Worry accelerates our imagination. When we face problems, worry paints dreadful pictures of the many further things that may go wrong, thereby sucking our mental energy into those gloomy possibilities.
Saying that worry accelerates our imagination doesn’t mean that the problems we worry about aren’t real. They may well be real. But we can live only one moment at a time and we need to take things one at a time. Worry paralyzes our capacity to utilize the present, the only resource that we have to deal with issues.
Moreover, many of the scenarios that worry makes us agonize over are in fact imaginary – they are possibilities that may never become realities.
If while driving the accelerator gets pressed accidentally, we regain control is by pressing the brakes. The brake that slows down our hyperactive imagination is faith – faith in Krishna’s omnipotence and omni-benevolence. He is always in control and is always our well-wisher. He assures in the Bhagavad-gita (09.22) that he personally protects those who constantly meditate on him.
The stipulation that we constantly meditate on him is not a stiff demand meant to disqualify us, but a necessary condition meant to help us access his protection. When we redirect our thoughts from things that worry us to things that pacify us, worry loses its power to accelerate our imagination.
To facilitate this redirection, Krishna offers himself as a pacifying object of thought. He is the best object of thought, for he is all-attractive, embodying within himself everything attractive about everything. The more we choose to put our faith in him and habituate ourselves to meditating on him, the more we relish that attractiveness and develop a taste for it. Then faith no longer remains a brake for worrying thoughts; it becomes an accelerator for fulfilling thoughts.
Bhagavad Gita Chapter 09 Text 22
“But those who always worship Me with exclusive devotion, meditating on My transcendental form – to them I carry what they lack, and I preserve what they have.”
A lovely article, very well written and easy to understand! Thank you! 🙂
Very nicely written. Srila Prabhupada’s lecture on this verse is wonderful. Very encouraging.
Hare Krishna,
Prabhu, how is that your daily articles seem to address some of my own concerns that arises a day or two earlier?
Early last Friday morning, as I woke up from a drunken stupor, my mind was playing havoc with me. I had said things I should not have said to my friends and family Thursday night. And I felt really miserable, and my imagination was making it worse.
I cried to Krishna to help dispel my excruating imagination and pacify my thoughts. I asked for forgiveness and protection.
By Friday noon, Krishna had made me feel at ease with my thoughts. He must have also resolved some of my issues caused by my stupid actions.
Krishna is omni-potent, omni-present, and omni-benevolent. Jai Krishna!
Hare Krishna
So true prabhuji
Krishna is the only strength and one must have full faith in His protection and meditate on His transcendental form always!
Thank you pr for this very wonderful service to humanity on daily basis,
hare krsna. thank you pr ji for teaching us THE CONCEPT OF APPLYING SPIRITUAL BRAKES.
it is noted , by experience, that every principle, rule and properties of this MW, has a relevance , interpretation , linkage, and direct co-relation, in the reverse tree concept, to the performance of devotional services.
thank you pr ji for teaching us the concept of brake, clutch, and acceleration of a material car to the spiritual car, (the soul ) and the relevance of using the same concept in getting close to KRSNA.
( just as clutch is used in changing speeds of a vehcile, similarly a spiritual clutch is used to slowly bring you closer to KRSNA. )( each pressing of the clutch representing a cycle of birth and death )( or may be in same life , various speeds…levels of devotional services )
Hare Krishna Prabhu Ji, so much enlightening. Hari bol
Thank you for the article and the for explanation in such simple words! Your messages are very timely and very powerful Prabhuji!
Hari Bol!
Divinely inspired article. It gives a direction that is coming straight from the lotus feet of spiritual master