Understanding the six stages of anartha nivrutti or inner purification – 1

[Seminar at Bhakti Lounge, Wellington, New Zealand]

Video

Powerpoint:
https://www.slideshare.net/Ccdrns/understanding-the-six-stages-of-inner-purification-or-anartha-nivrutti

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
Hare Krishna. They continue the discussion on the second part of the having faith in the practice of bhakti. So yesterday I talked broadly about how faith begins with curiosity and as we practice and experience the transformation, it grows to conviction because we see the process of bhakti working in our own lives.
And then I also talked about bhakti is not all or nothing. There are multiple levels at which you can practice. We talked about Dhruva’s story where there is submission, but there is also negotiation so that we can practice bhakti, not just with intensity, but also with sustainability.
Is the sound coming to you? So now today I’ll be focusing mainly on the stages of Anartha Nivrutti so that we can understand how this particular process works. So yesterday I said I’ll talk about how the process works and then today I will talk about how the process works in our life. So get the clicker, point it this way or here.
So now just as if we are traveling, if you’re driving a car or maybe trekking or flying also, somebody is a pilot, you need a map to navigate the territory. So in our inner world also we are going on a journey toward Krishna who is present in the innermost core of our heart. So sometimes it is said that the spiritual journey is a journey of consciousness through consciousness to consciousness.
What it means is that it’s a journey of consciousness. It’s our consciousness which has to move. Currently our consciousness is in the materialistic level.
It is a journey of consciousness through consciousness. How will this journey move? It is gradually the consciousness which has to move and then ultimately to consciousness. That means to the state of spiritual consciousness.
So we could say that it is if the soul is here, this soul, this is Krishna, then currently our consciousness is say in this direction. So it is a journey of consciousness where we want our consciousness to move toward Krishna. And this is the stage when it comes over here, that is the state of Krishna consciousness.
So it is a journey of consciousness through consciousness. Our consciousness has to move and to the state of pure consciousness or Krishna consciousness. Now as we are moving along this journey, that means what it means is that what is moving is consciousness.
The path along which it is moving, the territory is also consciousness. And ultimately the destination is also a level of consciousness. Of course, this seems so complicated.
It doesn’t matter so much. We can just move on. I think it will become clear as we move forward.
But the point is we have a map of our inner territory which is given in the dharmic, in the bhakti texts. So primarily like I quoted yesterday, first canto, second chapter is where Srila Prabhupada has quoted most of the verses from. And especially these five verses, 16 to 20, are, we also quote among them, Nashta Prayesh, Shubhadresh in the Bhagavatam class we quote.
So those five verses Srila Prabhupada also quotes in his Markine Bhagavad Dharma, the song which Prabhupada composed on seeing the American shoreline. This was the process that Srila Prabhupada had confidence in, which transformed us internally by hearing the Bhagavatam and connecting with Krishna. So then that same journey of inner transformation is elaborated in the Bhaktira Samrut Sindhu.
So Bhaktira Samrut Sindhu is a book by Rupa Goswami, who is one of the prominent disciples of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. And his book, so we could say Bhaktira Samrut Sindhu, that section is an elaboration of the Bhagavatam. And then further, the Madhurya Kathambini is a book which further expands the analysis of devotion.
And that analyzes the states given in the Bhaktira Samrut Sindhu. So, I mentioned briefly the states mentioned in Bhaktira Samrut Sindhu yesterday. So, these are the nine stages.
This is Shraddha, Sadhu Sangha, Bhajan Kriya, Anartha, Revati, Nishtha, Ruchi, Asakti, Bhava and Prema. So, Shraddha is also faith, Nishtha is also faith. Yesterday I talked about Shraddha is more like favorable curiosity and Nishtha is like realized conviction.
And ultimately Prema, love is the ultimate stage of faith. When we love someone, we actually entrust ourselves entirely to that person. So, that is the highest level of faith.
So, now, like we discussed yesterday, the Anartha Nivrutti is a progressive journey. And incidentally, these nine steps, although we show them as progressive, they are more cumulative than progressive. It is not that, say, we give up Sadhu Sangha and take up Bhajan Kriya.
Sadhu Sangha is continuing on, we are associating with devotees and we are also practicing Bhakti. And as we are practicing Bhakti, Anartha Nivrutti is happening. So, you could say, you could envision them more like a staircase.
So, when we are on the fifth step, we are already on the four steps also, but we are one step higher. So, the previous stages we build on in the next stage. Now, the Madhurya Kadambani expands especially this fourth stage of Anartha Nivrutti.
Anartha Nivrutti means all the unwanted desires that are there in our heart, how can we remove them? Nivrutti means retirement, that we give them up. Anartha, Artha means value. Anartha means that which has no value.
So, in the ultimate analysis, anger, greed, envy, all these do not have much value. So, Anartha, how can we get those out of our heart? So, this Anartha Nivrutti is said to have six stages. Do you want to draw this? Yesterday I was told that I was erasing things too fast for any of you to draw.
