Falling down is not failure – staying down is by Chaitanya
Charan Das Based on Bhagavad Gita Chapter 09
Some devotee-seekers ask, “While striving to live according
to devotional principles, we sometimes slip and fall. How can we best deal with
such falls?”
Not by getting demoralized and staying down, but by
gathering determination and rising again. To curb demoralization and cultivate
determination, we can meditate on the longevity of spiritual practice and the
infallibility of Krishna’s love.
To curb demoralization and cultivate determination, we can
meditate on the longevity of spiritual practice and the infallibility of
Krishna’s love.
Spiritual growth is a long, often multi-lifetime, process.
From that long-term perspective, a few brief falls are mere blips – unless we
unwittingly prolong them. Our falls are usually induced by spikes in our
unrighteous desires. Even if those desire-spikes knock us down, what we do
between those spikes remains in our hands. If we let our spike-triggered falls
dishearten us, then our falling down degenerates into a staying down, and we
end up as spiritual failures – not because external forces dragged us down, but
because internal choices kept us down. Thankfully, we always have the power to
make healthier choices. As soon as a desire-spike passes and we regain our
spiritual bearings, we can use our free will to rise again and seek Krishna’s
shelter.
To boost our morale, we can get further inspiration by
meditating on Krishna’s unfailing love for us. In the Bhagavad-gita (09.30), he
declares as saintly those devotees who despite misbehaving stay determined to
serve him. Their determination conveys their attitude of not staying down, even
if they fall down. And Krishna’s declaration conveys that he still loves us and
wants our love.
By meditating on Krishna’s love-filled words, we can take
heart amidst our falls and resume our practice of bhakti-yoga. Steady
devotional practice will purify us, gradually making us strong enough to check
and counter future desire-spikes. By that inner conquest, the next verse
(09.31) indicates, we will attain virtuousness and peacefulness in everlasting
devotion.
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