Let go of desire one step at a time, find salvation

Most of us seek gurus who can guide us on the path to reach God. However, through Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna turns into a guru and shows devotees on the ways to reach Him.

In the Dwapara yugam (when He lived as Lord Kirshna) itself, God foresaw the difficulties that devotees would face in Kali Yuga in leading a life of high spiritual thoughts. When Arjuna asks if one should view Him in an idol form or as the Formless one, He says the latter is a very difficult path to tread. One has to renounce family life, become completely detached, follow the principles of Ashtanga yoga, all of which is difficult; whereas by opting for idol worship and following the bhakti margam, one can still be attached to one’s family but attain Lord’s feet. Ramakrishna Paramahamsa explains this beautifully, when he says, “You hear the sound of a bell even without seeing it and you can hear the vibration even after the ringing stops. Similar is God’s presence.” The first step is to control one’s mind. It is not easy but it is achievable. If we want to ride a horse, do we not train our minds to learn how to control it first? Similarly, we should make a conscious effort to train our mind to be disciplined and focus only on the essentials. Over a period of time, the mind will turn towards God and godliness. If one finds it difficult, one can always turn one’s mind towards one’s favourite deity, like Venkatachalapathy or Varadaraja Perrumal or Parthasarathy (idol worship).

One should also give up desires, in a phased manner, and think only of Sanaragathi (surrendering at His feet), as the ultimate wealth that one can want in this world.

When we realise that merely by focusing on Him and following the dharmic principles, we can gain His mercy, we begin to develop an inner peace; selfishness will leave such a person, he becomes more peaceful by nature and develops detachment. Ramakrishna Paramahamsa once narrated the story of an eagle that had waited patiently to catch a fish. However, when it started to fly towards its nest, a few crows chased it and pecked at the fish. The eagle simply dropped the fish. At this, a devotee bowed to the eagle and said, “When we learn to throw away things that we cling to or view as our possession, it weighs us down. We should learn to cultivate detachment, which alone can get us closer to God.” Set aside a certain amount of time daily in order to think of God, meditate upon Him and learn to be completely detached, even when carrying out worldly duties. Our life on earth is a journey where the destination is to attain God’s feet. Try various avenues available to you to reach there: through bhakti, through chanting His name, by fasting, by going on a pilgrimage to holy rivers; or simply offer fruits, water and flowers at home. Once your mind turns towards God, He will not forsake you.