02.70: Ever Flowing, Never Flooding – The Dynamics of Inner Peace

How can a spiritual seeker stay peaceful amidst tempting circumstances?

The Bhagavad-gita (2.70) shows the way with a metaphor from nature: just as rivers flow into an ocean without flooding it or causing it to overflow, desires flow into serious spiritualists without disturbing their inner calm. Significantly, the metaphor talks about desires flowing inwards, not outwards. The absence of the outward flow of desires is also indicated by the words “na kama-kami”, not “a desirer of desires.” This unidirectional flow of desires implies that the inward flow of desires from tempting objects toward serious spiritualists doesn’t induce an outward flow of desires from them toward those objects.

How is it that temptations don’t tempt them? Because they are relishing an inner satisfaction as immense as an ocean, due to their connection with the oceanic source of all happiness, God, Krishna.

All of us can develop that divine connection by practicing the art of devotional remembrance of Krishna daily and diligently. Then we too can relish the mysterious peace of an “ever flowing, never flooding” consciousness.