Internal understanding for Hari Smaran

In plain words, Hari smaran is thinking about Hari. Thinking of Hari is remembering with feeling and understanding. With what kind of understanding and feeling one should think of Hari?

1. First and foremost in remembering in understanding that Krishna resides within everyone's heart and He listens to everyone. So when you call Him or remember Krishna, He comes. Do smaran with this understanding that you are connecting with Krishna.
2. "I am the source of everything. Everything emanates from Me. Knowing this the wise worship Me with all their hearts."-BG 10.8. Suppose, you have direct telephone connection to the President of US. Will you lead a worried life in case you get into trouble? Most probably not as you can call the President and he can fix most of your problems. So, Krishna is most powerful and the Supreme. If you have faith that smaran is telephone connection to them, then you will lead a life without anxieties and worries. You will have faith that everything will be good for you all the time. So, truly believe that smaran will connect you with the most powerful and the Supreme person and connect to Him (Bhagavan) by smaran. What are you waiting for?
3. Everything belongs to Krishna. We are just His instruments or His puppets. Dedicate and offer all your activities to Krishna and in this way do smaran (BG 8.7). Work as an offering to Krishna and serve your family and society understanding that serving them is serving Krishna as they are part of Krishna. This understanding eliminates unnecessary thoughts and helps you to focus more on smaran.
4. Accept Bhagavan as your beloved person. You can choose Bhagavan as Krishna carrying flute in His hands or as Ram carrying bow and arrows or any other form. Think of the form and accept it as cause of all causes. Relate to Him as your father, mother, master, friend, guru, beloved etc. Whenever you get time, keep offering prayers to Him. Hear His glories from Puranas, Ramayan etc. Hearing His pastimes are very easy way to think of Him. When you will develop relationship with Him, your smaran will increase. You will be remembering Ram, talking with Him and feeling His presence all the time. Srimad Bhagavatam mainly focuses on smaran on Krishna's personal form by thinking about His lilas, names, form and qualities. So, spend time thinking of Krishna's beautiful form, read and hear His pastimes, remember and chant His names and each moment excercise choice of thinking of Him.
5. You are in material domain and you mind cannot anything which is not material. So, be humble and accept your inability. Currently your smaran of Krishna's lilas, names, form and qualities will be tainted by material domain. But understand that Krishna is beyond material domain. This is explained in BG 8.9 as: "One should think of Me as the one who knows everything, as He who is the oldest, who is the controller, who is smaller than the smallest, who is the maintainer of everything, who is acintya rupam (has inconceivable form), who is luminous like the sun, and who is transcendental, beyond darkness."
   

Question: I have developed faith that Krishna will take care of me and therefore, I have stopped working. I just try to remember Him, chant His names, hear and read His lilas etc. Is that OK?

Question: Krishna will take care of my family and my parents. I am trying my best by thinking of Him all the time. Is it ok not to focus on taking care of old parents and our family? Isn't those activities anyway waste of time as those activities take away my time which I can use in Hari smaran?

Wait for answer in future blogs.

If you can think, you can become devotee!

Imagine this situation: Suppose you become sick, you loose eye sight, you loose ability to hear, you cannot move your hands and legs and you are bedridden all the time. Is your life doomed? No, even if you cannot walk, even if you cannot see and read and even if you cannot hear, still you can think. While lying on the bed, you have choice to either think of Ram or to be frustrated. While lying on the bed if you think of Ram all the time, then you will attain bhakti and if you cannot, then you won't. It is that simple. As long as you can think, you can be devotee. You don't need external activities to become devotee. To attain Ram, you need to think of Him as much as you can and ultimately, in the end every moment.
Each moment you have choice - to remember Ram or to not remember Ram. Sri Ram gives you that choice each moment again and again. So, by doing jap, yog, pranayam, hearing His pastimes etc, you learn to exercise your choice of remembering Him more and more. They should increase your ability to exercise your choice of remembering Him more and more. If not, then something is wrong.
Another aspect which is simultaneously true is that your ability to remember Ram each moment is independent of external circumstances. So, it is your and only your choice and no external circumstance stops you to remember Him. So, when you can remember Ram all the time, then external actions don't matter. You might be engaging in any activity and still be with Ram. So, just remember Ram and do your duties.

You should always think of Me and at the same time carry out your prescribed duty of fighting. With your activities dedicated to Me and your mind and intelligence fixed on Me, you will attain Me without doubt. (BG 8.7)

Just fix your mind upon Me and engage all your intelligence in Me. Thus you will live in Me always, without a doubt. (BG 12.8)