“räga-dveña-vimuktais tu

viñayän indriyaiç caran

ätma-vaçyair vidheyätmä

prasädam adhigacchati”

Bhagavad-Gita 2.64

 

SYNONYMS

räga—attachment; dveña—and detachment; vimuktaiù—by one who has become free from; tu—but; viñayän—sense objects; indriyaiù—by the senses; caran—acting upon; ätma-vaçyaiù—under one’s control; vidheya-ätmä—one who follows regulated freedom; prasädam—the mercy of the Lord; adhigacchati—attains.

 

TRANSLATION

But a person free from all attachment and aversion and able to control his senses through regulative principles of freedom can obtain the complete mercy of the Lord.

 

PURPORT

It is already explained that one may externally control the senses by some artificial process, but unless the senses are engaged in the transcendental service of the Lord, there is every chance of a fall. Although the person in full Kåñëa consciousness may apparently be on the sensual plane, because of his being Kåñëa conscious he has no attachment to sensual activities. The Kåñëa conscious person is concerned only with the satisfaction of Kåñëa, and nothing else. Therefore he is transcendental to all attachment and detachment. If Kåñëa wants, the devotee can do anything which is ordinarily undesirable; and if Kåñëa does not want, he shall not do that which he would have ordinarily done for his own satisfaction. Therefore to act or not to act is within his control because he acts only under the direction of Kåñëa. This consciousness is the causeless mercy of the Lord, which the devotee can achieve in spite of his being attached to the sensual platform.

 

Need of Discipline

One who follows the regulative principles of spiritual life can attain the complete mercy of the lord and thus become free from all attraction and diversion. The regulative principles that described in two categories, one is yama and another is Niyama. Things that should be done and things should not be done. For another words as Srila Rupa Gosvami has said, one must accept those things favorable for advancement in spiritual life and one most reject those things which is unfavorable for advancement in spiritual life. These are according to Srila Rupa Goswami, these two principles are the fundamental principles of surrender. To accept what is favorable and to reject what is unfavorable for our spiritual progress. This means we must discipline our life. Often times in this mundane age where people are very superficially and they are approach to everything important in life. People do not understand the need of discipline for spiritual progress. There was very famous Yogi, he came to the west and he became very very popular. And what he taught is that whatever you doing it is go on doing. If you like cigarettes smoke cigarettes. If you like alcohol, no problem with alcohol. If you like sex outside of your marriage life. I do not recommended but what can I do? If sometimes you steal and sometimes you lie, I do not recommended but what can you do? But you should meditate every morning and meditate every evening for half hour and should give me your money and I’ll teach you the process. Our guru maharaja he is through often recite this person’s teachings and he would compare them to the teachings of Yoga as described in Bhagavad-Gita as well as in the Patanjali yoga sutras as well as all the great scriputures. Krishna says in Bhagavad-Gita for one who does not control his mind and senses there is no question of yoga, what ever you do. Yoga or religion means the basic principle of every original religion in this world it discipline. The old testament which are the scriptures of Jews in the west and which is the basis of all Christians teaches the ten commitments. Thou shalt not killed. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shall not covet another’s property. Thou shall not commit adultery. So many, thou shall not. And also in the chapter of vedicas is, the lord is giving so many instructions of what one should do. So basically this is yam and niyam. What is to be done and what is not to be done and we must discipline our life accordingly. People are very superficial in their approached religion. We are giving a little example from various traditions.

In the Christian tradition often times we are preaching to Christians and we teach them that your religion is perfect providing you follow Lord Jesus perfectly. After all Christian does not mean on who goes to church. Christian means who follows Christ. Now what is Christ say. In America that is very sweet. May be we should wash it him. You are his interpreter. See, whenever the voice comes from the above we need an interpreter. Otherwise we misunderstand. I was thinking he was saying that what you saying nonsense? For you see, if you want to understand, what the highest powers in a society, you have to approach one who knows. Right? Yes, yes, because you are intimate associate. You know what he means. So many peoples read scripts, and say, I think this, I think this, that’s why “……” You wanted to know this scripture, you have to approach, who one is intimate associate, who knows god. What to I know about this – cucoo bird. You are a residence of his abode. and you have to descended to give us the true understanding of what transcendental sound vibrations really indicates to our life. So thank you very much. Through this example, we can understand the need for a guru or transparent via media to the higher voice.

