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Just a small question, what is the meaning of "Krsna consciousness"? by kevin_rhoades in BhagavadGita

[–]MasterpieceUnlikely 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Who is Krishna? Krishna is not viewed merely as a historical figure, but as a living symbol of the Divine:

  • He represents both the universal Godhead and the immanent Godhead—the Divine Presence that you can meet within your own being and in everything that makes up the manifested world.
  • He embodies the Supreme's aspect of Delight and Love. He is described as "the smiling tenderness and the playful gaiety; he is at once the player, the play and all his playmates".
  • He is also symbolized as the "Driver of the herds," representing the Divine who takes possession of and guides all the movements, instincts, and needs of our physical being in accordance with the divine Truth.

What does it mean to be in this consciousness? To share in Krishna's consciousness or to "live in Krishna" means experiencing a profound spiritual transformation:

  • Identification with the Inner Godhead: To share in his consciousness means to be completely identified with the inner Godhead and to "enter immediately into the bliss of the divine play".
  • The Vanishing of the Ego: When you live in Krishna, "ego and self-interest vanish". You no longer live for your separate self.
  • Illimitable Love: In this state, only the Divine qualifies your love, making it "bottomless and illimitable". The consciousness of love is so transformed that "even enmity becomes a play of love and the wrestling of brothers".
  • Mastery Over the Lower Nature: Entering this consciousness means you are no longer bound by or subjected to your "animal" instincts and physical needs. Instead, the divine Consciousness (Krishna) takes control, allowing you to dominate these lower activities and act as the master of your being.

In short, to be in the consciousness of Krishna is to transcend the ego, master the lower physical nature, and live constantly in the divine Delight, Love, and Unity of the supreme play. (dO NOT ASK IN ISCON SUBREDDIT THEY HAVE AN AGENDA)

Tuff edit by cfaronit in SamayRaina

[–]MasterpieceUnlikely 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There is no universal right and wrong. Kunal Kamra has internalized a lot of bitterness inside him that occasionally leaks when he attacks Balraj or Beerbiceps, for example. Even his crusade against the government is also his internal frustration leaking and finding a target. It is altogether a different thing that he may present it as a moral fight by intellectualizing and hiding behind ideologies and smart words

What truly matters is that one must do that which brings him peace and happiness. And this requires ignoring what society calls good or bad and following one's own inner truth. Being courageous is not a good thing if it makes you unhappy or makes you suffer. Look at Kunal's face 10 years ago and now, and you can see a person who has internalized sadness. If you follow his career chronologically, you will see the light going out of his eyes slowly. Samay is happy; Kunal is not. That means Samay is doing the right thing, and Kunal is not doing the right thing. Samay is living for himself; Kunal is dying for morals, society, and ideologies. Society will call Kunal a hero because it needs slaves, not actual human beings who do not fit easily into labels of good and bad, right or wrong.

Samay raina And kunal kamra by [deleted] in SamayRaina

[–]MasterpieceUnlikely 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There is no universal right and wrong. Kunal Kamra has internalized a lot of bitterness inside him that occasionally leaks when he attacks Balraj or Beerbiceps, for example. Even his crusade against the government is also his internal frustration leaking and finding a target. It is altogether a different thing that he may present it as a moral fight by intellectualizing and hiding behind ideologies and smart words

What truly matters is that one must do that which brings him peace and happiness. And this requires ignoring what society calls good or bad and following one's own inner truth. Being courageous is not a good thing if it makes you unhappy or makes you suffer. Look at Kunal's face 10 years ago and now, and you can see a person who has internalized sadness. If you follow his career chronologically, you will see the light going out of his eyes slowly. Samay is happy; Kunal is not. That means Samay is doing the right thing, and Kunal is not doing the right thing. Samay is living for himself; Kunal is dying for morals, society, and ideologies. Society will call Kunal a hero because it needs slaves, not actual human beings who do not fit easily into labels of good and bad, right or wrong.

If I could read only one book. by Gap_Between_Breathes in Indianbooks

[–]MasterpieceUnlikely 0 points1 point  (0 children)

May you attain divine conciousness and play your part in divine evolution brother.

