Sway into the healing space of devotional music with Krishna Das in this wisdom-charged episode of Pilgrim Heart.
Rock-and-Roll Devotion
After gently transporting us through two songs of devotion, Krisha Das tells us the story of when he heard ‘real chanting’ for the first time. This happened in India during Durga puja around 1972. Maharaj-ji had gone to bed and all of the ma’s stayed awake to chant together in the temple all night. Their deep connection to the earth and the heart inspired Krishna Das. These ma’s were from a small mountain town, they were in many ways behind the times, but they sang with such reverence and confidence. It did not matter how their voices sounded. This humbled Krishna Das and made him realize he did not need to be immaculate in order to sing or chant.
“I had never heard anything like that before. There was no mind, there was no thought about singing beautifully. It was total rock and roll devotion. It was total immersion in the chanting.” –Krishna Das
Finding Real Love (46:50)
We hear a viewer question about dealing with ignorant people. Krishna Das describes how all of our actions in this life affect our karma and future reincarnations, from how we treat others and ourselves to how we do our morning routine. Everything matters. The existence of ignorant people and a difficult world does not mean things are hopeless. It is all an opportunity to find real love for ourselves, others, and the world. It is a chance to act positively. As Krishna Das so eloquently states ‘It looks pretty shitty most of the time’ and despite this, we should not dwell and emotionally react to things outside of ourselves.
“That’s the point of living. It is to find the real love that lives within us and when possible, to help others find that love.” –Krishna Das
For a deeper analysis of karma check out Ep. 28 of Living with Reality: Karma and The Bhagavad Gita
Disentangling From Anxiety (1:01:20)
Many of us suffer from an increased atmosphere of anxiety due to the current state of the world. Krishna Das encourages us all to do some practice before our minds eat us alive. Having a regular practice can help dilute the glue of negative emotions. Practice grounds us and gets us out of our heads. Krishna Das says that it is okay to ask for more help if you need medicine or a therapist. If practice is not enough to get you to bed at night, do not be afraid to seek something more professional. After a few more viewer comments, Krishna Das soothes us with music for the remainder of the episode.
“That’s what practice is for, calming our asses down. Disentangling us from the constant flow of thought that eats us up, that pushes us around, that manipulates our emotions and our fear. All that stuff is not who we are.” – Krishna Das
Interested in more help with anxiety? Check out Ep. 56 of The Road Home: Unwinding Anxiety with Dr. Judson Brewer
Photo via Krishna Das