Bhagavatam-daily 241 – 11.11.47 – Absorption comes from both attraction and determination

Krishna is continuing here to describe the process of bhakti and how it leads one progressively towards perfection. In the previous text, he stated that one should meditate on his transcendental form, as in description of the transcendental form in terms of what Krishna carries in his forearms as Vishnu is mentioned, was mentioned in the previous verse and in this verse Krishna is entertaining that Ishta Poorthe, that according to one’s Ishta, Ishta here refers not just to mundane desire, it refers to transcendental desire, there are different devotees who may have attraction to different forms of the Lord and this is perfectly in harmony with the principle of bhakti because it’s understood that we are all individuals, as individuals we have individual attractions, we have individual attributes and we will have according to our individual nature attraction to certain attributes of Krishna and certain forms of Krishna that manifest those attributes most prominently, so recognizing this, a devotee focuses primarily on, at least in the initial stages, not worrying too much about one’s individuality and what might be the specific form of the Lord to which I am attracted, the devotee focuses primarily on developing relationship with Krishna, on practicing the prescribed process of bhakti by which our pure spiritual individuality will start manifesting and then our specific attraction to our specific Ishta Moorthi, specific attractive form, cherished form will manifest, here it’s described that by performing devotional service according to our inspiration we move onwards with absorption, absorption is at one level a matter of determination but at another level it is also a matter of attraction, we can absorb ourselves in some subject by a matter of sheer, by the force of sheer determination, it’s like a student may not like a particular subject but just before the exams that student may just get completely absorbed in preparing for those exams and that absorption is a result of determination, that means the student understand that oh this subject is very important for me, I need to study it and if I don’t I will have to bear severe consequences, so even if I don’t like it I will study it now and in that way by the power of absorption, by the power of determination the student at least for some time maybe a few hours or few days before the exam attains deep absorption in the subject and by such absorption the devote, the student actually is able to get a good performance, similarly in our own life at certain times we even in the process of bhakti we may not feel attracted to certain things, at those times we need to know that absorption can also be and should also be achieved through determination, yes this is important for me, the scripture is my guidebook for life and I need to study scripture even if I don’t feel so attracted right now but still by determination I will study Krishna says in 3.43 by its intelligence knowing oneself to be transcendental, so if you know oneself to be transcendental that means we also understand that whatever are my attraction, whatever are my feelings right now, those feelings are largely the products of the modes of nature and those feelings will come and they will go, so rather than getting caught by those feelings and rather than letting myself be checked by those feelings I will persevere in the process of bhakti and gradually through purification my interaction to Krishna will manifest and strengthen in this way situate oneself on the spiritual platform Krishna says and then next is afterwards by determination we can sustain ourselves for some time but if the bhakti is to be sustained lifelong there has to be attraction and if we just keep ourselves focused on Krishna even if it be by the force of determination that focus itself will bring about purification and attraction to Krishna will manifest thereby, so attraction to Krishna is the result of transcendental mercy of Krishna manifesting when he reveals his all-attractiveness to us, so here we see the principle that Krishna is our all-attractive supreme lord and he is our eternal master and as we progress on the path towards him we attain an eternal destination so attraction to Krishna is something which whichever in whichever manifestation of Krishna we may feel ourselves attracted to him right now we can see that as a gift of Krishna and by seeing it as a gift of Krishna we can cherish it and get whatever taste we get in becoming absorbed in Krishna through the manifestation to which we are attracted to right now we can get a foretaste of what awaits us ahead when we become purified and our attraction to Krishna becomes more steady and more pervasive that means we feel more constantly attracted to Krishna and we feel attracted to Krishna in his various manifestations so to move towards that direction right now often we need to use determination and here it is said that by this practice once he the memory of Krishna that arises will be not a forcibly or not a memory that is held on by the force of determination but a memory that arises arises naturally spontaneously by the force of attraction to him and in that way we can keep moving onwards joyfully bhakti is to be joyfully performed and the joyfulness of bhakti manifests to the extent we we sense that our interaction to him is becoming steady and pervasive and that will happen if we strive for absorption right now even when there is no interaction we strive for absorption with scripturally sustained determination knowing that Krishna is my lord that i can find lasting happiness only loving and serving him therefore i will stay absorbed in him and not let myself get distracted to anything else thank you