Medicine for Conditioned Mind
Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.1.50
Detroit, June 16, 1976
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Devotee: (leads chanting, etc.)
Translation: "Above the five senses of perception, the five working senses and
the five objects of the senses is the mind, which is the sixteenth element.
Above the mind is the seventeenth element, the soul, the living being himself,
who, in cooperation with the other sixteen, enjoys the material world alone. The
living being enjoys three kinds of situation, namely happy, distressful and
mixed."
Prabhupada:
pancabhih kurute svarthan
panca vedatha pancabhih
ekas tu sodasena trin
svayam saptadaso 'snute
[SB 6.1.50]
This is the analytical study of our material position. Very clear analysis. We, pancabhih, with five working senses, voice, vak, pani, payu, udara, upastha... Voice, arms, legs, anus, and genital. There are twenty-four, the total material constituent parts are twenty-five, sometimes twenty-six they say. These seventeen and the five elements gross and three subtle elements, in this way, altogether twenty-five including the soul. The soul is pure spirit, and other twenty-four elements, they are different varieties of material covering. In this way we are entangled and we are desiring and nature is giving us facility to enjoy our desires. This is the material world.
So unless we are free from all kinds of desires, we shall be entangled with these elements. Therefore bhakti, bhakti-marga, devotional service, means no more material desire. It is difficult because we are associated with the material desires life after life, from time immemorial. Bhaktivinoda Thakura sings therefore: anadi karama phale pori bhavarnava-jale toribare na dekhi upay. Anadi karama, time immemorial I am fallen in this ocean of fruitive activities and I have no rescue from this ocean. Toribare na dekhi upay. This is our position. Very, very difficult to come out of these elements. But if we practice, that is possible. Abhyasa-yoga-yuktena cetasa nanya-gamina [Bg. 8.8]. Cetasa nanya-gamina, this is practice. Mind is going somewhere. When we sit down the mind is manufacturing so many ideas. All of a sudden mind is attracted by something which has no connection with my present position, still, mind is dragging me. Therefore Arjuna said, when he was advised by Krsna that "You concentrate your mind..." That is the yoga practice. Yoga-indriya-samyaya. So Arjuna said, "Krsna it is not possible for me."
cancalam hi manah krsna
pramathi balavad drdham
tasyaham nigraham manye
vayor iva suduskaram
[Bg. 6.34]
"It is not possible for me." But if we concentrate our mind on Krsna, then it is possible. Otherwise, it is not. Sa vai manah krsna-padaravindayor vacamsi vaikuntha-gunanuvarnane [SB 9.4.18]. If we engage our senses only on Krsna, always fixed up in Krsna, then it is possible.
So to engage the mind means, as it is said here, that pancabhih, the mind means controlling all the senses. So if you control the mind, then all the other senses will be controlled. So therefore it is advised that you engage your mind in Krsna. Vacamsi vaikuntha-gunanuvarnane. And vak, vani, payu, the voice, voice, arms, legs, anus and genitals. So voice should be engaged in vibrating Krsna activities. You read Bhagavad-gita, read Srimad-Bhagavatam and talk about Krsna. Then voice is engaged. Vacamsi vaikuntha-gunanuvarnane. Always engage your voice in chanting or speaking about Krsna. The mind is engaged automatically. Then arms, the hands, engaged in cleansing the temple. Sri-vigraharadhana-nitya-nana-
Therefore our business is... "Artificially, I shall not see anything." Now how it is possible? You'll see in the mind. Suppose you close your eyes, but there are so many impressions, they will come within the mind. Even if you close your eyes. The so-called meditation means he has closed his eyes but he's thinking of his beloved or his business or something like, something like that. So is not possible. First of all, you have to fix up your mind in Krsna. Always think of Krsna. That is advised by Krsna. Man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru. These four principles guarantees, Krsna says. Mam evaisyasi asamsayah [Bg. 18.65]. If you simply execute these four things, then Krsna guarantees, asamsaya, without any doubt you are coming back to me, back to home, back to Godhead. It is so nice. So mind engaged in Krsna. Always think of Krsna. We are seeing Krsna here so nicely dressed, decorated, and immediately there is impression with the mind and you can think the whole day. And Krsna says he is first-class yogi who,
yoginam api sarvesam
mad-gatenantaratmana
sraddhavan bhajate yo mam
sa me yuktatamo matah
[Bg. 6.47]
He is first-class yogi. There are different types of yogis. Krsna says yoginam api sarvesam. Sarvesam means all different kinds of yogis. There are many. "But one yogi, bhakta-yogi or dhyana-yogi, who is always thinking of Me within the mind, he is first class." He is first class. That we have to practice. We have got our senses and the sense... We are covered by the network of the senses. The knowledge gathering senses, the working senses, the sense objects... Everything is explained here.