I will share this PowerPoint with Adhika and Abham. In case all of you want, you can have this PowerPoint afterwards. So, these are the stages which are described of Anartha Nivrutti.
So, most of the class will be based on these stages today. And just a few before that, a few logistics. So, we will have QA in Chits also.
Yesterday I was told that you may want to ask questions written. So, the Chits will be passed to you. If any of you have any questions, you could just ask for the Chits and forward the questions.
There is one on this side, one on this side, both two are there. And this is a two and a half hour session roughly. So, after about one hour fifteen minutes, we will have a five to ten minute break.
And then we’ll resume again. So, around six, we will have a break. And generally after each of these, when I take, we will have some break for question answer also.
So, after each section, we are going to have the six points to be discussing today. And if we don’t complete it, hopefully we should complete. If we don’t, then tomorrow morning I’m giving Bhagavatam.
I might continue in that. So, let’s begin with. So, I’ll quickly give an overview of what this is.
So, again, these are not necessarily sequential. These can, these are basically stages which come up as we are battling with the weaknesses in our hearts. So, Utsahamai is, you know, we exhibit our enthusiasm.
I am so enthusiastic. I am going to do this. So, there’s a lot of energy, but the energy is more in terms of showing to the world what I am doing.
Then Ghanatarla is, the extent we were super enthusiastic, it’s like our mood swing from very high to very low. So, one day I feel I am a pure devotee. The next day I think, why am I practicing bhakti? So, those are the mood swings that we go through.
Then Vyudhavikalpa is where we want to practice bhakti, but we want to find the path of least resistance. We seek alternatives. Is there some easier way I can do this whole thing? Can I find a shortcut? That’s Vyudhavikalpa.
Now, Vishaya Sangra is where we are trying to resist temptation. Now, we can say even in mood swings also there is temptation, but it’s more of emotions, whereas this is more of inside our mind, whereas temptation is specific external objects that are there. That is Vishaya Sangra.
So, we sometimes succeed in resisting, sometimes we indulge and it goes on. Niyamakshama means we make some resolutions for following the positive rules. We chant this many rounds, I’ll wake up in the morning or I’ll do this.
And then Akshama means we find that we are not able to do it. We try, but sometimes we don’t succeed. And Taranga Rangini means, so the nectar of devotion, the Sanskrit name is Bhakti Rasamrut Sindhu.
What it means actually, if you take the literal translation, it is the nectarean ocean of, the nectarean mellows of the ocean of devotion. So, Taranga in Sanskrit means waves. Rangini means to delight in.
So, the idea is that we want to dive deep into the ocean of devotion, but instead of diving deep, we stay on the surface and enjoy the waves. So, that’s like enjoying the fringe benefits of devotion. So, we are practicing Bhakti, but we are more enjoying maybe the fame, the prestige or other things which come from devotion rather than the connection with Krishna.
And these, as we overcome, our connection with Krishna becomes stronger. If you go backwards, I’ll be displaying this later. So, you see what happens, once we can go through this, we will come to Nishtha, where our devotion will become very steady.
So, unsteadiness can be analyzed into these six broad categories. And let’s look at them one by one. Broadly the terms are clear.
So, let’s look at Utsaha Maino. So, this is typically the zeal and the pride of a new convert. When somebody takes up a new path, they feel that, I have found a way to deliver the whole world.
And when somebody is a new convert, actually, it’s like they think that they are the blessings of God to the whole world. So, a practical example which we could have is, say, somebody wants to lose weight and they find some new weight loss regimen. And then when they start practicing it, and they may be initially, it’s very strictly they follow and they lose some weight.
And they are very proud of exhibiting, see, how much I have improved my health, how much good I look, how much this I have done, how much that I have done. So, there is a lot of enthusiasm and more than enthusiasm is the exhibition of enthusiasm. It’s not just I want to do this, I want to do this and I want the whole world to know that I am doing this.
And when we are at this stage, the energy level is very high. But like yesterday I talked about intensity and sustainability. This is not sustainable for a long time.
So, we are intense, no doubt. But the enthusiasm, we are more showing to the world. And it’s almost like, say, somebody, they put on, they buy a new dress and they wear a new dress and they want everyone to see, oh, in this new dress, how nice I look.
But after some time, that new dress, okay, the newness goes away. So, it’s like that. So, now, when the person, utsaha means, because they are very enthusiastic about doing something, they also become judgmental about anyone who is not doing that thing.
If you are not doing this thing, then you are doomed. You are doomed. So, it becomes like, in one sense, yesterday I talked about the climbing up the mountain.
So, in utsaha mai, the person, is there a duster? Oh, it’s invisible. Okay, thank you. So, it’s almost like, if you consider, there is a mountain, this is spiritual consciousness, this is material consciousness.
