Attention on Kṛṣṇa - The Art of Spiritual Concentration
The human mind is constantly searching for something beautiful, powerful, or fascinating to focus upon. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that because Kṛṣṇa is the supreme reservoir of all beauty, wealth, and power, He is the natural and ultimate object of our attention. By deliberately turning our focus away from temporary material illusions and fixing it upon the Supreme Personality of Godhead, we fulfill the true purpose of yoga and achieve the highest perfection of pure devotional service.
The True Purpose of Yoga and Religion
Many spiritual seekers mistakenly believe that meditation means emptying the mind. Śrīla Prabhupāda clarifies that the actual goal of all mystic yoga and true religion is to actively concentrate one's attention on the personal, beautiful form of Kṛṣṇa.
- The actual purpose of mystic yoga is to concentrate one's attention fully on the Personality of Godhead, Krsna, and always think of Him - mad-gatenantaratmana.
- The ideal yogi concentrates his attention on Krsna, who is called Syamasundara, who is as beautifully colored as a cloud, whose lotus-like face is as effulgent as the sun, whose dress is brilliant with jewels and whose body is flower garlanded.
- The art of focusing one's attention on the Supreme and giving one's love to Him is called Krsna consciousness.
- We're hankering after the beautiful, the powerful, the learned, the wealthy. Krsna is the reservoir of all of this, so we need only turn our attention toward Him, and we will get everything. Everything - whatever we want.
The Power of Diverting Attention
The material energy entangles the soul by keeping its attention fixed on temporary, unwanted things (anarthas). Śrīla Prabhupāda teaches that the simple act of diverting even a small amount of attention toward Kṛṣṇa's pastimes and service immediately purifies the heart and begins the process of liberation.
- Diverting even a little of one's attention toward Krsna and activities in Krsna consciousness immediately enables one to achieve the highest perfection of life. This is the purpose of the Krsna consciousness movement.
- The whole principle of spiritual life is to turn our attention back to Krishna, and thus immediately be freed from all entanglements of Maya.
- If we turn our attention to Krsna's service, to bhakti-yoga, we can force ourselves to give up all anarthas, unwanted things.
- By rapt attention fixed upon Krsna, one is purified, and thus one is delivered from material life.
Steady Attention in Pure Devotion
Pure devotional service requires unflinching focus. Śrīla Prabhupāda emphasizes that genuine followers of Lord Caitanya do not allow their attention to flicker toward the worship of demigods or impersonal philosophy; their minds are steadily fixed on Kṛṣṇa alone.
- We Gaudiya Vaisnavas, under the guidance of Lord Caitanya, want steady attention for Krishna, not flickering. Therefore, in our line of thoughts and action there is no scope for worshiping any other demigods.
- Great mahatmas like Bhismadeva realize all the different features of Lord Sri Krsna, and therefore they worship Lord Krsna with one-pointed attention, knowing Him as the origin of all features.
- Perfection of pure devotional service is attained when all attention is diverted towards the transcendental loving service of the Lord (Krsna).
- The members of the Yadu dynasty acted automatically for their bodily necessities, but their actual attention was always fixed on Krsna. Their bodily activities were performed mechanically, but their minds were always absorbed in Krsna.
Captivated by the Supreme Form
When Kṛṣṇa reveals His transcendental features, the attention of the entire universe is completely captivated. Whether it is His eternal associates serving Him in Dvārakā or the birds and animals of Vṛndāvana listening to His flute, Kṛṣṇa effortlessly commands the absolute attention of all pure souls.
- Since their (gopis) attention is fixed on Krsna’s flute, they cannot divert their minds to any other subject.
- Another young gopi told her mother, "My dear mother, the birds, who are all looking at Krsna playing on His flute, are sitting very attentively on the branches and twigs of different trees."
- All the cranes and swans in the water are being enchanted by the melodious song of Krsna's flute. They have approached and are worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead with full attention. Alas, they are closing their eyes and are becoming completely silent.
- Although each and every queen had thousands of maidservants engaged for her service, the queens were all personally attentive in serving Krsna. Each one of them used to receive Krsna personally when He entered the palace.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Śrīla Prabhupāda masterfully reveals that spiritual advancement is fundamentally a matter of attention. Conditioned souls suffer because their intelligence is foolishly diverted toward temporary, material objects, constantly changing focus like a flickering flame. However, simply by turning one's attention toward Śrī Kṛṣṇa—the supreme reservoir of all beauty and pleasure—the soul immediately begins to untangle the knots of material existence. This is the true essence of mystic yoga and the supreme instruction of the Vedic literatures. By strictly avoiding the distractions of demigod worship and impersonal speculation, and by steadily fixing the mind on the Lord's form, pastimes, and service, a devotee achieves the highest perfection. Ultimately, when one's attention becomes completely captivated by Kṛṣṇa, as perfectly demonstrated by the residents of Vṛndāvana and Dvārakā, the soul experiences the boundless ecstasy of pure, unalloyed love of Godhead.
Dive Deeper into Śrīla Prabhupāda's Vani
Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category Attention on Krsna. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience the teachings in their direct, verbatim form.