Overcome anxiety by focusing on state of thoughts not state of things

[Evening program at ISKCON, Chicago, USA]

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
Hare Krishna I am grateful to be here at the Lotus Feet of Sri Yukteswari. I thank all of you for coming here today evening. And I will speak on, the topic of managing our fears transforming our anxieties into intensity now the Bhagavad Gita in the 16th chapter signifies a striking contrast am I audible or is it too loud? is there echo? okay it’s a little lower yeah so sixteen point one and sixteen point eleven sixteen point one in the Bhagavad Gita this Bhagavad Gita 16th chapter talks about the divine and the demoniac natures so the in the divine nature when Krishna describes the quality he describes abhaya abhayaṁ sattva-saṁśuddhi-jñāna-yoga-vya-vastati so he says those who are of a godly disposition they are free from fear and in contrast in sixteen point eleven when he’s describing the ungodly the first thing he says is chintam aparineyam ca prayantam vāśhitaḥ chintam, chintam is anxiety which is the opposite of fearlessness fearfulness and how much fearfulness? aparineyam ca, immeasurable and this anxiety goes on till the moment of death prayantam vāśhitaḥ till the moment of death now all of us have various fears in life and in a sense fear is just natural because fear is a natural reaction to the perception of danger if I am looking down from a hundred story building I look down feel some fear instantaneously that fear which comes makes me move away from there and that fear protects us from doing something foolhardy now if a child is looking down from a hundred story building from a window or balcony and a child is fearless seeing the fearless child will make the mother fearful what are you doing come out so if that fear is not there one may end up doing foolhardy things so fear itself is not bad fear is simply a natural reaction to danger the problem is when it becomes not fear but fearfulness so instead of okay when I’m looking at peering out tall building at that time if I feel fear it’s good but after I have come away from that window and still the thought of that dizzy height that dizzying height keeps going on in my mind and I start imagining what if I fall down oh I’m falling down no what if I fall down if that obsesses us then it becomes a problem so when we become full of fear then it becomes a problem so now when Krishna is saying abhayam that those who are godly they are fearless and in contrast he says those ungodly the they’re fearful so normally we think that yes when I was close to that that age I was fearful now I moved away from the danger my fear should go and we all we all prepare for possible dangers and that way we try to address our fears so for example now we all may have fear what if I fall sick what if I don’t have money for treatment in that the way we deal with that fear is by saving by having health insurance and this is natural now we all hope that as we become more financially secure as we become more socially stable our fears will go down as we make more and more arrangements for security our fears will go down that is our hope Krishna here says that for these ungodly people so the fears never go down pralayantam upashyataha till the moment of death there are fears and also he says that chintam aparimeyam immeasurable anxieties so we all have specific worries okay this may go wrong that may go wrong I had to prepare for this I had to prepare for that but the people who just as I said fearful filled with fear immeasurable anxieties and what is the cause of this he mentions the second part of the verse sometimes we can refer to Sanskrit verses by their lines as ABCD so A and B the first two lines CD the third both lines so sixteen point eleven A and B talk about this pervasive fearfulness anxiety and C and D talk about its cause and he says kama upabhoga parama etavad iti nishchikaha these people why do they feel so fearful kama upabhoga they have decided that enjoying material things is etavad iti nishchikaha this is the goal of their life Shrila Prabhupada translates that as this is the prime necessity of life so Krishna is telling that what is the cause of anxiety is materialism a materialistic worldview which assumes that material pleasures are the essential and ultimate goal of life kama upabhoga parama etavad iti nishchikaha they are totally convinced about it it is said that the problem with the world is that the wise are doubtful and the foolish are cocksure the foolish are completely confident the wise those who are practising the spiritual path they say does God really exist is the soul really there but those who are materialistic they are completely confident you know if I just get this raise pay raise if I just get this promotion if I just get this house if I just get this spouse I am going to be happy they’re completely convinced about it so now there is nothing wrong in seeking material things we all need material things in life we need money we need position we need relationships we need family the point is mistake is when these alone become our source of security when these become the purpose of life so kama upabhoga parama etavad iti nishchikaha parama they make this the supreme goal of life money is the means for living but for many but materialism makes money into the purpose for money is what we live with but materialism makes us live for money be living with money we live for money and when that happens then we subject ourselves to unlimited image unending and immeasurable anxieties so Krishna is talking about immeasurable in terms of quantity and unlimited in terms of duration if we buy into a materialistic worldview then the anxieties will go on and on in time and in quantity now why is that now what has materialism got to do with anxiety the materialistic worldview holds that matter is all that matters so basically we could say there are two kinds of materialism there fanatical is fanatical materialism normally we associate the word fanatical with religion you know fanatical religions are those which say that this is the mine is the only way my way or as in the highway but religion is don’t say my way or the hell way you are going to go to hell in fact some extreme fanatical religions which is they even say not only are you going to go to hell we will help you get there faster so fanatical religion is a radical religion is that which says this is the only way this is the only reality so similarly fanatical materialism means material pleasure is the only goal of life not just matter is all that matters but matter is all that exists there is nothing beyond matter at all so most people are not fanatical materialists there are a few who are and fanatical materialism is actually totally irrational because if matter is all that existed then there is no difference between this mic and me because it is made essentially of the same atoms molecules fundamental but this mic has no free will if I take this garland and if I drop it I won’t drop it but if I drop it it has no free will whether to fall out it is going to fall but we all have free will so if matter will all that existed then there will be no explanation for free will because matter simply works according to impersonal laws of nature laws of physics but we all have free will so