How bhakti helps us get past our past

[Bhagavatam class at ISKCON, Sydney, Australia]

Video:

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
Hare Krishna. Hare Krishna. So, today morning we are discussing about how Nanda Maharaj is insisting that despite the danger of Kamsa coming to know, then the Krishna’s abhijya samskara, the name of the birth ceremony, second birth ceremony should be performed.
So, we can perform it discreetly. Actually, Prabhupada explains in his purport how this is essential for human society’s progressive journey. So, today I’ll speak on the topic of how bhakti helps us get past our past.
Get past our past. That means all of us have certain conditioning, certain impressions, certain inclinations from our past. And they can hold us back.
But the process of bhakti yoga helps us get past our past. So, the soul is going through many lifetimes, as Prabhupada explains in the purport. And in each lifetime, the soul does certain activities.
But while doing those activities, the soul acquires certain mentalities. So, So, in the 15th chapter, verse 8, Krishna tells that the soul gives up one body and takes another body. And when it does it, what happens? What is it that is carried? Just as the wind carries fragrance or smell, similarly, the soul carries its conception of life from one body to another.
And in the non-human bodies, the soul’s conception of life is material. That gratifying the senses is the purpose of life. That is the greatest pleasure in life.
And the soul, because of having lived at the material level, pursuing sense objects, all those desires are accumulated in the mind. And that creates a momentum. When we are driving a car, at that time we are told that don’t be too close to the next car.
Don’t tailgate others. Because if we are all moving and suddenly the next car breaks, then we will not be able to stop immediately. We will ram into that car.
So, keep a safe distance. Why that safe distance is needed? Because when there is momentum, that momentum can’t be stopped immediately. So, similarly, our mind and senses, they have got a momentum for worldly enjoyment, for physical pleasures, which has been fuelled not just in our pre-devotional life during this lifetime, but also for many lifetimes before that.
And because of this momentum, the soul just moves very rapidly and almost irresistibly towards worldly pleasures. And when we come to the human form, at that time there is this inner battle between intelligence and impulse. The impulse says, come on, eat this.
The intelligence says, no, this is not good for me. This is not good for my health. I will not eat this.
When a cat sees a mouse, the cat can’t think. Today is Ekadashi. I am meant to fast today.
It doesn’t have that intelligence. Animals are largely driven by their impulses. Animals also have intelligence.
But their intelligence is simply used to fulfil their impulses. A lion thinks, oh, there is a deer over there. I want to catch it.
But the wind is blowing this way. So, if I go this way, then the deer will smell me. The lion will go all the way around and swoop in from the other side.
So, there is intelligence required for all this. But that intelligence is used primarily to fulfil the bodily impulse for eating. So, in the human life, in the human form, we have an intelligence that can perceive a higher interest beyond the fulfilment of bodily impulses.
So, the bodily impulses are very much there. And when these impulses are present within us, they prompt us, they almost push us to do certain things. To eat, touch, watch, gratify the senses basically.
And in such a situation, the purpose of spiritual growth can be pursued only when there is both individual determination and there is social-cultural facilitation. What does it mean? It means that, as I said, the car is moving very fast. And then, if there is a red light ahead, then the person ahead brakes.
And as soon as they brake, there is a red light that comes in the rear. This person has pressed the brake. So, I should also start pressing the brake.
And then, this person also starts pressing the brake. And then, both of them are able to stop at the red light. So, there is the individual effort of the person who is driving the car.
That person has to slow down. And similarly, the other drivers, they also have to slow down and they have to signal. So, for traffic to move smoothly, there is both the individual effort that is required and there is the effort of the other driver that is also required.
It’s cooperative. And similarly, for us, as the momentum of sense enjoyment is dragging us, propelling us, lifetime after lifetime, even when we come to the human form. At this point, in the human form, we get the intelligence by which we can understand that actually there is a higher purpose to life.
This path of pursuing bodily pleasures is the path of tribulation. It is the path of limitation. I will never get unlimited happiness by this path.
On the other hand, not only the path of limitation, it is the path of tribulation. Tribulation means it will make me suffer more and more. As I get attached to the body, the body grows old, I do bad karma, I get the reactions.
So, basically, there is a red signal. I have to slow down. I cannot move so fast.
And this slowing down of the momentum requires cooperation from both the individual and the society. That means the individual has to break. Yes, this is not the path I want to go.
