Chapter 18, Text 61 - Chaitanya Charan Das, Bhagavad Gita ISKCON: Recent Episodes
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God is not a reluctant or indifferent companion; he is a diligent and transcendent companion.
Whenever we travel with someone, we seek to know what kind of person they are. If we come to know that they are traveling with us not by choice but by circumstance, we become even more curious about them, especially their disposition towards us during the journey.
Some people may be reluctant companions, disliking us or the journey itself but compelled by duty or other circumstances to travel with us. They may attempt to hide their discomfort, yet if they make us feel as though we are a burden, we, in turn, may feel that they are a burden. We may want to end such a companionship as soon as possible.
If they are not reluctant but indifferent, they may show little interest in us, focusing only on their own interests and paying us only minimal attention. While having such a companion might not be uncomfortable, it is certainly not comforting either. We might not rush to end such companionship but may not wish to prolong it any longer than necessary.
The Bhagavad-gita 18.61 explains that God is our indwelling companion, always with us because he cares for us and wants the best for us. He is neither indifferent nor reluctant; he is diligent in observing what we do, the situations we encounter, and how we respond to them. His diligence is not about judging or punishing us for our mistakes but about helping us learn and grow.
God is concerned about the things that concern us, not necessarily because all our concerns are valid or valuable—in fact, they often are not, as we get carried away by our minds, treating trivial matters as if they were monumental. He cares about our concerns because he wants us to invest our energies and emotions wisely, guiding us from where we currently place our focus to things that truly matter, things that bring lasting satisfaction.
While being diligent, God is also transcendent. He remains unaffected by the dualities of the world that not only affect but often afflict us. Because he is transcendent, he is free from material nature’s clutches, which enables him to free us from those clutches as well. This sets him apart from anyone else in our life, whether our parents, mentors, or friends, who may be diligent and well-wishing but lack God’s capacity to free us from misconceptions and misdirected desires.
We often travel from one place of suffering to another, hoping that each new destination will bring happiness, yet facing disappointment again and again. When we understand the benevolence and competence of our constant companion, we feel inspired to take his guidance and mold our life accordingly. Only this can ultimately lead us to a place of peace that lasts forever, as declared in the next verse of the Bhagavad-gita, 18.62.
Summary:
- God is our constant companion, neither reluctant nor indifferent, but diligent and transcendent, always monitoring and mentoring us with care.
- His transcendence enables him to free us from material dualities, unlike any other companion in our lives.
- The more we understand God’s benevolence and omnipotence, the more we can allow him to guide us to a place of perennial peace.
Think it over:
- How does God’s role as our constant companion differ from that of other companions in our lives?
- In what ways does God’s transcendence make his companionship unique and freeing?
- Consider how you can more fully accept God’s guidance, knowing his diligence and care for you.
18.61 The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone’s heart, O Arjuna, and is directing the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on a machine, made of the material energy.
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In the Bhagavad Gita (18.61), Krishna states that he is directing the wanderings of all living beings from his strategic vantage point, which is within all hearts as the indwelling divinity: the Paramatma, or the Supersoul. How exactly does Krishna direct our wanderings? Does it mean that he wants us to wander?
Certainly not. He wants our wandering to end so that we return to him, to be with him in our eternal home. He wants us to get there as swiftly and smoothly as possible from our present situation. He desires our wandering to be transformed into a pilgrimage directed toward him in his abode.
While what Krishna wants is in our ultimate interest, that alone doesn’t determine how he directs us. His directing of our wanderings is dependent on our desires, which, in turn, are based on what we consider desirable. What we consider desirable is frequently determined by our mind’s infatuations, infrequently by our intelligence’s convictions, and rarely determined by the harmonization of both, which is aided by his wise guidance coming from within and without.
