We often find ourselves under constant pressure to do things: make calls, answer emails, finish chores. 

How can we relieve ourselves of that pressure? One simple way is just letting go. To let go means to pull our consciousness out of the constant flow of time, which keeps pushing us to do things. In a sense, letting go is like dying temporarily. 

By dying to the flow of time, we become detached observers of the present. We sense that we are conscious beings, separate from the changes wrought by time. (Bhagavad-gita 02.13). The present, with all its dissatisfactions and frustrations and confusions, exists outside us — none of it threatens our core. We accept it all. 

Gita wisdom takes us beyond accepting the present to appreciating the present in its silent richness. The present is rich with the presence of our all-attractive, all-loving Lord, Krishna. He is present in every atom, in every moment and in every being. He is present inside us and outside us. 

The riches of Krishna’s presence are silent because they aren’t overt; to sense them, we need to tune our consciousness by practicing bhakti-yoga. Then, we can discover his presence in myriad ways. In the smallest of sounds around us, for he is sound in space (07.08). In the beating of our heart, for it is he who sustains all life (10.39). In the air we breathe and the light with which we see, for all these express his benevolence (15.12-14). 

For many lifetimes, Krishna has been waiting in our hearts for us to tune to him (18.61). When we let go, his radiant presence enriches us, silently, sublimely, sweetly.

One-sentence summary:

Letting go is dying to the flow of time so that we can accept and appreciate the present in its silent richness. 

Think it over:

  • How is letting go like dying temporarily?
  • How can we appreciate Krishna’s presence in the present?
  • Pause. Take five deep breaths. Explore how you can sense the divine presence, within and without.  

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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.

 

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