Missing home and loneliness

1. 1

   You are never alone in your room

   sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭo Bhagavad-gītā 15.15

   What the verse says

   Kṛṣṇa says: “I am seated in everyone’s heart, and from Me come remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness.”

   Read 15.15 in Bhagavad-gītā As It Is

   I am seated in everyone's heart, and from Me come remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness. By all the Vedas am I to be known; indeed I am the compiler of Vedānta, and I am the knower of the Vedas.

   Śrīla Prabhupāda explains

   Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that the Lord is not only present everywhere; He is also present in each individual heart, as the witness of all one’s work and the giver of knowledge and remembrance.

   “Thus, the Lord is not only all-pervading; He is also localized in every individual heart.”

   Lesson

   When the room feels empty at night, remember who is in your heart. You can talk to Kṛṣṇa at any time, about anything: your day, your fears, how much you miss your mother’s cooking. He is listening, and He is the one who gives remembrance and understanding.

   Example

   Every night before sleeping, Aditya sits on his bed for two minutes and tells Kṛṣṇa about his day, the way he used to talk to his grandfather. “It feels a bit silly,” he says, “but the room doesn’t feel so empty any more.”

2. 2

   A friend who never moves away

   nivāsaḥ śaraṇaṁ suhṛt Bhagavad-gītā 9.18

   What the verse says

   Kṛṣṇa says: “I am the goal, the sustainer, the master, the witness, the abode, the refuge and the most dear friend.”

   Read 9.18 in Bhagavad-gītā As It Is

   I am the goal, the sustainer, the master, the witness, the abode, the refuge and the most dear friend. I am the creation and the annihilation, the basis of everything, the resting place and the eternal seed.

   Śrīla Prabhupāda explains

   Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that Kṛṣṇa is the source of everyone, the supreme father, so no one can be a better friend or well-wisher than He is. He is the final shelter, and we should take shelter of Him for protection and for relief from distress.

   “Since Kṛṣṇa is the source of our generation, or the supreme father, no one can be a better friend than Kṛṣṇa, nor can anyone be a better well-wisher.”

   Lesson

   Friends change batches, roommates go home, and even your family is a phone call away. Kṛṣṇa does not move away. In this new city, let Him be your shelter (śaraṇa) and your dearest friend (suhṛt).

   Example

   On Sunday evenings, when the hostel empties and homesickness is worst, Riya plays a kīrtana recording and sings along softly. “When I can’t go home,” she says, “I go to Kṛṣṇa.”

3. 3

   Never lost to each other

   tasyāhaṁ na praṇaśyāmi Bhagavad-gītā 6.30

   What the verse says

   Kṛṣṇa promises: “For one who sees Me everywhere and sees everything in Me, I am never lost, nor is he ever lost to Me.”

   Read 6.30 in Bhagavad-gītā As It Is

   For one who sees Me everywhere and sees everything in Me, I am never lost, nor is he ever lost to Me.

   Śrīla Prabhupāda explains

   Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that at this stage Kṛṣṇa never disappears from the devotee’s sight, and the devotee never loses sight of Him. The same is true of one who sees the Lord within the heart.

   “At this stage, Lord Kṛṣṇa never disappears from the sight of the devotee, nor does the devotee ever lose sight of the Lord.”

   Lesson

   Loneliness says, “Nobody sees me here.” The Gītā says Kṛṣṇa never loses sight of the one who remembers Him. Practise seeing Him everywhere: in the sunrise from your window, in a kind word from the mess staff, in the strength to sit down and study.

   Example

   Walking to coaching through crowded streets, Harsh used to feel invisible. Now he chants quietly on the way and looks for something to thank Kṛṣṇa for: a cool breeze, a smiling face. The streets are the same, but he no longer feels lost in them.

4. 4

   Your parents’ love, and Kṛṣṇa’s care

   mayi te teṣu cāpy aham Bhagavad-gītā 9.29

   What the verse says

   Kṛṣṇa says: “I envy no one, nor am I partial to anyone. I am equal to all.” Yet whoever serves Him with devotion “is a friend, is in Me, and I am also a friend to him.”

