Category:Always Thinking of God
Theme Analysis
In the concluding chapters of the Bhagavad-gītā, Lord Kṛṣṇa reveals the most confidential knowledge to Arjuna: man-manā bhava mad-bhakto—engage your mind always in thinking of Me. Śrīla Prabhupāda emphatically declares that this is the most important instruction in all Vedic literature. The ultimate goal of every spiritual process—whether karma-yoga, jñāna-yoga, or aṣṭāṅga-yoga—is to bring the mind to the point of unbroken concentration on the Supreme Personality of Godhead. A person who achieves this state of continuous absorption is considered the greatest yogī, the supermost jñānī, and the highest pure devotee.
A fascinating theme within this category is the absolute power of the Lord's form. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that bhakti-yoga is so incredibly potent that even if one always thinks of God out of intense fear or enmity (as the demon Kaṁsa did), they are still purified and delivered. However, the perfection of this practice is found in pure love, perfectly exemplified by the gopīs of Vṛndāvana. Their Kṛṣṇa consciousness was flawless because they thought of Kṛṣṇa only to please Him, without any personal motive. For the modern practitioner, Śrīla Prabhupāda offers a practical roadmap to achieve this exalted state: by consistently engaging in chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, hearing about the Lord's pastimes, and offering obeisances, the mind becomes thoroughly cleansed of material desires, allowing it to naturally and effortlessly remain always thinking of God.
- The Ultimate Instruction: Kṛṣṇa repeats the phrase man-manā bhava mad-bhakto (always think of Me) to stress that it is the absolute essence of the Bhagavad-gītā and the highest perfection of life.
- The Greatest Yogī: True samādhi is not a blank mind; it is the state where the mind is fully and continuously absorbed in visualizing the form of Lord Viṣṇu or Kṛṣṇa within the heart.
- The Power of Absorption: The process is so purifying that even enemies of the Lord who constantly think of Him out of fear are delivered. How much greater, then, is the destination of a pure devotee who thinks of Him out of love?
- Protection from Karma: By expertly managing the mind to always think of the Supreme Lord, a devotee completely bypasses the dualities of pious and impious reactions (pāpa-puṇya) and remains untouched by material suffering.
- Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: Always Thinking of God - The Essence of the Bhagavad-gītā.
Subcategories
This category has the following 2 subcategories, out of 2 total.
Pages in category "Always Thinking of God"
The following 55 pages are in this category, out of 55 total.
A
- A devotee should expertly manage to think always of the Supreme Lord so that the reactions of suffering cannot touch him. This is the expert management of papa-punya - pious and impious activities
- A person serious about making progress in devotional service must always think of the SPG, must always chant His glories, and must always hear about His activities. - These are the preliminary principles of following the scriptural rules and regulations
- A person who is always engaged in the service of the Lord or is always thinking and planning how to serve the Lord is to be considered completely liberated at present and in the future. His going home, back to Godhead, is guaranteed. BG 1972 purports
- A pure devotee who is always thinking of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the person qualified to see the Lord
- After studying the Vedas, one must then execute devotional service by thinking always of the Supreme Lord (man-mana), becoming His devotee, worshiping Him and always offering Him obeisances. This is called visnu-aradhana
- Always thinking of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, acquire knowledge from the right source. Thus practicing bhakti-yoga, you will patiently and enthusiastically be elevated in knowledge and will be able to give up the false ego
- As we can understand from the Bhagavad-gita (9.34 and 18.65), the Supreme Personality of Godhead wants everyone to think of Him always (man-mana bhava mad-bhaktah). Everyone should become His devotee, not the devotee of a demigod
- At the conclusion of the Ninth Chapter of Bhagavad-gita, Lord Krsna directly says: "Engage your mind always in thinking of Me, offer obeisances and worship Me. Being completely absorbed in Me, surely you will come to Me." - BG 9.34
- At the end of the Ninth Chapter He (the Lord) has said, "Just always think of Me." The same instruction is repeated here (in BG 18.64) to stress the essence of the teachings of Bhagavad-gita. BG 1972 purports
B
- Because Haridasa Thakura was always thinking of the SP of Godhead and was always busy satisfying the senses of the Lord, this process alone saved him from the captivation of maya. This is practical proof of the strength of devotional service
- Being completely cleansed of all material desires, the devotees are freed from all mental contamination. Thus they can always think of the Lord constantly and address Him very feelingly
- Bhakti-yoga is so powerful that both demigods and asuras can derive its benefits if they always think of the Personality of Godhead
D
- Dhruva Maharaja was a pure devotee and was accustomed to always thinking of the Lord. Reciprocally, the Lord always thinks of those pure devotees who think of Him only, twenty-four hours a day
- Dhyanavasthita-tad-gatena manasa pasyanti yam yoginah (SB 12.13.1). A yogi is fully absorbed in thoughts of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, for he has no other business than to think of the Lord always within the heart
E
- Engage your mind always in thinking of Me, become My devotee, offer obeisances to Me and worship Me. Being completely absorbed in Me, surely you will come to Me
- Everyone's aim should be to satisfy the SPG by engaging his mind in thinking always of Krsna, his words in always offering prayers to the Lord or preaching about the glories of the Lord, and his body in executing the service required to satisfy the Lord
- Executing devotional service by thinking always of the Supreme Lord (man-mana), becoming His devotee, worshiping Him and always offering Him obeisances. This is called visnu-aradhana, and it is the supreme occupational duty of all human beings
I