So, we all need willpower. We all need sense control. And along with that, the society also needs to facilitate a culture of self-discipline.
So, the society parades the sense objects. The culture allures everyone with unlimited sense objects. Then, that is the opposite of pressing the brake.
That is like there is a red signal that is coming, but the person ahead starts feeding. Oh, I am falling back, I will start feeding. And both of them, big crash happens.
So, like that, in materialistic culture, the cooperation for the individual in terms of slowing down the momentum of sense gratification is not there. Rather, there is acceleration that is encouraged. So, we see so many images, so many movies, so much sensual stimuli that triggers and inflames and aggravates our desires.
And makes us crave more and more. So, in this way, we end up pursuing the same animalistic activities in human form, but with greater speed, greater momentum. With our intelligence, which is meant for a higher purpose, we use it for a lower bodily purpose.
This slowing down of the momentum, that was done traditionally through an overall culture that stressed modesty, that did not parade the sense objects. And that slowing down of the momentum was also done through the samskaras, through the purificatory processes. So, the purificatory processes are not simply rituals that were a part of a particular culture that existed long ago.
Well, they were a part, but they had a purpose which is universal. The purpose was that through these samskaras, through these impressions, the soul is given positive direction. So, that means, if you go back to the earlier point, if you are going in a particular direction, and say that is a dead end or that is a cliff from which you are going to fall off, then don’t go in this direction, red signal, stop, slow down, brake.
But, just braking and not going off the cliff is not the purpose of driving a car. We are driving the car to go to a destination. So, then what we need to do is change direction.
This is a dangerous path, this is the direction I need to go. The samskaras are meant to help the soul change direction. So, the reformatory processes that are performed in a traditional culture, the purpose is that they create spiritual impressions within us.
They create, they involve ceremonies in which the spiritual orientation of life is impressed within the consciousness. Our impressions often mould us, you know, that means that when we take decisions, when we act, we don’t just act based on our conscious intentions. These are also our subconscious impressions which shape our choices.
If somebody has been born and brought up in a vegetarian family, even if they go to a hotel, they just straight away ask for vegetarian food. It’s not that they consciously think. They’ll think and choose what to take.
But their choice will be within the vegetarian menu. So, how did this happen? It is not by a conscious deliberation, but it is a subconscious impression. Yes, I’m going to take vegetarian food.
So, that way, our choices are shaped not only by our conscious intentions. The conscious intention may be, okay, which of these vegetarian items I may take. But beyond that, the fact that I’m taking only vegetarian food, there’s a subconscious inclination, that’s from an impression.
Similarly, on the other side, people who have habituated to eat meat, they may go with a pet, but then they may eat with the pet some flesh, which is also of an animal like their pet. But they don’t realise it. Why? Because that’s the subconscious impression that is there.
Since childhood, it’s an influency, in fact. They may be eating meat, they may be eating flesh, and it’s just a normal choice for them. So, our actions are shaped not just by our conscious intentions, but also by our subconscious impressions.
And the process of spiritual culture is meant to create strong spiritual impressions. Strong impressions, basically, which will shape our future choices. So, for example, consider the ceremony of marriage.
Now, marriage is an occasion when a man and a woman unite together. But often, marriage is traditionally done in a secret place, a church or a temple, and there is a lot of fanfare associated with it. Now, that fanfare may just be sometimes because of ego.
People want to show how much wealth I have. You know, I can cook so many items, I can give so many gifts, I can have so much pomp. But apart from that fanfare, there is also a purpose over there.
The purpose is when hundreds of people come and there is an elaborate ceremony. At that time, when the married couple go through all that, then after they go through that big ceremony, so many people coming, felicitating, their solemn vows taken, they go around a sacrificial fire, whatever be the specific ritual based on their religion. But when they go through all this, all this creates the impression, I am really married.
So, marriage is not just a small thing. Two people decide to go to a court, law court and sign some paper. When this big event happens, that creates an impression.
And then when that impression is there, even if there are difficulties later, they don’t just break the relationship. Because all relationships will go through hell. Every relationship which we have, there will be suffering in that relationship.
Because two souls are different people, when they come together, both of them have their mind and senses, there is going to be problems. But serious relationships are those in which even they go through hell, they keep walking till they get out of there. So, there is a surprise not only to married relationship, but any relationship, serious relationship.
