760616 - Lecture SB 06.01.50 - Detroit

Lectures by Date, 1976

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

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760616SB-DETROIT - June 16, 1976 - 33.17 Minutes

Pradyumna: 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 situations, namely happy, distressful and mixed."

Prabhupāda:

pañcabhiḥ kurute svārthān

pañca vedātha pañcabhiḥ

ekas tu ṣoḍaśena trīn

svayaṁ saptadaśo 'śnute

(SB 6.1.50)

This is the analytical study of our material position. Very clear analysis. We, pañcabhiḥ, with five working senses—voice . . . vāk, pāṇi, pāyu, udāra, 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-mārga, 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 Ṭhākura sings therefore, anādi karama phale pori bhavārṇava-jale toribāre na dekhi upāy. Anādi karama: time immemorial I am fallen in this ocean of fruitive activities, and I have no rescue from this ocean. Toribāre na dekhi upāy. This is our position. Very, very difficult to come out of these elements. But if we practice, that is possible. Abhyāsa-yoga-yuktena cetasā nānya-gāminā (BG 8.8). Cetasā nānya-gāminā, 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 Kṛṣṇa that "You concentrate your mind . . ." That is the yoga practice. Yoga-indriya-samyaya. So Arjuna said, "Kṛṣṇa, it is not possible for me."

cañcalaṁ hi manaḥ kṛṣṇa

pramāthi balavad dṛḍham

tasyāhaṁ nigrahaṁ manye

vāyor iva suduṣkaram

(BG 6.34)

"It is not possible for me." But if we concentrate our mind on Kṛṣṇa, then it is possible. Otherwise, it is not. Sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayor vacāṁsi vaikuṇṭha-guṇānuvarṇane (SB 9.4.18). If we engage our senses only on Kṛṣṇa, always fixed up in Kṛṣṇa, then it is possible.

So to engage the mind means, as it is said here, that pañcabhiḥ, 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 Kṛṣṇa. Vacāṁsi vaikuṇṭha-guṇānuvarṇane. And vāk, vāṇī, pāyu, the voice . . . voice, arms, legs, anus and genitals. So voice should be engaged in vibrating Kṛṣṇa activities. You read Bhagavad-gītā, read Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and talk about Kṛṣṇa. Then voice is engaged. Vacāṁsi vaikuṇṭha-guṇānuvarṇane. Always engage your voice in chanting or speaking about Kṛṣṇa. The mind is engaged automatically. Then arms, the hands, is engaged in cleansing the temple.

Śrī-vigrahārādhana-nitya-nānā-śṛṅgāra-tan-mandira mārjanādau. This is the advice. This is business of guru, to engage how the arms can be engaged. You can engage your arms for decorating the Deity, for sewing the clothing, dress, garland. In this way you can engage your arms. Voice in speaking about Kṛṣṇa, eyes to see Kṛṣṇa nicely decorated, come to the temple. For coming to the temple your legs will be used. And after coming to the temple, your hands will be used, your eyes will be used, your ear will be used, your tongue will be used—chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, take prasāda. In this way, if we engage all our senses in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then we are victorious. Otherwise, it is not possible. Sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayor vacāṁsi vaikuṇṭha-guṇānuvarṇane (SB 9.4.18). We have got our senses. Senses cannot be stopped working; that is not possible. The Māyāvādī philosophers, they stay that stop, nirvāṇa. Buddha philosophy: stop sense activity. That is not possible. That is impossible. Then how we can control the senses? You can control the senses by engaging all of them in Kṛṣṇa's service. Then it is controlled. Otherwise not.

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 it is not possible. First of all, you have to fix up your mind in Kṛṣṇa. Always think of Kṛṣṇa. That is advised by Kṛṣṇa. Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru. These four principles guarantees, Kṛṣṇa says. Mām evaiṣyasi asaṁśayaḥ (BG 18.68). If you simply execute these four things, then Kṛṣṇa guarantees, asaṁśaya, without any doubt, "You are coming back to Me, back to home, back to Godhead." It is so nice.

So mind engaged in Kṛṣṇa, always think of Kṛṣṇa. We are seeing Kṛṣṇa here so nicely dressed, decorated, and immediately there is impression with the mind, and you can think the whole day. And Kṛṣṇa says he is first-class yogī who,

yoginām api sarveṣāṁ

mad-gatenāntarātmanā

śraddhāvān bhajate yo māṁ

sa me yuktatamo mataḥ

(BG 6.47)

He is first-class yogī. There are different types of yogī. Kṛṣṇa says yoginām api sarveṣām. Sarveṣām means all different kinds of yogīs. There are many. "But one yogī, bhakta-yogī or dhyāna-yogī, 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.

pañcabhiḥ kurute svārthān

pañca vedātha pañcabhiḥ

ekas tu ṣoḍaśena trīn

svayaṁ saptadaśo 'śnute

(SB 6.1.50)

So this is practice. This is called bhakti-yoga practice. Engage your senses, all senses, working senses and perceiving senses, everything in Kṛṣṇa, and that will make you perfect.