Now, we could say, to climb up, there can be different paths up the mountain. So, we could say, there are different traditions. Or even within one tradition, there can be different ways of practicing that tradition.
But, what happens is, when a person who is climbing up, utsaha mai, that person is very enthusiastic, I am climbing up, I am climbing up, I am climbing up. But, more often, their enthusiasm is not so much on climbing up themselves, as on telling the whole world, I am climbing up. So, they are very eager to climb up, and anybody who is not following their path, they think, what you are doing is wrong.
It’s just useless. In fact, a perversion of this is, the person stops climbing up, and goes round and round at the bottom, and pulling down anyone else who is climbing up any other path. So, what you are doing is wrong.
What you are doing is wrong. In fact, this is how, this utsaha mai stage is where religious fanaticism also comes up. So, fanaticism means what? Basically, I start thinking, my way is the only way.
And, so, there are some religions who are sectarian, they say, this is the only way to God. And, they also say, if you are not following this way, you are going to go to hell. And, there are even more extremist versions of this, they say, not only are you going to go to hell, we will help you get there faster.
So, that becomes very narrow minded. So, here, Bhaktivinoda Thakur also talks about this, at this level, the utsaha mai, it’s all about externals. Now, externals are important, no doubt, but they are not all important.
It’s just like, say, somebody starts doing a particular activity, now the externals are meant to aid in transforming the internals. The person does the externals in a way of exhibiting to everyone else, and anybody who is not doing those externals, that person thinks, this is useless, this person is useless. So, at this stage, because the internal transformation takes a good amount of time, it happens gradually.
And, the external transformation, whatever we have done, whatever we have been able to do, we become very proud about that. And, at that time, the whole idea is that this is what everyone should be doing. Yesterday, I talked about preferences and principles.
So, fanaticism happens when we make something which is more like our preference into a principle for everyone. So, this is what everyone has to do. So, even within bhakti, it might happen, some devotees may be very enthusiastic about, say, chanting a lot of rounds.
Some devotees might be very enthusiastic about doing a lot of deity worship. Some devotees might be very enthusiastic about distributing a lot of books. Now, every one of these is valuable service.
And, different devotees may do different services. But, if we take one thing and say, this is the only thing that is to be done, and everybody else, whatever they are doing, they are not really doing devotional service. So, then, that also can be utsahamai stage.
Now, moving forward within this stage itself, one more point about this. So, now, we need to be understanding, not condescending. Why is that? Suppose somebody is very enthusiastic and, say, in their enthusiasm, suppose they were having a particular bad habit.
Maybe they were drinking or smoking or doing a particular thing, which they just give up. Or, somebody used to sleep a lot and then they give up their laziness. Or, they used to eat a lot and now they become very austere.
Whatever it is, we give it up and then we feel, yes, this is the proof of spiritual advancement. I am advancing and you should also do this. But, the problem with this idea is that, yes, if you consider, I have drawn those three lines in different directions over there.
See, there is indulgence and there is abstinence. Indulgence means we are doing something. Abstinence means we give up that thing.
So, now, the distance between the two and the ease for going from one to the second is not the same for everyone. Say, for example, if this is indulgence and this is abstinence. So, now, if this is the point of indulgence, this is the point of abstinence.
Now, we could say it is just a straight line. Just give it up and it is over. But, if somebody has indulged a lot in a particular thing, say, somebody might be just a social drinker.
And, that means they just get along with people and they don’t want to be the odd person out. So, everybody else is drinking, they drink. And then they come in a spiritual association, nobody is drinking, just give it up.
It is so easy for them. But then, somebody was drinking as a way of escaping from life’s distresses or life’s troubles. Now, when they even change their association, they might have much greater struggle to give it up.
Or somebody might have been drinking for a very long time. So, for them, from this point to this point, it is not a straight line. For them, there is a big mountain over here.
The mountain is there because for that person, there are so many impressions that are formed. And those impressions are not that easy to give up. So, the distance between indulgence and abstinence, for one person it is just a straight line, for the other it is a huge climbing up a mountain and coming down.
And if we don’t understand this difference, we start thinking, I am doing this, why can’t you do it? I gave it up so easily, why can’t you give it up? I am doing this, why can’t you do it? But, it is not that everybody’s minds and everybody’s impressions are same as ours. So, therefore, we need to be understanding. So, those three lines, for some people it might be just very easy to give it up.
But for some people, to give it up is like a very big uphill climb. And when we are very enthusiastic, all of us, when we are over-enthusiastic in the Utsahamai stage, all of us also have certain misgivings, certain anarthas which we have not been able to give up. But something which we have been able to give up.
So, what we have been able to give up, we exhibit before the whole world. And what we have not been able to give up, we just turn a blind eye toward that. That doesn’t matter.
We don’t talk much about it. But just as we are struggling, for us to give that up is not that easy, similarly for somebody else, what we have given up, that may be very easy for them to give up. So, each person is individual.
