Gita 18.57 – The shelter of divine intelligence reveals bhakti’s freshness

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
Thank you. I am your ultimate aspiration.
Buddhi Yoga Upashitya. Take shelter of Buddhi Yoga, and Machikta Satkambhava, and always be conscious of me. So, here in the 18th chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna is directing us to fix our heart on Him, fix our consciousness on Him, and how to do this? Machikta Satkambhava is saying, always be conscious of Him.
Chirti San Sarva Karma. Yes. Do various kinds of activities, but with your consciousness, mind is like this.
It means, we may be working at a job, we study, we take care of our home, but we, with our consciousness, keep it, that this is all for Krishna. It is not for me. Mat Paraha.
And whatever I do, Krishna is my ultimate inspiration. I do my job, not just to earn a living, not just to gain a position in society, but because this is how I want to serve Krishna, and go closer to Krishna. And we may wonder, how can I connect my various activities with Krishna? Buddhi Yoga, Upashita Yoga, for that, we use our Buddhi.
Upashita Yoga is a great shelter of your Buddhi. And Machikta Satkambhava, this will be conscious of me. So, this verse actually gives a lot of room for individual, intellectual, initiative and creativity in the service of Krishna.
That means, that sometimes we think that Krishna Consciousness means just doing the same activities again and again, and everybody has to do the same activities. Same chant, mantra, worship, we read the same book. But actually, while there will be external repetition, there is also internal purification that is happening.
I think that internal purification, there is further devotional connection that is happening. So, when we use our intelligence to connect ourselves with Krishna, we certainly do devotional activities directly, which connect us with him. But along with that, when our intelligence becomes active, devotionally active, then we start seeing and relishing devotional connections everywhere.
So, the Dhammi Buddhi Yoga, the same compound Buddhi Yoga, which is used here, 1.57, is used by Krishna in 10.10, when he says, I give the intelligence by which souls can come to me, by which the devoted souls can come to me. Krishna is saying that take shelter of that intelligence. The intelligence for connecting with him, take shelter of that.
So, when we are trying to connect with Krishna through remembering him, chanting his holy names, doing various devotional activities, at that time, how to remember him, how to connect with him, for that each of us can use our intelligence. So, within the broad framework of the decision to serve Krishna, the principle to serve Krishna, the practice of serving Krishna gives us abundant room for expressing our individuality and creativity. So, each of us can find out through what activities, through what features Krishna is attracting me, and when we cherish those features in our heart and carry the perishable devotional experiences, the memory of those experiences, the thoughts, into our devotional activities such as chanting, then we are able to have a positive impetus.
So, Krishna, I want to serve you, I want to remember you, I want to love you, please guide me as to how I can do so. When we approach our devotional activities with this attitude, then Krishna helps us see the divine within us, see the divine within and without, see the way to connect with him within and without. So, beyond the apache, our goal ultimately is to reach the shelter of Krishna, and Krishna has himself given us intelligence, and Krishna will give us experience, experience both of the futility of godless living and the glory, the sweetness of living in connection with him, living in his love.
And every time we try to fix our mind and heart on Krishna with a prayerful attitude, and every such time we are actually moving closer to Krishna, we are actually moving deeper into our relationship with him, our love for him is becoming mature, and actually intelligence is always making some connection or the other, but when the intelligence has been in connection with Krishna, then that connection is supremely fulfilling, and the intellect becomes, by Krishna’s grace, stimulated to be connecting with Krishna constantly, and this becomes even more relational, adventurous, eternally adventurous. So, we need to remember that actually Krishna’s manifestations are all around me, Krishna who is manifesting as the holy, Krishna who is manifesting as the deity, it is Krishna who is manifesting as his avatar, it is Krishna who is manifesting through his devotees, who are his representatives, so when we use our intelligence, we keep reminding ourselves that it is actually Krishna who is manifesting, and when we connect those manifestations in whatever relationship or devotional levels we have, then our spiritual life or devotional life becomes charged with an impetus that enables us to overcome the inner resistance, whatever it might be, and to keep moving onwards, towards