- If one cannot remember all the names (of Lord Visnu) at one time, one may simply chant, "Lord Visnu, Lord Visnu, Lord Visnu," and always think of Lord Visnu. Visnor aradhanam param: this is the highest form of worship
- If those who are not devotees always think of Visnu, they become free from all sinful activities. Krsna consciousness is the highest form of thought. Lord Visnu is thought of in this age by chanting Hare Krsna
- If we practice devotional service by always thinking of the Lord, always glorifying Him and always chanting about Him, as described in text 37 (of SB 10.2), we will be reinstated in our original, constitutional position and thus be saved
- If you think of Krsna, or God, always, immediately you'll be freed from the conflagration of the blazing fire. And as soon as this blazing fire of material existence is extinguished, immediately you come to the platform of blissfulness
- In Bhagavad-gita (BG 9.34) the Lord advises that one always think of Him (man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru (BG 18.65)). In this way, by always being Krsna-minded or Krsna conscious, one can surpass the influence of maya
- In Srimad-Bhagavatam (SB 3.13.4) it is stated that there are many students of the Vedas, but one who is always thinking of the Supreme Personality of Godhead within his heart is the best student of all
- In the ecstasy of conjugal love, he (Paramananda Mahapatra) always thought of Caitanya Mahaprabhu
- It appears that a devotee who always thinks of Krsna and who always chants His glories in ecstatic love, regardless of his condition, will attain the highest perfection of unalloyed devotional love due to Lord Krsna's extraordinary mercy
- It is sure and certain that anyone who always hears the glories of the Lord and thinks of His lotus feet will reach that supreme destination
K
- Kamsa was attached to bhakti-yoga by dint of fear of his death. Thus bhakti-yoga is so powerful that even becoming an enemy of the Lord and always thinking of Him can deliver one very quickly
- Krsna always tries to please His devotees as much as the devotees try to please Krsna. As the devotees always think of Krsna within their hearts, Krsna also thinks of His devotees within Himself
- Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita (9.34) man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru - Engage your mind always in thinking of Me, become My devotee, offer obeisances to Me and worship Me
O
- O Lord of my life, may I again become their servant so that my mind may always think of Your transcendental attributes, my words always glorify those attributes, and my body always engage in the loving service of Your Lordship?
- One can practice concentration upon the Lord until one is so fixed that he remains in trance, thinking always of the form of the Lord
- One should always think about and describe the Supreme Personality of Godhead, for this is recommended in both the Bhagavad-gita and the Bhagavata Purana, which are two authorized commentaries upon the Vedas
- One should always think that Krsna, or God, is great and that one is always protected by Him
- One who always thinks of the lotus feet of the Lord is certainly above all the contamination of the material world
- One who thinks of the Supreme Lord always, he's the greatest yogi, he is the supermost jnani, and he is also the greatest devotee at the same time
T
- The atheist class man will always think that Deity is a doll: "These people, crazy fellow, they are worshiping doll." But not for a devotee
- The first-class yogi is he who controls his senses and detaches himself from material activities by always thinking of the form of the Lord
- The great sage Maitreya continued: My dear Vidura, being thus petitioned by the Pracetas, the supreme devotee Narada, who is always absorbed in thoughts of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, began to reply
- The hearts of the demigods are always filled with fear of the demons, and therefore they cannot think of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The engagement of the demigods is to think of the Lord always within the cores of their hearts
- The Lord says in Bhagavad-gita (BG 18.65), man-mana bhava mad-bhaktah: "Always think of Me." It doesn't matter which way one thinks; the very thought of the Personality of Godhead is the basic principle of bhakti-yoga
- The Lord says, man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru: (BG 18.65) - Engage your mind always in thinking of Me, become My devotee, offer obeisances and worship Me
- The Padma Purana recommends: somehow or other, always think of Visnu without forgetting Him under any circumstances. Actually, this is the most basic of all regulative principles
- The perfection of yoga is reached when you are in samadhi, always thinking of the Visnu form of the Lord within your heart, without being disturbed
- The personified Vedas continued, "Your (the Lord's) enemies also concentrate upon You, thinking always of how to kill You, and yogis undertake great penances and austerities just to attain Your impersonal effulgence"
- The ultimate aim is acyutatmatvam - to think always of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna, or Visnu. To make advancement in Krsna consciousness, one has to become a brahmana, with the above-mentioned (in SB 7.11.21) symptoms
- The words parasya para-cintakah mean - always thinking of the Supreme Personality of Godhead - or being always Krsna conscious. When we speak of Krsna, this refers to the complete category of visnu-tattva
- This (always thinking of God) is the most important instruction in all Vedic literature. What Krsna is saying in this connection is the most essential part of knowledge, & it should be carried out not only by Arjuna but by all living entities. BG 1972 p
- This is stated in Bhagavad-gita (9.34): Engage your mind always in thinking of Me and become My devotee. Offer obeisances and worship Me. Being completely absorbed in Me, surely you will come to Me
W
- We must always think of Krsna, just like the gopis. The Krsna consciousness of the gopis was perfect because they had no desire other than to try to please Krsna. That is perfection
- When Maharaja Bharata took birth as a brahmana, he was not very interested in the duties of a brahmana, but within he remained a pure Vaisnava, always thinking of the lotus feet of the Lord