Why the Modern Mind Cannot Rest in Bhakti

Now, this is a very important question. Everyone today is asking, "Why am I so disturbed? Why I cannot sit peacefully and chant the holy name? Why my mind is running here and there like a mad elephant?" So this is not a new question, my dear readers. Five thousand years ago, on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra, the greatest warrior Arjuna himself — who was the personal friend and companion of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa — raised this very same question. He said the mind is more difficult to control than the wind itself. So if Arjuna is saying this, what to speak of us, the ordinary conditioned souls of this most degraded Age of Kali?

You see, the fundamental problem is this: the living entity has forgotten his constitutional position. He is eternally part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, just as a drop of ocean water is qualitatively one with the ocean. But when that drop separates itself and falls upon the hot sand of material existence, it dries up. It loses its very nature. Similarly, the living entity, being separated from Kṛṣṇa by his own rebellious desire to enjoy independently, has come under the clutches of Māyā, the illusory energy. And Māyā's business is very simple — to keep the living entity forgetful of his relationship with God. That is her only business. She is expert at it.

Now, in this Age of Kali, the condition has become extremely acute. It is stated in the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam that this age is an ocean of faults — kaler doṣa-nidhe rājann. An ocean. Not a pond, not a lake, but an ocean. And what are these faults? Everywhere there is quarrel, hypocrisy, irreligion, and above all, the complete neglect of spiritual culture. The so-called leaders — both political and intellectual — are themselves bewildered persons. They have no knowledge of the soul, no knowledge of God, no knowledge of the purpose of human life. And these blind men are leading other blind men. What can be the result? Both must fall into the ditch. This is the condition of the modern civilization.

The Five Great Diseases of the Modern Age

So let us try to understand practically why today's man cannot concentrate upon Bhakti. The first disease is what I call viṣaya-āsakti — deep attachment to sense objects. From morning to night, the so-called modern man is engaged in gratifying his senses. The eyes are being engaged in watching all kinds of nonsense on the television and the mobile telephone. The ears are hearing cinema songs and political gossip. The tongue is eating all manner of abominable foodstuff — flesh, intoxicants, artificial chemicals. And then they are wondering, "Why I cannot meditate? Why my mind is disturbed?" Just see the foolishness! You are pouring petrol on a fire and asking why the fire is not extinguished. This is the condition.

The second disease is asat-saṅga — association with materialistic persons. In the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam it is very clearly stated that one should not even see the face of a man who is addicted to the pleasures of women and wealth. But in this Kali-yuga, such persons are everywhere. In the office, in the neighborhood, even within the family — everywhere the talk is of money, money, money. How to earn more? How to enjoy more? How to possess more? In such poisonous association, how can the tender creeper of Bhakti survive? It is like trying to grow a lotus flower in a desert. The atmosphere itself is hostile.

The third disease is the wholesale destruction of the brahminical culture. The entire system of education in the modern world is geared towards one thing only — sense gratification. There is no training of the mind, no training of the intelligence, no training in self-discipline. The children are being taught how to become first-class dogs. A dog also works very hard to find a master who will give him some food. And the modern education is producing the same type of mentality — go, find some employment, earn some money, eat, sleep, mate, and die. Where is the spiritual education? Where is the teaching about the soul? Where is the knowledge of the self? It is completely absent. Naturally, when a man has no knowledge of his own spiritual identity, how can he possibly concentrate on Bhakti? He does not even know who he is!

The fourth disease is the most dangerous — nāma-aparādha and vaiṣṇava-aparādha. In this age, people have developed a very cheap mentality toward spiritual matters. Some go to the temple as a fashion. Some chant the holy name while their mind is in the stock market. Some criticize the sādhus and the devotees and think themselves very learned. Some take to spiritual life as a matter of business — "Let me chant some mantra and my business will prosper." This is not Bhakti. This is business. And the Holy Name, who is none other than Kṛṣṇa Himself in sound vibration form, does not reveal Himself to such insincere persons. You cannot cheat God. He knows the heart of everyone.

And the fifth disease is what I shall call the addiction to speed and noise. Everything in the modern world is moving at a tremendous speed. The motor cars are speeding, the aeroplanes are speeding, the internet is speeding, and the mind is also speeding. Nowhere is there silence. Nowhere is there stillness. And Bhakti requires exactly what this modern civilization cannot provide — a tranquil heart, a submissive attitude, and the patience to hear about the Supreme Lord from the right sources. Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa says in the Gītā that He can be known only by undivided devotional service. Undivided! Not that I am half here and half there. Not that my body is in the temple and my mind is scrolling through the telephone. No. Undivided attention. Complete surrender. But who is prepared for that today?

The Only Remedy — The Holy Name

Now, you may think the situation is hopeless. But it is not. That is the great mercy of the Supreme Lord. He has given a very special concession for the people of this age. It is stated very clearly:

You see, three times it is emphasized — nāsty eva, nāsty eva, nāsty eva. There is no other way. Not that you can perform great Vedic sacrifices as in Satya-yuga — where is the ghee? Where are the qualified brāhmaṇas? Not that you can build magnificent temples and worship for thousands of years as in Tretā-yuga — where is the time? Where is the purity? Not that you can perform elaborate Deity worship with all the proper mantras as in Dvāpara-yuga — where is the training? Where is the knowledge? In this age, the only practical method is the chanting of the Mahā-mantra: Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare / Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare.

This chanting does not require any material qualification. You do not need a university degree. You do not need to be wealthy. You do not need to belong to any particular caste, race, or nation. Whether you are a brāhmaṇa or a śūdra, whether you are a man or a woman, whether you are young or old, simply take this chanting and your life will be perfect. This is the most magnanimous gift of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who is Kṛṣṇa Himself appearing in the mood of a devotee to teach us how to love God in this most difficult age.

So my humble request to all sincere seekers is this: do not be discouraged by the turbulence of this age. It is expected. It was predicted thousands of years ago. But within this ocean of faults, there is one great treasure — the Holy Name. Take shelter of it. Chant sincerely. Associate with devotees. Read the Bhagavad-gītā As It Is and the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam. Reduce your material desires step by step. Eat only Kṛṣṇa prasādam. Avoid the four pillars of sinful life — meat eating, intoxication, illicit connection, and gambling. And gradually, by the grace of the Lord, the confusion will clear, the mind will become steady, and the sweet taste of Bhakti will awaken in your heart like the lotus that blooms even in the muddiest water.

The Lord is not unkind. He is the most merciful. He is simply waiting for us to turn our face toward Him. As Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī has so beautifully instructed, whatever resources you have in this material world — your intelligence, your wealth, your technology, your time — use them all in the service of the Supreme Lord. Then even the products of Māyā become spiritualized. Even this very machine upon which you are reading these words can become an instrument of Bhakti, if it is used to hear about Kṛṣṇa, to chant the glories of Kṛṣṇa, and to spread the message of Kṛṣṇa consciousness to every town and village of the world.

That is the mission. That is the solution. And that is the only hope for the confused and bewildered humanity of this age.