And when we are condescending, at that time we just look at everyone from our standard, I give it up, why can’t you? But understanding means, each person is trying to navigate their way through their own inner territory. And where it is a straight plane for me, it might be a slippery mountain for them. That’s why it’s important that certainly we should be, we can and should be enthusiastic.
But that enthusiasm, sometimes it shouldn’t come out in a way that it minimizes and trivializes anyone else who is not as enthusiastic as we are. So, this can be, this can come off as very alienating for people. Because one of the things that people, especially in today’s world, that they, what they want to see is not, okay, somebody is following some spiritual path, some religious path, it’s not so much what you believe or what you follow, it’s how you behave.
So, if somebody comes off as, oh, you are fallen, you are worthless, people come to spiritual life because they are disturbed and they want to feel a sense of belonging, a sense of connectedness, a sense of being valued. Now, of course, everybody needs to improve, but if people feel condescended upon, then they just go away, just go away very easily. And they don’t, then they forever get scarred.
These people like this, why should I be with these people? So, Utsahamayi is this stage where our enthusiasm comes off more as exhibiting our enthusiasm to others rather than consistently practicing to purify ourselves. So, this is one of the first stages, one of the stages in Artha Nivrutti. Any questions about this? Okay, so the chits are there, maybe you can, I don’t know how you want to pass it, you want to just send it out to people, how many do we have, a good number? Okay, maybe just pass on and anybody wants, they can write it.
But you had a question? Or, yeah, that’s also true. Yeah, that’s also true. Definitely.
Shouldn’t we be understanding about people who are very enthusiastic initially? Yeah, sometimes it becomes very terrible because those who have practiced for a long time, they become cynical. And then somebody new and enthusiastic, what happens? You are enthusiastic today, let’s see what will happen in a week. And it becomes very disheartening for that person.
So, yes, now we don’t want to be, maybe somebody who is very new, they are little naive and we don’t want to be naive like them. But often seeing the bubbling energy of somebody who has just discovered a spiritual path, that can inspire us also. So, we cannot be condescending about them.
But at the same time, we don’t have to get carried away completely by them. But we can appreciate, yes, that this enthusiasm is good. There is childlike and there is childish.
So, childish is frivolous. Childlike is innocent. So, we don’t want to be frivolous in the sense of being childish.
But the childlike innocence is very sweet. So, if we could have that, that would be wonderful. Thank you.
Anything else? Yes, please. I’ll come to this once again later. But let me answer some things right now.
When we talk about fanatical, it can just become like a label we throw around to anybody who is strict. They are being fanatical. I think there is a difference between being committed or strict and being fanatical.
And the main difference is that not what we do, but how we look at others who are not doing it. So, in general, in our tradition, we have had two acharyas. So, Bhaktivinod Thakur, you could say, was very liberal, very accommodating.
And he was, of course, in the householder order. Bhaktisiddhanta Thakur was in the renounced order. So, we could say, and he was quite cutting and strict at times.
Of course, he was also very understanding and accommodating in some ways. But generally, that’s the broad understanding. So, Bhaktivinod Thakur was more like a reformer.
Bhaktisiddhanta Thakur was like a revolutionary. The difference is that if somebody is a reformer, you know, you got this place, it’s good. Maybe you could just shift this picture from here to here.
Maybe you could just change this lighting. Maybe you could do this small, small incremental change. That’s a reformer.
Revolutionary? You got this stuff? Just blow it up and build a new one. So, now both are valid approaches. Sometimes there is a lot of stasis and lot of, lot of fossilization of things that have happened.
But the approach is different. So, in general, we can be like Bhaktisiddhanta with ourselves and like Bhaktivinod with others. Be strict with yourself, but be understanding with others.
Then, if that is the case, then that’s not fanatic. But sometimes what happens is the opposite. I am relaxed with myself, but I come down like a thunderbolt on anyone who seems to be a little loose.
And there is one characteristic of practice of Bhakti in the mode of ignorance. That is, Bhakti of course is transcendental, but when we practice Bhakti in ignorance, we think that by being strict with others, I am being strict with myself. We assume that.
I am not strict with myself, but I think that if I strongly chastise others for doing wrong, then I am being strict. So, that’s a serious misunderstanding. So, if we are ourselves following something strictly, that’s not fanatical.
But it’s when we start condemning others for not following it or we try to force others to follow it, then that becomes fanatical, broadly speaking. If somebody is following strictly and we start calling that as fanatical, then that’s a misapplication of the word. Because if they are inspired to practice it that way and they are getting some connection, they are getting some rasa by that, there is no need to call that as fanatical.
And you could also put it another way, it’s not good to be fanatical, but it can be good to be fanatically focused. If you want to achieve anything in life, you need to be focused. And for anyone to succeed significantly in any field, they need to have almost a fanatical focus.
