Answer
Yes, both can be applied simultaneously.
When you cultivate attachment to Krishna—by chanting, hearing, reading Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books, and meditating on Krishna’s qualities—these positive attachments gradually push out unwanted material attachments. That is the natural power of bhakti. As realization deepens, lower tendencies are replaced.
However, until that purification is complete, disturbances will still come. So what should you do in the meantime?
You use both methods together.
On one side, you actively cultivate spiritual attachment—chanting, hearing, remembering Krishna.
On the other side, when disturbances arise, you observe them objectively and detach.
For example, when a desire for enjoyment arises, you can step back and see:
“Here is the enjoying ego. This is not me.”
Observe it. Don’t identify with it. At the same time, chant the holy name and let that purification act on it. In a sense, you acknowledge it and then let it go—“I have nothing to do with you. Goodbye.”
Just this act of observing already weakens the attachment significantly.
That is why Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur said, “Beat the mind with shoes and a broom.” What does it mean? To “beat” the mind, you must first see it as separate from yourself. You are not the mind.
If you were the mind, you would never oppose it. But because you are different, you can observe it, correct it, and redirect it.
So this practice of detachment helps you repeatedly remember:
“I am not the mind.”
At the same time, bhakti gives you positive engagement. So it is not just rejection, but replacement.
In bhakti:
The “don’ts” (like the regulative principles) help you detach—unpaste unwanted habits
The “dos” (chanting, hearing, service) help you attach—paste spiritual impressions
We gain strength to detach by increasing our spiritual attachment.
So both processes go together:
Detach from what is unfavorable
Attach to what is favorable
And gradually, the positive will completely replace the negative.
