​What to do when the mind obstructs us in understanding the siddhanta that helps us to focus the mind on Krishna?

Answer Podcast

Transcript

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So, if the way to control the mind is by understanding Siddhanta, but in the mind, obstructions in understanding the philosophy also. So, then what do we do at that time? Yes, the mind is by nature restless. At the same time, the mind’s restlessness also has different magnitudes.
If we consider, say, electricity is at this wave. Electricity wave is at this wave. It goes up and down slightly, but in between, suddenly there are spikes.
So, when the spikes come up, at that time, equipment may get damaged, a lot of things can happen, the spike guard is not there. But it is not that the spikes are constantly there in the electricity. The spikes means the waves go up, suddenly the voltage may go up a lot, but that is only occasional.
So, overall, there is a particular level of electricity. So, like that, if you observe the mind, it is not that the mind is constantly disagreeable. The mind may not always be congenial, but still, there are levels.
Sometimes, the mind is stubborn and just refuses to listen to anything at all. But at other times, the mind may not be really joyful, but the mind is not troubling so much. So, there are times when the mind’s stubbornness goes to a peak.
And at that time, you may just be helpless. But, what we do, so what we do at that time may not be in our control. But, what we do in between the spikes is in our control.
So, sometimes, nothing may work. We try to study, we try to chant, we come and pray to the deities. The mind just seems like it is like hitting against a stone wall.
Nothing seems to be working. So, at that time, just endure it. But, after that, what we do is most important.
Or rather, in between the mind’s stubborn phases, if at that time we are practicing bhakti steadily, at that time, we are trying to connect with Krishna, then we are strengthening ourselves. And not only are we strengthening ourselves, we are also weakening the mind in the process. And eventually, the spikes magnitudes will go down and down.
So, rather than, we should think that we are defined by how we fall. We fall down in bhakti, that means, I am lost. No, we are defined by how we rise.
We are all fallen. We may fall down. But, what do we do after that? We may stay fallen or we rise again.
Sometimes you say, Oh, now, sometimes we fall down and we think, now I fall down, let me fall down completely. So, I am like that. We fall down, we realize, okay, I dropped, get up again.
Now, Krishna is not a critic. Krishna is a coach. That means, like a coach also knows, okay, this is my ward.
He is not doing this properly. The coach’s focus is on the potential, not on the weakness or the blemish of the mistake. So, like that, Krishna is a very understanding and compassionate God.
And that’s why we focus, even if we fall, what do we do in between? The mind is so devilish that first, it makes us fall down. And then, it chastises us, why did you fall down? So, you know, first, it makes us a criminal and then it becomes a judge who convicts the criminal. So, basically, what we need to do is, even if the mind makes us do something wrong, afterward, we shouldn’t stay at the same level of consciousness of the mind.
The mind will beat us up. Why did you do that? Why did you do that? Forget it, I did it, whatever I did. Now, let me focus on Krishna, let me do something constructive.
So, that way, we can strengthen ourselves. And, we can ourselves find out what are the ways in which we can hold on to Krishna. Sometimes, we may hear some points in scripture, in classes, which really strikes us.
So, we should keep those, if some points really strike us, some verses really make sense to us, we need to keep them readily accessible. Maybe have a small pocket diary or have some notes in phone or somewhere like that. And, whenever the mind starts getting too agitated, we refer to them.
It’s a war. And, when enemy attacks, we cannot say, wait, let me go and get my weapons, then we’ll fight. No, the enemy is going to attack.
So, we have to, enemy can attack anytime and we have to have the weapons with us all the time. So, the weapons may be different things for different devotees, but some philosophy, some verses, some tunes of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra, some pictures of the deities, whatever it may be. So, that we need to, I think yesterday I talked about Uddhipan, isn’t it? So, our Uddhipan, we have to find out.
So, don’t worry too much about what happens during those spikes. Focus on what we do in between those spikes. And then gradually, the spikes will decrease.
Thank you. Yes, Mataji. Yeah.
Okay. Thank you.