We live in a world that often agitates us with many anxieties and perplexities. Naturally, therefore, we seek peace of mind. 

Significantly however, we need not just peace; we also need purpose. And for pursuing a meaningful purpose, we are ready to sacrifice some peace. If we look back at our past, the most fulfilling moments were not necessarily the moments when we were just peaceful, but were the moments when we faced great challenges, but had some greater purpose that helped us to go through and grow through those challenges. 

Consider a disease metaphor, wherein being peaceful is like being pain-free and being purposeful is like being healthy. Freedom from pain comes automatically when we are healthy. Similarly, the curative medicine of becoming spiritually purposeful naturally brings the pain free-state of being mentally peaceful. But seeking only to be mentally peaceful is like taking only the painkiller without the curative medicine; the resulting peace is superficial and short-lived. 

To find fulfillment regularly, we need to focus on being spiritually purposeful, not just on being mentally peaceful. The Bhagavad-gita explains that we all are parts of an all-powerful, all-benevolent whole, Krishna (15.07). Our enduring spiritual purpose is to connect with Krishna and to make worthwhile contributions in a mood of service to him. To be spiritually purposeful and to be lovingly connected with Krishna in a mode of service is the state of vibrant inner health. And our mind becomes purified and satisfied through absorption in Krishna; consequently, we stay peaceful, even while we face challenges. 

When we focus on being spiritually purposeful, understanding that Krishna is the object of all our services (05.29), we naturally become peaceful. 

One-sentence summary:

Don’t let mental peacefulness come in the way of spiritual purposefulness. 

Think it over:

  • Why is being purposeful more important than being peaceful? 
  • Did your life’s most fulfilling moments center on peacefulness or purposefulness?
  • How can Gita wisdom help you become more spiritually purposeful ?

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05.29: A person in full consciousness of Me, knowing Me to be the ultimate beneficiary of all sacrifices and austerities, the Supreme Lord of all planets and demigods, and the benefactor and well-wisher of all living entities, attains peace from the pangs of material miseries.

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