Question: I am trying to be more conscious about my daily activities and thoughts so that they are centered on Krishna, but it is not easy. I find myself thinking or daydreaming about how I can enjoy separate from Krishna. When I bring my thoughts back to Krishna my mind feels so much clearer. How can I keep my thoughts on the right track?
I really want to clean out my mind. I feel like there is so much garbage cluttered there from the past few years. Sometimes it is really overwhelming. I want to focus on Krishna and not on sense gratification but that desire sense gratification keeps creeping back! Please describe a practical way that I can control my mind and be a better devotee.
Answer by Romapada Swami:
Cleansing the mind and training it to think of Krishna takes constant and vigilant practice – so please do not be dissuaded or discouraged for having to make a strong effort to achieve this. What you are doing is on the right track and is recommended by Krishna — “From wherever the mind wanders due to its flickering and unsteady nature, one must certainly withdraw it and bring it back under the control of the self.” (BG 6.26)
The sadhana stage is one of deliberate effort and cultivation. A sadhaka has some attraction for Krishna but it is not yet strong and mature. That spark of attachment has to be, therefore, constantly kindled and nurtured by the process of hearing, chanting and remembering until it becomes a steady, blazing fire.
To replace thoughts centered on matter, deliberately shift the focus of those thoughts to Krishna. Cultivate the habit of contemplating on those desires you do have in relation to Krishna — “In what specific ways would I like to serve Guru and Krishna”, or “What are some things I can do to improve the quality of my chanting tomorrow morning”, or “How can I accomplish this instruction in a manner pleasing to my spiritual master”, and so on. Another enlivening meditation is contemplating on the wonderful qualities of Krishna and the acharyas, their mercy upon us and remembrance of their instructions. This exercise of the mind should be done repeatedly and daily without flagging, as many times as it takes to fix the mind on Krishna. Some devotees practice by writing down relevant instructions & realizations and regularly reviewing them from time to time, even several times during the course of the day.
Moreover, remembrance is made possible by and consequent to quality hearing and chanting. Therefore, we should do everything in our power — mold our lives in such a way — so as to give quality time and undivided attention to these two activities viz. hearing or study of scriptures and chanting, on a daily basis. As the Bhagavatam says, for those who are engaged in eagerly hearing the messages of Krishna which are virtuous in themselves, the Lord Himself being seated in their hearts will personally cleanse the desire for sense enjoyment. (Please read SB 1.2.17 and purport)
The desire for sense-gratification is deeply ingrained in us due to our long association with matter in so many species of life. But by hearing about Krishna from His pure devotees we quickly develop attachment to Him. In fact, it is through association that we develop attachment of any kind. Bhagavad-gita graphically illustrates this idea: by associating with the sense-objects or those who take pleasure in sense-objects, we begin to contemplate on those objects and become attached; we imbibe their materialistic values and rest our hopes for happiness on these desires. (BG 2.62, 63) Conversely, by associating with saintly persons and hearing from them submissively, the nature of our contemplation can be changed. When we hear of the happiness derived from Krishna’s reciprocation with His devotees, naturally our hopes for enjoyment from matter pales and slackens.
This positive cultivation is much more effective and is emphasized more than battling alone to get rid of unwanted desires. Needless to say, the mind is very treacherous and therefore we should be wary of inauspicious thoughts and keep them far distant, but side by side if we are actively engaged in nurturing the positive, automatically thoughts of sense-gratification will have no room to enter.