So, if somebody is a sports player, if say one week they play cricket, next week they play hockey, next third week they play baseball, they are not going to become good in anything. They have to play one game. And not just one game, if they are playing cricket, they might decide, my focus is going to be as a batsman or a bowler.
So, they practice that. So, being focused even to the level of being fanatical, that’s also okay. But it’s only fanatical when you start imposing on others.
That’s where it becomes problematic. So, if any of you have any, because this is, we are discussing quite practical things. So, if any of you have any reflections, any point which especially struck you or resonated with you, then if you would like to share that, after each point that we discuss, we can share that.
So, that’s why, yesterday also I mentioned, if any of you have any reflections, but I didn’t explain what I meant by reflections. But if any of you felt anything striking, please feel free to speak that also. We could do that for about, after each point, we can do that for about 5 minutes.
So, this was the first, what was this? Do you remember the Sanskrit word or the English word? Utsahamai. What is that? Exhibition of enthusiasm. So, now, let’s move on to the next one.
This is Ghana Tarla. So, Ghana Tarla, in Sanskrit, it literally means Ghana is dense. Tarla is, what is the, if a liquid is not dense, what is the English word for that? Is there a word like that? If something is not dense at all, dilute? Ok, diluted.
Yes, that’s fine. You could have dal which is very thick and dal which is mostly water. So, you could have Ghana and Tarla.
So, like that, Ghana Tarla basically means that sometimes our enthusiasm, basically our devotion is very thick. It’s very intense and sometimes it’s completely dry. Tarla, it becomes completely very very thin.
It’s not there at all. So, it’s like intensity and laxity in bhakti. So, this is something which we all go through.
We could say our consciousness goes up and down like a sine wave. And when this happens, this is also a predictable stage. It’s something which happens not just in the practice of bhakti.
It happens even in our day to day lives. I was just in America for last two months and I was at Stanford. I gave a talk over there.
And after that one American lady came and she was telling me that her daughter has been 12 years in Stanford. I was wondering. And she says, 12 years.
I said, what means? I asked her, why 12 years? She said that 12 years she has been, she is still in the first year and not that she has failed. 12 years she has been changing her major to find out which is her calling, what is her passion in life. And now, this is like extreme level of indecision.
Isn’t it? So, what happens is that if we just get along with our moods. Oh, I like this. You find a particular subject, a particular area, very nice and you do it for some time.
Come on, you don’t find it very good. Then shift, then shift, then shift. Now, most of her, the mother was in great anxiety.
Most of her equals, they are already professionals in jobs and still she is in her first year. So, this can go to extreme. If we just go along with our moods, we might just go nowhere in life.
So, now certainly what we like and what we don’t like, it does matter. We can’t constantly keep doing something which we don’t like. But like I mentioned yesterday that even something which we like, we won’t like constantly.
Something which we like, did I mention that in yesterday’s class? Talk about writing I mentioned. So, if we just keep doing what we like, if we just keep doing what we like, we will end up not liking ourselves. Because if we just keep doing what we like, we will never be able to commit ourselves to anything.
You could take a simple example of eating. If somebody keeps eating whatever they like, then eventually they will become obese, their health will get spoiled, they will have no self-control and they will start loathing themselves, start disliking themselves. So, we can’t just go along with our, just go along with our moods in any area of life.
Something as simple as eating or it can be choosing our major in studies and of course in bhakti. So, the moods will come. But we can’t let ourselves get carried away.
The difference however is that often in our material life or in our professional life, there is a sense of obligation that is there. If we are in a committed relationship, somebody is a mother or a father and the baby starts crying early morning. Now the mother says, wake up and take care because there is a commitment over there.
And they take care. And similarly, if we are at a job, if somebody says, I don’t feel like going to work today. You can’t do like that.
You may not feel like doing it, but still you will go. Because it’s a matter of our career, of our livelihood. So, there is a sense of obligation that is there.
But in respect to spiritual life, often that obligation is not there. So, if we do, we practice this, I practice bhakti because it feels good. But then what if it stops feeling good? Then will we just give it up? So, if we are just dependent on our moods, we will be tossed up and down.
And because bhakti can seem like a non-obligatory activity, so we can just get way up and way down. Now, how do we avoid this? So, we have to look at healthy ways in which we can manage the moods. What that means is whenever any low mood comes, it begins with discomfort.
Now, discomfort can come in various ways. Discomfort can come because of overwork. It can come because of stress.
It can come because of loneliness. It can come because of anxiety. It can come because of boredom.
It can come because of misunderstanding with someone. Basically, life will keep making us uncomfortable. Now, what happens whenever we feel uncomfortable? Let’s hope this comes out.
So, see what happens, all of us have developed some ways of dealing with discomfort. We have a default response. So, for some people, whenever they feel bored, let’s turn on the internet and surf on the net.
Or let’s look at Facebook. Let’s look at YouTube. Let’s look at something.