pancabhih kurute svarthan
panca vedatha pancabhih
ekas tu sodasena trin
svayam saptadaso 'snute
This is practice. This is called bhakti-yoga, practice. Engage your senses, all senses, working senses and perceiving senses, everything in Krsna, and that will make you perfect.
So the mind, as it is said here... Similarly, Krsna personally says that sa vai, yoginam api sarvesam [Bg. 6.47], sa vai manah krsna, mind, engage always mind. Do something for Krsna. Then the mind automatically will be engaged. Something. Just like a nationalist, a family man, he is doing always something for the welfare of the family. Or for the welfare of the society. Or a big, big nationalist, leaders. Why they become big leaders? Why they are worshiped? Because they are thinking always of the nation, of the community. That is good. But a Vaisnava is not only thinking of the community or society or family, he is thinking of all living entities. That is Vaisnava. Lokanam hita-karinau, all planets. That is Vaisnava. Nana-sastra vicaranaika nipunau sad-dharma-samsthapakau lokanam hita-karinau tri-bhuvane manyau saranyakarau. This is Vaisnava business. They are not thinking for a particular... That includes, Krsna includes everything. So if you think of Krsna, then automatically you'll think of everything. The same process, watering the root. Why we are preaching? Why, what was the necessity to come in the Western country? No. Krsna wants, Caitanya Mahaprabhu wants. Therefore devotee goes from town to town, village to village. Prthivite ache yata nagaradi-grama. This is Vaisnava. He is thinking for everyone. Because it is a fact, without Krsna consciousness, everyone is suffering. That's a fact. So therefore preaching is so important -- to awaken them. Jiva jago, jiva jago, gauracand... This is Gauracand, Caitanya Mahaprabhu's mission, to awaken everyone from this material entanglement. That is preaching.
Actually, they are suffering. Bhutva bhutva praliyate [Bg. 8.19]. We are getting these elements according to the circumstances, according to the body. The same encagement, but quality. A dog has got body, I have got body. The body is made of the same ingredients, but according to the body or quality of the body, the thinking, feeling, willing and activities are different. Because mind, mind's sphere of activities is thinking, feeling and willing, psychology. So according to the body... Just like a child. His thinking, feeling, willing is different from the child's father. Why? Because he has got a body, child, and the father has got a different body. People cannot understand. We are changing. Child is the father of man. So the same child, he has become now father, but he's not talking nonsense now because the body has changed. The child is talking so many nonsense things. People laugh, enjoy. But if the father talks nonsense, then he'll be called, "Here is a rascal." Because the body has changed. So in this way, body is being changed. The child is becoming father, the body has changed. Still, you cannot understand how the change of body, transformation of the body, does not make any transformation of the owner of the body. Dehino 'smin yatha dehe kaumaram yauvanam [Bg. 2.13]. He is there, but according to the body he is behaving differently. When he's in the cat's body, he's behaving differently. When he's in a dog's body, he's behaving differently. When he's human body, he's behaving differently. When he's child's body... This is all due to the body.
