How to engage our mind, thoughts and actions for Krishna?
A male devotee (Name hidden):
“You should post a message regarding human body for your devotion like we’re not this human body we’re a soul how to control emotions, thoughts and this bio machine (human body) to use it for optimum use and to gain krishna counciousness like to listen these words on this topic from you.
URGENT PLEASE DONT ADD MY NAME IN POST IF YOU WILL REPLY IN PAGE. ANNA, I AM EXTREMLY SAD MY FATHER IS A DAILY DRINKER VOH HUMARI COLONY ME DRINK KRKAY TAMASHAY KARTAY H PEE KR IDHR UDHR GIRJATAY H HUMRI SOCIAL IMAGE KHARAB HO CHUKI H PLEASE ADVICE SOMETHING ANNAH PLEASE ?”
REPLY:
It is very painful to note the activities of your father and I will write a separate article about drinking and dealing with the drinkers soon. Now, I answer your first question:
(How to involve your ego in Krishna’s service? Practical Tips HERE!)
Tips to engage our mind, thoughts and actions for Krishna!
We have heard many advising us to control the body, thoughts and emotions. Practically speaking, CONTROLING BODY, THOUGHTS AND EMOTIONS IN A MATERIAL WAY IS IMPOSSIBLE.
Then, what to do? Should we go with the directions of body, thoughts and emotions?
It is also not advisable, because, our mind (thoughts) and the senses of our body will definitely drag us towards the activities that give us pleasures even through wrong means thereby adding negative karma for us.
Thus, we can neither control the mind and body materially, nor leave them as it is.
We have to do something in this matter.
There is only one way to control the mind and senses.
How? By involving/ engaging them in the thoughts and services of Krishna.
This is the only proven way to divert the mind and senses from indulging in the sinful acts thereby avoiding adding karma.
(Also Read HERE : Serving Krishna even when we are in the most critical situation!)
Idle mind is devil’s workshop. Idle means, even remaining without involving in elevating higher thoughts.
Our mind has a nature. We must always involve it in some thoughts. Just evaluate whether you are able to remain without thinking anything even an hour, no, no, even for five minutes. You will always be thinking something.
Most of them will be unproductive thoughts, such as, about the comments of friends, about meeting someone, about the pressures from parents, about love, about betrayals, cheating, studies, forthcoming exams, job, etc, etc.
If you try to remain without thoughts, the mind will overpower you and force so many thoughts will arise in your mind. In fact, only when you try to control them, these excessive thoughts will arise and engage the mind again.
We have seen some persons observing silent vrat and they avoid speaking even a single word throughout the day. I do not support such vrats/fasts/observations, because, though they do not speak anything, they will be thinking so many things within mind. Their mind will be travelling all over the world and they will be observing silent vrat. Therefore, real vrat/ fast means not even thinking of mundane things.
Therefore, such silent vrats and fasts are not necessary. The best alternative to control the mind and senses is to engage them in the thoughts and activities related to Krishna.
(ALSO READ THIS POST : 10 POWERFUL TIPS TO CONTROL ANGER THAT AFFECTS EVEN THE DEVOTEES!)
How can we follow this in our day to day life?
First, we must start to think more of Krishna most of the day. The chanting of Lord’s names will play a great role in engaging us in the thoughts of Krishna. Whenever we get a gap in a day, even if it is 10 minutes gap, we should chant Lord’s Names in that time keeping Krishna in mind. Thus, our mind will not have a time to engage in mundane thoughts. After that 10 minutes chanting, we should again start to perform our regular tasts like reading, working, etc.
Even while reading or working, we should keep Krishna in mind and we should have a feeling that we are performing these assigned duties as advised by Krishna in the chapter–3 of Bhagavad Gita. Krishna said that we should not escape from responsibilities that are naturally assigned to us (based on our karma). Therefore we are doing this work. This assignment is not antisocial or anti-national or anti-vaishnavas or, of course, anti-Krishna. Since we are performing as said by Krishna and thinking of Krishna, we will never involve in sinful acts.
For example, your father tells you to go to the shop and buy some vegetables. As a son, it is your duty to help your father and family in buying the vegetables. Therefore, it is an assigned duty. You can not escape from it. As a Krishna devotee, you should be satvic (in the mode of goodness) in all your approaches and activities. You go to the shop. The vendor demands excessive price for a vegetable that has lost its freshness since it is the old stock. You can politely tell them that the price seems to be excessive and the product is 2-3 days old and hence he may reduce the price in line with the market price. In case, that shop vendor uses abusive words and refuses to reduce the price.
(Also Read THIS POST : After coming to devotion, I hate and avoid non-devotee family and others that makes them angry. Why Krishna allows this?)
What will you do?
(1) If you are dominated with Rajo guna, you will fight with him back and even physically.
(2) If you are dominated with Thamo guna, you will buy that vegetable since you will be lethargic to go to another shop.
(3) If you are dominated with Satva guna, you will thank him for abusing you and avoid purchasing vegetables from him and leave the shop and go and purchase from another shop.
The effects of all the above acts will be:
(1) Fighting will make an unwanted scene since you are fighting with a demon like person who is not your equal partner. This will cause your image also though every person knows that he has no image at all. Therefore, he may fight, but, you should not fight.
(SERVING KRISHNA THROUGH ASSIGNED DUTIES AND DIRECTLY! WHICH IS BETTER? READ HERE!)
(2) If you buy from him even after his abuses, he dares to continue such approaches with all the customers and his cheatings will continue. You are helping him to continue cheating.
(3) In the last case, when you leave him and if every customer does so, he will stop cheating the people further. And, since you thanked him for abusing you, he will be caught with the guilty feeling. This will make him ask excuse from you atleast on a later date. When all the customers follow this approach and avoid him, he will definitely reform himself.
Thus, when we start to perform our assigned duties AS PER KRISHNA’s DIRECTIONS, in the mode of goodness, ie, satva guna, it is the REAL IDENTITY THAT YOU ARE THE DEVOTEE OF KRISHNA WHO IS ACTING IN SATVA GUNA.
Also Read THIS POST : How to be happy in spite of serious problems?
Therefore, when we start working for Krishna, in other words, as directed by Krishna, all our acts will automatically become in the mode of goodness.
In the mode of goodness, there will be just mercy and kindness and we will not act with emotions. Our only symptom will be the kindness even with the enemies and sinful people.
Thus, we should start working for Krishna or working as directed by Krishna.
To avoid the diversion of mind, we should always engage our senses in the performance of our assigned duties as directed by Krishna, and fill the available time gaps in chanting Lord’s Names or reading about Krishna.
(How to dedicate ALL actions to Krishna as said by Krishna? READ HERE)
!nd, we should allocate some time every day to offer our worship to Krishna. Instead of cooking for our pleasure, we should cook for satisfying Krishna, offer that food to Him and later honour the prasadam.
While taking decisions, we should evaluate whether our decision will affect any person unnecessarily because, we should not unnecessarily hurt any creation of Krishna. We should act in such a way that we do not willfully affect anyone with our activities.
To develop kindness, we should start to donate atleast a small cash or kind to the needy every day. We should help for the people and forums who are engaging in the services for Krishna.
Thus, we can engage our mind, thoughts and actions for Krishna.
Within a few months, you can notice that you have reformed tremendously and you are a new person in you and you are becoming dominated with Krishna and satva guna.
Try this trusted and proven way to engage our mind, thoughts and actions for Krishna. All the best.
(Also Read HERE : Is showing anger on Krishna right?)