Routine

The bane of routine. When we perform a sequence of actions regularly everyday like a fixed program, it falls in a routine and we just do it like we are on auto-pilot mode. In the beginning, when I came to Krishna consciousness, it was all new and fresh and the added lifestyle change was a fresh of breath air for me. The holy names could not have been holier and the prasadam any less tasty. However, as we reach the zenith of what we can do daily and settle into a routine habit, over time, spiritual practice becomes a drab of everyday chore. It is at this crucial juncture that we have a tendency to do something outside the routine and more often than not land in spiritual trouble. In other words, all the material contaminations in our heart will give us the impetus to break the routine. If we trust our material mind, eventually we will fall away from our goal of serving Krishna.

So when we reach this plateau of our sadhana, instead of trying to do something different or more, it is important to enhance our quality of our routine. When we desire to go deeper into the mysteries of the Holy name, deeper into the verses of Bhagavad Gita and Bhagavatam, and deeper in our remembrance of the Lord, then it is in the deeper journey we will relish true spiritual mellows.

How to go deep? One way is to slow down our mind and intentionally meditate on the meaning and purpose behind every item we do in terms of our sadhana. This sort of meditation can instigate our gratitude towards our acharyas and what they have given us. This gratitude when sincere will relieve us from the mental anxieites that result from the dualities of this world and the more relief we experience, the lighter and happier we will become thus increasing our ability to always remember Krishna and never forget Him (in refuge).

Thus that which begins with a bang, coasts as a routine can turn into an opportunity to penetrate more into our mind to take shelter of our acharayas and Krishna in a mood of refuge.

Hare Krishna