So therefore when we come to the full-fledged human form of life, developed consciousness, we must utilize it, as it is advised by Krsna Himself, man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru [Bg. 18.65]. "Always think of Me, man-mana," And who can think of Krsna unless he's devotee? Man-mana bhava mad-bhakto. Who is nondevotee, he'll think of something else. "Why I think of Krsna?" Therefore to stick to this principle, to apply the mind always in Krsna, that means he's devotee. This is devotee. Devotee means not with four hands or four legs, no. The hands, legs are the same. But his mode of thinking different. That's all. That is devotee. Devotee does not depend on the country, color or religion or circumstance. Devotee means the mind. Anyone who is always thinking of Krsna, he is devotee. That is the first qualification of devotee. Man-mana bhava mad-bhakto. Therefore we have to practice. Abhyasa yoga-yuktena... [Bg. 8.8]. This is called abhyasa. Mind is going out of my control. I want to think of Krsna, but mind is thinking something else. This is called yoga practice. So we have to catch again mind: "Why you are going there? Come here. Think of Krsna." Then that is practice. That is called yoga. You cannot allow the mind. And when you can control the mind... Generally, we are controlled by the mind. That is the position of our conditional life. Baddha-jiva, mukta-jiva. Liberated soul and conditioned soul. What is the difference? Conditioned soul means who is becoming conditioned by the mind or controlled by the mind, he is conditioned soul. And liberated soul means who is not conditioned by the mind. Mind says, "Why not smoke one cigarette?" And when you'll be able to say, "No cigarette!" then you've controlled the mind. Mind will say always for some sense gratification. But when you control the mind, then you are liberated person. Therefore the svami, svami means controller or gosvami. Svami does not mean you simply stamp over your name "Svami." No, svami means the controller of the mind. He is not controlled by the mind; he controls the mind. Then he is svami. Gosvami. Go means senses and svami means master. When you are able to control your senses, then you are a gosvami or svami, the same thing. Otherwise, godasa. Dasa means servant. Everyone in this material world, he's godasa. Godasa means servant of the mind, servant of the senses. Everyone, servant of the senses. He may be very big man, but he's servant of the senses.
So the spiritual process, spiritual advancement means that at the present moment we are all servants of the senses or of the mind. Mind is the master of the senses, central point. Therefore if you can control the mind, then you can control the senses. So among the senses, the tongue is the most formidable, very difficult to control. So Bhaktivinoda Thakura said, tar madhye jihva ati, lobhamoy sudurmati ta 'ke jeta kothina samsare. Of all the senses, the tongue is the strongest enemy, always proposing, "Eat this, eat this, eat this, eat this, eat this." Just see, for tongue, only one person eats little bit of beef only, not much. No, I have seen. A piece of beef. But for the satisfaction of the senses, thousands of innocent animals are being killed. Just see. They cannot control this, a bit of beef. They cannot control. If they decide that we shall not... We are prohibiting, "No meat-eating." So this is controlling the sense. Because unless you bring the senses under control, there is no question of spiritual advancement. Tar madhye jihva ati. Yan maithunadi-grhamedhi-sukham hi tuccham [SB 7.9.45]. Trpyanti neha krpana bahu-duhkha-bhajah. The sense, the tongue, the belly, the straight line, and then the genital. If you can control the tongue, then you can control your belly and then control your genital. And that is required. Unless you can control the genital, there is no question of liberation from this material bondage. This is the principle.