Krishna directs our wanderings in the sense that he lets us experience what we strongly desire, coupled of course with what we deserve based on our karma. Yet, amid our wanderings, he is also prompting and prodding us toward wisdom and devotion, toward gaining the realization that the many attractive things of this world don’t really matter unless they are: first, cognitively connected with him within our consciousness, and second, resourcefully redirected toward him in a mood of service and devotion. This redirection kindles our attraction toward him so that it eventually becomes the defining, driving emotion and motivation in our life.
How we come to such wisdom and realization depends on how we respond to his direction, just as how well an actor’s performance comes out depends on how well the actor responds to the director’s guidelines. When we pray to Krishna and try to chant his holy names in a mood of service, we are showing him through our actions that we want to be directed by him, and not just use the world as a playground for doing whatever catches our fancy.
With this understanding of how Krishna is working for us, and how we can be working for him—which actually is working for our best interest—our lives can become much more meaningful than what we experience at the mundane level with life’s typical ups and downs. Such ups and downs, punctuated by phases of boredom and lack of stimulation, become more manageable when we invest in our devotional connection with the Lord. Not only does that connection make our life’s ultimate destination supremely rewarding, but it also makes our journey toward that destination increasingly exciting and enriching through the devotional insight that the connection infuses within us.
Summary:
- Krishna is directing our wanderings in the sense that he reciprocates with our desires according to what we deserve so that we can eventually transform our wandering into a pilgrimage directed toward him in his abode.
- Our wandering is directed by what we deem desirable, which is often determined by our mind’s infatuations, sometimes by our intelligence’s convictions. However, it is best determined when both mind and intelligence are harmonized by Krishna’s benevolent guidance, coming from within and without.
- The more we try to connect with Krishna through prayer and devotional meditation, the more he makes our lives exciting and enriching by granting us the wisdom and devotion that help us experience life at a much deeper and richer level.
Think it over:
- What is the nature of our wandering at present, and what does Krishna want our wandering to be like?
- What determines the desires that direct our actions?
- How can connection with Krishna help us to experience life at a deeper level?
18.61 The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone’s heart, O Arjuna, and is directing the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on a machine, made of the material energy.
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In the Bhagavad-gita [18.61], Krishna directs the wandering of all living beings. Does this mean he also directs the wandering of our minds? After all, our mind’s wandering primarily drives our actions, moving us toward desires or away from fears. Krishna is both the cause and not the cause of the mind’s wandering. When it is said that he directs our wandering, it doesn’t necessarily mean he causes it. Nor does it mean he specifically wants us to move in certain directions. If he caused those wanderings, it would imply that we lack free will. This idea contradicts both the overall message of the Bhagavad-gita and the next verse, which urges us to surrender to the indwelling Lord.
The call to surrender implies we have the free will to choose. The next verse emphasizes this by urging us to act according to our desire after careful deliberation on Krishna’s message. This suggests deliberation on his message helps us use our free will effectively, with the best use being to surrender to him. This understanding harmonizes with the Bhagavad-gita’s overall call to fix our mind on Krishna. It implies we have the free will to decide, at least to some extent, what we focus on. Krishna doesn’t direct our mind’s wandering in the sense of pausing there. So, what does directing imply? It implies that the mind’s wanderings, no matter how haphazard, immoral, or self-destructive, remain within Krishna’s control.
The mind can only wander within limits allowed by Krishna. Though he doesn’t control the specific direction, the mind can be likened to a horse tied by a long rope to a pole. The horse can run in various directions but not beyond the rope’s radius. This metaphor, often used to describe the physical limitations of free will, can also apply to mental limitations. Though mental limitations may be less restrictive, the key point is that Krishna, as the ultimate controller of everything, also controls our wandering mind. Understanding this gives us hope and faith that, even when our mind seems out of control, it is never out of Krishna’s control. If we try to fix our mind on him, as he repeatedly exhorts us to do, he can use his omnipotence to restrain the range of our mind’s wandering and empower us to do the same.
