By Bhakta Rob
What makes Krishna consciousness special as a spiritual path is that it is not sectarian, ritualised religion, but rather an entire culture of devotion in which even everyday activities such as cookery, music, work, reading and interacting with others become part of the celebration of our spiritual practice. It’s far more a way of living than it is a way of life.
The purpose of the process of Krishna consciousness is to come to understand Krishna, the all-loving Supreme Person. Krishna means “the all-attractive”. When we become attracted by the beautiful qualities of Krishna, we no longer desire to serve ourselves in a selfish pursuit of material happiness, but instead we desire to serve Krishna, who is the source of all living beings. This devotional service is called bhakti-yoga.
Bhakti takes unlimited forms. As many skills or crafts as we may have learned, as many tendencies to act as we experience within ourselves, all of them can be dovetailed somehow in the service of Sri Krishna. Such complete dovetailing is the perfection of our existence. Since Krishna is a unlimited person, there are unlimited ways in which to exchange loving devotion with Him. We can cook for Krishna, sing for Krishna, paint for Krishna, build for Krishna, ride bikes for Krishna... make web sites for Krishna! By this process Krishna can become manifest within our hearts just as He is in the spiritual world. Because Krishna is pleased even by the simplest offering of devotion that is made sincerely by His devotee, then we can experience unlimited bliss in reciprocal loving exchanges with Him. Such degrees of bliss are never available in material activities or relationships, however much we try to search for them.
It is a misconception, however, that the spiritual practicioner must give up his/her material possessions. This is not the case. It is our attachment to our possessions that must be given up. It is the illusory idea that we have absolute control over these objects that causes us to suffer. When we see the same objects in terms of their relationship with the Supreme, then they can no longer bind us to the anxiety and loss we experience in this world.
Therefore our path brings us gradually, at our own pace, to the point of entirely dovetailing our activities in the service of Sri Krishna, and thus to the platform of pure love of Godhead. This does not necessitate any change in our life situation. We may remain in the same job, with the same hobbies, in the same house and with the same family, but the consciousness with which we perform our everyday activities becomes progressively transformed to the point where Sri Krishna is the focus of all of our concentration. This is perfection on the path of bhakti, and is the key to eternal happiness.