Therefore by practicing bhakti-yoga, gradually,... Immediately it is not possible. But gradually, by sticking to the regulative principles and chanting Hare Krsna, we shall be able to control the senses, and the first sense is the tongue. Sevonmukhe hi jihvadau svayam eva sphuraty adah. Atah sri-krsna-namadi na bhaved grahyam indriyaih [Cc. Madhya 17.136]. The senses are so strong, they'll not allow me to become Krsna conscious. They'll not allow me. Atah sri-krsna-namadi. Krsna consciousness means to understand Krsna, His name, His form, His pastimes, His paraphernalia, so many things. Krsna is the Supreme Lord. How much we have to learn about Him, just imagine. So all these things cannot be understood by these blunt senses engaged in material sense enjoyment. That is not possible. Therefore we have to control the senses. Atah sri-krsna-namadi na bhaved grahyam indriyaih [Cc. Madhya 17.136]. Our indriyas... We are now habituated to use this indriya for material sense enjoyment. Therefore these indriyas, senses, is not fit for understanding Krsna. It has to be purified. The senses, you cannot stop the activities of the senses, but you have to purify. That is recommended. That purification of the senses begins from the tongue. Therefore we have recommended that don't eat meat, don't taste intoxication, don't, and illicit sex. From the tongue, it goes to... Sex is not prohibited, but illicit sex, that is controlled, that is controlled. If one is allowed to have unlimited, unrestricted sex, then he is doomed. Better restrict your sex in one wife, woman (indistinct). That means gradually it will be controlled.
So we have to follow this. If we are actually serious about Krsna consciousness and going back to home, back to Godhead, make our lives successful in this very life, then... Life successful means mukti, to be not entangled again with this material body. Tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti [Bg. 4.9]. That is success. That after giving up this body... This body means the combination of the so many, twenty-four elements. So long we'll be entangled within this network of twenty-four elements, it is called conditioned life. And mukti, liberated, means no more entanglement. Muktir hitva anyatha rupam. We are now entangled in these twenty-four elements, and mukti means we are not entangled. Muktir hitva anyatha rupam. Because we are entangled, we are thinking otherwise. "I am American," "I am Indian," "I am this," "I am that," "I am that," "I have got so many duties." These things. But when one understands that these so-called duties and entanglement of these twenty-four elements of matter, "I do not belong this. I am aloof, I aloof," this understanding is called brahma-bhutah prasannatma [Bg. 18.54]. At least theoretically if we understand, then our duty changes. Prasannatma, fixed up. That whatever I am doing now, I am doing with this material, for the benefit of this material, not for my personal benefit. I am not these twenty-four elements. This is called mukti.
So we have to practice. We are accustomed to this material entanglement. This practice is there. Then gradually we shall be freed from this entanglement. Sarvopadhi vinirmuktam tat-paratvena nirmalam [Cc. Madhya 19.170]. That is purification, when we become free from this designation. Then hrsikena hrsikesa-sevanam bhaktir ucyate. And when you are freed from this... Therefore bhakti actually begins after liberation. Bhakti is not... Nivrtta-tarsair-upagiyamana. Nivrtta means one who has ceased trsna. Trsna means aspiration. We have got so many aspirations. So this transcendental life or chanting of Hare Krsna is means for the liberated person. Nivrtta-tarsair-upagiyamanad bhavausadhac-chrotra-mano 'bhiramat [SB 10.1.4]. This chanting is the medicine for our conditioned stage.
nivrtta-tarsair-upagiyamanad
bhavausadhac-chrotra-mano 'bhiramat
ka uttama-sloka-gunanuvadat
virajyati puman vina pasughnat
[SB 10.1.4]
Pasughnat, animal killer. Pasughnat has two meanings. One who is killing himself, he's also pasughnat. And one who is killing animals, he is also pasughnat. Therefore meat-eating is prohibited, that if you remain a killer of animals, then you cannot be purified. That is essential. No meat-eating. So in this way... You cannot stop the activities of the senses. That is not possible. Because I am living being. If the sense activities are stopped, then where is my life? I'm finished. So that cannot be. This is impossible. The Buddha philosophy is stop, nirvana: "Stop the activities of the senses." That is not possible. Stop means you stop material activities. A boy is, when he's child, he is simply doing all nonsense and creating some disturbance. The same boy, when he's engaged in reading and writing, going to school, he's a good boy, Similarly, you cannot stop the activities of your senses, but when you engage your senses in the activities of Krsna, that is perfection of life.
Thank you very much. (end)
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Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.1.50 -- Detroit, June 16, 1976
© 2001 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International.
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