Gita 12.09 – Transform outer exposure to Krishna into inner experience of Krishna

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Thank you. You have to keep the consciousness, you cannot stay fixed in me. Then practice Abhyasya Yoga, that means repeatedly practice fixing the mind on me, connecting with me.

Acquire a desire to attain me, so here 1.8 to 12, Krishna is giving a descending ladder of how we can fix the mind of how we can actually connect with him, attain him. So in the previous verse 12.8 he said like this, fix your mind and intelligence in me and you will live in me, that is not possible because the mind is attached to many other things, then Krishna states over here that practice, and by practicing, fixing the mind on Krishna, he says, you will get the desire to attain me. How does this desire come? Whether we feel Krishna attractive or not, the fact is that Krishna is all attractive, the fact is that Krishna is the reservoir of all pleasure and to the extent we expose ourselves to Krishna, we connect ourselves with him, to that extent we start getting realizations and that's how our desire for Krishna increases.

Now this connection with Krishna and the exposure to Krishna, exposure means say if the sun is glowing and then we take some object out, it gets exposed to the sun, so exposure is in one level of connection where the sunlight falls on that object, but connection in the case of the soul, the soul has to go in Krishna's presence, we have to place ourselves in Krishna's presence, that means where the sound of the horn is vibrated, where the Lord is glorified, but along with that more importantly in fact because we are conscious beings with independent volition, with our own freedom, so connection means trying to focus on, fix the mind as much as possible and that actually uses the experience of Krishna. Normally, say an object, a food item is very delicious, but unless it enters into our mouth, we can't taste it as delicious. Similarly, Krishna bhakti is delicious, but unless we, unless it enters, we can taste the reverence of Krishna, the sound of the horn, unless it enters into our consciousness, it doesn't seem delicious.

So the abhyas yoga that is said over here is not just a forcible exposure to Krishna, that we just go and sit while Krishna comes over, sit while we are asked to utter the holy names, no, actually that is good, but along with that outer exposure, there has to be an inner experience, and that comes when we use our existing willpower to try to concentrate on Krishna. So when Krishna manifests as his holy name, our taste, the taste that we will experience will depend on how much we are exposing ourselves to Krishna. And so that outer exposure in terms of uttering the holy name, by our eagerness, by our attentiveness, if we allow it to become an inner experience, then that inner experience will be transformational, we will get a higher taste, a rich fulfilling higher taste, and that higher taste will inspire us to surrender more and more to Krishna, to offer ourselves more and more to him.

That desire will come when we absorb ourselves in him, or at least strive to connect ourselves with him, and even if we are not able to connect, the repeated attempt to connect itself is a connection at one level, and that connection is with a positive intention, not a negative intention. Negative intention means frustration, resentment, why do I have to do this? Why do I have to fix my mind? The positive intention means this is what is best for me, this is what, not just it is best because scripture says so, or somebody says, or my others tell me so, it is best because I accept it as Krishna is my lord and I am his servant, so I accept it and I strive for it, because it's a positive intention, we strive for connection, then that way the transformation of outer exposure to Krishna, into inner experience of Krishna, and that will enrich our heart, it will make us want to taste Krishna more and more, and thus we will propel forward on the.