materialism is it’s an irrational fanatical materialism now most people don’t think so deeply they are simply functional materialists so there are fanatical materialists and there are functional materialists functional materialists means these are the people who think matter is all that matters if there is something non-material it doesn’t matter to me such people even if they believe in God okay God is happy there I am happy here let it be as it is let him stay happy there I’ll be happy so now when there is this function when we are when we believe that matter is all that matters then the problem practically speaking functionally speaking with this worldview is that we need matter for not just our existence but for our pleasure and not just for our pleasure but also for our sense of self-worth for security so what happens now material things are outside of us they are not in our control the more we depend on things that are not in our control the more we subject ourselves to anxiety because those things are just not in our control and thus materialism subjects us to anxiety because materialism makes us depend on material things material things be external to us are not in our control I will be say no they are in my control you know I have a job I have money if things go wrong I can set them right yes we can set things right but only to a certain extent in this material world there are things which can go wrong and nothing material can fix it we may have a lot of money but sometimes some people get a disease which is just not curable and throw all the money in the world but the disease is not curable sometimes if a relationship breaks apart you can’t repair a wounded heart by throwing money at it so some things are just not controllable by any material means so the more we depend on things that are not in our control the more it subjects us to anxiety now at one level our existence itself is in a state of anxiety because we always depend we always need things that are not in our control now for living itself right now so we need oxygen now we are not producing oxygen we need oxygen so the fact is that for living itself it is never that everything is in our control and we for our survival need things that are not in our control to go right but the more such things are the greater becomes our anxiety when we multiply the things that we think we need for our happiness for our security for our sense of self-worth the more we subject to anxiety the bhagavad-gita explains that we are parts of the whole 15.7 it is said the soul is eternally a part of Krishna and as a part we are naturally connected with the whole we are naturally sustained by the whole so we naturally depend on the whole for our existence and we will see in the routine conduct of our life we understand that there are certain things which we don’t need to worry about for example if we go on a flight now we need to worry whether I get there on time or not we need to worry that I am not carrying any forbidden substances that will get me into security trouble we need to worry that I carry the necessary documents the boarding pass the passport whatever it is but we don’t have we don’t ever worry what if the plane doesn’t have enough fuel and it crashes along the way what if while flying in the plane the pilot goes to sleep why don’t you worry about that because we understand in the system and that system will take care of things when I’m entering into a plane I have to do my part and the whole airport aeroplane company and the airport authorities their aviation authorities they will take care of other things so we worry about playing our part and the rest we don’t worry about it that’s how we normally function in day-to-day life not just with respect to say something external like flying even with something internal every time we may eat food we may worry if I lose my job where will my food come from and therefore we may work hard and we may make sure that there’s food on our table now that that is something we may need to worry how do I get my food but after we eat the food do we worry how the food will get digested we sit and meditate now the food has gone down the throat now it is going down the digestive canal now it is getting digested oh here it is not digested what is going to happen now we don’t worry about it actually the only time we think about our digestion is when it doesn’t work so we just depend and it’s something as simple as eating we are inherently dependent on things which we don’t even know about leave alone have control over so the point which I’m making here is inherently we are in a situation where something is in our control and much is not in our control so giving an example of food getting the food and eating it is my control but digesting it is not really my control I don’t even know how it happens but so if I do my part of eating the food properly the body will do the part of digesting it but if I eat too much if I eat food that is excessively spicy excessively pungent excessively oily excessively fatty whatever it is then actually I’m not doing my part well then that has affected so when we play the part of the part the whole takes care of the whole when I play the part of eating food properly and the body takes care of digesting it but when I eat inappropriately if I don’t play the part of the part then the whole we find that doesn’t take care of the whole then the whole because of sometimes over eating the whole body can get disrupted at the time some people treat their tongue like a conveyor belt just send everything down the truck everything down the tongue and the body gets clogged over there with all that excessive food that is there inside so the example of an aviation and to the example of digestion the point which I’m making is our existential condition is where something is our control and where there’s much that is not in our control but there is a balance if we take care properly of that which is in our control there are systems in place which take care of that which is not in our control but when we don’t do our part then things get disrupted so when we buy into a materialistic worldview we instinctively often unthinkingly shift our position from that of a part to that of the whole we think I want this for enjoying I want that for enjoying I want that for enjoying and therefore I’ll control all these things the same section of verses 16.11 is what we discuss there’s 16.14 and 15 Krishna says Ishwaroham aham bhogi siddho aham balvaan sukhi aadhyo abhijanvaan asmi Konyas tisadrisho maya yakshe dasyami modishya ittya gyanavi mohithah so Krishna says that at me Ishwaroham I am the controller aham bhogi I am the enjoyer this is the way this is the mentality that God gives us now when we start thinking that I am meant to control everything that subjects us to anxiety because we are not in control of everything when we think that we should be able to control everything so that we can enjoy that subjects us to anxiety so what do we do how do we deal with anxiety if you understand that anxiety is caused by a materialistic worldview which makes me think that I need to be the controller only when I am the controller then I will be the enjoyer and if I can’t be the controller and the enjoyer then what is the point of my life I am nothing so the materialistic worldview puts