Conquering the Mind

Even though we can't see it or touch it, our mind is either our best friend or our worst enemy. Our state of mind will make us either highly successful and happy or it will drag us down into a miserable quagmire. If we make the mind our best friend by bringing it completely under control, we will be blessed with supreme success. And if we allow it to run wild, our life will be an utter disaster since we will be forced by laws of nature to glide down to the animal kingdom in our next lifetime.

So how do we bring it under control? This is the most important question. Krishna gives us a hint in the Bhagavad-gita:

yathā dīpo nivāta-stho
neṅgate sopamā smṛtā
yogino yata-cittasya
yuñjato yogam ātmanaḥ

"As a lamp in a windless place does not waver, so the transcendentalist, whose mind is controlled, remains always steady in his meditation on the transcendent self." ---Bhagavad-gita 6.19

So the secret of success is that we have to keep the mind always focused on Krishna, the transcendent self. The Krishna conscious mind is the perfectly controlled mind.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Answers According to the Vedic Version:

Question: How Do We Love God?

My most humble question is: How do we love God?

It is easy to love a person or a thing that we see, but since we cannot see God, how do we love Him? Also how do we know that he is reciprocating with our love? I do not doubt His existence but would like to know how to relate to Him.

Many thanks in advance for your very kind guidance.

With most humble respects

Anil
Mumbai India

Answer: By Engaging in His Service

You already have love of God lying dormant within your heart. All you have to do to revive is engage yourself in His service. You can see God, if you are willing to develop the eyes to see God. This is confirmed in the Brahma Samhita as follows:

premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena
santaḥ sadaiva hṛdayeṣu vilokayanti
yaṁ śyāmasundaram acintya-guṇa-svarūpaṁ
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

"When one's eyes are anointed with the unguent, the salve of love of Godhead, he can see Krishna everywhere within and without."--Brahma-samhita 5.38

How is that salve applied? You must repeatedly hear the glories of the Lord through the mouths of His pure devotees.

If you sincerely give your love to Krishna you will feel how He is reciprocating with you. In this regard the Lord speaks as follows in the Bhagavad-gita:

patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ
yo me bhaktyā prayacchati
tad ahaṁ bhakty-upahṛta
aśnāmi prayatātmanaḥ

"If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or water, I will accept it."--Bhagavad-gita 9.26

So sincerely offer your vegetarian foods to Krishna (no meat, fish, eggs, onions or garlic allowed) with love and when you partake of the remnants of the offering you will feel how Krishna is reciprocating with you in each and every bite.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

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