And then, if that is the default response, then even as soon as a slight level of discomfort, one goes in that direction. Or for somebody, the default response might be, say, let’s drink. Let’s smoke.
It’s not that every time somebody does something unhealthy, it’s because they are craving so much for that. Initially, when we indulge in something, when it’s new, the craving is very high. But after some time, it’s not so much the craving because any activity that we indulge in, it follows the law of diminishing returns.
The pleasure doesn’t seem that much. But still, we gravitate toward it. And we gravitate primarily because that has become like a default response.
Whenever I feel uncomfortable, let me just do this. So, when most people say, whenever they feel uncomfortable, let me turn on TV. Let me just turn on the idiot box and become an idiot.
People can spend hours just watching. So, what is the idea? Now, it’s not that the television has something so entertaining. Surveys have found that people are more attentive when they are watching TV.
They are most attentive when they are changing channels than watching any channel. And the idea is, maybe next channel will have something nice. Maybe something nice.
So, it’s not because the TV is so entertaining. It’s just that has become the default response. So, whenever our mood starts going down, basically it all begins with discomfort.
So, discomfort, as I said, can come from various causes. And life will never stop putting us into discomfort. Because that’s the way life is.
But from the discomfort, when we go toward the default response. So, default response means we don’t even think about it. Let me just pick up the phone, open my browser or open my Facebook or whatever.
And then from the default response, the indulgence happens. So, we don’t even realize that I am doing it, I do it. And then that indulgence, what it does is, it further lowers our consciousness.
The indulgence takes us in the mode of passion or the mode of ignorance. And then in that lowered consciousness, when it is there, we start feeling discomfort again and more. You can easily understand this, if we are in goodness, if we are in passion, if we are in ignorance.
If we are in goodness, broadly speaking, and say, somebody speaks a harsh word to us. Okay, we still feel hurt, but okay, sometimes this happens. I’d like to understand why this person spoke like this.
If we are in passion, somebody speaks harshly. How dare you speak like this? They speak one word and we speak ten words. And if they are also in passion, then they speak hundred words.
And then we speak thousand words. And then that one word starts a world war. What happened? So, now if we are in ignorance and somebody speaks harsh words, what happens is that aggression can either become physical violence against the other person or the aggression can be directed inward.
Aggression directed inward leads to depression. Depression, of course, is a complex phenomenon, but aggression directed inward. That means, why am I not good enough? Why am I like this? Why do people think like this about me? But when we direct that anger inward, more and more and more, we start feeling that I am not good enough.
Now, that can be an objective assessment which can lead us to choose what we should do, what we should not do. But if that becomes like the default, what the mind is speaking, then we start beating ourselves up. So then, basically, when we are in the lower consciousness, when we are depressed, then the small discomfort also becomes unbearable.
But when we are relatively in a good frame of mind, then even if we face some discomfort, okay, I can deal with it. I was in America in a conference on mental health and spirituality. So different people were speaking about, there are some caregivers speaking and there are some of the patients also speaking, clients.
So one of the girls, she was speaking about how she went into a big depression and then later how she came out. So she said she was studying in a university, a good university, and just to get some money, by the way, she was also waiting tables at a nearby restaurant. So then once she was carrying some glass of water for a customer, and at that time, that glass of water slipped from her hand.
And it slipped, and she says, I started thinking, if I can’t carry even a glass of water, what will I be able to do in my life? And just that glass of water slipping from her hand, it made her go into depression. So now, how many of us have had a glass of water slip from our hands? Anyone? Almost everyone. It is often embarrassing, but sometimes if it slips off near a computer, it can be not just embarrassing, it can be expensive also.
But either way, it happens. We may feel annoyed with ourselves, but it did not trigger a big depression. But what happens when we are in the mode of ignorance, we can take the smallest incident and give the biggest meaning to it.
About a glass of water slipped from my hand, I am worthless. And what is the connection between the two? Why should you consider yourself worthless because of that? But the mind in ignorance doesn’t have any sense of perspective. The smallest thing can trigger the biggest result, biggest impact on them.
So when the consciousness is lowered basically, the discomfort comes quicker. Small thing can also cause a big discomfort. So if I am already feeling very low, very depressed or very disheartened and somebody speaks one word of criticism, it’s like I am already stumbling and about to fall down and that word of criticism becomes one push.
Bam! I fall down. So then what happens when the discomfort comes? Again the default response. Again we gravitate because we are feeling bad and this default response, whatever it is, it may be watching TV, it may be overeating, it may be doing any particular thing, that makes the discomfort temporarily go away.
But although the discomfort goes away temporarily, eventually that pattern makes us more vulnerable to discomfort because it lowers our consciousness. So many times when our moods are going up and down, it’s not just a matter of willpower. I will not feel like this.
The discomfort will come and then it starts the cycle. Now to stop this cycle, what can we do? First is, be comfortable with being uncomfortable. Now that might seem paradoxical, but what it means is, it means that feeling uncomfortable is not a horrible thing.
