How to absorb ourselves in Krishna instead of problems?

Answer Podcast

Transcript

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how to absorb ourselves in Krishna rather than the problem yes generally we have to during our regular practices of bhakti find out activities that very easily and quickly connect us with Krishna in the bhakti example hindu there is a word used called uddipan uddipan means spiritual stimulus so spiritual stimulus means those spiritual objects which stimulate our thoughts towards Krishna just like in the material world all of us have our own particular temptations that we are vulnerable to somebody might be say attached to a particular sport somebody might be attached to a particular movie star somebody might be attracted to a particular TV serial now we have our own particular temptations towards which we are attracted that means as soon as we are exposed to them our thoughts immediately start rolling in that direction now what those temptations are for you will be different from what they are for me it’s the same for everyone just as there is this individuality and whatever is our particular weakness vulnerability, we have to protect ourselves but that same individuality also applies in the spiritual some of us may be more attracted to pupils some of us may be more attracted to shloka recitation some of us may be more attracted to deity worship some of us may like to cook for Krishna, some of us may like to immerse ourselves in scriptures we just like to hear and even in hearing some of us may like to hear a particular devotee some of us may like to recite so we have to find out within the broad purview of devotional service what is it that enables us to quickly absorb ourselves in Krishna and once we have found that we make that as easily and readily available as possible so then if there is a particular darshan of Krishna’s Gita which really makes me feel connected then keep that in one’s phone, keep one’s pictures and whenever the mind gets agitated by some problem, immediately look at that at that time when the mind is agitated when we have to deal with the mind we cannot go in with a with a pre-decided action plan because the mind does not work predictably all the time so we have to by dealing with the mind, we have to have the approach of whatever works as I said chanting, studying scriptures all these are wonderful, they are powerful but sometimes the mind may be in such a recalcitrant way sometimes the mind may be so adamant that particular things may not work at particular time so we have to look back at our own experience and see what is it that connects us with Krishna very easily and we should if we keep those things available then immediately we will be able to connect with Krishna so if you like kirtans then maybe a particular dhoon particular song, particular kirtan keep that readily available and we can say that actually Krishna is manifesting his mercy to us Krishna is making himself accessible to us through that particular manifestation so through this at least at an immediate level when the problems start dominating our consciousness we can pull our consciousness towards Krishna we are conscious of many things in this world but when problems happen the problems come with a come inbuilt with a problematic mental glue that means when the problems come we stick to our mind not a think of this, think of that this mind is stuck over there you know sometimes something come with a glue or a tie stuck and we have to rip it apart pull it out, drag it out and get it somewhere else and dragging it out is not very easy so that’s why if we have some ready way to get the mind towards Krishna then that is what we can access at that time in general sometimes the scriptures tell us that the mind is like an enemy the mind is an enemy and we have to be very careful about it yes the mind is an enemy but at the same time the mind is something which we have to live with not only something we have to live with our mind is the only mind we have it’s not like a replaceable part so we can’t always have an antagonistic attitude towards the mind we have to be aware that the mind can cause a lot of danger but we have to learn to live with the mind and one of the best metaphors I have found for dealing with the mind is metaphor of a say a mother and a child our intelligence has to be like a mother and a mind is like a child so now sometimes the child starts crying now mothers know that there are all kinds of creative ways we have to use to pacify the child sometimes the child just gives a toy and the child becomes happy sometimes the child doesn’t become happy so there is no preset formula but we have to be firm at the same time we have to be gentle both combinations are there and we have to make the child become peaceful sometimes we try for a little time then it will become peaceful, whatever it takes so if we just because the child is demanding something we don’t have to necessarily give it if the child is upset that doesn’t mean we have to accede to its request but we have to be aware of it this is what is happening and I have to see how to pacify the child so like that chanchala restlessness restlessness chanchala that adjective is often used to refer to children also now if we treat the mind like a child that means we won’t trust it implicitly and the mind is thinking of problems we understand this is not the best thing to do and I have to redirect it and how do I redirect it that’s where we have to use our creativity that’s where we have to use our intelligence and so first thing I said is that we try to find out our stimuli by which we can connect with Krishna and be readily keep that readily available second thing is that we need to be mature like a mother so that we can pacify the child like mind when it gets obsessed with something so the child starts I want this toy I want this toy so now at that time the mother has to be expert in dealing with it similarly we have to become expert so when we want to take when we want to absorb ourselves in Krishna at that time we should know that we will pass through a phase of poison Krishna says that which tastes like poison in the beginning will taste like nectar in the end so that process of pulling the mind out of the problem and fixing it on Krishna that may seem like poison initially but dwelling on the problem is like the path of least resistance because that’s what the mind wants to think about it’s the path of least resistance in one’s thinking about the problem but that path ends in a lot of trouble because the more we think of the problem the more we become depressed the more we feel negative the more we start becoming resentful so thinking about the problem might seem easy initially but it’s a lot of trouble eventually but pulling the mind away from the problem and getting it towards Krishna it is difficult but whatever it is that we decide to do I am going to study scripture and I am going to get my mind off this problem I am going to hear whatever we do the mind will not immediately agree with it we will go through a phase of poison 18.35 Krishna says it will taste like poison in the beginning nectar in the end so we have to perceive here I can’t do it it’s too much but the poison is not going to last forever it’s only a layer so when we don’t feel like thinking about Krishna don’t feel like focusing on Krishna the poison is only going to initial layer just penetrate through that layer after that there is going to be there is going to be the nectar the relief that comes the joy that comes from absorbing Krishna so that way by having Arudhipan by being mature like a child and by persevering in the process of connecting with Krishna we can move from problem consciousness to Krishna consciousness don’t tell tell God how big your problems are tell your problems how big God is so rather than being problem conscious Krishna is far far bigger so ultimately if you have studied the philosophy you will understand Krishna is bigger than this problem and Krishna will help me to deal with this problem so I don’t have to get so agitated about this Krishna will take care so basically I will talk more about this in a later class letting go and letting Krishna do things as long as we feel that I have to solve the problem then we can’t stop thinking about the problem but we understand that Krishna is there and Krishna can deal with this problem better than what I can deal with and let me just focus on Krishna and let Krishna deal with this problem if we let go if we understand that normally we think that things are either in my control or things are out of my control and this problem is out of my control what should I do but if we are Krishna conscious we understand that things that are out of my control are not out of control they are out of my control but they are still in Krishna’s control and I have done my part let me let go let Krishna take care so as long as we position ourselves as controllers who can solve the problem we will not be able to stop thinking about the problem but as soon as we position ourselves as servants I am a servant of Krishna, my one service is to solve this problem but solving this problem is not my whole life I have a life in which I can serve Krishna in many other ways so let me not stop my life just because this problem is there I will serve Krishna in other ways if we position ourselves as servants and Krishna as our lord then we will be able to let go of that particular situation and continue our connection with Krishna our service to Krishna through other ways and then eventually we will be able to with that rejuvenation that comes from connection with Krishna we will find out how best to deal with the problem