“How can we remember Krishna while doing our duties in the world?” This question often perplexes devotees.

Let’s look closely at the Bhagavad-gita verse (08.07) that recommends such dual engagement in meditation internally and occupation externally. This verse also gives the key for applying the recommendation: offer the mind and intelligence to Krishna (mayy arpita-mano-buddhir).

Our mind and intelligence direct our consciousness. We become conscious of things that stimulate us either emotionally or intellectually or both. Out of all the sensory data that flows constantly into us from the world, our awareness focuses on those things that trigger us to either feel them or make sense of them. While sitting in a room, the normal sounds such as the whirling of a fan don’t attract our awareness. But if we hear a voice that sounds like that of a loved one or like an important announcement, then it penetrates our consciousness.

Devotionalizing our mind sensitizes us emotionally to our purpose of serving our beloved Lord through all our activities.

As our consciousness flows along emotional or intellectual lanes, the Gita urges us to direct these lanes towards Krishna by offering our mind and intelligence to him.

We can offer our mind to Krishna by doing emotionally stirring devotional activities such as kirtans, Deity worship, offering prayers and singing devotional songs. These will devotionalize our mind, thereby emotionally sensitizing us to our purpose of serving our beloved Lord through all our activities.

And we can offer our intelligence to Krishna by scrutinizingly studying scripture. This will devotionalize our intelligence, thereby reminding us that everything is Krishna’s energy and everything attractive manifests a spark of Krishna’s splendor, as the Gita (10.41) indicates.

When we practice offering our mind and intelligence to Krishna thus, then our inner being will progressively become pervaded by his presence, whatever activity we may be engaged in externally.

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 08 Text 07

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