   Read 9.29 in Bhagavad-gītā As It Is

   I envy no one, nor am I partial to anyone. I am equal to all. But whoever renders service unto Me in devotion is a friend, is in Me, and I am also a friend to him.

   Śrīla Prabhupāda explains

   Śrīla Prabhupāda gives a simple comparison: a kind person may help everyone, yet he naturally takes a special interest in his own children. In the same way, Kṛṣṇa treats every living being as His child and provides for all, but He gives special attention to His devotees.

   “The Lord claims that every living entity—in whatever form—is His son, and as such He provides everyone with a generous supply of the necessities of life.”

   Lesson

   Your parents sent you here with love, and they think of you every day, even when the phone call is short. Kṛṣṇa’s care is like that, and even more: He looks after everyone as His children, and He gives special attention to the one who turns to Him with love.

   Example

   Mohit’s father doesn’t like long phone calls: just “Eating properly? Studying? Okay, beta.” Mohit used to feel hurt. One day his mother tells him that his father checks the weather in Mohit’s city every morning. Love is often quieter than we expect, from parents and from Kṛṣṇa.

5. 5

   Make your room feel like home

   patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ Bhagavad-gītā 9.26

   What the verse says

   Kṛṣṇa says: “If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or water, I will accept it.”

   Read 9.26 in Bhagavad-gītā As It Is

   If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or water, I will accept it.

   Śrīla Prabhupāda explains

   Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that simple vegetarian food can be offered before a picture of Kṛṣṇa, with a bow and a prayer that He accept it. Kṛṣṇa needs nothing, yet He accepts such an offering; what matters most is to offer it with love.

   “Above all, the offering should be made with an attitude of love.”

   Lesson

   Home is where love is shared. You can bring a little of that into your hostel room: keep a small picture of Kṛṣṇa, and offer Him a fruit or a glass of water with a short prayer. A small, regular act of love turns a room into a home.

   Example

   Pooja keeps a small picture of Kṛṣṇa on her shelf. Every morning she offers Him a glass of water and a few words: “Please be with me today.” Her room is still tiny, but now it feels as if someone lives there with her.

6. 6

   Find good friends and share good things

   bodhayantaḥ parasparam Bhagavad-gītā 10.9

   What the verse says

   Kṛṣṇa says that His devotees “derive great satisfaction and bliss enlightening one another and conversing about Me.”

   Read 10.9 in Bhagavad-gītā As It Is

   The thoughts of My pure devotees dwell in Me, their lives are surrendered to Me, and they derive great satisfaction and bliss enlightening one another and conversing about Me.

   Śrīla Prabhupāda explains

   Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that the hearts of devotees are absorbed in Kṛṣṇa, and they take pleasure in talking about Him with other devotees.

   “Their hearts and souls are constantly submerged in Kṛṣṇa, and they take pleasure in discussing Him with other devotees.”

   Lesson

   Loneliness shrinks in good company. Look for one or two friends with whom you can share more than marks: friends who encourage you, who don’t pull you into bad habits, and who might even read a verse of the Gītā with you. Joy grows when it is shared.

   Example

   Three girls on the same hostel floor start reading one Gītā verse together after dinner, for just ten minutes. Soon they are sharing worries, notes and laughter too. “I came here alone,” one of them says. “Now I have a little family.”

If loneliness or sadness stays with you for many days, please don’t keep it to yourself. Talk to a parent, a teacher, your warden or a friend. You can also call Tele-MANAS, the national mental-health helpline, on 14416: it is free, open 24×7 and available in many languages.

The headings, explanations, lessons, examples, table and questions are ours, written to help you apply the verses. The Sanskrit lines, the verse translations and Śrīla Prabhupāda’s quoted words are from Bhagavad-gītā As It Is as published on vedabase.cc, unaltered.