Intelligence and experience help us see that material enjoyment is temporary and unsatisfying, whereas Krishna consciousness is eternal and supremely satisfying. This vision inspires us to redirect our attraction from matter to Krishna. Once we start this redirection project, two feelings threaten our progress: we may become either disheartened or complacent.
To help us overcome these two obstructing emotions, Gita wisdom offers twin insights:
1. It’s never too late: We may become disheartened on seeing that our conditionings seem deep-rooted, endless and irreformable. But Gita wisdom assures us that no matter how great the power of our conditionings, it is no match for the power of Krishna. As long as we are fighting a solitary battle, overcoming our conditionings is nearly impossible. But when we are sheltered and strengthened by Krishna through the process of bhakti-yoga, overcoming our conditionings is entirely possible.
2. It’s already too late: At the same time, Krishna’s omnipotence shouldn’t become the cause of our complacence. Even with Krishna’s power, the onus for redirecting our desires is on us. And bringing about this redirection is usually a lifetime project that is best started in childhood. So from that standpoint, we are probably quite a bit behind time – by several years, if not decades. Fortunately, the process of bhakti-yoga can place us on the fast-track to spiritual advancement and help us make up for lost time. Yet again, it is we who need to press the bhakti accelerator by hiking the intensity of our practices.
Through analyses like these, we can gain the impetus to apply the exhortation of the Bhagavad-gita (03.41: adau) to start serious spiritual practicesconfidently and immediately.
Bhagavad Gita Chapter 03 Text 41
“Therefore, O Arjuna, best of the Bharatas, in the very beginning curb this great symbol of sin [lust] by regulating the senses, and slay this destroyer of knowledge and self-realization.”
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