When the mind is external to the soul what does externally serving and internally remembering Krishna mean?
Anwser Podcast
Transcript
This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
So when we say externally we should be engaged in service, internally in remembrance.
But then we also say that from the soul’s perspective when the mind and the body both are external. So who is it actually remembering? Who is to be engaged in service? Actually, again, there is a conventional way of referring and there’s a philosophical way of referring. So at a conventional and a philosophical sense, you know, whatever name we have, material names that we have, those are not our real names.
But even after telling philosophically that, you know, you’re not the body or the soul, still scripture also refers to people by their names, because those names are conventional and they’re required for conventional addresses, addressing. Similarly, when we talk about the external, internal, so at a physical level, we engage in service and internally we remember. Now actually speaking from the point of view of the soul, it is the soul which is the source of consciousness.
So whether it is remembrance that is being done through the mind or whether it is service being done through the body, it is actually the soul that is doing it. The tool is different. So the stress is on that using that tool properly.
The stress is on making sure that we stay constructively engaged in connecting the soul with Krishna. So externally, we connect the soul through the consciousness that is channeled to the external level of that soul and external means physical level and at a mental level, the soul’s consciousness comes to the mind and from there also we try to direct our thoughts towards Krishna. That’s both ways we can connect with Krishna.
The mind has to be engaged because primarily in the conditioned stage, the soul’s consciousness is very much locked with the mind. So when the mind is focused, the consciousness also gets focused. So ultimately, 9.34 Krishna says, who will come to me? Those whose soul they have dedicated to me.
And there are various ways of dedicating the soul to Krishna. They involve external service