us into a track of thinking and living where anxiety is inevitable not only inevitable it actually keeps multiplying so how many people try to cover up their anxiety by making a show of enjoying most of the partying and exuberant enjoying that is there in the world extravagant enjoying that is simply a way of covering up one’s fears I once wrote a poem you know when people party and they say cheers so their hearts are filled with fears their hearts are filled with fears their minds are pierced by desires their minds are pierced by desires Krishna in the next verse says that asha pasha shatair baddha that bound by hundreds and thousands of desires so their hearts are filled with fears their minds are pierced by desires they are on the verge of tears and they say cheers so much of what we see as extravagant material enjoyment in materialistic circles it’s just a cover-up it’s a cover-up for deep and abiding anxieties people may have smiling faces but they have terrified hearts paranoid hearts everybody’s fearful material existence and once we so one way that people go when they face anxiety is cover it up cover it up just enjoy an exuberant way and think that everything is all right just forget all that is wrong but covering up doesn’t cure what is covered up eventually comes up suppose we are in a house and a lot of dirty things in the house lot of mess is there and a guest is coming so what we do is push it under the carpet and say what is there push it under the carpet and like that 25 things are under the carpet then what has covered up comes up the whole carpet is filled with lumps and when the carpet is filled with lumps then what is going on over here so what is covered up comes up eventually like a covered by a carpet so actually materialistic people may put on a lot of show of happiness but within there is a lot of anxiety in fact sociologists are talking about a anxiety epidemic so one way of dealing with anxiety is covering it up another way of dealing with anxiety is by trying to get more and more control I have more money I have more power I have more contacts then if things go wrong then I’ll give it this is this is useful but if this is done with a materialistic worldview I get more money more power more contacts whatever it is if it is done with the materialistic worldview then more is never enough because no matter how much control I have actually even the source of control is outside that means if I have security through money then the problem is that the money is also outside me so I am I am trying to control one thing outside me with another thing outside me so this gives me control over this but what gives me control on this so I may have a lot of security coming from my bank balance but what if the bank itself crashes what do I do at that time what if the currency itself devalues what if the economy itself goes into recession so just trying to increase external control doesn’t lead to relief from anxiety so then what is the solution the spiritual solution is to change our understanding of the purpose of life changing our understanding of the purpose of life means that we understand that I am ultimately defined by my consciousness how happy I am depends not on the state of my bank balance it depends on the state of my thoughts I may have a very high bank balance but if my thoughts are agitated it won’t make me happy so the state of my thoughts that is my consciousness that is going to determine whether I am happy or whether I am unhappy the state of thoughts can be influenced by externals but there is no necessary one-to-one correlation between an external state of affairs and internal state of the mind sometimes some people in the past nowadays in progress where countries where there’s a lot of technological progress people pity the primitives in the past people used to work in farms and in the burning hot Sun you know they used to sweat they were so miserable now we work in posh air-conditioned offices now we are so comfortable yes in the past people may sweat because of the heat we may be in air-conditioned rooms and here we sweat because of anxiety because of stress so we are comfortable and we are comfortably miserable so actually when the when source of control is also outside us it is never and something or the other will cause us anxiety and so there is no correlation necessarily between the state of things and state of thoughts so it’s hot it’s hot outside so I mean I am irritated but it will be comfortably cold outside but still I will be irritated because of something else so yes state of things affects the state of thoughts but state of thoughts is also different it is not that just attaining the state of things will lead to the attainment of state of thoughts so money can buy a comfortable bed but money cannot buy a good sleep comfortable bed is a state of things comfortable sleep is a state of thoughts and the mind is rested properly so now most endeavour in the materialistic world view is to get a state of things if I just get to this state of things then I will become happy then my problems will be solved now certainly certain states of certain states of things are more uncomfortable than other states of things and changing states of things is perfectly fine if I’m sick I should take a medicine if I’m cold I should wear a sweater that’s fine but when we make such change of change changing state of things as the primary goal of life and think that this is what will make me happy then we subject ourselves to frustration then our anxiety simply go on and on and on so the two the Bhagavad Gita says rather than seeing the state of things as a means to state of thoughts improving state of things as a way to improve state of thoughts the Bhagavad Gita says start the other way first work on the state of thoughts and then you can find out how best to work on the state of things so first work on the state of thoughts means that we change our worldview the Bhagavad Gita begins by telling Arjuna you are not a material creature you are a spiritual being that is a fundamental change in the state of thoughts that you are not this perishable body you are beyond destruction just understanding that I am the soul not just in an abstract conceptual sense but in an internalised sense that itself can bring relief I am beyond destruction the problem in this world whatever they are going to come they don’t they actually can’t even touch me leave alone hurt me or destroy me at my core I’m not going to be hurt by these problems and but somebody may say okay I’m the soul but still it is the soul is in a body and material things do matter yes they do matter but the fundamental sense of security then we can deal with other things appropriately we are souls who are in material bodies and the material body is called as often the Kshetra of the soul Kshetra refers to traditionally refers to field or it is the area of control a farmer who has a field can plough in that field sow the appropriate seeds and get the crops the farmer can’t sow in somebody else’s field so we all have certain Kshetra we all have a certain sphere of control that is shaped by our body and when I say shaped by our body it is not just physical some people may have a huge body as soon as they come in people become fearful what is this person going to do some people may have a tiny