The point I am making is, the impression, so many hundreds of people saw that we got married, in front of them we took our vows, it’s a serious thing. Just because of some quarrel, we can’t break it. So, the impression helps at a subconscious level in creating gravity.
And that will shape the decisions in future. Even if there are disagreements, say okay, let’s keep this, we will not get separated, we will touch up later. So, these impressions, even if there is no directly religious implication over there, religious association, still the impressions can be deep rooted.
The society and culture facilitate that. But, when we are practising bhakti, there are devotional impressions that come. That means, we are centred on Krishna.
So, when we take darshan of the deities, when we chant the holy names, when we practise the process of bhakti yoga, and especially on special occasions, when we practise it more intensely, say when we go for pilgrimage to some holy place, with maybe hundreds of devotees, we go, we walk for a long distance, and then we reach a temple and we take darshan of the Lord, or we fast on some special days. It’s difficult, but we fast. And then, there’s an ecstatic kirtan, say at janmashtami at midnight, when the Lord appears.
So, all these special occasions, when we try to intensely practise bhakti, they create impressions. And when these impressions are created, they shape our future decisions. So, when we want to become purified, we have certain desires, which have come upon us from our past.
And we are carrying those desires. Those desires comprise our past. So, we have a particular momentum from the past.
So, for somebody, the momentum may be, they just like to eat a lot. Somebody, they just like sports a lot. Somebody, some people just like to gossip and chit-chat a lot.
That’s the inclination. Now, when we want to overcome that. So, this is the past.
Now, of course, the past can be much graver also. Some people may have addiction to drugs, or something more dangerous like that. But whatever it is, this past creates a momentum.
And that keeps pushing us in particular directions. We may want to go towards Krishna, but the past keeps pushing us in the direction of the sense objects that we have enjoyed in the past. And that makes it difficult for us to practise bhakti.
So, the challenge in bhakti is that our present, our intelligence has awakened. We have understood that I want to go this way now. But the cars, if we consider the body-mind machine to be like a car, Krishna says, yantra-rundhani-mayaya.
It is like a machine on which we are situated. Krishna says in 18.61. If we want to turn the car this way, but the car is going with such a momentum that it doesn’t turn this way. And sometimes, if we have a steering wheel, what happens is, the steering wheel will turn this way, but as soon as we let go, suppose, the steering wheel again turns the back way.
Then as soon as there is a moment of inattention, we want to turn this way, but we let go of the steering wheel, it goes off this way. So, like that, for us, we may turn towards Krishna, but as soon as there is inattention, there is the past impression comes in, and our thoughts, our desires start flowing in the direction of whatever we were attached to, whatever impressions we had in the past. So, this can be in terms of desires.
It can also be in terms of thought processes. Some of us in the past may be very pessimistic, very gloomy, very negative. Then, that pessimism, even in practising bhakti, instead of being hopeful about mercy of Krishna, we may just become pessimistic.
Oh, it’s too difficult, I can’t do it. Or we may have impression of inferiority or self-pity. And even in bhakti, we may carry that.
So, now humility and self-pity are two very different things. Humility is that I don’t think of myself as very important. Therefore, I don’t think too much about myself.
I think about Krishna and serve Him the best that I can. But self-pity means I keep thinking of myself and I keep feeling sorry for myself. So, the essence of humility is not to think low of ourselves.
It is to think less of ourselves. I am not so important. Krishna is important.
Let me think about Krishna. Let me think about how to serve Krishna. So, it’s not thinking low of ourselves.
Oh, I am so fallen. I am so fallen. But think less of ourselves.
Now, don’t think so much about yourself. Think Krishna is important. Krishna’s service is important.
So, humility is meant to get us out of self-centredness and get us to Krishna-centredness. But self-pity keeps us self-centred. Oh, I don’t have this talent.
I can’t do this. I can’t do that. Everybody can do so many things.
I am so fallen. I am useless. So, it’s still I-centred.
I-centred. So, now, these kind of thought patterns may restrict us even in our devotional practises. So, for us, we have to work for bringing about change in ourselves.
We work at both levels. First is at the level of conscious intention and second is at the level of subconscious impressions. At the level of conscious intention, we make resolutions.
That okay, I tend to just gossip and chit-chat too much. I will decrease. I will not talk so much.