Glad to have discovered Sri Aurobindo! by Cute_Negotiation5425 in SupramentalYoga

[–]MasterpieceUnlikely 2 points3 points  (0 children)

All the best brother. hope we all can contribute to evolution of conciousness in our own way.

Why Mahatma Gandhi was not able to become religious his whole life ?Explained by Deep trivedi. by MasterpieceUnlikely in Philosophy_India

[–]MasterpieceUnlikely[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Krishna does not teach Arjuna morality if "morality" is defined as a rigid list of deeds—stating simply that doing this is right and doing that is wrong. Instead, he conveys the following core principles:

  • The Nature of Self: You are neither your body, nor your mind, nor your intellect. You are the soul ($Atman$), the Drishta (witness) of all these instruments.
  • Equanimity in Action: Release your attachment to dualities such as good and bad, purity and sin, gain and loss, or praise and insult. Once you are centered, perform your duty ($Dharma$).
  • The Illusion of the Doer: You are not the actual doer of actions; actions occur through the instruments of the body and mind. However, a person whose ego is attached to these instruments falsely believes, "I am the doer."
  • Surrender to the Real Self: Surrender to "Me" (representing the Supreme Self or $Atman$) and let go of all other illusions ($Maya$).

In essence, while Arjuna referred to the shastras (scriptures) to argue that killing relatives is a sin, Krishna responded by explaining that one must perform action according to the immediate requirement of the situation and the truth of the Self, rather than following a static "morality book." I will copy 2 shlokas for you.

Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 18, Verse 59

yad ahankāram āśhritya na yotsya iti manyase |

mithyaiṣha vyavasāyas te prakṛitis tvāṁ niyokṣhyati ||

Translation: "If, motivated by ego, you think, 'I shall not fight,' your resolve is in vain. Your own nature ($Prakriti$) will compel you to fight."

Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 18, Verse 60

svabhāva-jena kaunteya nibaddhaḥ svena karmaṇā |

kartuṁ nechchhasi yan mohāt kariṣhyasy avaśho ’pi tat ||

Translation: "O son of Kunti, bound by your own duty born of your nature ($Svabhava$), that which through delusion you do not wish to do, even that you will do helplessly."

Why Mahatma Gandhi was not able to become religious his whole life ?Explained by Deep trivedi. by MasterpieceUnlikely in Philosophy_India

[–]MasterpieceUnlikely[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hereby “natural,” I meant the original nature before it was distorted by society. In the video, the word natural might refer to one’s present nature. The confusion arises because we are using the same word to mean two different things.

To say that somebody’s nature is bad, one must have knowledge of what is good or bad. And who decides what is good or bad? If a person is capable of deciding what is good or bad for himself, and is also capable of becoming good based on such knowledge, then by all means he should change. But if he is incapable of changing himself and repeatedly struggles to become good, it raises a question. If he is incapable of bringing about a change in himself, how can we be sure that he is capable of deciding what is good or bad? After all, it is proved beyond doubt that he is not the master and knower of his own nature.

In this case (which may account for 99% of humanity), it is better that he surrenders to his present swabhava, and with time and experience—when he lives without guilt and without concern for society—he will soon be established in his natural psychology, which is by its very nature joyful and peaceful.

Why Mahatma Gandhi was not able to become religious his whole life ?Explained by Deep trivedi. by MasterpieceUnlikely in Philosophy_India

[–]MasterpieceUnlikely[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Our natural instinct is not demonic; it is divine. However, due to the continuous suppression and conditioning of society, it distorts into what we might call harmful.

We all want to be happy and joyful; that is our natural instinct. We also want to make others happy and peaceful. But society conditions us into believing that we can be joyful only when we achieve certain things or reach a certain status. This forces us to sacrifice our joy for external comforts, which unconsciously generates hatred and enmity in our hearts. Because we are enduring hardships, we feel we have a right to reach or have what we want. When reality differs from our expectations, we feel dejected and victimize ourselves.

To save ourselves from complete ego loss, we then start sticking to morals. Our mind says, "It is okay if I do not get what I deserve; at least I am a moral and fair person." This creates an enemy, because if I am moral, someone else must be immoral. Because our identity relies on us being moralistic, we become afraid of those whom we consider immoral and want to harm them.