So the mind, as it is said here . . . Similarly, Kṛṣṇa personally says that sa vai . . . yoginām api sarveṣām (BG 6.47), sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa (SB 9.4.18). Mind, engage always mind. Do something for Kṛṣṇa, 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. They are . . . (indistinct) . . .. That is good. But a Vaiṣṇava is not only thinking of the community or society or family, he is thinking of all living entities. That is Vaiṣṇava. Lokānāṁ hita-kāriṇau, all planets. That is Vaiṣṇava. Nānā-śāstra vicāraṇaika nipuṇau sad-dharma-saṁsthāpakau lokānāṁ hita-kāriṇau tri-bhuvane mānyau śaraṇyākarau. This is Vaiṣṇava business. They are not thinking for a particular . . . That includes. Kṛṣṇa includes everything. So if you think of Kṛṣṇa, 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. Kṛṣṇa wants; Caitanya Mahāprabhu wants. Therefore devotee goes from town to town, village to village. Pṛthivīte āche yata nagarādi-grāma (CB Antya-khaṇḍa 4.126). This is Vaiṣṇava. He is thinking for everyone. Because it is a fact, without Kṛṣṇa consciousness, everyone is suffering. That's a fact. So therefore preaching is so important—to awaken them. Jīva jago, jīva jago, gauracand . . . This is Gauracanda, Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission, to awaken everyone from this material entanglement. That is preaching.

Actually, they are suffering. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (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." So 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 yathā dehe kaumāraṁ 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 Kṛṣṇa Himself, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65): "Always think of Me," man-manā. And who can think of Kṛṣṇa unless he's devotee? Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto. Who is nondevotee, he'll think of something else: "Why I think of Kṛṣṇa?" Therefore to stick to this principle, to apply the mind always in Kṛṣṇa, 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 Kṛṣṇa, he is devotee. That is the first qualification of devotee. Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto. Therefore we have to practice. Abhyāsa yoga-yuktena . . . (BG 8.8). This is called abhyāsa. Mind is going out of my control. I want to think of Kṛṣṇa, 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 Kṛṣṇa." 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-jīva, mukta-jīva. 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 svāmī, svāmī means controller, or gosvāmī. Svāmī does not mean you simply stamp over your name "Svāmī." No. Svāmī means the controller of the mind. He is not controlled by the mind; he controls the mind. Then he is svāmī. Gosvāmī. Go means "senses," and svāmī means "master." When you are able to control your senses, then you are a gosvāmī or svāmī, the same thing. Otherwise, godāsa. Dāsa means "servant." Everyone in this material world, he's godāsa. Godāsa 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 Ṭhākura said, tār madhye jihvā ati, lobhamoy sudurmati ta 'ke jetā koṭhina saṁsāre, that 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. Tār madhye jihvā ati. Yan maithunādi-gṛhamedhi-sukhaṁ hi tuccham (SB 7.9.45). Tṛpyanti neha kṛpana bahu-duḥkha-bhājaḥ (SB 7.9.45). 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 Kṛṣṇa, we shall be able to control the senses, and the first sense is the tongue. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ. Ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ (CC Madhya 17.136). The senses are so strong, they'll not allow me to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. They'll not allow me. Ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi. Kṛṣṇa consciousness means to understand Kṛṣṇa—His name, His form, His pastimes, His paraphernalia, so many things. Kṛṣṇa 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. Ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ. Our indriyas . . . We are now habituated to use this indriya for material sense enjoyment. Therefore these indriyas, senses, is not fit for understanding Kṛṣṇa. 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. That means gradually it will be controlled.

So we have to follow this. If we are actually serious about Kṛṣṇa 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. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām 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 hitvā anyathā rūpam. We are now entangled in these twenty-four elements, and mukti means we are not entangled. Muktir hitvā anyathā rūpam. 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 am aloof," this understanding is called brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). At least theoretically if we understand, then our duty changes. Prasannātmā, 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. Sarvopādhi vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170). That is purification, when we become freed from this designation. Then hṛṣīkena hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate. And when you are freed from this . . . Therefore bhakti actually begins after liberation. Bhakti is not . . . Nivṛtta-tarṣair-upagīyamānā. Nivṛtta means one who has ceased tṛṣṇa. Tṛṣṇa means aspiration. We have got so many aspirations. So this transcendental life, or chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa, is means for the liberated person. Nivṛtta-tarṣair-upagīyamānād bhavauṣadhāc-chrotra-mano 'bhirāmāt (SB 10.1.4). This chanting is the medicine for our conditioned stage.

nivṛtta-tarṣair-upagīyamānād

bhavauṣadhāc-chrotra-mano 'bhirāmāt

ka uttama-śloka-guṇānuvādāt

virajyati pumān vinā paśughnāt

(SB 10.1.4)

Paśughnā, animal killer. Paśughnāt has two meanings. One who is killing himself, he's also paśughnā. And one who is killing animals, he is also paśughnā. 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, nirvāṇa: "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 Kṛṣṇa, that is perfection of life.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya. (end).