So, whenever I start talking with someone, we decide practical things. Okay, I will keep a track of my time. And then, if I am talking too much, next time I notice, oh, I spent so much time talking.
And then, I will become more vigilant about how much time I spent chit-chatting with people, gossiping. What was I talking about, actually? So, we make conscious resolutions and plan. This is what I am going to do.
This is what I am not going to do. That is good. It is essential.
But along with that, we also need to work at changing our impressions. And that is where the intense practise of bhakti is important. Sometimes, we may not be able to connect the practise of bhakti with our struggle with our desires.
Okay, I chat Hare Krishna. I study scriptures. How is this going to make a difference? I am facing this temptation.
I am facing this attitude problem. How is this going to change that? So, actually, at one level, the two may seem unconnected. But at another, deeper level, they are connected.
Our specific struggle against sense objects is, I feel I need more willpower. And yes, we do need more willpower. But, as I said, that is not just willpower.
It is rather the inclination, the impression that is there, it makes us subconsciously push against a particular direction, in a particular direction. So, when I want to move the car in the left, but as soon as I let go of the steering wheel a little bit, the steering wheel just again moves back to the right. Then, at that time, I need willpower to keep, to ensure that the car is moving towards the left.
But along with that, what I need is vigilance, to be alert. Okay, keep the car. Don’t let go of the wheel.
Keep moving it in the left. But more than that, if that struggle is to end, that car wheel’s tendency to go off in the right, that needs to be corrected. If the wheel’s tendency is to go off in the right, then I keep pulling, I keep pulling, but as soon as I let go, it will go back in the right.
So, that correcting the tendency of the wheel to go off in an unwanted direction, that is what purification does. See, our determination shapes our conscious choices. Whereas, purification shapes our subconscious choices.
Purification shapes our subconscious choices. That means when we become purified at a subconscious level itself, we get inclined towards one thing, and we don’t get inclined towards another thing. All of us, we may have had certain desires, which we may have indulged in earlier.
But now, we may not feel tempted by that at all. For example, some of us may have been drinking tea or coffee earlier, and may travel in a plane or a train, and see somebody else drinking coffee. It’s not that we feel irresistibly tempted, I have to give this up.
No, I don’t want this. Or it may be some of us might have been taking meat earlier, and now when somebody eats, we don’t feel tempted that much. So, what has happened here, at a subconscious level itself, the choice has changed.
So, when at the subconscious level the choice changes, then the struggle itself goes. As long as the subconscious inclination is in one direction, and the conscious intention is in another direction, then there is inner struggle. But, when the subconscious intention is not there, then the inner struggle is not there.
That is when bhakti becomes joyful. Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita that, when we become purified, He says that if we diligently follow the process of bhakti, Raga and dvesha, attachment and aversion, these two we can say are the impressions. Because of our past impressions, we like something and our consciousness naturally goes towards that.
And because of our past impressions, we dislike something. Our consciousness goes away from that. So, raga and dvesha is there.
But we don’t succumb to it. We fight it off. What does raga and dvesha do? They make our consciousness move towards the sense objects.
Charan means move. Vishaya is sense objects. We control it.
I will not let it move like this. And how do we do it? Vidheyatma. By following scripture.
When we do this, what will happen? We will get mercy. Prasada. Now, what is the mercy? Prabhupada translates prasada as mercy.
Previous acharyas, they translate prasada as purity. The mercy manifests as purity. So, purity means that, by the diligent practise of bhakti, the lower desires that are there, they themselves will decline and disappear.
And when that happens, then, the inner struggle goes away. So, next verse, Krishna says in 2.65, prasade sarva-dukhana haanirasyo bhajayate prasannachetaso yashu buddhi pariyavatishthate Prasade sarva-dukhana At that time, the dukkha, the distress which comes because of this inattention, I don’t want to do it, but I feel like doing it. That inattention goes.
haanirasyo bhajayate There is distress over there. And then, prasannachetaso yashu One becomes joyfully situated. buddhi pariyavatishthate At that time, intelligence becomes very firm, firmly situated.
And one can march forward in bhakti. So, essentially, Krishna is saying that, by repeatedly resisting the attachment and aversions, by continuing to follow the scriptural process, this will create new impressions within us. And when these new impressions are created, then, the old struggles will end.