body so that that is one level how much our sphere of control is shaped but that is only one thing some people may have a small body but they may have a big brain not physically big brain but they have huge intelligence and they can they can they have so much power because of that so Kshetra basically refers to the body mind tool that we have and whatever attributes it has so all of us have a certain level of control which comes with having a particular body now all of us this Kshetra which we have is different a car cannot compete with a plane in terms of speed if speed becomes the sole criteria for evaluating a car will miserably fail but if economy is the criteria then a plane is far more expensive so what happens when we understand that all of us have different Kshetras all of us some of us have a car some of us have a plane some of us have a bike some of us have a boat we all have different vehicles but every vehicle has its advantages has its disadvantages so when we understand this is my vehicle this is my Kshetra let me see how I can control it then we can become free from the comparison anxiety the vehicle that we have is good enough for the destination we need to go to if God had wanted us so let me move on from the soul to the next part in the spiritual conception of life the first is soul the second is the soul is a part of the whole that whole is known by different names and different traditions the Bhagavad Gita reveals him to be Krishna so God Krishna he is the supreme controller there are certain things which are in our control and there are many things which are out of our control so the materialistic worldview only gives us two alternatives either things are in control or things are out of control but the spiritual worldview gives us a different vision that which is not in my control is not out of control that is in Krishna’s control so for example I have a particular kind of body now what I do with that body is in my control I can’t change my body this is the body that I have some people have great looks some people are not such great looks that is the body I have but the vehicle that we have is good enough for our journey once we understand that God is in control and that God is benevolent the God cares for us that for the whole everyone is a part and the whole cares for every part pitaham asyagato mata dhata pitamah I’m the father of everyone in the universe so Krishna cares for everyone that means we understand that Krishna has provided each one of us what we need for our growth if God had wanted us to be someone else God would have made someone else now he has made you you he has made me me now I don’t have to become you you don’t have to become me I have to become the best me and you have to become the best you certainly change is required but the change is not in terms of horizontal I have to become like you it is vertical in the sense that I have to rise in consciousness and bring out the best me so this anxiety when we say comparison how is comparison related to anxiety see basically as I said anxiety comes when we are unable to control the things which we feel we should be able to control but we don’t need to control everything some person some people may be very charismatic you know as soon as they enter into a room all heads turn towards and when we enter into a room not one head turns you know I’m good I’m good for nothing but you know how many heads turn towards a person that is not the sole criteria of the value of a person and one criteria we may be meant to contribute in some other way so when we think that we should be able to control things the way others are able to control that itself is a misunderstanding we can learn from others we can become better but you don’t have to become like anyone else so the spiritual conception of life helps us to accept ourselves as we are not as we are in the sense that okay I am short-tempered I am like this I stay as it is no but at our core there are things are right there are some things they’re wrong at the periphery which need to be corrected but at our core things are right now that which is not in our control is in Krishna’s control with this understanding whatever situation we are in suppose we get worried about something then the way a devotee relates to this is Krishna I am your servant so I am going to serve you and in this situation how can I serve you the Prabhupada was asked what is the best prayer we can offer to Krishna Prabhupada said ask Krishna please give me the strength to serve you now what is the strength to serve you mean that means that as servants we also have some level of control our level of control is limited but it is there so when in any situation that we are in if we begin with that which is in our control then we can expand outwards so for example suddenly some big problem has come up and then the problem can be fixed I’ll have to do I’ll have to think how to fix it but the first thing that is in my control is my thoughts if I become worried if I become agitated if I become panicky then I just can’t do anything sometimes in panic we run here we do this we do that and everything that we do it simply makes things worse so instead the first thing that we have control over is our thoughts okay this problem has come let me that means the state of things has gone wrong so I have to set the state of things right but first let me get the state of thoughts right so what how do I get the state of thoughts right Krishna I am your servant please guide me how can I serve you so instead of thinking that I have to be the controller of the situation I understand that I am a part Krishna is the whole I have to play the part of the part so once we come back to this point whatever happens whatever goes wrong your Krishna will always be there in our heart we can always serve him he will never reject us so that position of being a servant of Krishna is the supremely secure position now in that position of service we may take various roles we may take a role as a mother you may take a role as a father you may take a role as a manager you may take a role as a leader you may take a role as a spiritual master but through it all we are servants if I identify myself as some of the roles that I am playing then the role any role requires a level of control which we don’t have inherently but if I see this role is a service I am essentially a servant Krishna how can I serve you once we begin with changing our thoughts this way then what happens we get our get the state of thoughts right and when the state of thoughts is right we can discern okay what is in my control what is not in my control in every situation that we are in there is something which is in my control something which is not in my control so for example so tomorrow I have a very important meeting maybe a very important interview if I can think what if I don’t get that interview right what if I can’t answer questions what if I don’t present myself properly what if I’m rejected what if I lose my job what is this what is that and I can just make myself completely paranoid paralysed petrified but if I think okay tomorrow is meant to be I have 12 hours now and right now I have one hour after that I have to do some other work so in this one hour let me prepare as well as I can let me revise let me study let me prepare what