​If we feel worried the same way as we felt before practicing bhakti, is something wrong with our bhakti practice?

Answer Podcast

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
so even after we start practicing bhakti our response to situations remains similar we get problems with anxiety is the knowledge simply theory or is it being applied there are two different things here we can’t expect artificially that we become completely stoic when problems come anxiety is natural the crucial thing is not the anxiety but what comes after anxiety that means that in one sense whenever there is a problem fear is a natural response to a problem and in one sense it is a natural and necessary response if a child is leaning out of a balcony and doesn’t feel fearful the parents will become fearful so when problems are there, when dangers are there fear is a natural and necessary response but what is the problem is what comes after fear after fear if we let our mind go on an imagination this goes wrong, this goes wrong that goes wrong, that goes wrong then they will become overwhelmed just yesterday I gave a talk on the whole topic of how to deal with worry when the mind cries wolf don’t fall for its bluff the mind cries wolf makes problems much bigger than what they are so we have to become like basically when we practice bhakti we become like fire fighters now when there is a big fire even a seasoned fire fighter will become a little scared now a neophyte fire fighter becomes completely panicked panic struck now both will feel fear the difference is in the case of seasoned fire fighters in the seasoned fire fighters reflexes are trained so although there will be some fear so come on, see the fire is small over there, let’s put some water over there there is a spring into action to deal with the problem so similarly for us anxiety will naturally come but if we skip practicing bhakti we will become seasoned fire fighters that means we will be able to our spiritual reflexes will become sharper and we will take corrective steps so whenever there is worry as they say chintan karo so we will direct our thoughts towards Krishna don’t expect that worries will not come on you worries will come but we will not let ourselves we will not let ourselves get consumed by the worry we will take calm down let me think about Krishna and after thinking about Krishna once we feel some calmness some clarity then we can think practically about how to deal with the problem so in the Mahabharata Abhimanyu passes away, Abhimanyu is killed actually Arjuna is angry, Arjuna is first grief struck then he is angry and Arjuna is grief struck, at that time Krishna doesn’t tell Arjuna Krishna I told you I told you you are not the body, Abhimanyu is also not the body why are you grief struck, why are you ignorant like this Krishna is very sympathetic Krishna is very caring consoling, encouraging and gradually Krishna gets Arjuna back on the path of Dharma so there are certain natural human reactions to events so some problem comes up anxiety is a natural human reaction spirituality is not about suppressing the natural human reaction it is about transcending the natural human reaction that means the natural human reaction it is not that I should never feel any fear, show any fear should not feel any fear, it is not like that yes, I will feel fear but then I transcend it by raising my consciousness to a higher level of reality and we can transcend that human reaction and so you have to find out within your practice of Bhakti what is it that can quickly direct your consciousness towards Krishna in the Gaudiya Vishnu tradition this is called as Uddipan Uddipan is spiritual stimulus so if you find that Kirtans are what direct your consciousness quickly towards Krishna have some Kirtans close to you, ready for you so you can hear them or if you have a picture of Deities which attract you very much then have those Deities close to you and through those Deities you can move closer, by praying to the Deities you can move closer to Krishna that way if you focus that way find out what is your spiritual stimulus by that you can focus and you can move closer to Krishna