SB 11.07.21 – The endeavor to train the mind never goes in vain
Transcript
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Thank you. Srimad Bhagavatam 11.7.21 Here Lord Krishna is continuing his instructions to Uddhava and he is telling how one can perceive him, prapashyanti. He says, purushatve chamam dheeraha purushatve means in the human form of life, if one becomes dheeraha, becomes sober, rather than being ruled by emotions, we rule our emotions.
Then, samkhya yoga visharadaha after becoming sober, one does analysis, samkhya, to understand the difference between matter and spirit and then one practices yoga. One connects oneself with the absolute truth. Later on, it will be explained that the best yoga is bhakti yoga.
And one becomes visharadaha. Visharadaha is expert in analysis and connection. Then, avistaram prapashyanti One will be able to see directly as pervading the universe, the supreme lord, maam, that was mentioned earlier, sarva-shakta-upabhram-hitam who is endowed with all potencies.
So, in the Uddhava Gita, Krishna is consistently placing the responsibility for spiritual realization on the seeker by emphasizing that the seeker has to become analytical, the seeker has to become diligent. Here it says, samkhya yoga visharadaha. So, often, when we practice the path of bhakti, we oscillate between over-independence on Krishna, wherein we make no endeavors, thinking that only Krishna can help us and we can’t do anything at all, and helplessness, where we feel that even Krishna can’t help us.
And so we just resign ourselves to our present situation. This can happen especially when we are struggling to fix the mind on Krishna and are finding the mind irresistibly restless. However, Krishna reminds us that samkhya yoga visharadaha, that we can, by analysis and application, become expert.
So, although it may appear that every day’s prayer and meditation is a repetition of the same old story, wherein again and again our mind wanders, but every day’s contemplation and meditation, contemplation on the philosophy and meditation on Krishna through the holy name, all this is helping us grow spiritually. And the effort at disciplining the mind never goes in vain, although the result doesn’t become visible immediately, but the mind is getting trained with every moment of practice that we are putting in. And the more we practice, gradually we will move closer and closer to perception of spiritual reality, to prapashanti.
So actually, Krishna is manifesting as the holy name, but we are not able to perceive it right now. But nonetheless, if we keep exposing ourselves to Krishna and receive him as attentively as possible, then by that, gradually, we will become purified and elevated, so that we will be able to relish Krishna’s presence progressively. And finally, we will become spiritually aroused, so that with our spiritual vision, we will be able to prapashanti, see Krishna.
And then when we see Krishna and fall in love with Krishna, that will be life’s supreme perfection. So, by remembering that responsibility to train the mind on us and is on us, and that every endeavor spent in training the mind bears fruit, although the fruit is not visible immediately. We can perceive, we can perceive here on the path of Sankhya and Yoga.
Thank you.