How can we avoid falling repeatedly to a wrong desire?
Answer Podcast
Transcript
This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
So, after knowing that something is wrong, we do it and then we regret it. How can we avoid this? First thing is that we are meant to be devotees of Krishna.
We are not meant to be frustrated devotees of renunciation. Frustrated devotees of renunciation means we are constantly thinking, I decided I will not do it. Why did I do it? I decided I will not do it.
Why did I do it? So, it is like if we consider the graph of our desires, sometimes the graph spikes up. Sometimes when the desire becomes so strong that it is impossible to resist it. But if you look at our overall graph, it is not that the spikes are there 24 hours a day.
The spikes come occasionally, maybe once a day, once a week, whatever objective, whatever particular attachment we are talking about. What about the remaining time? So, okay, the spike has come, but what am I doing in the remaining time? The mind is so tricky that the mind plays a double role. You know, first it allures us and makes us do a krama.
And then it sits on the court judge and sentences us. That means what? First the mind says, hey, come on, you know, the mind is saying, we may want to die, we want to regulate our food. The mind says, come on, eat this.
You can take one, one more, one more. And then after a while the mind says, you fool, why did you eat? When will you learn? Hundreds of times you have done the same thing. You are good for nothing.
You are hopeless. So, what is happening? In both cases, we are mind conscious, non-Krishna conscious. So, what we need to do is, actually, okay, when the desire comes, when the spike comes, many times it may be resistive.
But what after? Okay, I did something wrong. Let me not think about it. Let me try to do something constructive.
Let me try to connect with Krishna. So, our spiritual growth will not be determined so much by what we do with the spikes, during the period of spikes, as what we do in between the periods. So, in between, if we are connecting with Krishna regularly, we are doing constructive activities, that will be purifying us.
That will be strengthening us. And then by that purification and strengthening, eventually we will come to the level when the spike comes also, we will be able to fight it. But if we try to define our bhakti only in terms of the spikes, if I can resist the spike, then I am a good devotee.
Otherwise, I am useless devotee. Then we will always stay under the influence of the mind. So, do not define the bhakti in terms of battling with that particular desire.
Focus on connecting with Krishna. And gradually, that negative desire, we will be able to overcome it.