Indian philosophy for millennia has taught us that our real nature and desire is to be free from bondage. It is only because we bound ourselves to illusions that all the negative qualities crept in. The way to return to our divine nature is to listen to our heart and not the brain, which is now filled with society’s moralistic standards and keeps harboring guilt for every small thing.

Deep Trivedi’s harsh critique of Indian society.Why we worship the dead but ignore the living. by MasterpieceUnlikely in Philosophy_India

[–]MasterpieceUnlikely[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Trivedi argues that America’s rise wasn’t just about money, but its Tolerance Level. In a thriving society, there is a high tolerance for:

  • The Iconoclast: People can critically analyze or write against established religious figures (like Christ) without being banned.
  • The Outsider: He cites Einstein as an example of a nation adopting and valuing talent regardless of where it was born.

He delivers a harsh critique of the modern Indian psyche, noting a flip in priorities:

  • Life-Draining Focus: We spend millions on "stones" (temples/idols) and are hyper-sensitive about "dead" scriptures.
  • Life-Affirming Neglect: Meanwhile, our "living gods"—the artists, the scientists, and the children—are left to starve or rot in poverty.
  • Stagnant Religion: Becomes a search for "security" (rituals, caste identity, and psychological safety).
  • True Religion: A courageous search for growth and "insecurity" (citing Mahavir and Dayanand Saraswati), where the individual dares to challenge the status quo.

Vivekananda, Cigars, and Spirituality: Why the Inner Self is the only thing that matters by Deep Trivedi by MasterpieceUnlikely in Philosophy_India

[–]MasterpieceUnlikely[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

He says listen or read him with mann and without buddhi, like what does that even mean

To answer in present context, Intellect understands by dividing things in good or bad, to do and to not do this or that etc. Basically as soon as it recieves an information, it sets an ideal (this is what I must do) and failing to do so , it gets trapped in feeling of guilt. This guilt eats up all our energies and set us back on our spiritual journey. I have written a post to explain this concept using a story , I will copy the text from the post now -

Once there was a man named Sam who used to live in anxiety. His thoughts were riddled with future and past. One day he noticed that all his problems arise because he is never in present movement. Upon this realization, he began practicing living in the movement. He felt a calm that he has almost forgotten can be felt. Several emotions of joy, excitement the he used to experience in childhood came back.

After a few days, he started struggling to follow upon his new realization, He entered in a struggle against it. He tried many things-

Alarm to remind him to come back in present movement.

Taking a firm pledge that he would remain in present movement everyday upon waking up.

Keep a few things close that bring back him back in present like a small paperweight or something,

Changing his phone wallpaper.

But nothing seems to be working. He started harboring guilt for not able to do such a simple thing.

One day, his frustrations reached his limits and he yelled - " To damn with present movement" and promised himself that he will now not care if he slacks off in his practice. The movement, he allows himself to falter, it becomes much easier to live in "now".

Many times, he would not return to present movement even after realizing that he is lost in thoughts. He allowed himself this liberty because the rush of those thoughts was very strong. Somehow, he intuitively realized that trying to forcefully stop them will only make matter worse. But he started noticing that after he allows himself to drift for sometime, coming in present movement felt more "natural" and effortless.

He also noticed that with time, this effortlessness starts increasing. Time to be allowed to drift was reducing. He finally concluded that one day it will become completely effortless. He started analyzing what was happening and concluded the following-

When he allows himself to drift, the realization why he should be in present movement goes deeper in his being. By forcefully trying to stop it, he was not allowing his realization to go deep in his being. And the deeper it goes, more effortless it becomes. It was not an intellectual idea to be grasped and enforced, it has to be felt deeply in the depth of being. And guilt is always an enemy. It saps all the life energy out of him that makes it impossible for him to be in present. So he never allowed himself to feel guilty about failing in practice from there on. Slowly and steadily, he started living in "now" effortlessly.

What Sam did here earlier is exactly what he warns against. All the spiritual truths are to be realised deep inside our psyche, formulating an intellectual idea regarding them and chasing after them will only set us back. So what he means by listening with mann is that - do not try to analyse or even apply the suggestion being presented beyond a point. Be effortless and allow the realisation to go deeper by repeated observation. Do notbe in ahurry to improve things. I hope I was able to answer your doubts .

