Mayapur is a small town in the Nadia district of West Bengal known for the famous Krishna Temple and dedicated to spreading the Krishna consciousness. ISKON, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness is the organisation that is spreading Krishna consciousness across the globe. What is interesting is that the acceptability of Krishna consciousness is growing globally and a visit to Mayapur is enough to prove this. People across religions, races, and countries congregate at Mayapur to chant Hare Krishna. And the chant is spontaneous, it comes from within. But what is this Krishna consciousness may be a question that may arise in many an inquisitive minds.

The answer is very simple. It is realising the oneness with God represented by lord Krishna. The path also is not very tedious. All one needs is to surrender before God and merge his self with the lord. In the Krishna temple this is done through the chants of Hare Krishna. There is one condition though. This chant should come from the chords of the heart and not just the vocal chord. Krishna consciousness is not an artificial imposition on the mind. It is pure consciousness that is the original energy of the human beings. Chanting Hare Krishna is the means to realise this consciousness by shaking the superficial sheaths that have come to surround our original self due to our learnings and experiences of the mundane world. One needs to visit the temple and partake in the chanting along with the multitudes who submerge themselves into the chants. The ecstatic feeling that will be generated gives the real pleasure, the ananda or bliss. This pleasure is different from the worldly pleasures that are sensual in nature and just create a superficial feeling that is as ephemeral as ether. Adi Sankarain his Bhaja Govindam has explained the difference between these two types of pleasures. One gives you the craving for more and more, so even in plenty there is a sense of deprivation. That is the mundane or worldly pleasure.

However, it is not the real pleasure as it leads to a transient gratification of the senses only. The real pleasure is that which gives the gratification of the soul and this is the real nature of the human beings which unfortunately gets lost in worldly pursuits. This, however, does not mean that life requires shunning of all pleasures, wealth, family and other good things of life. That is a misunderstanding. All that is required to be shunned is the lust and craving for these things. Famous mystic saint Kabir says that your happiness lies within and not outside. Your consciousness that is your source of bliss is within you. He explains this very vividly in a couplet that is paraphrased  Just as there is oil in the sesame seed, just as there is fire in the fireflies, so also in the same way your consciousness, your God is in you. All your need is to awaken yourself. The Hare Krishna chant is a means to awaken that self and realize consciousness.

The crux of the Krishna’s teachings lie in understanding this reality. Enjoy life, enjoy blessings but without attachment. The easiest way to achieve this is through the Bhakti or devotion that is unconditional love. Taking part in one of the mass devotional congregations and chanting Hare Krishna will tell us how to practice this

The writer is a professor of management and public speaker. He can be reached at ppathak.ism@gmail.com