How can we prevent sense enjoyment from depriving us of Krishna’s shelter?

Anwser Podcast

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
We try to build a, we try to make Krishna our home but then the wolf of material desire, sense enjoyment comes and pops and blows up the house. So, what should we do? Yeah. Actually, rather than saying that Krishna, that sense enjoyment blows away the house, what simply happens is that the sense enjoyment distracts us from Krishna.
It is not that the shelter itself is destroyed. Shelter is always available. It’s more like sense enjoyment allures us out of the shelter.
So, over a period of time, we will ourselves realize that okay, I’m falling for sense enjoyment but actually there’s not really much enjoyment here. There is enjoyment but it is so little. And over a period of time, when we compare that with the fulfillment in the practice of bhakti, it is enough.
That realization will come. The important thing for us is to not become disheartened and give up the practice of bhakti. Even if our attachments hold on to us, still, we can hold on to Krishna.
What does that mean? Because of my attachments, I may be pulled into some activity, some wrong thing, some sense enjoyment. But what after that? It is not that my attachments are submerging me in sense enjoyment for 24 hours a day, for 365 days a year. If you consider the sensory desires, they come like spikes.
For some time, our consciousness is calm and suddenly the desire becomes very strong. At that time, we fall for it. But what after that? After that, instead of just beating ourselves, why did I do that? At that time, we just turn towards Krishna.
Okay, I did that. It’s over now. Let me practice bhakti.
Because what is happening, if I just beat myself, why did I do that? All that we are doing is we are simply continuing to be Krishna unconscious. And Krishna unconsciousness means that we don’t become strong, we don’t become purified. The same mind, the mind is very devilish.
The mind first allures us to do something wrong and then the mind becomes a judge and sentences us, you fool, why did you do something wrong? And in both ways, when we do something and fall for the sense enjoyment, we are mind conscious. And then we are beating ourselves, why did I do that? Why did I do that? At that time also we are mind conscious. So when will we become Krishna conscious? The point is, if we consider this graph of time versus consciousness, sometimes our desires may shoot up.
At that time we may not be able to resist it. But what about in between? In between, while our consciousness is not so agitated by sense desires, at that time we wholeheartedly take shelter of Krishna. That will make us purified.
That will make us strong. And as we become purer and stronger, then eventually when the spike also comes, we will be able to resist it. So the important thing is no matter what happens, don’t become disheartened in practicing bhakti.
So in one sense, wrongdoing is a temptation. Sense gratification is a temptation which we should try to avoid. But discouragement is also a temptation.
Temptation is anything that keeps us away from Krishna is a temptation. So sense gratification can be a temptation, but discouragement can also be a temptation. Sometimes we may not be able to resist sense gratification, but we should at least resist discouragement.
Okay, it’s happened. Let me keep practicing. And by that we will be able to gradually become purified and learn to resist it.
So we may sometimes be pulled out of the house of Krishna bhakti. Out of remembrance of Krishna. But as soon as we realize, hey, to come out.
It’s like I say, now it is here, it’s cozy. But when we go out, it’s freezing cold. We are pulled out, hey, it’s so cold.
We come back inside again. Again we are pulled out, but as soon as we realize, come back inside. It’s not that I am pulled out and hey, why did I go out? Why did I go out? Why am I going now? Why are you staying outside? Okay, so we are pulled out, it’s okay.
Go back inside. And another thing is, if we find out that there are certain stimuli, certain situations, certain circumstances where we are more prone to fall to the sense desires, we can try to avoid those circumstances. We can create some preventive measures to protect ourselves from tempting situations.
By that, the probability that even when the impulses come, we may not succumb to them. But more important is, just keep practicing bhakti, no matter what happens. And gradually within our mind, this will register.
Actually, sensory pleasure is so temporary. Krishna conscious happiness is so enriching. And then we will be able to make the right choice consistently.
Even if we can’t make the right choice right now, we somehow slip to the wrong choice. As soon as we realize it, come back to the right choice. Does that answer your question?