15.15 – Is the noise without muting the voice within?
All of us have an inner voice that expresses our deepest concerns, our noblest values, our highest aspirations. That inner voice is the voice of Krishna who, the Bhagavad-gita (15.15) indicates, resides in our heart.
Problematically however, that voice is frequently drowned out by many outer voices. These voices come from several sources, especially our social circle and our broader culture. Because such voices are frequently motivated by their own interests and are usually unaware of life’s spiritual purpose, they rarely address our best interests. Additionally, different outer voices sometimes give conflicting counsels which cumulate in a numbing noise that confuses more than clarifies.
More problematically, when we hear certain outer voices repeatedly, they slowly become internalized, either consciously or subconsciously. That’s why sometimes a babble of contrary inner voices bewilders us.
Most alarmingly, at times one of these inauthentic inner voices masks itself as the divine voice, thereby sinisterly misleading us.
How do we wade through this mess and unmute the authentic inner voice?
By focusing on the outer manifestations of that sublime voice. These manifestations are guru-sadhu-shastra (spiritual master-saintly teachers-scriptures). They serve as mouthpieces for the divine, helping us to know the wisdom and will of Krishna. More importantly, they also provide us the process of Krishna consciousness that becomes our connecting link with Krishna. First, this process helps us realize the importance of our inner life, thereby enabling us to reject or neglect irrelevant outer voices. Further, it helps us cleanse our inner world through Krishna’s purifying remembrance, thereby exiling or silencing inauthentic inner voices. The more we cultivate remembrance of Krishna, the more his inner voice becomes clearly audible and readily accessible.
By being thus divinely guided from without and within, we can make intelligent decisions and achieve our fullest potential materially and spiritually.