How can we use the word ‘my’ ?

 

Hare Kṛṣṇa!

Okay, we have last question here from Candramālā and, well, she quotes purport from Third Canto (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.20.18 ), but basically her question is that Prabhupāda says that, if we have this conception that something belongs to us is only due to our bodily conception of life and by thinking like that, then that increases our ignorance. So her point is that, well, but does not calling something mine increase also our sense of responsibility, like my spiritual master, my service, my spouse and so on. So does that also increase our ignorance?

Okay, my answer.

So, here the underlying conception which is important, Śrīla Prabhupāda said, my, he referred to, I do not know, my disciples and my BBT and so on. So, Śrīla Prabhupāda's use of the word “my” and our use of the word my is really conventional, it is practical. It is something that people relate to, they connect with and it is also a practical way for us to actually communicate. But what is the underlying consciousness? When I really think

īśvaro 'ham ahaṁ bhogī 

(Bhagavad-gītā 16.13-15)

 

 that, I am the controller, something belongs to me, that means I am also the enjoyer, then yes, that will increase our ignorance, it will increase our bodily conception of life, it will cause us further suffering, further obstacle in spiritual life.

If however we are thinking that everything belongs to Krishna and everyone is Kṛṣṇa's servant, then that the way that we use the language is not, I am referring now to the conventional way that we use the word my, is not detrimental.

So what do we think? How do we, when I say this is my husband, what does that mean? It means that, from the spiritual point of view that I know that everyone is nitya kṛṣṇa dasa (kṛṣṇera ’nitya-dāsa’ – Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya 20.108-109), everyone is Kṛṣṇa's servant, here is some living entity, who is on his way to Kṛṣṇa just like I am on my journey to Kṛṣṇa and now what is my duty, what is my responsibility in this world for the temporary time that I am here. So that is fine.

But when we forget that and probably with the family connection it is the strongest. When I am thinking - these are my children, this is my daughter, this is my son, for women attachment to husband is not that strong, but still those attachments become:

puṁsaḥ striyā mithunī-bhāvam etaṁ (Bhāg 5.5.8)

 

they are very blinding, they are extremely strong.

So how do we keep that consciousness that everything is Kṛṣṇa's? Well, it is a sadhana, it is a practice in Gītā 9th chapter, 10th chapter Kṛṣṇa explained to us how we see things, objects as manifestations of his potency,

raso 'ham apsu kaunteya (Bhg 7.8)

 

he is the taste in water and what is the water,

bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ khaṁ mano buddhir eva ca (Bhg 7.4)

 

that it is just his external energy, water as Kṛṣṇa's external energy. So, when we see that everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa, everything is a manifestation of Kṛṣṇa's energy and we practice that, it is something that we need to practice, it is a little more difficult than the sādhana that we perform with the senses, because now it is something that we have to also perform with the mind.

So when we practice like that then gradually, gradually our conventional use of the word “my” becomes beneficial, it becomes part of our advancement in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, why? Because we are always thinking - Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa, it actually belongs to Kṛṣṇa.

So, when that underlying good consciousness is there then yes - we progress and when it is not, or when it is more not than it is, because everything does not happen from one to the other overnight, then that becomes a possible obstacle on our progress in devotional service.

So, sādhu savadhana¹ devotees should be very much careful in this regard and so Bhāgavatam says,

janasya moho 'yam ahaṁ mameti (Bhāg 5.5.8)

 

these are the two main traps of material existence, I and my.

Hare Kṛṣṇa.

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1. (Sāvadhāna (सावधान)

1) Attentive, bestowing attention, careful, heedful.

2) Cautious.

3) Diligent