In the Bhagavad Gita (18.61), Krishna states that he is directing the wanderings of all living beings from his strategic vantage point, which is within all hearts as the indwelling divinity: the Paramatma, or the Supersoul. How exactly does Krishna direct our wanderings? Does it mean that he wants us to wander? 

Certainly not. He wants our wandering to end so that we return to him, to be with him in our eternal home. He wants us to get there as swiftly and smoothly as possible from our present situation. He desires our wandering to be transformed into a pilgrimage directed toward him in his abode.

While what Krishna wants is in our ultimate interest, that alone doesn’t determine how he directs us. His directing of our wanderings is dependent on our desires, which, in turn, are based on what we consider desirable. What we consider desirable is frequently determined by our mind’s infatuations, infrequently by our intelligence’s convictions, and rarely determined by the harmonization of both, which is aided by his wise guidance coming from within and without.

Krishna directs our wanderings in the sense that he lets us experience what we strongly desire, coupled of course with what we deserve based on our karma. Yet, amid our wanderings, he is also prompting and prodding us toward wisdom and devotion, toward gaining the realization that the many attractive things of this world don’t really matter unless they are: first, cognitively connected with him within our consciousness, and second, resourcefully redirected toward him in a mood of service and devotion. This redirection kindles our attraction toward him so that it eventually becomes the defining, driving emotion and motivation in our life. 

How we come to such wisdom and realization depends on how we respond to his direction, just as how well an actor’s performance comes out depends on how well the actor responds to the director’s guidelines. When we pray to Krishna and try to chant his holy names in a mood of service, we are showing him through our actions that we want to be directed by him, and not just use the world as a playground for doing whatever catches our fancy. 

With this understanding of how Krishna is working for us, and how we can be working for him—which actually is working for our best interest—our lives can become much more meaningful than what we experience at the mundane level with life’s typical ups and downs. Such ups and downs, punctuated by phases of boredom and lack of stimulation, become more manageable when we invest in our devotional connection with the Lord. Not only does that connection make our life’s ultimate destination supremely rewarding, but it also makes our journey toward that destination increasingly exciting and enriching through the devotional insight that the connection infuses within us.

Summary: 

  • Krishna is directing our wanderings in the sense that he reciprocates with our desires according to what we deserve so that we can eventually transform our wandering into a pilgrimage directed toward him in his abode. 
  • Our wandering is directed by what we deem desirable, which is often determined by our mind’s infatuations, sometimes by our intelligence’s convictions. However, it is best determined when both mind and intelligence are harmonized by Krishna’s benevolent guidance, coming from within and without.
  • The more we try to connect with Krishna through prayer and devotional meditation, the more he makes our lives exciting and enriching by granting us the wisdom and devotion that help us experience life at a much deeper and richer level. 

Think it over: 

  • What is the nature of our wandering at present, and what does Krishna want our wandering to be like? 
  • What determines the desires that direct our actions? 
  • How can connection with Krishna help us to experience life at a deeper level?

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18.61 The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone’s heart, O Arjuna, and is directing the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on a machine, made of the material energy.