08.08 – To end our forgetfulness, let’s first commit to end our forgetfulness of our forgetfulness
We may sometimes become discouraged in our spiritual life: “I keep forgetting Krishna repeatedly even after practicing devotional service for so long. Is my practice of any use?”
Yes, it definitely is. Because it ends our forgetfulness of our forgetfulness. And that’s the only way to progress towards ending our forgetfulness.
When we drive a car, by default it tends to go off course unless we get it back on course. The same applies to our spiritual journey. The body-mind mechanism is like a vehicle for us souls. We can use it to return to Krishna by keeping ourselves on the track of devotional service. But this material mechanism, especially the mind, has default tendencies to gravitate towards worldly pleasures. During our journey on the track of devotional service, these tendencies push us off course. We cannot wish these tendencies away by any waving of a magic wand.
The only way to get rid of them is by steady, sustained rejection whenever they appear. Practically, this means that we get ourselves back on course, no matter how many times we find ourselves pushed off course. The Bhagavad-gita (08.08) assures us that if we practice bringing the mind back under control whenever it wanders, we will eventually attain perfection. When we commit ourselves to daily diligent practice of devotional service, we ensure that we commit to making course corrections regularly.
Our meditation and study first remind us that we have forgotten and then they remind us of what we have forgotten. The more we enthusiastically cultivate conscious remembrance of Krishna, the more our attraction to him deepens. This increases our remembrance of him at other times too till finally our forgetfulness dies. And thereby we live forever in Krishna’s love in this world and the next.
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8.8 – He who meditates on Me as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, his mind constantly engaged in remembering Me, undeviated from the path, he, O Partha, is sure to reach Me.