answers I need so yes that is in my control let me do that so the very same situation that caused me anxiety can bring me intensity anxiety comes when we focus on that which is not in our control intensity comes when we focus on that which is in our control and the whole idea that we are servants of Krishna the mind often the mind often makes us feel deprived no why should I be a servant no I’m an engineer I’m a doctor I’m a lawyer I so why should I be a servant but the point we think that being a servant is a deprivation it’s a degradation actually being a servant is the most empowering thing in all of creation why because as soon as I understand I’m a servant that means I remember what is my fundamental identity as a servant I may be I may act as engineer I may act as a doctor but when I begin with the idea that I am a servant then I remember that everything is not in my control so let me begin with that which is in my control so the idea of being a servant is to remember that our sphere of control is temporary is limited and begin with that and from that point we can expand so once I focus on that which is in my control that brings intensity and that intensity leads to productivity I do things right once I do things right then things start moving and getting right so from this once the state of thoughts is set right then we can work to change the state of things also but we work intelligently rather than working frantically trying to fix this fix that we understand what is in our control and we focus on that and that which is not in our control we don’t let it worry us because we understand that is in Krishna’s control so surrender has these both aspects in the Bible it is described towards the conclusion of the Gospels the Gospels are the section of the Bible which described the life of Jesus and towards the end when Jesus comes to know that tomorrow he is going to die so at that time he prays to God let this cup pass but he says let thy will be done let thy will be done that means he is talking about surrender to God in terms of accepting that which is not in one’s control in the Bhagavad Gita also there is talk of surrender Arjuna says Krishna tells Arjuna sarva dharman parityajya mam ekam charanam vraja this is in 18.66 and Arjuna says yes I will surrender and what does Arjuna say in 18.73 tarishe vachinam tava I will do your will it’s significant that Arjuna doesn’t say I will fight he could have said he will fight but Arjuna is no longer identifying himself in the Kshatriya thinking I am a warrior I am going to fight Arjuna identifies himself as a part as a part of the whole Krishna is the whole he is the part and he’s saying I will play the part of the part tarishe vachinam tava it is a statement of a devotee so Arjuna is identifying himself as a devotee and he is agreeing to do Krishna’s will so now what is the difference between these two statements let thy will be done and tarishe vachinam tava you could phrase it as I will do your will so both are forms of surrender sometimes when faced with things that are not in our control let thy will be done surrender we have the example of Draupadi raising her hands she did all that she could and when she couldn’t do anything more just surrender let thy will be done no surrender so surrender can be helpless helplessness just give we just give ourselves nothing is in my control Krishna Krishna all that is my control is my consciousness I offer that to you Krishna and I accept whatever happens in life but Arjuna doesn’t surrender in that way Arjuna surrenders by what not raising his hands and helplessness Arjuna raises his bow in readiness to fight so Arjuna surrender is through readiness so that means in different situations in life we surrender in different ways so when things are out of our control let thy will be done but in most situations even in that expression let thy will be done there is still a control over one’s thoughts rather than resenting what is happening why is this happening why is this happening why is this happening we will take control of our thoughts and we surrender to Krishna let thy will be done but at other times we all have some capacity to do things but focus on that so Arjuna his surrender is through readiness I will do your will so the way to deal with anxiety is to shift our focus to that which is in our control and to do the best there and to understand that that which is not in my control is in Krishna’s control and let him take care of it so the devotee lives in this way devotee can be actually having intensity devotee can be purposeful devotee can be working hard devotee can have goals devotee can aim for targets but a devotee doesn’t get overwhelmed by anxiety because the devotee remembers I am a part I am a I am a part and let me play the part of the part and then the whole will take care of the whole.
Krishna promises this in the Bhagavad Gita mat-chitta-sarva-durgani mat-prasada-dhanishyasi if you become conscious of me you will pass over all obstacles by my grace so I’ll summarise I spoke today about managing our fears by managing our thoughts that was the theme I spoke on changing the state of our thoughts before changing the state of things I talked about how when we face anxiety in life what is the cause of anxiety you may say this is out of control this is out of control that’s why I’m worried so fear or anxiety is a natural response to danger just like if I look down from a hundred story building I feel fear that is good fearfulness is the problem because at that time the fear doesn’t remain only when the danger is there the fear stays on even after even after danger has gone away and where does fearfulness come that comes because we have a materialistic world view materialistic world view makes us believe that material things are the goal of life so fanatical materialists think that matter is all that exists but then their free will itself can’t exist so it’s irrational most people are functional materialist they think matter is all that matters but then because material things are not in our control and we think that these are the things which define me which are the basis of my identity and security then we become subjected to anxiety. Anxiety which keeps multiplying in quantity and keeps extending in duration. And then how do we deal with anxieties? One way is just cover it up pretend to be happy but that cover up doesn’t work it’s like what is covered up under a blanket it comes up so like that people may pretend to be very happy in parties but if we see them in private or when they go to psychologist how many fears they have.
Some people try to deal with their fears by gaining more control more power more position more money this can give some security but the problem is that which is giving us control is also out of our control that is also external to us so that is another and some other way that also causes anxiety and the solution is to begin with that which is in our control that is the state of our thoughts ultimately our consciousness is what determines whether we will be happy or not. So we often think that the state of thoughts will be improved by the state of things. I am feeling irritated because it is so cold but I am feeling irritated because it’s so hot but even if it is comfortably cool still I may be irritated because of something else.