And then, we will become joyful. So, we have to work both at the level of conscious intentions, trying to avoid whatever are our past default tendencies, but along with that, we work at creating impressions, creating new devotional impressions. That means, when we take darshan of the readings, when we study scriptures, now, what we want is, not just to go through the motions, but we want to go through to the emotions.
We want to develop an emotional connection with Krishna. We want to develop a deep conviction in the truths of Krishna bhakti. Then, the impression will be there.
So, when we study scripture, we just, everyday there is a class, let me attend the class. Let me just do it mechanically. Okay, some purification will happen.
But, unless the impressions get lodged deeply in the consciousness, the past impressions won’t go. The whole process of bhakti is about creating devotional impressions. And, in today’s culture, the samskaras, as they were traditionally there, were not there so much.
In fact, the opposite impressions keep coming from society for us. But, if through the diligent practise of bhakti, we keep creating devotional impressions, then those devotional impressions will reshape our decisions at a subconscious level. And thus, we will march towards Krishna and we will get past our past.
We are influenced by the past, but we don’t have to be imprisoned by our past. We are influenced by it. But, whatever be the influence, by our present choices, we can avoid getting imprisoned by it.
We can break free from it. And, Krishna and Krishna bhakti is like the door which opens for us so that our past will no longer imprison us. But, by taking shelter of Krishna and infusing our consciousness with devotional impressions, we break free from the past and march towards destination Krishna.
So, I’ll summarise what I spoke today. So, I spoke about how the process of bhakti yoga helps us to get past our past. We have gone through materialistic life in our pre-devotional life as well as in our pre-human lives.
And, these have created a momentum which makes us move and move fast towards worldly objects in the hope of pleasure. And, we need to stop that momentum and redirect. So, the samskaras, the Vedic purificatory ceremonies, which Nanda Maharaj insists that must be performed somehow or other, they are for changing the redirecting of the momentum of our body, mind, vehicle.
And, how does that happen? Whatever impressions we have, they shape our subconscious choices. Some people say no to it and some people unthinkingly take it because that’s the impressions they have. So, we work at the level of conscious intentions, I won’t do this, I won’t do this.
And, that’s important to have that determination. But, along with that, we also need to work at the level of subconscious impressions, changing the kind of thought patterns that we have. Our past may come in terms of desires, it may come in terms of attitudes, and it restricts us in the present.
So, for example, it’s a devotional. So, when a person wants to slow down, the person ahead slows down while driving and this person also slows down. Then, both of them come to a stop.
So, like that, individually, we should try to control our senses. And, culturally, society should facilitate sense control by cultivating modesty and by not dangling the sense objects before people. But, when that doesn’t happen and the culture is inflaming us, then it is our greater responsibility to surround ourselves with devotional stimuli and create devotional impressions for ourselves.
So, when we do that, then our intentions or our determination shapes our conscious choices. Whereas, our purification, by getting devotional impressions, that will shape our subconscious choices. So, we ourselves try to turn the car towards Krishna.
Along with that, we change, we reject the steering so that it doesn’t go off in the other direction. So, at a conscious level, by the daily practise of bhakti, when we keep choosing Krishna, especially in devotional activities where we can connect with Krishna nicely, we infuse devotional impressions within us. Then, those devotional impressions will reshape us internally.
And then, as our subconscious impressions become in harmony with our spiritual intentions, then the inner struggle will cease. And, with the resulting purity, we will joyfully march towards Krishna. Thank you very much.
Hare Krishna. So, are there any questions or comments? I’ve got a question. Explain to me, why have we been put on this miserable planet? Forget about birth, rebirth, sickness, death.
The question is, why have we been put on this planet? Why this particular planet? When one of your documentations talks about journey to other planets, if you can explain to me what the question is, why? I don’t understand. I personally don’t understand why I’m on this miserable planet, because I’ve got an illness, I’m suffering with an illness, I’m trying to get through life, that’s why I don’t have. Explain to me why I’m on this miserable planet, if you know what I mean.
The planet isn’t good. It’s not good. So, why have we been put on this miserable planet? I understand the question.
Our state, the material world, whichever planet it may be, it is meant to serve two purposes. One is experimentation and the other is rectification. Experimentation means that we all want to experiment.
Maybe this will give me enjoyment, that will give me enjoyment, that will give me enjoyment. So, the world provides us facility for that. And, when we realise, no, all these things are not giving me pleasure, we want to turn towards Krishna.