When we strive to fix our minds on Krishna, two things will happen over time. First, the mind’s tendency to entertain unwholesome thoughts will decrease, seemingly by magic. Second, our capacity to reduce such wandering will increase. Through this dual dynamic, our mind will become more peaceful, as assured in the Bhagavad-gita’s next verse [18.62].
Summary:
- Krishna, as the indwelling controller, governs everything, including the range of our mind’s wandering, even if he doesn’t control its specific direction.
- Understanding that Krishna controls our mind, even when we don’t, gives us faith and hope: faith that he can limit our mind’s wandering, and hope that he can enhance our ability to do so.
- Through Krishna’s intervention and our own increased determination, blessed by him, our mind will become more manageable, less restless, and ultimately peaceful.
Think it over:
- How is Krishna directing our mind’s wanderings?
- What does understanding Krishna’s role in our mind’s wandering do for us?
- How does focusing the mind on Krishna aid in surrendering and making it more peaceful?
18.61 – The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone’s heart, O Arjuna, and is directing the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on a machine, made of the material energy.
The post How remembering Krishna makes the mind peaceful first appeared on Chaitanya Charan Das, Bhagavad Gita ISKCON.
No link can link us with God; we need to link our heart with Him. In this world of Internet, we are often bombarded with endless information. And sometimes we get even endless spiritual information. And sometimes we may think, “Oh, I’ll just get one new link which will give me some spectacular insight or information that can dramatically increase my devotion.” While it’s always good to learn more and more about God, we need to know that no link can link us with God. Ultimately, what links us with God is our heart. And that heart has to be connected by our intention, by our attention, by our dedication – not merely by searching for more nectar.
Watch this content at: An internet link to God?
18.61 The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone’s heart, O Arjuna, and is directing the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on a machine, made of the material energy.
The post An internet link to God? first appeared on Chaitanya Charan Das, Bhagavad Gita ISKCON.
Two steps for manifesting our potential are realizing our potential and releasing our potential. We all have some gifts that are given to us by God; however, many of these gifts are hidden deep within us. The first step to manifesting those gifts is that we need to realize them ourselves. This happens both by intelligence and by experience. When we observe ourselves: we note the things that we are good at; and when we try out new things by which we discover things that we are good at, then we can realize our potentials – and then we need to commit ourselves consistently to learning and improving in those areas: so that those potentials can be released from within us – to benefit us and the world externally.
Watch this content at: How to manifest our potential
18.61 The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone’s heart, O Arjuna, and is directing the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on a machine, made of the material energy.
The post How to manifest our potential first appeared on Chaitanya Charan Das, Bhagavad Gita ISKCON.
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada
Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan
Bg 18.61Now Krishna explains if everyone has nature and we act according to our nature, is nature supreme? No Krishna mentions that above nature is Ishvara. He is the Supreme Lord.
īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁhṛd-deśe ’rjuna tiṣṭhatibhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāniyantrārūḍhāni māyayā
Synonyms:
īśvaraḥ — the Supreme Lord; sarva–bhūtānām — of all living entities; hṛt–deśe — in the location of the heart; arjuna — O Arjuna; tiṣṭhati — resides; bhrāmayan — causing to travel; sarva–bhūtāni — all living entities; yantra— on a machine; ārūḍhani — being placed; māyayā — under the spell of material energy.
Translation:
The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone’s heart, O Arjuna, and is directing the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on a machine, made of the material energy.
īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ, īśvaraḥ is Supreme Lord, the controller of all controllers.
sarva-bhūtānāṁ, He is situated in all living beings
Where He is situated?
hṛd-deśe ’rjuna tiṣṭhati, in the region of the heart. So Lord is situated not in the heart but in the region of the heart. A soul is situated not only in the heart but in the region of the heart, we talk about heart in two senses one is biological heart and other is metaphorical heart, in love when it is shown that an arrow is passing through the heart is also not physical heart but it represents a metaphorical heart. And the metaphorical heart represents the seat of emotions. And Krishna is saying hṛd-deśe, in the region of the heart. So a soul and Supersoul is seated in the region of the heart next to each-other.
bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni, bhrāmayan is wandering, so all the living entities are wandering in the existence, travel is purposeful but wandering is aimless.