Obviously it’s not pleasant, but it’s not abnormal. It doesn’t necessarily require a get rid of discomfort at all costs kind of approach. It’s natural.
Life will make us all uncomfortable. We all will feel lonely sometimes, we’ll all feel bored sometimes, we’ll all feel annoyed sometimes. It’s just life.
So be comfortable means accept it. This will happen. Now that doesn’t mean that it has to stay like that.
Just like say, if it’s winter over here, it’s coming now and you feel cold over it. Now feeling cold is not comfortable. But there’s no need to panic, Oh, I’m feeling cold.
Isn’t it? Yeah, I’m feeling cold right now. Okay, I have to do something to deal with the cold, but there’s no need to panic because of that. So similarly, when we start feeling discomfort, whether it is loneliness or boredom or annoyance or irritation or whatever it is, there’s no need to panic and think, I have to get rid of it at all costs.
Okay, it happens. And then we find a healthier way to deal with the discomfort. What is that healthier way? It could be if we find some devotional stimuli that we like.
Say suppose somebody likes music. And when they’re feeling discomfort, the default response might be, Okay, just maybe overeat or sleep or just surf the net. It will require a little effort to instead of not go towards the default response, I have shown that as going downward.
To go downward is relatively easier. To go upward is a little tougher. But if we find some devotional stimuli that we like, if we consider the circle of, this is a circle of devotion, this is a circle of things we like.
Now somewhere these two intersect. And if we connect ourselves with that stimuli, that stimulus basically, then that will relieve our discomfort, but in a healthier way. So, now when we are feeling discomfort, we may not even feel like, although we like music, but we don’t feel like hearing that music.
It’s just feel completely, sometimes we feel so lethargic, so completely drained of energy. It’s like sometimes you wake up, and you’re already longing for the next night to go to sleep again. So, at that time, we don’t feel like doing anything at all.
And if we think of all the things we have to do in the day, that becomes a big burden. How can I do that? But, so, doing anything will require effort, but if there is some devotional stimulus that we like, anything positive that we relatively like to do, then when we do that, then we can deal with the discomfort in a healthier way. And when we do that, gradually we will move towards stability.
So, we can’t avoid the discomfort. The discomfort will come, and the default response will also come because of that. But, we don’t have to go along with the default response.
So, sometimes we will not feel enthusiastic at all. Which is, the mood swings will be there, but instead of getting carried away by them, instead of going towards the default response, we try to find out a healthier response, and keep that as easily accessible as possible. Say, if we like some picture of Krishna, Krishna’s deities, then keep it on your phone.
And then look at that and pray to that. And just behold that. Sometimes, just a small step in the direction of devotional stimulus can start changing our mood.
And over a period of time, if you start doing this, then this devotional stimulus will become our default response. It will take some time, but it will gradually happen. So, the way to go beyond this ghanatarla, this stage of up and down, dense and thin, is by finding out, not by expecting that these mood swings will not happen, that I will not feel uncomfortable, but rather by finding a healthier way to deal with the discomfort.
Any questions or comments about this? Yes, please. Yes. That’s true.
So, I wouldn’t say that there has to be only one devotional stimulus that we have to use all the time. We can also find out what all works for us. But broadly, we can have some indications.
It’s not necessary that, say, the same lecture, if we have the second time, we’ll find the same level of inspiration. But we understand, okay, maybe this speaker, or this topic, this subject, let me try to have more content on this subject more. Say, if I like a particular pastime of Krishna, if I like a particular dhun of the Hare Krishna mantra, or a particular kirtan, a particular bhajan, so that gives us an indication.
It’s dealing with our moods is not a mechanical process. Mechanical means, okay, I feel like this, let me do this, I’ll feel better. It won’t be that mechanical, but at least we’ll have some idea.
Let me go in this direction. And over a period of time, we might prepare a series of things. Okay, this, it’s ultimately, we also need Krishna’s mercy.
So, this is more like, we talk about in the Damodar Lila, two fingers short. So, Mother Yashoda’s endeavor to tie Krishna was one finger. Krishna’s mercy was second finger.
That’s how they got, how they were able to tie. So, similarly, what we are doing is, we are like covering that one finger space. So, we try what works, and we keep a, you could say, inventory of that, or a list of that.
These are things which can work for me. And see what works. Yes? Can you speak a little louder, sorry? It will last forever.
Yeah, it’s definitely, when we start feeling this is going to last forever, where does that come from? Definitely, it’s, the mind can work in both ways. Sometimes it eternalizes the present. You are feeling like this, and this is how you are going to feel for the rest of your life, and how can you tolerate it? It’s just unbearable.
But nothing lasts forever. And, maybe I will talk more about this a little later, but I will mention this at this point, that basically, when the, when we start going through the low moods, it’s good to divide our working frame into manageable units. That means, don’t think of the whole day, or the whole week, or the whole month.
