Suppose we walk on the streets of a giant metropolis, surrounded by huge skyscrapers, thousands of passers-by and hundreds of cars. We may feel small, lonely, insignificant. Nowadays, such feelings are associated with mental ill-health. 

Coming from such a background, when we hear that we need to feel small while approaching God, we may feel alarmed: Will this worsen my feelings of inadequacy? 

No, because a large worldly thing like a metropolis and God are categorically different. The metropolis is uncaring; its residents can be exploitative. In contrast, God loves us and is our greatest well-wisher. When we connect deeply with him, we feel secure and comforted. 

And humility is essential for us to connect with him effectively. Otherwise, we get too obsessed with our cravings and complaints and have no mental space left for God. Even if we do think of him, we see him only as the fulfiller of our cravings or redresser of our complaints. And if those aren’t addressed, we feel that he doesn’t care. 

Humility frees us from that self-obsession and makes our consciousness available for appreciating God, Krishna in his self-existential glory. He is all-attractive and is the fulfillment of our deepest desires. Absorption in him can give us far greater satisfaction than anything else. As humility facilitates such enriching absorption, it is empowering. 

Feeling small before God empowers us also by freeing us from small desires. When we are disconnected from God, small desires control us; our mind and senses drive us here, there and everywhere in the vain search for pleasure (Bhagavad-gita 15.07). When we become connected with Krishna and contented in him, we break free from those petty desires and do worthwhile things according to our abilities and interests, thereby experiencing authentic feelings of self-worth. 

Think it over:

  • How can feeling small disempower?
  • How can feeling small before God empower?
  • How does humility before God free us from small desires?

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15.07 The living entities in this conditioned world are My eternal fragmental parts. Due to conditioned life, they are struggling very hard with the six senses, which include the mind.

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