​While acting in our worldly relationships, how can we avoid attachment and stay surrendered to Krishna?

Answer Podcast

Transcript

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Surrender to Krishna means becoming attached to Krishna but while performing our various duties we often become attached to our family member or those whom we are doing those duties so how can we stay attached to Krishna how can we surrender practically does it mean that we just say Krishna I surrender to you yes verbalizing verbally verbalizing our intentions verbalizing our emotions can often help make them more concrete what we are feeling inside if you speak it utter it aloud it often makes those feelings more concrete at the very least it reminds us this is what I should be doing but at the same time verbalization can also become an empty ritual where we verbalize without meaning it so there has to be an inner redirection of the heart which happens primarily by the process of heart so our for our spiritual growth when we are directly connected with Krishna when we are chanting when we are coming to the temple when we are associating with devotees when we are hearing doing worship to person in the reading that time we offer our consciousness as much as possible to Krishna that is the most important thing and if you are doing that then Krishna will gradually permeate our consciousness and he will become the goal of everything that we do so we take care of our children why because they are interested by Krishna we take care of our family members because they are interested to us by Krishna and sometimes we talk in terms of this duality attachment and detachment so we should not be attached we should be detached but actually there is a third thing beyond attachment and detachment beyond attachment and detachment is commitment and so bhakti is not just we cannot suddenly imagine that I am attached to Krishna nor can we become detached from our worldly situations or worldly relationships but bhakti is a process of primarily commitment commitment to our devotional activities and by that commitment attachment will develop अथ चित्तां समाधा तो नशप्नोसी में इस थिर अभ्यास योगे तो मामी इच्छा अपतुन देना जाया है अभ्यास योगे when we keep practicing bhakti in a committed way by that our attraction our attachment to Krishna will develop so that commitment is the way to develop attachment to Krishna and when we have a limited understanding of Krishna we think that Krishna means ok Krishna is in temple Krishna is in manifested in the holy name Krishna is manifested in the scripture we think Krishna is present only there but that is the Kanishka Adhikari level the Madhyam Adhikari level is we understand that my relationship with Krishna depends not only on how I relate with Krishna it also depends on how I relate with devotees it also depends on how I relate with innocent people it also depends on how I relate with envious so we see the presence of Krishna everywhere and we see our connection with Krishna depends on how we deal with different kinds of people so our commitment to Krishna actually includes our commitment to our family members it’s not that our family relationships and our relationship with Krishna are competitors it’s not like that sometimes it may appear within the 24 hours of our day should I do this or should I do that so at that time it may appear as their competitors that is something which can happen for everyone what to speak of in the case of our material relationships and our relationship with Krishna even if you come to a temple sometimes should I do what this devotee is telling me should I do what this devotee is telling me so that is a functional functional situation but in principle in philosophical understanding our family relationships and our relationship with Krishna are not competitors our relationship with Krishna includes our relationship with our family members so commitment to Krishna also means commitment to doing our relationship to our relationships with those who are related with Krishna now of course the specific way in which we act in those commitments may vary depending on the nature of that relationship depending on how they are disposed towards Krishna or not disposed towards Krishna the specifics may vary but in principle we shouldn’t think that bhakti requires us to be cold hearted or indifferent or apathetic towards our family duties or our family members so the Bhagavad Gita talks about detachment it does not talk about irresponsibility and what is the difference between detachment and irresponsibility see detachment is after the action irresponsibility is before the action that means if a student doesn’t study before the exam and says I am detached from the exam you are not detached, you are irresponsible but detachment means that I do my studies I give my exams and then after that I don’t keep worrying how much marks will I get, what will be my position what will be my future, no I have done my part, now I will let Krishna do his part so detachment is sattvic, detachment is a mode of goodness, detachment comes from a proper understanding of our position in the scheme of things detachment comes from understanding that there are certain things which are in my control and there are certain things which are not in my control so that is intentive irresponsibility is tamasic that comes from not wanting to do anything which is demanding, anything which is challenging, which requires us to focus, to concentrate, to endeavour so with respect to our family members we shouldn’t be worrying too much whether I am getting attached to my family members our focus should be on how can I best serve how can I best act in this relationship in a way by which I can move closer to Krishna, I can help others move closer to Krishna and there is attachment, there is affection attachment is undesirable but affection is not just desirable it is essential and that affection essentially means that we offer our love to Krishna and we offer our love to others when we are connected with Krishna properly then we are not emotionally so dependent on others because by our practice of sadhana bhakti we get fulfilment internally we get a sense of security we get a sense of satisfaction by our practice of bhakti we don’t depend so much emotionally on others and actually if we are not emotionally dependent on others, then we can be more affectionate in that relationship we can be more responsible we can actually bring more constructive and contributive to that relationship if we are not emotionally dependent because if we are emotionally dependent then we will simply do whatever they want us to even if that is not good for us, even if that is not good for them so bhakti actually makes our material relationships also stabler and stronger because it removes that element of emotional dependence in those relationships and therefore enables us to act in a way that is truly beneficial does it answer your question? you had a question?