So how are they wandering? yantrārūḍhāni māyayā, he is situated on yantra made up of matter. Yantra refers to our body. So Krishna is indicating that this body is like a machine, so a yantra in itself is not conscious, it is mechanistic it is made up of certain components which are brought together, they serve some function and work according to some laws. Body is not alone it has soul which effects the functioning of the body.
This body is yantra and soul is using the yantra. Soul is conscious and soul as a conscious being effects the functioning of the body. And the soul effects the functioning of the body through its desires. E.g. a virtual reality of video game, there is a person who has invented the video game is synonyms like God, a person who plays the video game, like soul and he identifies through a mechanism some character in video game as himself, that character can be car or police etc. the mechanism is also provided by inventor or God in our case. Depending on our nature and modes we have been given some position in the game, suddenly a thief cannot become police and vice versa. So according to our Varan we act. And if we act properly as per our varan we become purified. So this whole system is supervised by the Supreme Lord, He has done the whole setup and He is directing the wandering. Bhrāmayan indicates that the Lord is the supervisor, we discussed earlier this the soul is the desirer, the Lord is the sanctioner and the material nature is the executer.
For example a neuro scientist has done this experiment that he activated one part of the brain and the hand moves up and by deactivating the hand fell down, he asked the person on which the experiment is done have you raised hand the person said no, then he removed artificial activation and tall the person to raise hand this time the person admits that he has raised the hand. Then neuro scientist has activated different parts of the brain and ask the person are you the activator of the action the person said no. So then the scientists has concluded that although brain is like a computer but the activator is different he is somewhere outside.
So Science tells, motor nervous system raises the hand but that is just the execution part only, but before the execution part there is desiring part and the sanctioning part, Lord sanctions the desires and provide facilities to soul as per his desires which he can afford. So Krishna is providing the overall framework and within that living entity is working. So different living entities works in different ways.
So we work as per our nature that is mentioned in verse 59 and 60. It is mentioned that material nature will engage you, you cannot give up your nature. And in this verse Krishna is telling you and the nature is controlled by the Supreme Lord. And in next verse Krishna will tell therefore surrender to the Supreme Lord then you will be able to attain the auspiciousness.
End of transcription.
Suppose we find ourselves impeded, even imprisoned, by some conditioning — say, our mind keeps becoming jealous or angry, despite our best efforts to fight those impurities. We may become frustrated and resentfully ask, “God, why did you make me this way?”
Such a question is wrong because it places solely on God the blame for a situation that has resulted primarily due to our own past karma. More damagingly, this question pushes us in the wrong direction. When we believe that God has made us the way we are, we use our mental and intellectual resources to justify our status quo. In seeking such divine justification for our present condition, we forget the reality that we are a work in progress — our present state, no matter how permanent it seems to us, is just one phase in our multi-life spiritual evolution toward becoming the best we can be.
More importantly, God is our unfailing partner in our evolution (18.61). Even if it is not he but our own karma that has brought us where we are, he is with us wherever we are, ever ready to help us move toward a better place. With this understanding, we can change our driving question: “God, what do you want me to do now? From my present place, where do you want me to go?”This question will open us to his guidance and grace for evolving toward a better version of ourselves. By such divine empowerment, changes that had earlier seemed impossible will become possible and even relishable.
One-sentence summary:
Ask not, “Why did God make me the way I am?”; ask instead, “Where does God want me to go from where I am?” — the first question seeks divine justification for staying as we presently are; the second question seeks divine empowerment for progressing toward the best we can be.
Think it over:
- “Why did God make me the way I am?” — what’s wrong with this question?
- What role does God play in our evolution?
- What question can open us to divine empowerment?
18.61: The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone’s heart, O Arjuna, and is directing the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on a machine, made of the material energy.
To know more about this verse, please click on the image
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