We sometimes feel cravings for things that we would normally never indulge in real life. Yet we entertain those cravings mentally, thinking that the mental is not actual.

However, the mind, even if it is not a physical thing, is still a thing – a real thing that is shaped and reshaped by the thoughts within it, which too are real things. When we entertain repeatedly a thought, especially a thought in its developed stage as a strong craving, that craving creates a pronounced impression on our mind.

Such impressions are like the impressions formed on a soft path when a truck goes on it repeatedly. On the path of our mind, our thoughts are like vehicles, with our cravings being like heavy trucks. Thus, what is craved within gets carved within – it becomes a habitual track for our thoughts.

A mental track can extend to physical indulgence at any time, especially at times when we are not on guard. And because that craving is familiar to us, its presence gradually lulls us into complacency. With our guard thus lowered, the mental indulgence transmogrifies into physical indulgence. This deepens the impression, thereby impelling us to further indulgence. The Bhagavad-gita (16.12) cautions that our desires are like shackles – when we let ourselves become unwittingly bound by such desire-shackles, our actions degenerate to immorality, criminality, even depravity.

Thankfully, the connectedness between craving and carving can work spiritually too. We can cultivate a longing to serve Krishna, even if we are unable to serve him. Gradually, that longing forms a track on our mind. And that track inspires us to remember and serve him as soon as any opportunity presents itself.

When we remember that our mind is molded by its contents, we can shape it positively by filling it with uplifting, purifying, liberating Krishna-centered content.

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