So Lord Jesus Christ he has many followers and when they hear us preaching in the four regulative principles. No illicit sex, no intoxication, no gambling, and no meat eating. They are saying, what is the soul is knows? You do, what ever you want, you just believe. This is the coming conception. You just believe. You go to church, give some money, you pray, you believe, and you are saved. No problem. You do not have to change you lives. You like to drink, you like to after all, alcohol is the blood of Christ so drink it. And if you like to engage in illicit activities why not. And what is Christ say, Christ said in Bible. Of course in America, everyone is very attractive to illicit sex. Every parents feels that their children are not going on dates by their times fourteen or fifteen years. Something wrong with them. What is the difference in culture? In India parents find out that their children are going out on dates, they are very angry. What are you doing? But in America, if they are not going, they are angry saying, what are you not doing? I never went on date. My parents was saying, there is something wrong with you. Why are you – wrong? I said I do not know. I did not have any philosophy. So Jesus said in Old Testament God says to Moses– do not commit adultery. I say even looked at a woman with lust in your heart, you already committed adultery and you should tear out your eye and throw it on the ground. It is better to be one less eye than to have your soul burn in hell. That’s the teaching of the guru. Of course, what the people said the guru says. Does not matter, forget your eyes, and forget all these other things just have faith. If you have faith, you have to do what the person says. In fact Jesus said, those who enter into to go the gate of god and say Lord Lord, he said the lord will cast you  away. And say I only accept those, not those who cry out lord lord, but those who do the will of god. This is discipline.

 

What is Discipline

In the vedic tradition in Bhagavad-Gita there are so many disciplines given. What must be avoided strictly? And What must be accepted? Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, he “asat-saìga-tyäga,—ei vaiñëava-äcära”. He describes that one must avoid the association of materialistic and sinful people. And one must keep the association of the saintly persons. One must avoid intoxications, illicit sex, gambling, eating of meat. One must avoid causing harm to other living beings. One must avoid speaking wordily topics, it simply leads to envy and greed. One must accept spiritual topics. One must accept the chanting of the God’s name. One must accept the holy association. These are the form of discipline. Yoga means to discipline the mind and discipline the senses. Krishna says in the Gita

“täni sarväëi saàyamya

yukta äséta mat-paraù

vaçe hi yasyendriyäëi

tasya prajïä pratiñöhitä”

Bhagavad-Gita 2.61

One who restrains the senses and fixes his consciousness upon me, is known as the man of steady intelligence. Restrain in the senses means “I’ll not do what I am not suppose to do, no matter how much I want it and I’ll do what I am supposed to do, no matter how much I do not want it”. Now factually in every field of life, if you are not willing to discipline yourself, how will you progress and become great. The greatest athletes are the one who discipline themselves to the greatest extent in that field of athletics. Just like in America, you know which athlete is the highest paying athletic. Do you know who? Boxers. People beat each other on the heads and their faces. They are the highest paying. If a world champion fighter once fight, they get several million dollars. In might less than a thirty seconds does not matter, they get several million dollars if you win and you will get a couple million of dollars if you lose. So what to they do to become so great and famous to make so much money. They have to just discipline their body and exercise and just practically torture themselves and give up.  The most famous boxer in modern history is Mohamad Ali. His common rule of thumb is he would not even have sex with his wife for three months before a fight. Even though he said, I am such a lusty fellow. He told to one of our devotees. He is very good friends with one of our devotee. He said very lusty fellow. I love sex life very much. But I know, if I have sex, I’ll weaken my system. I’ll not have high performance in my fight. Therefore I although I have no desire to be among with three months before every fight. Because that’s what I have to tolerate the urge to top performances strength. As far as running around and doing all his practice hours and hours a day of torturing his body, to get into shape. And the reason why he is so great. Because he is willing to discipline himself to that extent.

Even in college who are the best students? The people who discipline themselves to study the most. Just like when I went to Philedelphia– to visit Kesava. My god, he did not have time to do anything except study. Everyone else was dancing and not the way Krishna dancing but all other dancing. In these colleges, everyone is dancing and in drinking and having fun and going to places and restaurants and dates and everything. But he is just like library books study, fixed. Therefore he just super excellent in his studies. Because he disciplined himself. What to speak of doctors? A doctor in order to get his position he has to go through, years and years of discipline. So if you want to be successful in any field of activity, you must be disciplined. What to speak of religion?

Today people think that they have to discipline themselves in every other avenue of life. But when they come to religion, what ever you think is alright. Whatever I think is alright? Whatever I wanted to do is alright. Whatever you want is alright. I’ll discipline my job. I’ll discipline my family life. But my religion. Whenever I have time then I’ll do it. By do not have time, god’s arrangement. Do not blame me. I want to do it but there is just no time. If one is very serious about making spiritual advancement one must discipline his time. There is a story of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur.

