Always Thinking Of Kṛṣṇa

Love of God practically expressed is service. Any philosophy or religion which does not lead one to this end is simply bluffing, and any system that leads one to this end is first class. Yoga means to link up, and religion comes from two Latin words, re-legio, which means to bind back. Krsna in the 31st verse says that the end is achieved by one who "remains always in Me in all circumstances." That is the goal of all yoga or true religion, and that means that the consciousness is completely submerged in Krsna. That is love. How do I know when I am in love with some girl? Simple. I cannot get her out of my mind. Similarly, when we are in love with Krsna, we think of Him always. We cannot be without Him for a minute.

The gopis complained that the creator of the universe, Lord Brahma, was not very intelligent, for the eyes which he designed sometimes blinked, and for that instant Krsna was lost to their view. That is real love. Krsna says that for such a person "I am never lost, nor is he ever lost to Me."

In the 37th and 38th verses, Arjuna wants to know about the condition of one who starts on the transcendental path and is deviated for one reason or another before reaching the goal. Does he not become bereft of material enjoyment and spiritual advancement both? Does not he lose his chance for material happiness and at the same time fail to reach the goal of spiritual success? Arjuna is still not awake to the full import of Krsna's teaching that one who thinks of Krsna is immediately on the transcendental platform. Thus Krsna reassures Arjuna that evil never comes to the man seeking transcendental advancement. Even if he is unsuccessful in one life, in the next he will certainly pick it up at the same point. Material education or learning must be left with the gross body. And it must be totally completed in one lifetime. Unless I complete my doctorate in this life, then in my next I have to start all over again-all those years of study are wasted. But spiritual knowledge is not like that because it is eternal, and therefore I can take it with me in my eternal condition as spirit soul, and when I take another body, that spiritual knowledge is again displayed from the same point. If I have become 25% Krsna conscious in this life, in my next I will begin at 26%. So nothing can ever be lost on the eternal plane. Krsna stated in the 40th verse of the Second Chapter that "even a little advancement on this path can protect one from the most dangerous type of fear." It will be further explained in the 30th verse of the Ninth Chapter that a person who has determined to become Krsna conscious is under the protection of Krsna's internal energy already, even before the perfectional stage is reached. Therefore even though it takes many births to complete the process, one who has once taken to this process of Krsna consciousness is guaranteed completion or perfection and the attainment of the Supreme Goal. Krsna says: "A yogi is greater than the ascetic, greater than the empiricist and greater than the fruitive worker. Therefore, O Arjuna, in all circumstances, be a yogi. And of all yogis, he who always abides in Me with great faith, worshiping Me in transcendental loving service, is most intimately united with Me in yoga and is the highest of all." In case there is any doubt left in Arjuna's mind, Krsna states in the concluding verse of the chapter that the perfection of yoga is devotional service, transcendental loving service. Yoga means to link up, and Krsna says that he is most intimately united with Me who worships in transcendental loving service. The culmination of all kinds of yoga practices is bhakti-yoga, or love of Krsna. Unless and until one comes to that point, he is not in complete knowledge, and his path is unfinished. Therefore Hare Krsna is the yoga for this age because, like the benediction moon, it is spreading transcendental love of Krsna, the end of all yoga systems.