In the past people sweated because of working on the heat now people sweat because of despite being in AC because of because of stress. So state of things don’t automatically determine the state of thoughts and when we worry too much about changing the state of things that worsens the state of our thoughts. So we become comfortable but comfortably miserable and the solution is to begin with the state of the thoughts.
The Bhagavad Gita begins by changing Arjuna’s thoughts by changing his identity. We understand we are souls and as souls we are indestructible that itself brings us a significant sense of security amidst the uncertainty in the world and although we are indestructible we may say things outside matter to me. Yes then we move from the part and understand we are not just souls we are spiritual parts of a whole and the whole is in control of the whole.
So even in our very existence there are we always depend on things that are not in our control. When we fly in a plane we don’t bother about we can’t control we can’t bother about how much fuel there is we just take care of our part. When we eat food we don’t bother about whether the food how the food we digest.
We only focus on getting the right food. So we are inherently dependent on things that are not in our control but we need to even be when materialistic worldview makes us think that we are meant to be the controllers of everything or controllers of more than what we are controllers of and that causes anxiety. So spiritual worldview helps us understand we are souls and we are parts.
So that which is not in my control is not out of control that is in the control of and with this understanding we can focus on doing our part and knowing that Krishna will take care of the rest. So in any situation if I focus on that which is not in my control that causes anxiety but if I focus on that which is in my control that brings intensity and understanding that Krishna will take care of the rest it helps us to focus on what we can do the best and we all have while we say what is in my control that also varies from person to person we all have different Kshetras but we understand that we have the control that we need for going where we need to go. Spiritual understanding frees us from comparison anxiety because we don’t have to become like someone else.
Krishna had wanted us to be someone else he would have made someone else he has made us he has made me me and you you so that you can become not because you can become me but so that you can become the best and when we take shelter of Krishna then we focus on bringing out our best and while working we can surrender in both ways you know when nothing is in our control at least our thoughts in our control and then we surrender to Krishna let die will be done we surrender and when some things are in our control we focus on those I will do your will Krishna I am your servant and I will serve you so when we identify according to the role we are playing then we become worried about the things that are not in our control if I am a manager and I think this may go wrong that may go wrong then how can I control it I will get worried but if I understand I am a servant then by focussing on our basic identity we start with that which is in our control we get control over the state of our thoughts and then from there we can extend things outward and change the state of things as appropriate and whatever obstacles we face if we just play the part of the path we stay conscious of the whole Krishna Krishna will help us to deal with the obstacles he will help us to overcome the obstacles and thus we’ll move from our role as parts to becoming fulfilled by having the hold in our heart when Krishna is filled in our heart when Krishna fills our heart then there is the supreme security there’s a supreme happiness bhajahure mana shrinandanandana abhaya charanaravindare the godly people the bhagavad-gita says abhaya their abhaya comes their fearlessness comes not because there are no external fears for them it is because there is an internal supreme security for them and by the process of bhakti yoga we all can progress toward that supreme internal security by invoking krishna’s presence in our heart thank you very much so are there any questions or comments yes you can speak i’ll repeat um so if what should be the basis of our source of self-worth if seeking it external will cause anxiety now our self-worth comes from self-understanding that i am a soul i’m a part krishna and krishna loves me as i am now krishna’s love for us doesn’t depend on who we are krishna’s love for us depends on who he is who he is he is the all loving all benevolent lord and he always loves us now our experience of his love depends on who we are if we are caught in materialistic things we may not feel his love right now just like sun is giving light but if i close my eyes i can’t feel the light i can’t see the light but the light is still there so if we understand the philosophy of the bhagavad-gita properly then we will base our self-worth in our real identity as servants of krishna and that is a sense that is the sense of self-worth no one can ever take away no one can ever take away from us so ultimately we are relational beings and we often get our sense of self-worth through our relations and if somebody loves us then that gives a sense of securities i am worth in love if somebody rejects us if you hold on it will be i am not worth in love maybe i am i’m just being neglected maybe there’s nothing something wrong with me something somehow i am unworthy but if i understand that krishna always loves me and that itself gives us a sense of worth self-worth and from there we look at what has what has krishna given me now if we look at ourselves from the world’s mirror the world may glamorise certain things oh this is this ability that gift that talent the world may glamorise certain things and if we begin from what the world glamorises we will always have a sense of deficiency i don’t have this i don’t have that i don’t have this but instead if we begin that krishna is with me and krishna has given me what i need for my spiritual evolution for my growth for my for making contribution then we can look with it and we can okay i can do this well i can develop this i have this we all have abilities so when we talk about self-worth it is not just an abstract sensing krishna loves me but krishna’s love manifests in what he has given me and i use it so what we are is god’s gift to us what we become is our gift to god so i use the gifts that god has given me acknowledge them instead of seeing with the world’s eyes seeing what i don’t have i look objectively and see and then see that in god’s gift and use them so we can make we can do various contributions in this world according to our talents according to our positions and those contributions also add to our self-worth but they don’t become the source of the basis the source of the basis is our relationship with krishna so in this way our self-worth comes from our spiritual foundation as well as our material contribution whatever material position we are in whatever roles we are playing