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Modern Lifestyle is the seed of endless destruction, including endless notifications, workloads, emotional and physical desires, etc. Whether you desire a comfortable, luxurious life or are already living it, finding real peace remains a mystery. Why? It’s because nobody knows the direction of Krishna Consciousness. Here, many people misunderstand Krishna Consciousness as a mindfulness activity.
Both of them serve different purposes - Mindfulness is the practice of calming the mind to focus on the ongoing activities in the present, while Krishna Consciousness focuses on the form of Lord Krishna - His beautiful face, clothes, ornaments, lotus feet, and most importantly, His name.
What Is Mindfulness?
Mindfulness is the activity of being aware of what’s happening in your surroundings and within yourself. In this technique, you must focus on their breath while silently observing it. It requires yogic asanas like meditation to centralise the thoughts, emotions in you place, which is used by many ancient saints, especially in Hinduism and Buddhism.
This method helps awaken the soul. Within the quiet state of mind, there are several common questions that arise: Who am I?, Why do I suffer?, What is the purpose of my awareness?. These are the required questions that you must ask themselves to uncover the truth.
Globally, many young adults, adults, and older people practise mindfulness to release the negative thoughts and focus on the productive ones. It has been believed to be the most effective and successful way to live a stress-free life.
What Is Krishna Consciousness?
Krishna consciousness is the state of soul awareness, where the inner consciousness recognizes the relationship with the Supreme Lord, Lord Krishna. Every soul has a relationship with the Lord, including the souls of humans, animals, insects, plants, sea creatures, etc. It is a transcendental state of consciousness where one’s thoughts, emotions are only centralized around the name of Lord Krishna.
This is the path of Bhakti-yoga, which is often misunderstood as the way to escape the responsibilities. But, in reality it is a way to live a purposeful life with a heart full of devotion. It is a forever reminder to remember Lord Krishna in every aspect of life.
Practices That Awaken Krishna Consciousness:
1. Chanting the holy names of Lord Krishna awakens the inner Krishna consciousness, as:
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
2. Regular visit to Temples:
you must visit the Hare Krishna Temples, take the darshan of Lord Krishna. It will help you awaken your Krishna consciousness, just by the merciful glance of his beautiful face.
3. Reading Scriptural Books:
Another easy way to awaken the soul into Krishna consciousness is reading about Him. you must start reading the Bhagavad Gita to understand the teachings of Lord Krishna, about our real existence.
The Mind Is Maya’s Playground—Until It Hears Krishna’s Name
The mind is you of the instruments of Maya through which it successfully bewilders the thoughts of a person. It never stops judging, comparing, and provoking the emotions of a person.
Maya is the external energy of Lord Krishna that drags the souls into illusion. It has imprisoned the souls in the world of illusion, where everything is temporary, including the body, the relations of this body with other people, the roles and responsibilities, etc.
Since the mind is controlled by maya, it cannot be simply purified through long meditations. The mind is like an uncontrolled horse; it will go in every direction, whether necessary or not. It is beautifully described in Bhagavad Gita, as;
ममैवांशो जीवलोके जीवभूत: सनातन: ।
मन:षष्ठानीन्द्रियाणि प्रकृतिस्थानि कर्षति ॥ ७ ॥
~Bg. 15.7
Lord Krishna says: The living entities in this conditioned world are My eternal fragmental parts. Due to conditioned life, they are struggling very hard with the six senses, which include the mind.
Here, the conditioned world means the temporary world with limited facilities, life count, etc.
Mindfulness is the process of practising a state of complete focus, stillness and emotional control, whereas the Krishna Consciousness is the state of focusing on the name and form of Lord Krishna. So, mindfulness is a method of attaining the capability to worship the beautiful form of Lord Krishna, eternally. It is mentioned in Chaitanaya Charitamrita:
হরের্নাম হরের্নাম হরের্নামৈব কেবলম্ ।
কলৌ নাস্ত্যেব নাস্ত্যেব নাস্ত্যেব গতিরন্যথা ॥ ৭৬ ॥
~CC Ādi 7.76
Translation: ‘For spiritual progress in this Age of Kali, there is no alternative, there is no alternative, there is no alternative to the holy name, the holy name, the holy name of the Lord.’
Use Mindfulness to awaken Krishna Consciousness
When we solely focus on mindfulness, it is like moving on the path with no destination. The purpose of mindfulness is to keep the senses in the present. But it isn’t the complete solution, Krishna Consciousness is the last step of this practice to liberate a soul. So, is there any point to keep doing it? No, rather you can use it to drive your Krishna Consciousness.
Mindful Chanting: Before chanting the holy names of Lord Krishna, you must know how to chant. Each syllable of Hare Krishna Mahamantra must be chanted properly and pronouncing each word clearly and distinctly, along with hearing each syllable clearly. This is the way to spiritually absorb the taste of the holy names of Lord Krishna, while chanting.
Observe Your Mind—and Offer It: It is an obvious thing to get distracted as soon as you focus on Lord Krishna. you must observe the thoughts while chanting, it will make you aware of his cunning mind. Lastly, when you find it too difficult not to be distracted, call out Krishna’s name loudly in chanting.
Final Words
Mindfulness is a useful activity to control multidirectional thinking, and keep focusing in the present. While Krishna Consciousness is the ultimate purpose of a soul's existence, you must use the practice of mindfulness to elevate the inner Krishna Consciousness.
When you breathe properly, it only helps your body to release toxins. When you meditate on the holy names of Lord Krishna, you provide the ultimate peace to your soul.
Remember, next time you sit quietly to meditate, chant the holy names of Lord Krishna / the Hare Krishna Mahamantra with mindfulness.