Then there is rectification. So, the world also provides us facilities to turn towards Krishna. Now, based on the particular kind of karma that we have done, the particular kind of desires we have cultivated, we get a particular situation in the material world.
That is called our Kshetra. Kshetra is the sphere of influence that we have. So, some people, maybe like dwarfs, their body is very small.
Some people will be huge. Their body is big. And, why this variety? That is by their past karma, they have, this person has a particular Kshetra, that person has another Kshetra.
This particular sphere of influence, another sphere of influence. Now, this is not just in terms of size of body. It is also the intelligence that we have, the talents that we have.
They also determine our influence. So, we are placed in a particular situation by the amount of influence that we have earned by our past karma and the kind of influence that we have desired by our past actions or past desires. So, now, in this particular world, which is the material world, in which there is distress primarily with a little pleasure.
This place is meant to, there are specific causes of specific things. We can find out, okay, why did I fall sick? I fell sick because, maybe, I got exposed to cold. Or, I got, I went to an area where there was some flu, virus, and that is how I got sick.
Okay. That is the immediate cause. Now, if you look at causality, it can be at multiple levels.
There is an immediate cause, there is a remote cause, and there is an ultimate cause. The immediate causes can be many, many. Why did I fall sick? Okay, why did I get malaria? Because the mosquito bit me.
But, in the same house that I was staying, there were five other people who were staying. But, why didn’t that mosquito bite them? Or, why didn’t they get malaria? So, then, the immediate cause is not enough to explain. We have the remote cause.
The remote cause is that, I got the malaria because I had the past karma by which I was meant to suffer. So, the mosquito bit me at a time when my immunity was low, and I got the malaria. Others did not.
So, the immediate causes are sometimes in our control, sometimes not. The remote causes are mostly unknown to us. But, beyond it all is the ultimate cause.
The ultimate cause is forgetfulness of Krishna. It is because of forgetting Krishna that we are here in this material world. So, we can, as much as possible for us, deal with the immediate causes.
Yes, I am sick, I will go to a doctor and take treatment. But, immediate causes, from where they will come, we don’t know. And, we don’t know what the remote cause is behind that.
But, the ultimate solution is the addressing the ultimate cause. That is, overcome the forgetfulness of Krishna. So, yes, the world is a difficult place, no doubt.
But, when we remember Krishna, the difficulties become lesser. Because, the mind which gets agitated, the mind often magnifies the problem that we are facing. Because, when I have a problem, and I keep thinking about the problem.
Suppose, I have a scar, and the scar makes me look bad. But, if I keep constantly thinking about the scar, then I am not only looking bad, but I am feeling bad about it. But, no, yes, people notice the scar.
But, after some time, people just get used to it. People will go on with the normal life, they will interact with us. But, if I keep thinking about the scar, and I think, oh, I look so bad, I look so bad, I look so bad.
Then, the physical scar doesn’t cause as much misery as the mind is obsessing on the scar. So, with respect to scars, we can understand it. If somebody is too worried about a scar, don’t worry, it doesn’t matter, people are going to see beyond it.
But, same way with our problems which we have. The problem is there, and it is a real problem. But, when the mind obsesses on the problem, it becomes much worse.
So, when we start practising Krishna bhakti, our mind gets a shelter which is satisfying and uplifting. So, when we fix the mind on Krishna, we don’t obsess so much on the problems. And, then that itself decreases our distress substantially.
And, when we not only fix the mind on Krishna, but try to practise the process of bhakti by which we become purified, then by that, the past karma also gets exhausted. And thus, we can move towards Krishna and move out of this miserable material world. So, trying to find and address specific or remote causes is quite difficult.
We can try to do it according to our capacity. But, we shouldn’t get so obsessed with trying to find that immediate cause and address it, or trying to find out what is the cause, why can’t I find it? Okay, doesn’t matter. Just focus on the ultimate cause.
That is the most important. And, if we address that ultimate cause, not only after we attain Krishna will we get relief from misery, but even in this world, by trying to connect with Krishna and observe asana with Krishna, we can get substantial relief from distress. Thank you.
One more question. Yeah. Could you please explain to me your viewpoint about Maya? Certainly, in your documentation, Krishna is light and Maya is darkness.
