Suppose someone writes abusive graffiti on our house wall. We will be annoyed. If the graffiti is written with indelible ink, we will be more annoyed. But more troubling than the graffiti getting stuck on the wall is we getting stuck in the graffiti by having our thoughts caught in thinking repeatedly about it.

What applies to graffiti on a wall also applies to problems inside our consciousness. Having problems is annoying. Even more annoying is those problems getting stuck in our consciousness because we just can’t stop thinking about them. But most troubling is our getting stuck inside those problems by our fixating on them till they grow so big as to dwarf, dishearten and disempower us. 

How can we deal with such problems? By focusing on doing whatever is in our power. 

We can’t avoid problems entirely because the world is a tough place where problems are unavoidable. Sometimes, we can’t avoid thinking about problems because some problems come with inbuilt glue that makes them stick inside us. But we can prevent problems from growing disproportionately inside us. How? By refusing to obsess over them and by focusing our consciousness elsewhere. 

The best object to focus on is the all-attractive supreme, Krishna. Thinking about him provides us peace, power and perspective, thereby making problems more manageable. And if we habituate ourselves to thinking of him by practicing bhakti-yoga, then our consciousness becomes attached to him.

With such devotional attachment, we can more easily unglue our consciousness from problems and clear our consciousness, thereby becoming empowered to deal with those problems more effectively. No wonder the Bhagavad-gita (18.58) assures that those who become conscious of Krishna can cross over all problems. 

 

Think it over:

  • How is our mind like a wall with graffiti written on it?
  • When dealing with problems, what is in our control and what isn’t?
  • How can we avoid getting stuck inside our problems?

 

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18.58  If you become conscious of Me, you will pass over all the obstacles of conditioned life by My grace. If, however, you do not work in such consciousness but act through false ego, not hearing Me, you will be lost.

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