Bhagavatam-daily 19 – 11.07.09 – Seeing our connectedness with Krishna keeps us safe

And that brings us to the next two points he says see the world as situated in the self now what does this mean we know for a fact that the world is situated outside of us so what does it mean when Krishna says the world is situated in the self see that way that means not exactly at the huge large world is physically students had to sell rather our perception of the world is determined by what is situated inside us the world is a actually a mirror of our consciousness what we see depends on who we are so a person with lusty will see sexual objects everywhere a person who is greedy will see everything in terms of money a person who is angry will see everything in terms of what can be a weapon to wound the person who has made me angry and then Krishna says further that of course there are many different ways in which this idea of how the world is situated in the self can be understood this is just one way which we can easily relate with and beyond that the soul or the self is situated in me that is situated in the supreme self now what does this mean this refers ultimately to the fact that the soul is a part of Krishna my Vamsho Jeeva Loke as Krishna says in 15.7 now interestingly this vision Krishna also says that to see the self as situated in me that is the view that Krishna also talks about in 4.35 in the Gita 4.34 is the famous verse go to the spiritual master to get knowledge and 4.35 is the verse about how one can actually acquire or what happens to a person who has acquired knowledge you will not fall into illusion like this once you have acquired knowledge why because by that knowledge what will you see by this knowledge you will see all living beings you will see that they are in me and that they are mine so same for Atmani my Yadishwara that they are situated in me how are they situated in me actually we are always situated in Krishna either as external energy or as an internal energy when we are situated in external energy we are serving Krishna unfavorably and unwillingly unwillingly means we don’t want to do a service unfavorably means actually it doesn’t please Krishna it doesn’t it doesn’t lead to our spiritual advancement when we serve him through Maya but when we situate ourselves in the internal energy we serve him willingly and favorably that means you accept Krishna that Krishna you are my master I am your servant let me serve you and actually this willing and favorable service that leads to purification and ultimately liberation so here what Uddhava is recommending or what Krishna is recommending to Uddhava is that don’t have a fragmented vision of things a fragmented vision means that oh this is good this is bad and therefore I want to avoid this thing and I want to get that thing so instead of that if you control your senses then actually the idea of things being likable or unlikable that is largely determined by the attachments and aversions of the senses in the mind so if you control them then you will be less subjected to such things and after that if you try to see the spiritual vision you will see that the world is actually a projection of your consciousness that means whatever you find attractive in this world depends on what your attachments are and actually you yourself are connected with me so if you connect yourself with me it’s actually as a matter of fact we are eternally parts of Krishna but as a matter of perception or realization we have not yet realized it it’s like there is no water in a mirage but unless the animal reaches the mirage and puts the mouth there and gets burning sand animal does not get the realization that there is no water so there’s a fact and there is a perception of the fact so the fact is that we are parts of Krishna we are always situated in him but our realization is not there we think that I am living separate and I am meant to live separate from him but through education and purification gradually we start realizing that we are connected with Krishna and it is that it is living life in the light of that connection that brings the greatest happiness to the soul with this understanding when we fix ourselves in devotion then we come to a stage where the world’s ups and downs don’t trouble us so much Krishna says in 6.22 that once we become situated well connected with Krishna through proper spiritual vision then we understand this is the greatest gain now that I have got Krishna I don’t need anything else and now if anything else I lose also it doesn’t matter because I have gained something so great and that’s why even if there is a great misery it will not be so Uddhava knows that now great misery is going to come in terms of the Lord’s departure the destruction of the Yadu clan and the degradation that Kali is going to manifest but even amongst all this Krishna wants to assure Uddhava that if he maintains the spiritual vision then he can stay unaffected and transcendental and ultimately he will attain the transcendental world to be reunited with Krishna forever.