but the material roles are not the beginning they are not the foundation the spiritual connection with krishna and the foundation does it answer your question any other questions yes okay so when i said that the first thing we can control is the our thoughts so is it a skill that can be developed the capacity to control our thoughts it’s not just a skill it’s more a state of consciousness the bhagavad-gita talks about three modes of material nature sattva guna rajo guna and tamo guna so the mode of goodness the mode of passion and the mode of ignorance in the mode of ignorance there is neither action nor contemplation there is no control externally there is no control internally i’m not doing anything properly nor am i thinking properly there is just illusion in the mode of passion there is action before contemplation i do this sometimes i speak how would i speak why do i speak that so there’s a rush to control external things without controlling the intervals in the mode of goodness there is contemplation before action we think first and then we act so by the practise of bhakti yoga we rise from the lower modes upwards from the mode of ignorance through the mode of passion towards the mode of and as we come to the mode of goodness the control that we have over our thoughts naturally increases so the process of bhakti is the best means because it connects us not just it not only takes us in the mode of goodness but it connects us with the transcendental reality supreme reality who exists above goodness and that connection propels us upwards so as we start practising bhakti more and more our control over our thoughts becomes more and more even in the mode of ignorance we may not be able to think clearly but we can still begin by thinking of krishna in whatever way we can i may be in a deep mode of ignorance but still i can just hear a kirtan i can just recite some shloka while hearing a shloka we recite i can just i can just do some i can just chant if i can’t do anything i just chant krishna’s names that is the beginning by that connection our consciousness will rise and by the raising of consciousness from the modes of the mode of ignorance upward toward the mode of goodness we will get more control so when we face a problem just become say we become panicky and in the panicky state if i think if i think how to solve the problem now whatever i think of it’ll all be fearful scenarios so at that time just focus on krishna get the thoughts under control by connecting with krishna and then afterwards we can work towards dealing with the externals so it’s not it’s a more a state of consciousness rather than a skill but as a skill we can find out what is the most effective way by which we can connect with krishna so for somebody it may just be music for somebody it may be just quotable quotes some nice verses on the board with some striking sentences for somebody it may be just the picture of krishna still version of krishna yeah no krishna is still krishna is still in control krishna will take care let me surrender to krishna let me serve krishna so we have to find out those we have to become skilled at connecting with those spiritual stimuli which most efficaciously calm our mind and by that we’ll be able to deal with things more effectively so generically by the gradual purification coming from bhakti and specifically by connecting with those manifestations of krishna which help us to become absorbent by that we can gain better control over our thoughts does it answer your question any other questions yes thank you that’s what you mentioned things are out of our body actually under our consciousness so the very things are out of our body out of our body time so what is the what is translated in a specific way of the families, leaders, householders who are under the vision of taking care of others. So how do they translate this faith that the Christian is controlling, but also the decision taken to act and take action without becoming, let’s call it a fanatic, a religious person who would maybe not take action for someone who is… Okay, I understood your question. Is it clear? Yeah, let me repeat it.
So when we are in a position of authority where we are meant to guide others and how do we understand what is in our control, what is not in our control? If we become too lenient, then we may not do things to help others which we should be doing. On the other hand, if we are too strict, then we may just become fanatical and dominating. And that can also alienate people.
Is that your question? Yeah. So again, the point is we need to begin with understanding I am not a leader, I am a servant. So I may be a manager, I may be the spiritual guide of someone, but still I am a servant.
We see this move very vividly in Srila Prabhupada. When he comes to America, he in his song, Markine Bhagwat Dharma, which is the message of the Bhagavatam, he says, Tomara ichchaye sab hoye mayavash, tomara ichchaye nash mayara parash. He says, my dear lord, it is ultimately by your sanction that all living beings have come under illusion.
And it is only by your approval, by your will, that will they come out of illusion. So what does he say, Krishna? If it is your desire, alankruta koribara khamata tomare. If you have a desire to deliver them, then you please ornament my words.
Make my words understandable to them. So although Prabhupada is the world acharya who is going to deliver so many people, Prabhupada is very clear about his own thing. He is simply an instrument of Krishna.
And it is Krishna who will change people’s heart. Then Prabhupada says, nachao nachao prabhu nachao sevante. Please make me dance, make me dance, make me dance, oh lord.
The idea is that even when we are in charge of others, we see our relationship not so much as they are here and I am here. By dealing with them in specific situations it may be like that. A vertical, I am an authority, I support it.
But ultimately we understand that we are all servants and we are all connected with Krishna. And Krishna is present in their hearts. And they will be delivered only when they connect with Krishna in their heart.
And we are simply meant to become mediums by which they connect with Krishna. So if we remember that we are servants, then we will do that which is in our power. I can persuade the other person, I can inspire the other person, I can reason with the other person.
So basically, like we have some doors, they can be opened from only one side. They can be opened only from inside. Some person is secure inside, there is no key to open it from outside.
Suppose the situation is like that. That is the situation with respect to personal change. The door to personal change can be opened only from inside.
It cannot be opened from outside. Even Krishna tells Arjuna, Yathe chachi tatha guru, Vedic verse 63 says, Now do as you desire. Krishna acknowledges Arjuna’s independence.
You are a soul. But he appeals to Krishna’s, to Arjuna’s intelligence. Deliberate deeply and then do as you desire.
So we have to recognise that even Krishna doesn’t control people. Krishna acknowledges people’s pain. So it’s only when they want to change, they can change.
