In the Bhagavad-gita (13.22), it is stated that our consciousness gets caught in matter. Due to this, we experience the dualities of material existence and get tossed up and down with it.
Consider a child engrossed in a horror movie on TV, forgetting they are safe at home with their loving mother nearby. Similarly, the soul’s consciousness can become captivated and held captive by matter and its seductive manifestations in the form of sentient objects.
The next verse describes how the Lord, as the overseer, is present right next to us, yet we are oblivious to His presence. Thankfully for us, although we may not be conscious of Krishna, we can still make an effort to be conscious of Him. How can we do this? We can start by introducing Krishna into our conditioned consciousness, gradually leading to an unconditioned state of consciousness. It’s like the mother being present in another video recording that the child begins to watch. Gradually, the child realizes she has been nearby all along. Similarly, we need to begin focusing on a different track in our minds.
The more we shift our attention from the track that gets us caught in illusion towards the track that awakens us to reality, the better. During meditation, our mind seems to have two windows on the screen: one showing mundane thoughts and the other displaying Krishna-centered thoughts. This duality allows us to choose where to direct our focus. The more we ensure that the Krishna-centered movie keeps playing and shift our attention toward thoughts of Krishna, the more likely we are to free our consciousness from the world’s illusions. This focus helps us see Krishna as the ultimate reality.
Applying these two principles, we must first expose our consciousness to Krishna-centered stimuli by continually chanting His holy names. Second, we should focus or redirect our consciousness toward Krishna as much as possible. Over time, this repeated external and internal redirection will lead to appreciating Krishna, developing attraction towards Him, and eventually achieving absorption in Him.
This is when we will live with Krishna even while we are in this world, as assured in Bhagavad-gita (12.8).
Summary:
- Our situation is akin to a child watching a horror movie and forgetting that his mother is right next to him, ensuring his safety.
- By engaging in devotional activities and refocusing our mind on Krishna, we can ground ourselves in reality and free our consciousness from illusion, even while living in this world.
- The dual discipline of external perception and internal redirection toward Krishna will lead to eventual absorption in Him.
Think it over:
- With a metaphor, how are we presently both close to Krishna and far away from Him?
- What two steps do we need to follow to move from lukewarm devotion toward Krishna?
- Which of these two steps do you tend to fall short in, and how can you improve?
13.22 The living entity in material nature thus follows the ways of life, enjoying the three modes of nature. This is due to his association with that material nature. Thus he meets with good and evil among various species.
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