As I completed the morning program, a few of my rounds were still remaining. After the morning program, I happened to look at my WhatsApp messages. I saw a message saying, “Do you have time? Can I call?”
I was about to call that person, thinking this might be a good time to talk. I did not know when I would get time later in the day. Just as I was about to call, I refrained and thought — why not first complete my chanting and then begin the rest of the work for the day?
At that moment, a particular thought struck me.
How many times do we entertain Krishna in our day, in our life? Very little.
And how many times do we entertain other thoughts, activities, plans and give them the highest priority?
Early morning, as soon as we rise, we begin by entertaining our phones. We start replying to messages. At least for me, it happens. Then even in between our sādhana, if some important call or message comes — sometimes even in the name of service — we get distracted and begin entertaining something other than Krishna.
Spiritual life can become blissful if we start entertaining Krishna more consistently and giving less priority to the things that distract us.
From Entertainment to Entanglement
Bharata Maharaja had reached an exalted stage of devotion, and was almost on the threshold of perfection. Yet he entertained a deer. Initially, it seemed harmless. He might have given half an hour, an hour or two to it. But, as he proceeded ahead, that became his prime attachment. He stopped entertaining Krishna, and only entertained the deer. And at the time of death, his remembrance was not of Krishna, but of the deer. As a result, he took birth as a deer.
What we may entertain initially can gradually occupy our entire consciousness.
In his deer body, he was extremely cautious not to entertain anything and anyone but Krishna. In his subsequent life as Jada Bharata, that became his consistent practice.. Having seen how subtle distraction had cost him two lifetimes, he guarded his consciousness carefully. And he entertained only Krishna, and no one else, to the extent that he would not follow his father’s instructions.
Similarly, Yayati entertained Devayani for a moment, that later led him in entertaining her for thousands of years. Indulgence does not exhaust desire, but extends it.
What begins as momentary entertainment can quietly become lifelong entanglement.
From Entanglement to Entertainment
IIn the Eleventh Canto of the Srimad Bhagavatam, there is the story of Pingalā. She was trying to get entertained by various lovers, but no one reciprocated. Finally, she pondered over the futility of it all. She decided to turn toward Krishna — to entertain Him and to be entertained by Him.
The moment she shifted her consciousness, her anxiety disappeared. She could sleep peacefully. (SB 11.8.44) Not only that, while awake she could remain focused.
When we do not entertain Krishna, but instead entertain unwanted desires, we lose both our sleep and our wakefulness. We cannot rest peacefully, and when we are awake, we cannot focus properly.
Thus, both sleep and wakefulness are lost in materialistic pursuits. But when we start entertaining Krishna, we begin to come closer to Him.
Whom Do I Want to Entertain?
In this short life, with however much time we have been given, we must ask ourselves — whom do I want to entertain?
Do I wish to entertain Krishna? Or do I wish to entertain other people, YouTube videos, Instagram reels, and countless distractions? Sometimes, entertainment may come disguised as a nourishing engagement. But, we need to check – Is it really worth for me?
We have lost many lifetimes trying to entertain people of this world. Those people themselves are dissatisfied, and we too remain dissatisfied. It has resulted in nothing substantial.
But when we entertain Krishna, we begin to experience peace in our lives — not only peace, but happiness, health, and holiness.
This is the power of entertaining Krishna.
So every day, we need to check: Whom am I entertaining today?