What can we do for them? We can ultimately do three things. We can give knowledge. We can provide facilities.
And we can set an example. These are the only three essential ways in which one living being can influence another living being. Provide knowledge.
Give knowledge. If you do this, this will happen. If you do this, this will happen.
Just give knowledge of choices and consequences. That’s what essentially the Bhagavad Gita is. Then provide facilities.
If I am telling you, you should do this, this is better for you. Well, I need some facility for doing it. If say, somebody is eating non-vegetarian.
And we tell them, non-vegetarian is bad. You should eat vegetarian food. But in their vicinity, nowhere vegetarian food is available.
How will they do it? So we need to provide some facility. This is just a crude example. But whatever it is, we have to provide some facility for them.
Work with creating some facility. We tell somebody, you should study scripture. But then they have so many services, they have no time to study scripture.
Then we have to create some adjustment, decrease some of the services. Provide facility. Third is set example.
That means, okay, if you go this way, this is good for you. Therefore, this is the path by which you can go this way. But then we also show that we are going that way.
We set an example. So, we can only do these three things. So if we focus on doing these three things well, sometimes people will be inspired and they will do it.
Sometimes they may not do it immediately, but they will remember it. And eventually they will do it. And most importantly, if we are doing these three things, we are doing our service to Krishna.
And samsiddhir haridoshanam. Satisfaction of Krishna is the perfection of our service. So the transformation of others may sometimes happen immediately, may sometimes happen gradually, may sometimes happen not in this life time.
That is not in our control. But providing the knowledge, the facility and the inspiration for the transformation is what we can do. And if we do that in the mode of service, then we have done our part.
And Krishna will take care of that. When we make our relationship with even our spiritual support, spiritual support and spiritual counselling, if we make that relationship more important than our relationship with Krishna, then even that relationship can become an obstacle in our spiritual journey. This person should do this.
Why are they not listening to me? Why are they not doing like this? They are separate souls. I am a separate soul. And Krishna is in control.
So what is happening? Why are they not doing like this? Basically, I am taking the role of a controller. Why are they not being controlled? No, but I am doing it for their good. Yes, that’s okay.
But that it is for their good, they have to understand it. I can’t control that. So as long as we see all our relationships in the light of our relationship with Krishna, then we won’t become overwhelmed either by success.
We won’t become proud. See, I have made so many people into devotees. Nor will we become deflated, disheartened.
Nobody is listening to devotees. We will stay encouraged in our service to Krishna. Does it answer your question? Thank you.
Shall we stop here? So thank you very much. Shrila Prabhupada ki… Just one minute. As I mentioned, I have some books here.
So, unfortunately, we don’t have many copies of these books. Thanks to the expertise of our book distributors. They distributed all the books yesterday.
But we are ordering more books. I’ll just tell what these books are about. If any of you want the books, please inform.
And they will arrange to give them to you. So this is frequently… Can I speak for a couple of minutes? Can I speak for a couple of minutes? Sure. Sure.
Thank you. This is frequently unanswered questions. There are 52 questions, such as, God created everything.
Who created God? So questions which people, especially in the beginning of spiritual life, have and which stop them from coming to Krishna. These are answered in this book. This is, why do we need a temple? People feel, you can build a hospital.
You can start orphanage. What does a temple contribute to society? This is a six point acronym, T-E-M-P-L-E, which explains the social contributions of a temple. This is, Idol Worship or Ideal Worship.
So especially people, many people from non-Vedic religion, they feel that we are worshipping stone images. And they ask, how can you be so irrational to think of a stone as God? So this book systematically answers the questions, explains the philosophy behind deity worship, as well as explaining the history in the Abrahamic religions, which makes them so antipathetic to deity worship, to worshipping an image. And how we as devotees can present deity worship appropriately to them.
These two books, Spiritual Scientist, Part 1 and Part 2, these are articles, compilations of articles published in newspapers, in Times of India and other newspapers. So they are introductory meditations on basic spiritual concepts, which can help people to become connected with spirituality in a very accessible way. So short two page articles are there.
This is, some of you may have known the movie PK. It was a popular Bollywood movie, which was a satire on religion. It had many good points, but it had also many blanket generalisations.
So the questions raised in that movie, I have answered in this book called GK for PK. So GK is at three levels. It is general knowledge, God knowledge and Gita knowledge.
So, this is, Belong, 121 Reflections of the Bhagavad Gita. It selects Gita verses, especially which deal with relationships, and how we can cultivate a healthy sense of belonging in our relationships. The eye to see the eye is also similarly 121 Reflections.
This deals primarily with learning to see light with a more philosophically informed vision, Shastra Chakshu. There is one more book like this of Gita articles, which we don’t have. It’s called Minded.
It takes seven verses from the Gita, which deal with the mind. And there are 64 Reflections. So much of what I talked in today’s class is related to the articles in that book Minded.
This is My Little Bhakti Companion. This is question answers, especially for devotee practitioners. Chanting is supposed to be so relishable, but I find it boring.
So why is that? Why do our desires change suddenly from spiritual to sensual? If somebody has hurt me, how can I forgive them? So these kind of questions are answered in this book. This is 10 Leadership Sutras from Bhagavad Gita, especially for corporate audiences. How is the Bhagavad Gita relevant in the corporate world? Let’s explain through ten principles, explained through a series of question answer discussion.