From Seeking Krishna to Being Lived by Krishna
There was a time when I measured progress through doing.
Learning more. Reading more. Practising more. Achieving more.
Even spirituality appeared to fit into the same framework. Another journey. Another destination. Another achievement.
But over the years, something unexpected happened.
My relationship with time itself began to change.
And with it, my understanding of spirituality.
Recently, I came across discussions about different tiers of wealth. New money. Old money. Generational wealth. Each tier seemed to have a different relationship with security, identity, and possession.
It made me wonder:
Does spirituality have tiers too?
Not tiers of superiority.
Not tiers that separate people.
But tiers that reflect our changing relationship with God, time, and ourselves.
Looking back, I see four broad stages.
Not rigid categories.
Not labels.
Just observations of how the centre of gravity gradually shifts from ourselves towards Krishna.
Tier One: Discovering Krishna
This is where many spiritual journeys begin.
A pilgrimage. A scripture. A teacher. A mantra. A moment of awakening.
Everything feels new and exciting.
There is enthusiasm to speak about spirituality. Verses are quoted. Temples are visited. Sacred names are mentioned. Insights are shared.
The present moment becomes fascinating.
In many ways, this stage is beautiful.
The heart has turned towards something higher.
Yet Krishna remains part of the seeker’s story.
The focus is still largely:
“My experience.” “My understanding.” “My awakening.”
God has entered the picture.
But the seeker still remains at the centre.
And that is perfectly natural.
Every journey begins somewhere.
Tier Two: Becoming Attached to the Journey
As the years pass, spirituality becomes more than inspiration.
It becomes discipline.
Practice deepens.
Commitment grows.
The seeker now has a history.
Years of sadhana. Pilgrimages undertaken. Challenges endured. Moments of grace received.
The focus subtly shifts from the present to the past.
One begins to identify with the journey itself.
The effort invested. The discipline maintained. The sacrifices made. The growth achieved.
The seeker draws strength from the path already travelled.
Yet a subtle attachment remains.
Not attachment to worldly success.
Attachment to spiritual success.
The journey itself becomes part of one’s identity.
Krishna is loved.
But the story of reaching Krishna still occupies considerable space.
Tier Three: Living for Remembrance
Eventually another change begins.
The past is understood.
The present is understood.
Attention turns towards the future.
Questions become simpler and deeper.
Will I remember Krishna at all times?
Will His Name remain on my lips?
Will my final thought be Him?
The motivation is no longer achievement.
It is remembrance.
One begins organising life around sustaining devotion rather than collecting experiences.
The future is no longer about becoming successful.
It is about becoming available.
Available to grace.
Available to surrender.
Available to Krishna.
In many ways, this is where I find myself.
Not because the destination has been reached.
But because the direction is clear.
I increasingly see that all ambitions eventually reduce to a single aspiration:
May His Name be the last word that leaves these lips.
Not out of fear.
Not out of duty.
But because the experience of Krishna feels infinite.
The Creator and creation are no longer separate.
There is a growing trust in the intelligence that sustains everything.
And where trust deepens, anxiety begins to fade.
Tier Four: Living at Krishna’s Feet
Then there is a stage that words can only point towards.
A stage where the relationship with time begins to dissolve.
The past no longer pulls.
The future no longer worries.
Even the present moment no longer needs attention.
There is simply Being.
Not being present as a practice.
Being present as one’s natural state.
One is no longer trying to remember Krishna.
Krishna becomes the very space in which remembering and forgetting occur.
Life continues.
Work continues.
Relationships continue.
The body still experiences pleasure and pain.
There are moments of distraction.
There are moments of forgetfulness.
But they do not last long.
The return becomes effortless.
The centre is never truly lost.
The goal is no longer to never wander.
The goal is simply to return.
Again and again.
More quickly.
More naturally.
Like a river that may bend and curve but never forgets the ocean.
There is no rigidity here.
No spiritual perfectionism.
No self-judgement.
Only a gentle returning.
Again and again.
To Krishna.
The Evolution of Time
What fascinates me most is how each stage relates differently to time.
Tier One is captivated by the present.
Tier Two draws strength from the past.
Tier Three looks towards the future.
Tier Four rests in that which is beyond all three.
Past, present, and future continue to exist.
But they no longer define experience.
They become useful tools rather than places of residence.
One no longer seeks happiness from memory.
One no longer seeks fulfilment from anticipation.
One no longer seeks meaning from experiences.
There is a quiet contentment in simply being.
From Seeking Krishna to Being Lived by Krishna
At the beginning of the journey, we seek Krishna.
Then we walk with Krishna.
Then we surrender to Krishna.
Eventually, there comes a point where it feels as though Krishna Himself is living through us.
Not as an achievement.
Not as a spiritual milestone.
Not as something one can claim.
Simply as a recognition.
The wave realises it was never separate from the ocean.
The flute realises it never created the music.
The song was always His.
The life was always His.
The journey was always His.
This, perhaps, is the deepest transformation.
Initially, we seek God.
Eventually, we discover that God was never absent.
The seeker was searching within the very Presence that had always been there.
Jnana reveals this truth.
Vairagya removes what obscures it.
Bhakti surrenders to it.
Karma becomes an offering to it.
And when these mature together, time slowly loses its authority.
There is nowhere to arrive.
Nothing to become.
Nothing missing.
Only Krishna.
Ever-present.
Ever-complete.
Ever-home.