How can we develop attachment to Krishna if we don’t have it initially?

Podcast:

Disclaimer: This transcript was generated using AI and may contain occasional errors or inaccuracies.

Summary

Attachment to Krishna doesn’t have to be present from day one; it can naturally develop over time through consistent bhakti practice.

Key Insights on Building a Relationship with Krishna

• Not an All-or-Nothing Start: You do not need absolute attachment in the beginning; starting for social reasons, community, or to please parents is completely fine.

• Practice Cultivates Attraction: Consistently engaging in the practices of bhakti will naturally manifest and increase your attraction to Krishna over time.

• The Danger of Purely Mechanical Action: Without even a baseline desire for a relationship, your spiritual interactions become mechanical and devoid of genuine connection.

• Openness Beats Instant Love: You don’t have to love Krishna immediately, but you do need openness and curiosity to get to know Him for the relationship to grow.

• Presence Matters: Being present not just physically, but with your full attention, intention, and consciousness during spiritual activities is what transforms practice into real affection.

• Mutual Divine Interest: While human relationships require mutual effort, Krishna as the indwelling divinity is already present within your heart and is always interested in connecting with you.

Full Transcription

So if one does not have attachment to Krishna then will they develop it in time or do they need it right in the beginning it’s not a one zero thing it is we can say we have some reason why we are practicing Krishna maybe it could be that everybody in our community is practicing that’s why we are practicing and then we can say I like my community that’s why I am practicing maybe our parents told us to do it we were born in a family like that our parents are doing it that’s why we want to do it now we want to please our parents that’s why we do it that’s ok so at one level however we start that is fine and eventually if we practice bhakti if we keep doing the practices of bhakti that attraction to Krishna will manifest it will increase now having said that it is at least we need to have the desire for that attraction if we don’t even have the desire for that attraction then our interactions will become very mechanical say it’s like sometimes we are talking with a person and that person is looking at their watch that person is looking here, looking there that person is giving us a dozen signals that they just want to leave now we may have something very important to talk with them but it’s easy to get annoyed natural to get annoyed and eventually we say ok you know if you are not interested then I won’t force you, you can go so maybe that person is really busy and that person has to go somewhere urgent but then you can say you know right now I have only few minutes can you talk more later so the idea is in a relationship if one person just doesn’t want to be there then that relationship can’t grow now it could be that one person may be much more interested in the relationship the other person may be less interested but the other person at least needs to have some interest for the relationship to grow so in one sense Krishna as the indwelling divinity is always there within our hearts so Krishna is interested in our relationship now we say it’s like we are meeting someone but if we just don’t want to be there in the meeting now we may not like that person so between liking that person and disliking that person there is a space ok I want to get to know this person maybe I don’t like them right now but maybe I will find something likeable about them so I am at least open to it I am curious so that openness is also there then we may find something likeable in that person and then that interaction will lead to a growth of affection within them so when we are practicing bhakti we are actually in one sense bringing ourselves in the presence of Krishna or we are invoking the presence of Krishna so when we are doing that it’s like we are meeting a person we should want to be there maybe that’s not the place we want most important thing for us but ok right now I am here I want to be here so in that sense if we are present not just physically present but present with our attention present with our intention present with our consciousness then that Krishna activity will lead to attraction towards Krishna