Just for the next one hour. Can I, can I function as well as possible for the next one hour? If not in the next one hour, next 15 minutes. Let me try to not overreact.
Let me try not to make a mess of things for the next 15 minutes. And then you do that, and when you are able to do that, just thank Krishna, and appreciate yourself, it’s a good job. And then, move forward.
So, sometimes we need to just like, if you want to eat a watermelon, can’t, if you put the whole watermelon, we can’t eat it, so we cut it into pieces. So like that, when we are going through these low moods, it’s good to try to just reduce the working frame. And just, short, manageable units of time.
Can I just do this for the next 15 minutes? And, the nature of, it’s a broad question, the nature of human mind itself is that often, it makes things, especially when in a low mood, it makes difficult things seem more difficult than what they are. So once we start doing them, and we start saying, okay, yeah, this is tough, but not that tough. It is difficult, but it is not unbearable.
And then that itself starts giving us a more confidence, more desire to push on. Just reduce the working frame of reference. Don’t think in the low, when in the low moods, low moods are not a time to think of the long term.
That also doesn’t mean short term, it doesn’t mean impulsive, but just small units of time. If, say, we are feeling like, say, studying for something, and we are not able to understand anything, oh, like this I’ll study for the next three years. My God, no, just think about it.
Can I do this study for the next one hour? Okay, I can do that. So decrease the frame of reference. Decrease the working frame at that time, basically.
Any other questions? Yes, please. Basically, if we want some healthy relief from discomfort, but if we seek it as something not directly spiritual, then we might get some relief from there, but we might also feel that this is all sense enjoyment, I should not be doing this. So how do we deal with that? At one level, there is the classification of material and spiritual.
And that’s important. But sometimes the classification of material itself is too broad. In the material also there is goodness, there is passion, there is ignorance.
And all these three are not equivalent. So if somebody is just going for a walk through some park or through some natural scenic area, and say somebody is going to a bar to drink, could call both of them as material, but there is a big difference, isn’t it? So now somebody is going through a natural scenic area for a walk, they may not be thinking about Krishna, but still that is uplifting, that is in the mode of goodness, broadly speaking. So we do need the classification of material and spiritual, but within material also we need to know that material is not just one thing.
Within material there are various things. So either we could classify it as, as I said, goodness, passion, ignorance, or we could classify it also as pro-devotional, non-devotional, or anti-devotional. So if we see something is pro-devotional, sometimes some people might like to read about some subject, which they can use later, although it may not be directly usable.
Say if somebody wants to like music, now music itself can be a whole universe one can enter into. And one may not be directly going to use it immediately in devotional service, but later on it can be used. Somebody wants to learn a particular language, or some particular nuances of some language.
So that can all be pro-devotional. But something which is anti-devotional, then we need to keep a distance from that. So if something devotional can be there as a part of the healthy stimulus response, that is the best.
But if something devotional is not working at that particular time, then something which is pro-devotional or something which is in the mode of goodness, that may also be okay. It shouldn’t become a replacement for devotion, but it can become an aid for us to practice devotional service in a way where our mood is not opposing us so much. Say doing something gets us into a better frame of mind, and then we can practice bhakti better.
That’s okay. It’s like if somebody is sick, and they are in pain, there is a pain-killing medicine, and there is a curative medicine. So now the pain-killing medicine can give immediate relief, but it shouldn’t replace the curative medicine.
The curative medicine is what is essential. But sometimes the pain might be so much that without the pain-killing medicine, the person might just not be able to function at all. It’s not just that the pain is unbearable, but when the pain is unbearable, I was just talking with a doctor a couple of weeks ago, the doctor was telling me that if somebody has got a traumatic injury or something on the body, then the pain-killer is necessary for the curative medicine to work also.
Because what happens, if the pain is too much, the body is in the whole mode of trying to cope with the pain. And the body might be frozen or whatever, in an ultra-defensive mode, and then even the curative medicine doesn’t work. So sometimes the pain-killing medicine just relaxes the body.
And then the curative medicine is taken, and then it can work more effectively. So, if sometimes it happens, say, for example, we are trying to chant, and our mind is wandering here, there and everywhere, you might find that just take a few deep breaths, calm down, and then chant, it might work better. So now, we don’t want to become yogis who just do pranayama all the time.
That is not our purpose. But sometimes the mind is wandering so much, and we try to chant, but what happens is, it’s like the tongue is chanting, the mind is wandering, and the soul is wondering what to do. And most of the time, the soul finds that the mind’s wandering is more interesting than the tongue’s muttering.
So, at that time, maybe just take a few deep breaths, calm yourself down, the mind’s wandering subsides, and then you can focus on the chanting better. So, if we can keep it in proportion, then that’s okay. Any other questions? So, we’ll have a short break now, maybe for 5-10 minutes, and 6-5, is it okay if we meet? Thank you very much.
Hare Krishna.