Mindfulness in Krishna Consciousness

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7 mins September, 2026
Mindfulness in Krishna Consciousness
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We derive the greatest benefit when we choose wisely what to fix our attention on.


Visakha Devi Dasi


Towards the end of Bhagavat-gita (18.72) Lord Krishna says to Arjuna, “Have you heard this with an attentive mind? And are your ignorance and illusions now dispelled?”


Krishna implies here that if Arjuna has indeed heard Krishna’s many directives in the Gita, then Arjuna’s ignorance and illusions will end. The key word is eka-agrena, or heard with onepointed, complete attention (agrena is related to agra, whose meanings include “foremost,” “best,” and “chief”). If Arjuna was not fully attentive, Krishna’s words will not have the same effect.


The principle of focusing the mind, of being attentive and controlling our thoughts, has implications beyond the obvious. We are in our present body, Krishna says, due to our thoughts in our past life. “Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, that state he will attain without fail.” (Gita 8.6) Srila Prabhupada comments, “One’s thoughts during the course of one’s life accumulate to influence one’s thoughts at the moment of death.” Thoughts are subtle but have a powerful influence.


On one hand, what we think about is our independent, God-given choice. At any time, anywhere, every one of us can bring our attention, our consciousness, to whatever we choose. On the other hand, what we choose to pay attention to can be a product of our conditioning and karma from our present and previous lives.


Our current media-inundated culture is infamous for splintering our attention. As a result, mindfulness has become a popular method of reining in our wandering thoughts and fixing them according to our choice. Mindfulness, the basic human ability to be fully present in the moment, enables us to control our awareness of and response to situations and circumstances. In the Gita (6.26) Krishna tells Arjuna and all of us, “From wherever the mind wanders due to its flickering and unsteady nature, one must certainly withdraw it and bring it back under the control of the Self.” This is being mindful, and once we decide to become mindful – that is, once we want to choose what we pay attention to – the critical question becomes,


What should I think of? What is in my best interest to pay attention to? To answer this question properly, we first must have an understanding of who we are, of our identity beyond the temporary body and mind we currently inhabit.


Knowledge That Makes All The Difference


Lord Krishna teaches that we are not our body or mind but spiritual beings, atmas. If we understand and accept this one basic fact, it will make all the difference, for we will realize that what our mind is ordinarily engrossed in – money, work, family, position, relationships, acquisitions – is ultimately not our top priority. It’s not that these material things are to be neglected or ignored – dealing with them well is necessary and important – but it’s that they are temporary and cannot bring us the full satisfaction we seek. When our attention is diverted to so many material things, we fail to achieve spiritual realization, the prime necessity of human life. We fail to understand who we are and what is best for us to do.


The atma, the soul, is active and pleasure-seeking, which is why our body and mind are active and continuously seeking pleasure. That pleasure is found not in taking but in giving, in offering service. Of course, we’re already serving – our boss, our customers, our teachers, our family, our pets, and so forth – and such service may offer some satisfaction. But the ultimate service, which is fully satisfying, is called bhakti. It means to serve Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, with devotion. Krishna says (Gita 18.55) that we can understand Him only by devotional service in full consciousness of Him, and can thereby enter His eternal home. Such is the reward of bhakti, and it begins with attentive hearing.


The apparently simple process of attentive hearing (which is actually more difficult than it appears) is transforming. Therefore Srila Prabhupada writes, “The whole Vedic adventure is to draw one’s attention entirely unto the lotus feet of Lord Krishna without any diversion.” (Bhagavatam 2.4.1, Purport)


To concentrate our attention, we need to control our mind and senses. Since our mind is often bombarded by stimuli from any number of sources, it easily darts off in any number of unhelpful directions. Krishna says, “Those who are on this path are resolute in purpose, and their aim is one. The intelligence of those who are irresolute is many-branched.” (Gita 2.41) By the material energy’s illusory potency, we’re faced with diverse allurements that can endlessly entangle us, and trying to understand and act in accord with our actual identity as spiritual beings, atmas, is like fighting for eternal life against this onslaught.


When we’re able to direct our attention spiritually by attentively hearing the message of Krishna and His devotees, then Krishna Himself is established within our heart. Of course, God, Krishna, is already in our heart, but by turning our attention to Him, we come closer to realizing His presence there.


Krsna Helps


This sublime process begins with us sincerely seeking a proper source to hear from, being eager to hear and learn, being curious, inquisitive, and submissive. These attitudes and qualities may seem difficult to attain, yet if we simply try, Krishna, who is eager for us to come closer to Him, will help. He will give us a taste for hearing and serving, and that taste will in turn increase our desire to hear and serve. Srila Prabhupada writes, “No one can give rapt attention who is not pure in mind. No one can be pure in mind who is not pure in action. No one can be pure in action who is not pure in eating, sleeping, fearing and mating. But somehow or other if someone hears with rapt attention from the right person, at the very beginning one can assuredly see Lord Sri Krishna in person in the pages of the Bhagavatam.” (Bhagavatam 1.3.44, Purport)


Simply making the sincere attempt to hear about Krishna with full attention gives Krishna the impetus to help us. And if, despite our efforts, our mind wanders off, in our frustration and remorse we can call out to Krishna, feeling ourself helpless and unfortunate. Like a parent who is more attentive to a dependent child, Krishna is more attentive to His dependent devotee, and a sincere cry from such a devotee can touch His heart. As we give Krishna our attention, He may be more attentive to us. Our dormant heart will be moved.


Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.2.17) says, “Sri Krishna, the Personality of Godhead, who is the Paramatma [Supersoul] in everyone’s heart and the benefactor of the truthful devotee, cleanses desire for material enjoyment from the heart of the devotee who has developed the urge to hear His messages, which are in themselves virtuous when properly heard and chanted.” By attentively hearing of Krishna’s activities, we attract Krishna’s attention. Our mind gradually becomes less distracted, more


steady, and more satisfied. And Krishna, situated in our heart, helps us spiritually progress on and on.


Types Of Hearing


We can note that although indifferent hearing and attentive, active hearing may look the same, they are qualitatively different. Inactive hearing, like watered-down milk, fails to fully spiritually nourish us, while attentive hearing fills us with spiritual zest. Attentive hearing, a product of enthusiasm, evokes within us a thirst to comprehend the incomprehensible, and we find ourselves continually refreshed as we relish transcendence through our ears.


Attentive hearing is like a reef that calms the violent waves of our distracted mind and redirects it toward Krishna’s enchanting and variegated realm. As our thoughts settle and focus on Him, we are with Him and He is with us. Attentive hearing is wholehearted hearing; it is hearing while also deeply caring about, contemplating, and absorbing what’s being conveyed. It’s through attentive hearing that we enter into the spirit of the scriptures.


Srila Prabhupada writes, “If one with great care and attention takes to Krishna consciousness, chanting the holy name and hearing Krishna’s transcendental pastimes, his ignorance will be destroyed and his tongue enabled to taste the sweetness of the transcendental nature of Krishna and His paraphernalia. Such a recovery of spiritual health is possible only by the regular cultivation of Krishna consciousness.” (The Nectar of Instruction 7, Purport)


When we hear spiritual subjects attentively, both Krishna and the spiritual master become very happy, and their happiness is also our happiness.


Visakha Devi Dasi has been writing for BTG since 1973. The author of six books, she is the temple president at Bhaktivedanta Manor in the UK. She and her husband, Yadubara Dasa, produce and direct films, most recently the biopic on the life of Srila Prabhupada

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Mindfulness in Krishna Consciousness

Mindfulness in Krishna Consciousness
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We derive the greatest benefit when we choose wisely what to fix our attention on.


Visakha Devi Dasi


Towards the end of Bhagavat-gita (18.72) Lord Krishna says to Arjuna, “Have you heard this with an attentive mind? And are your ignorance and illusions now dispelled?”


Krishna implies here that if Arjuna has indeed heard Krishna’s many directives in the Gita, then Arjuna’s ignorance and illusions will end. The key word is eka-agrena, or heard with onepointed, complete attention (agrena is related to agra, whose meanings include “foremost,” “best,” and “chief”). If Arjuna was not fully attentive, Krishna’s words will not have the same effect.


The principle of focusing the mind, of being attentive and controlling our thoughts, has implications beyond the obvious. We are in our present body, Krishna says, due to our thoughts in our past life. “Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, that state he will attain without fail.” (Gita 8.6) Srila Prabhupada comments, “One’s thoughts during the course of one’s life accumulate to influence one’s thoughts at the moment of death.” Thoughts are subtle but have a powerful influence.


On one hand, what we think about is our independent, God-given choice. At any time, anywhere, every one of us can bring our attention, our consciousness, to whatever we choose. On the other hand, what we choose to pay attention to can be a product of our conditioning and karma from our present and previous lives.


Our current media-inundated culture is infamous for splintering our attention. As a result, mindfulness has become a popular method of reining in our wandering thoughts and fixing them according to our choice. Mindfulness, the basic human ability to be fully present in the moment, enables us to control our awareness of and response to situations and circumstances. In the Gita (6.26) Krishna tells Arjuna and all of us, “From wherever the mind wanders due to its flickering and unsteady nature, one must certainly withdraw it and bring it back under the control of the Self.” This is being mindful, and once we decide to become mindful – that is, once we want to choose what we pay attention to – the critical question becomes,


What should I think of? What is in my best interest to pay attention to? To answer this question properly, we first must have an understanding of who we are, of our identity beyond the temporary body and mind we currently inhabit.


Knowledge That Makes All The Difference


Lord Krishna teaches that we are not our body or mind but spiritual beings, atmas. If we understand and accept this one basic fact, it will make all the difference, for we will realize that what our mind is ordinarily engrossed in – money, work, family, position, relationships, acquisitions – is ultimately not our top priority. It’s not that these material things are to be neglected or ignored – dealing with them well is necessary and important – but it’s that they are temporary and cannot bring us the full satisfaction we seek. When our attention is diverted to so many material things, we fail to achieve spiritual realization, the prime necessity of human life. We fail to understand who we are and what is best for us to do.