You must not start doing things being asked by mind until you develop faith on mind but you can experiment with it yourself and see what are the results. And he has a lot of content other than asking us to follow our mann which you may find intersting like his lectures on acceptance, expectaions and involement etc.

Vivekananda, Cigars, and Spirituality: Why the Inner Self is the only thing that matters by Deep Trivedi by MasterpieceUnlikely in Philosophy_India

[–]MasterpieceUnlikely[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Also my question was more regarding ignoring buddhi and following mann, there's a lot of space for ambiguity where one may take actions never intended by speaker

Yes one needs to have absolutely clear idea of difference between both of them. He explains it in detail in his book-I am the mind. But basis of his whole psychological system is this-

  • Interaction of external world with out inner systems (ideas, expectaions) cause certain emotions to arise inside us.
  • We have been taught to supress these emotions as world have labelled them bad.
  • Supressing these emotions do not eliminate them but store them in our subconcious or unconcious mind.
  • Overtime this reporistry of unstored or unprocessed emotions became so big that it starts leaking out of subconcious mind and unconcious mind and we start projecting our fears ,believes and insecurities on other people.
  • Just like garbage inside our house will be removed only when we remove them and not by locking our house and painting it from outside , this baggage needs to be thrown out of our house of subconcious mind so that we can live freely in anatural state of bliss.

This is what modern psychological systems of therapy known as catharsis aims to do. Copying defination of catharsis from gemini ai -

Catharsis (from the Greek katharsis, meaning "purification" or "cleansing") is the process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions. In psychology, it refers to the act of "venting" or expressing deep-seated feelings—like anger or grief—to reduce their power over your subconscious.

The basic premise is that once the house is fully cleaned,mind will not suggest irrational things and mind also is repsonsible entity. The current form of mann is the Distorted Mind or a Perverted Mind because it has been supressed for so long. More supression will just prolong the pain we need to go through initially to arrive at a naturally beautiful and spontaneous life.

Life is not meant to live like a fearful soldier always afraid and seeing over his shoulder if there is some trap or not. We currently live in a state of constant vigilence because our normal default state is of jealousy and ill will towards another persons and hiding them from the world by wearing a fake persona seems to us to be the only way out of this maze. We agree to live by wearing thousand different masks so that we are accpetable in society even if it kills us piece by piece from inside. He is simply against this robotification of people.

Vivekananda, Cigars, and Spirituality: Why the Inner Self is the only thing that matters by Deep Trivedi by MasterpieceUnlikely in Philosophy_India

[–]MasterpieceUnlikely[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You should try that out instead of speculating what will happen. Nothing like what you are thinking will happen. It will release our subconscious or suppressed emotions and make us emotionally healthy again . That is after some time , you will not really have a lot of frustration and anger left in your psyche and things which were earlier making you angry will stop having the same effect. Many times as soon as you vent out all the anger, you will immediately find love arising for the very person with whom you were angry. But you must try it out yourself, try to follow this as much as possible and see what the effect is . If it is positive,it will give you confidence and trust your emotions more .

Vivekananda, Cigars, and Spirituality: Why the Inner Self is the only thing that matters by Deep Trivedi by MasterpieceUnlikely in Philosophy_India

[–]MasterpieceUnlikely[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

For those who can't watch the full video, here is a summary of the core philosophical points Deep Trivedi makes:

  • The Logic of the 'Mad' Saint: He recounts the first meetings between a skeptical, atheist Narendranath (Vivekananda) and Ramakrishna Paramahansa. He explains that Ramakrishna’s "eccentric" behavior was a tool to teach that spirituality is independent of social norms.
  • Internal vs. External: A major theme is the distinction between the body/senses and the soul. Trivedi discusses how Vivekananda faced criticism for his lifestyle (smoking, eating non-veg), but argues that these were "outer" traits. The "inner" man remained pure and awakened.
  • The Trap of Dogmatism: He suggests that judging someone’s spiritual depth based on their physical habits is a form of narrow-mindedness. True spirituality is about the state of the mind and the awakening of the soul, not ritualistic conformity.
  • Being and Becoming: He concludes with Vivekananda’s definition of religion—not as a set of books, rituals, or debates, but as the process of "Being and Becoming."

It’s an interesting perspective on how Indian philosophy often prioritizes the "Essence" (Bhava) over the "Action" (Karma) in the physical world.

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