Consistency is The Framework For Inspiration | Pilgrimage of The Heart, Siddha Bakul | 18 Feb 2026

Talk by HG Vishnugada Dasa: (0:00:0 -0:22:0) Talk by HG Vaisesika Dasa: (0:22:0- end) I was thinking about consistency in relationship to ants, and I noticed that in any discipline that I’m practicing, consistency is the key. For instance, I notice in writing that it’s better if I have a daily approach. In fact, I got this advice from His Grace Bhūrijana Prabhu, who’s an author. When I was writing my first book—or I should say, when I was not writing my first book—he called me over and he said, “Listen, I have some advice for you, kid. I will tell you what I am going to do for you.” He said, “Just write one sentence every day.” That changed my approach to writing because as soon as he said that, I thought, “Well, I can try to write one sentence a day.” When I started doing that, I realized his trick: I couldn't write just one sentence. I wrote a sentence, then I thought I would write one more, and then one more. Pretty soon, I noticed Nirākulā saying, “Where are you? You were supposed to be here half an hour ago! I told you prasādam was at nine o'clock!”—and look, she’s laughing. I noticed that I had crossed over from taking the "consistent approach" (that’s the topic) and I had slipped into absorption. Therefore, I took from the ants this mantra—and I thank them to this day—which is: “Don’t let the trail go cold.” There’s a way in which, as soon as you stop using a trail, it grows over again. In writing, I notice also that if I wait for even three days, then I can’t remember where I finished. Even if I mark it copiously, I think, “Was it yellow or green that I was supposed to start with?” And if I wait three weeks or three months, then who knows what might happen? I might even forget where my computer is or how to turn it on! So, consistency is helpful. This concept comes into our practice in the song by Śrīnivāsa Ācārya: 'saṅkhyā-pūrvaka-nāma-gāna-natibhiḥ.' The very fact that Śrīnivāsa Ācārya mentions that the Goswāmīs counted their rounds, as well as other things, and that it was daily, what Prabhupāda called “numerical strength.” Another way of being consistent is to find a number that you’ll never go lower than, in whatever you do. Oftentimes, people are starting to chant and they wonder, “How will I get to 16 rounds?” One of the ways is to pick a number that you will not neglect to do. Even if there’s a flood, a national emergency, or a personal emergency, you’ll keep that number and never decrease. Another thought I had—and I forget where I got it—was: you’ll never be thrown off the bus, so don’t get off the bus yourself. Nobody kicks you off the bus of chanting or bhakti, so we shouldn’t step off. There is a slight caveat: it’s important to not be offensive, because if we are offensive, we won’t feel like chanting. You just lose your taste for it. (0:33:04) (excerpt from the talk by HG Vaisesika Dasa) ----------------------------------------------------------- To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=launch2025 https://vaisesikadasayatra.blogspot.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=launch2025 https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=launch2025 https://thefourquestionsbook.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=launch2025 ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/