The atma, the soul, is active and pleasure-seeking, which is why our body and mind are active and continuously seeking pleasure. That pleasure is found not in taking but in giving, in offering service. Of course, we’re already serving – our boss, our customers, our teachers, our family, our pets, and so forth – and such service may offer some satisfaction. But the ultimate service, which is fully satisfying, is called bhakti. It means to serve Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, with devotion. Krishna says (Gita 18.55) that we can understand Him only by devotional service in full consciousness of Him, and can thereby enter His eternal home. Such is the reward of bhakti, and it begins with attentive hearing.


The apparently simple process of attentive hearing (which is actually more difficult than it appears) is transforming. Therefore Srila Prabhupada writes, “The whole Vedic adventure is to draw one’s attention entirely unto the lotus feet of Lord Krishna without any diversion.” (Bhagavatam 2.4.1, Purport)


To concentrate our attention, we need to control our mind and senses. Since our mind is often bombarded by stimuli from any number of sources, it easily darts off in any number of unhelpful directions. Krishna says, “Those who are on this path are resolute in purpose, and their aim is one. The intelligence of those who are irresolute is many-branched.” (Gita 2.41) By the material energy’s illusory potency, we’re faced with diverse allurements that can endlessly entangle us, and trying to understand and act in accord with our actual identity as spiritual beings, atmas, is like fighting for eternal life against this onslaught.


When we’re able to direct our attention spiritually by attentively hearing the message of Krishna and His devotees, then Krishna Himself is established within our heart. Of course, God, Krishna, is already in our heart, but by turning our attention to Him, we come closer to realizing His presence there.


Krsna Helps


This sublime process begins with us sincerely seeking a proper source to hear from, being eager to hear and learn, being curious, inquisitive, and submissive. These attitudes and qualities may seem difficult to attain, yet if we simply try, Krishna, who is eager for us to come closer to Him, will help. He will give us a taste for hearing and serving, and that taste will in turn increase our desire to hear and serve. Srila Prabhupada writes, “No one can give rapt attention who is not pure in mind. No one can be pure in mind who is not pure in action. No one can be pure in action who is not pure in eating, sleeping, fearing and mating. But somehow or other if someone hears with rapt attention from the right person, at the very beginning one can assuredly see Lord Sri Krishna in person in the pages of the Bhagavatam.” (Bhagavatam 1.3.44, Purport)


Simply making the sincere attempt to hear about Krishna with full attention gives Krishna the impetus to help us. And if, despite our efforts, our mind wanders off, in our frustration and remorse we can call out to Krishna, feeling ourself helpless and unfortunate. Like a parent who is more attentive to a dependent child, Krishna is more attentive to His dependent devotee, and a sincere cry from such a devotee can touch His heart. As we give Krishna our attention, He may be more attentive to us. Our dormant heart will be moved.


Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.2.17) says, “Sri Krishna, the Personality of Godhead, who is the Paramatma [Supersoul] in everyone’s heart and the benefactor of the truthful devotee, cleanses desire for material enjoyment from the heart of the devotee who has developed the urge to hear His messages, which are in themselves virtuous when properly heard and chanted.” By attentively hearing of Krishna’s activities, we attract Krishna’s attention. Our mind gradually becomes less distracted, more


steady, and more satisfied. And Krishna, situated in our heart, helps us spiritually progress on and on.


Types Of Hearing


We can note that although indifferent hearing and attentive, active hearing may look the same, they are qualitatively different. Inactive hearing, like watered-down milk, fails to fully spiritually nourish us, while attentive hearing fills us with spiritual zest. Attentive hearing, a product of enthusiasm, evokes within us a thirst to comprehend the incomprehensible, and we find ourselves continually refreshed as we relish transcendence through our ears.


Attentive hearing is like a reef that calms the violent waves of our distracted mind and redirects it toward Krishna’s enchanting and variegated realm. As our thoughts settle and focus on Him, we are with Him and He is with us. Attentive hearing is wholehearted hearing; it is hearing while also deeply caring about, contemplating, and absorbing what’s being conveyed. It’s through attentive hearing that we enter into the spirit of the scriptures.


Srila Prabhupada writes, “If one with great care and attention takes to Krishna consciousness, chanting the holy name and hearing Krishna’s transcendental pastimes, his ignorance will be destroyed and his tongue enabled to taste the sweetness of the transcendental nature of Krishna and His paraphernalia. Such a recovery of spiritual health is possible only by the regular cultivation of Krishna consciousness.” (The Nectar of Instruction 7, Purport)


When we hear spiritual subjects attentively, both Krishna and the spiritual master become very happy, and their happiness is also our happiness.


Visakha Devi Dasi has been writing for BTG since 1973. The author of six books, she is the temple president at Bhaktivedanta Manor in the UK. She and her husband, Yadubara Dasa, produce and direct films, most recently the biopic on the life of Srila Prabhupada