobody externally will force me, but I have to push myself to take my consciousness towards Krishna. And by this, gradually, if we keep pushing our consciousness, a groove will be formed there also. And then we'll move towards Krishna.
So it's because we don't have so much, because by our past conditionings or past habits, certain impressions and certain attractions are already developed. That's why if we find something attractive, we get attracted to it. Some chanting doesn't seem that attractive, so we don't get attracted to it.
But abhyahata-yuktam samadhatam na shakno simai sphiram abhyahasa yoginidhuto mam icchatam dhananjaya In 12.9, Krishna says, just keep practising abhyahasa yoga, keep chanting, trying to be as attentive as possible. The attraction to Krishna will develop by that. Thank you.
Yes. Yes, please. Hi, Krishna Prabhuji.
My question is regarding the conviction. So one of the process that you said was to have constant association. At times, with time-space circumstances, we see that association is also becoming a bit difficult.
Is there always that kind of physical association in that place? Are there any other ways to develop that? And second is that, how do we develop the taste for association also? Okay, good question. So what does association mean? And how do we develop taste for association? The essence of association is transfer of desires. If we go to college, and somebody is mad for baseball, and then we spend some time with them, you know, this match happened like this, this match happened like that, this match happened like that.
Before that, you may have no interest in baseball. But 10 minutes you spend with them, and let me see what is this baseball? Let me check it out. So what has happened? We have associated with them.
Their desire has come to us. So the essence of association is the transfer of desires. So it can happen through physical association.
It can happen through, nowadays with technology, we have classes available, online we have classes, online we watch live stream talks. That also can stimulate. So anything that triggers spiritual, transfers spiritual desire from someone who has it to us, that is association.
Now physical association also has its importance, because it becomes a more complete experience. At one level, we just hear or we watch, but then we associate with them in life. So if you can get physical association, always good.
But just because we don't have physical association doesn't mean that we can't have association. If we connect with a devotee in a way that stimulates spiritual desires within us, then that is we are associating. And as far as developing taste for association, in general, it is easiest to develop that if we associate with devotees who have similar taste to what we have.
That means say if, if I like to decorate the deities, and then if I associate with some devotee who is a book distributor, well, they are always talking about book distribution. I may not be able to connect so much with them. But if I associate other devotees who are also into deity worship, then we can talk so much.
They say, you know, I tried this. You try this. You know, we can do this.
We can get new dress from here. We can do… There's so much to talk over there. So if I like to study Shastra, and I need to find out other devotees who like to study scripture.
Everybody studies scripture, but not everybody may have the same interest or zeal for studying scripture. That's why Bhaktivinoda Thakur says that we need not just association, but like-minded association. So in like-minded association, our bhakti flourishes.
Because we just feel understood. We feel connected. Even if we have one devotee like that, two devotees like that, that's precious.
That's priceless. Even in devotee association, not everyone will be equally inspired. Sometimes, with some devotees, I was giving a class once, and I asked, we have to tolerate many things in spiritual life.
So what is it that we have to tolerate? So one devotee raised hand and says, we have to tolerate devotees. I said, yes. It is a good realisation that even if some trouble comes in devotee association, I don't give up devotee association.
I still tolerate devotees. It's a good realisation. But if we practise bhakti more, then we will realise that devotees are tolerating us also.
So, basically, in association also, in devotee association also, there will be some people whose association gives us strength. By associating a few minutes with them, we feel inspired. But there are some devotees whose association takes away our strength.
We have to tolerate, control our impulses, not just bite our tongue so that we don't lash out something. It's said that some people bring happiness wherever they go. And some people bring happiness whenever they go.
And this may happen in devotee association also. So, basically, in devotee association, we could say some devotees who give us strength, association, some devotees association takes our strength. Now, both will purify us.
Some devotees may lead us towards Krishna and some devotees may kick us towards Krishna. But both will go towards Krishna. But sometimes we are always kicked.
We will not be able to tolerate that. So, if we find that the third kind of association where strength is taken away, that is there in our life, it will be there in everyone's life. But then we also need to get strength from somewhere.
And it's our responsibility to find and cherish the association that gives us strength. Then we won't feel that, oh, being an association is always an austerity. We have like-minded devotees.
Then even if being with some devotee is an austerity, that austerity will be more than compensated for by being with the devotees who are like-minded, with whom being is a great joy. Okay. Thank you.
So, thank you. Thank you very much.