Yeah. Could you please explain a bit more about Maya? Okay. Where it comes from and why has it been put in the documentation? Okay, yes.
I can’t work it out. I just can’t work it out. Yeah.
Yeah. So, what exactly is Maya? Why is she there? What is her purpose? I said earlier, this world is like meant for two purposes. There is experimentation and rectification.
So, try out what you want to enjoy. And once we understand, it’s only connecting with Krishna that’s going to give me happiness and focus on Krishna. So, we could say this world is like a testing ground where, say, a student is subjected to multiple choice exams.
So, Maya is like the teacher who sets the paper. And in that paper, there are multiple choices. Sometimes people ask, if God wants us to do good things, then why are there so many bad choices? And there are also few good choices.
But that’s the way it is always in any multiple choice exam. Isn’t it? The wrong options are four and the right option is only one. Now, choosing the option is not just based on probability.
It is based on education. So, the teacher’s purpose in giving the wrong options is not to fail the student. The teacher’s purpose is to ensure that the student internalises what has been taught and then makes the right choice.
So, Maya, at one level, we can say that she allures us. And we could say she tempts us and she misleads us. But that’s not her ultimate purpose.
It’s in the Bhagavata where it says Vaishnavi Janmohini. She is Janmohini. She deludes people.
But she is also Vaishnavi. She is a devotee of the Lord. So, what she wants to do is when we use our God-given intelligence, study Krishna’s message, we understand that what is the ultimate purpose of life.
And then when she presents the options. So, when the multiple choices come before us, they force us to internalise what we have learnt. And then if we internalise it, then we will choose Krishna.
If we keep that knowledge externalised, superficial, then we will choose the options that are handled by Maya. So, Maya is Krishna’s energy which allures us and thereby educates us about the futility of the wrong options. So, Vishal Prabhupada was once asked, if my purpose is to serve Krishna, then why is Maya so strong? I want to serve Krishna, but then Maya is tempting me, tormenting me.
What should I do? Vishal Prabhupada replied immediately, since your purpose is not strong. So, your purpose is not strong. So, going back to that multiple choice exam, sometimes in some games, there may be five options, but some option may pop up prominently.
It may pop up prominently. But just because an option is popping up, doesn’t necessarily mean it is the right option. We have to use our intelligence to choose.
So, like that, based on our particular conditionings, some options may pop up. Maya may present, come on, do this, eat this, watch this, touch this. But just because it is popping up, doesn’t mean it is the right option.
We need to choose the right option carefully. So, if we use our God-given intelligence to study Krishna’s message, then Maya is like a stern teacher who, through a rigorous exam, forces us to internalise that message. So, Maya is not our enemy.
Maya is not our, we cannot say that she is directly our friend also. She is a teacher. She is strict, but she is not malevolent.
Her purpose is also to help us. But the way she helps us is, there is Krishna and Krishna’s representatives. They invite us to make the right choices.
Whereas Maya invites us to make the wrong choices and then gives us the consequences of those wrong choices. Don’t come this way. So, both ways, the purpose is the same.
But Maya’s way is often a way of distress, of temptation and tribulation. Whereas the way of Krishna, as given by his devotees, that is the way much more peaceful and much more joyful. So, was there one question which somebody had yesterday? Okay, maybe that devotee is not here.
So, we have got something here? One last question. In the example of the parrots, we often see that forgetfulness plays a strong role in making love. But how strong does this impression have to be and how do we develop this strong impressions and continuously build up? Okay, that’s a good question.
So, how do we overcome the material world’s tendency for forgetfulness and build strong impressions so that we can persevere in our relationship with Krishna? Yes, the impressions are important. But along with that, the intentions are also important. So, we will get supports.
Occasionally, periodically there are festivals, sometimes we go to pilgrimages where we may get intense spiritual impressions. And they will become sweet memories for us. So, whenever we get some special devotional experiences, we need to cherish that.
Maybe write it down, maybe click some photos and revisit them regularly. With respect to sensual impressions, the mind revisits them automatically. If we have seen some sight, we have eaten some food, we have done something, the mind automatically goes in that direction.
So, worldly impressions will be cherished automatically by the mind. But devotional impressions need to be consciously cherished. Sometimes we may have had thrilling experiences.
Just forget them. And then sometime later, maybe years later, again we have a special experience. It was so good and I remember I experienced this.
