Chaitanya Charan Das Based on Bhagavad Gita Chapter 15

Rift with God makes us drift with the mind by ChaitanyaCharan Das Based on Bhagavad Gita Chapter 15

We are pleasure-seeking beings. And we are intrinsically the eternal parts of Krishna, as the Bhagavad-gita (15.07) states. Because Krishna is the all-attractive reservoir of all pleasure, we can best fulfill our longing for pleasure by connecting lovingly with him.

But when some things don’t go according to our plan, we may develop a rift with Krishna. We may resent him, slacken our devotional service and start looking elsewhere for pleasure. And the mind stands ever ready with numerous suggestions.

Because by a gradual drift, the mind has taken us far away from our conscience and intelligence, we end up viewing depraved pleasures as not just acceptable but even irresistible.

Knowing that our intelligence and conscience are not yet numbed, the mind usually doesn’t suggest gross temptations first. It often begins with saattvika pleasure-sources that seem cultured and refined, even if not Krishna-connected. As we settle into such godless happiness, it then presents raajasika temptations that promise more visible and tangible pleasure. And once we indulge in them, it presents taamasika indulgences that we wouldn’t even have considered earlier. But now because by a gradual drift, the mind has taken us far away from our conscience and intelligence, we end up viewing depraved pleasures as not just acceptable but even irresistible. Thus we sink to shocking lows in our vain search for pleasure. The search is vain because all substitutes for Krishna being ephemeral and peripheral to our spiritual essence leave us dissatisfied.

The best way to avoid being misled by the mind is to immediately repair any rift with Krishna or, better still, prevent it entirely. How? By reminding ourselves that even if specific things don’t work out in this world, Krishna as the otherworldly source of shelter and satisfaction remains always available to us through his holy name, Deity, scripture and other such divine manifestations. By absorbing ourselves in the manifestation that we find most relishable, we can, even amidst life’s ups and downs, stay always connected with him, safe and satisfied.