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A question that often arises is: Are desires fulfilled by the power of the mind concentrating in a particular direction, or by the deity or evil spirit worshipped by the individual? The Lord has declared in the Bhagwad Gita, "I don't give anyone anything, because in My hand, there is nothing. It is all your delusion."

When your mind approaches an altar demanding something, the Lord increases your sankalp shakti, your willpower.

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When you work with greater faith in a given profession, your dexterity, self-confidence, belief in yourself, and your faith in the profession increase.

You and I consider it God's grace through which we attained what we wanted. True. But God does not distribute His grace unequally, giving more to those who serve Him! It is as if Narayana has a 'desire' to enjoy your kirtan and puja. When He is pleased and happy with your puja, He quietly throws one packet to you, not to the other fellow who is not doing it.

When you fix your mind on any topic, your devotion, faith, and confidence increase: "I will get it, I will get it, I will get it!" With atma bala, inner strength, you say: "It is not for me; this is the Lord's will; it will happen; it will bless everybody!" Then it will happen.

This sankalp shakti is lost when the mind is distracted. When you desire one thing, 10,000 others surface, and the mind is disintegrated. The mind is like Aladdin's wonderful lamp. Rub it, and the genie appears, ready to do anything you order. He asks, "Master, what do you want?" You tell him your immediate need - a cup of tea. The genie turns around to bring the tea. But you call him again, and he returns for your instructions. "Make sure it's hot!" "Yes, Master," he says and turns around. Again, you call, "Genie! Add a good amount of milk and sugar." Once again, the genie turns, but you call out, "Don't forget to bring hot pakoras to go with the tea." Now the genie is like a top swirling around in the same place. He cannot do anything because the sankalp lacks consistency. When hundreds of sankalps erupt together, nothing is accomplished.

If you make your mind single-pointed and approach the Higher at an altar, you will develop more faith, and when you have sufficient strength of sankalp, it will happen!

So, be an instrument in His hands - nimitta-matram bhava savya-sachin. It is your ego that makes a fool of you. Surrender it and see the Spirit expressing itself more vividly through you.

Authored by: Swami Chinmayananda

The writer is founder, Chinmaya Mission. May 8 is Chinmaya Jayanti

Deepen your understanding of the Bhagavad Gita: Explore chapter 2 with Sri Gaur Prabhu's guidance