How did I forget this? So, we do have special experiences during our spiritual life. And those experiences can be life changing. But for them to change our life, we need to cherish them.
Consciously, conscientiously. Now, along with that, with respect to our intentions, they are largely shaped by our association. So, in the sadhaka stage, we can keep our intentions strong by two main things.
By our intelligence and by our association. By our buddhi and by our sangha. So, I may decide to do a particular thing, but after sometime, I just don’t feel like doing it.
And when I don’t feel like doing it, what will make me persevere through that feeling? Either it is my intelligence or my association. So, we need to regularly nourish our intelligence. evam buddhe param buddhva With intelligence, situate yourself on the spiritual platform.
Krishna says in 3.43 in the Bhagavad Gita, Jiva Goswami stresses this. He says that it is buddhi that will keep us on the spiritual platform. So, as sadhakas, if we are nourishing ourselves by regularly studying, regularly hearing, then even when the feeling, I don’t want to do it, comes.
See, basically, the intentions get weakened by the emotions. I have a core intention, but there are many circumstantial emotions that come up. From either the situation or from my mind.
And my intention, when it gets obstructed by the emotion, then what will happen? That depends on which is stronger. Is the emotion stronger or is the intention stronger? Now, how strong the emotion is going to be, I don’t know. Sometimes I just don’t feel like doing it.
I’ll keep doing it. Sometimes I feel so averse, I don’t want to do it. So, that emotion strength we can’t predict.
That obstructing emotion’s presence, strength. But what we can do is, we can try to increase the strength of our intention. So, that intention strength can be increased by intelligence.
Although I don’t feel like doing it, but it is important for me. And this feeling is temporary. The mind’s feelings are not actually the soul’s feelings.
The mind’s feelings come and they go. The mind’s feelings are frequently the soul’s feelings. The soul feels because of the mind’s feelings.
A, we have decided to fast on Ekadashi. And somebody comes along and says, let’s eat food today. No, I’m going to fast today.
If we have made a resolution, just because somebody says, let’s eat, we will not eat. But that’s just that same proposition, instead of coming externally, if it comes internally. Hey, let’s eat.
Yeah, let’s eat. Why not? So, what happens? Just because it comes internally, we take it far less critically than what we would take externally. So, we have to understand that everything inside me is not me.
All the feelings that I feel, they are not necessarily my feelings. Just as people outside may propose certain things which are against my intentions. Similarly, the mind inside me also may propose certain things which are against my intentions.
So, we have to, I wrote an article on this topic called, Identify the mind, don’t identify with the mind. Identify the mind. I don’t feel like doing this.
Rather than thinking that I don’t feel like doing this, the mind doesn’t feel like doing it. That is not my work. When I take ownership of that feeling, then I am identifying with it.
Then it becomes very difficult to proceed here. But I identify it. No, I am not feeling it, the mind is feeling it.
Now, I have to work with my mind. I can’t just wish it away. So, I acknowledge the mind is feeling like that.
But how do I deal with it? Just like if we need to do something, we need to go for a programme, I need some devotee to come with us. And that devotee is not coming. We may decide, what do I do now? How do I persuade that devotee? How do I take that devotee along? So, we may have to make a plan.
But we understand, this devotee is different from me and I have to somehow find a way to persuade him. So, like that if I see this feeling is coming from my mind, somehow I have to get my mind to be persuaded. Then, if we identify the mind, instead of identifying with the mind, then when the unfavourable emotion comes, we can persevere through that.
And that requires intelligence and along with that, association. Even if you don’t feel like doing something, if others are doing it enthusiastically, that gives us inspiration to do it. So, by focussing on sharpening our intelligence and by keeping ourselves in good association, we can persevere with our intentions even when the impressions are not there.
And when we treasure the impressions, whenever we get them, then we recollect those impressions and they will also create some positive feelings. Sometimes we feel, I just don’t feel like practising this bhakti. But then we remember, but that time it was so ecstatic.
That time I felt as if I don’t want to do anything else in my life. This is so sweet. Those feelings have not gone away.
They are just covered because of the moods. So, no matter how anti-devotionally we feel, if we just hold on to Krishna, the feeling will go away and Krishna will remain. So, we just need to hold on to Krishna.
And gradually, the impressions themselves will change. And then we naturally want to hold on to Krishna. Then bhakti will become much more easy and much more joyful.
Thank you very much.