Bhaktivinod Thakur – The Ideal Example of Discipline

Bhaktivinoda Thakur was a magistrate. He was the judge under the British rule of India. This was in the later part of the nineteenth century. And he was so disciplined. That every morning he would raised during the brahma muhurta hours. Several hours before the sunrise. And he would chant on his mala for several hours. Chant Japa. Then he would study the scripture. Then he would write transcendental literatures. Then he would have kirtan, and then he would go to his work. And he would discipline himself greatly in his work also. He was the most prominent magistrate in all of Bengal and Orissa. In fact he was so expert that he wanted to retire to dedicate his life completely in spiritual activities. But the British government said, you do in one day what ten magistrates do in one day. How can I let you to go? It is not possible. You are the most qualified, you are the most efficient, and you are the most perfect. Everyone’s decision, no one would question. Because he had such piercing intelligent. Such piercing prospective. Because he had such god given qualities. He had no greed. No lust. No anger. No envy. He was completely -. He could completely fix his concentration on whatever was doing in the service of god. Therefore from the material point of view, he was un-paralleled and from the spiritual point of view, even the greatest saddhus and sannyäsé. Although he had wife and he had 13 children. And yet the sannyäsé and the brahmacaires from all over would come and touch his feet and sit at his feet to learn from him. This is how much he was respected in both material and spiritual circle. And after he would get back from his work, he would meet with his family. He would bath, he would have Prasad, he would engage his family in helping him in missionary activities. He would to go out the villages, to propagate the glories of the lords name, to distribute Prasad to the poor. He was always ready that all justice on all level on spiritual and practical would be upheld for all living being. He was the most highly respected. And his life was very disciplined. And he taught us by his example. That grihasta life can be a great spiritual opportunity for progress toward god. If in the grihasta life we discipline our life according to the spiritual principles of scriptures. And Bhaktivinoda Thakur also taught us by his example that if you do like this, do not listen toward the atheist and agnostic. He after say that if you become too involved in religion, you will become important in world and in this society. He taught that if you truly empowered by guru shakti and by the mercy of god, you will be the most efficient and most proficient according to your capacity in every aspect of your life.

Compare yourself to Bhaktivinoda Thakur. How many children do you have? May be one, two or three. May be four. Can you have more than five children in the room? How difficult to trained them nicely. Bhaktivinoda Thakur had 13 children and every one of them was a saint. Every one of them was highly learned. Every one of them was perfectly responsible in all spiritual and social affairs. And yet he was loved even by the saints and sadhus. The lord empowered him by simply to show that if you become advanced in spiritual life, you become most affective and efficient and whatever you do but there is a difference. You will do it with love, not with greed. The problem in this world is because people are spiritually undisciplined. They do not know how to control over senses. They do not know how to control their mind. They do not know to how to say no to the things that they want to do that are bad. They do not know how to say yes to the things that they do not want to do that are good. And therefore their motivation in their practical life is simply selfishness and greed. When you learn to control and learn to control your mind and your senses, then your mind and senses become peaceful. And in the peaceful state the love of the soul can manifest.

 

Discipline related to controlling the mind

Here is an example that if a lake of water is turbulent then what happens is all the mud on the bottom just comes up and whole lake every turbulent lake or pond becomes absolutely opaque. In the sense that all you see is mud. The water is brown. When that water is perfectly still all the mud settles then the water becomes transparent clear and you can see through that water and see what is on the other side. Now in this world it is described especially in the Visista – Advaitva philosophy of Ramanujacarya and this was also very highly accepted by Sri Caitanya Mahapabhu that there is the sentient and there is the insentient in this world. The monies they say brahma satya, jagad mithya. The absolute truth is truth (Brahman is truth) and everything else is illusion. Anything with form, anything with personality, anything that changes, anything but invisible impressible Brahman is in illusion. It does not really exist. But in more perfect understanding in this according to the sashtra is to understand that there is the eternal and there is the temporary. They are both real. They both exist. One is eternal and one is temporary. One is the higher energy of god and one is the lower energy of the god. To see the unity is complete knowledge. To simply discard one is illusion is not complete knowledge. Therefore there is the sentient and there is the insentient. Matter is always insentient, he is dead and consciousness, the symptom of the soul is always sentient. And above the sentient and insentient is the supreme, who is the cause of all sentient and insentient existence. “Janmaadyasya yatha”. God and the absolute truth is Him from whom everything emanates but everything sentient and insentient is included within Him. But still He remains the source. This essential with the basis of Visista – Advaita philosophy. Now what is between the sentient and insentient? There is the mind. The body and the senses are the insentient. The soul, the consciousness is sentient. Now what is between the two? The mind. When the mind causes the soul to identify itself as the insentient the body that is called ignorance (avidya). When the mind recognizes it’s true source. The soul when identifies its relationship with god that is called Vidya or knowledge. Now by conditioning we are very prone to perceive things through our senses. Now when the mind is turbulent uncontrolled and restless, it becomes like a pond of water that is filled with mud. Therefore when we look with in our self all we perceive is the mud of our material conceptions of life. But when the mind is still like a pond that has no waves, no turbulence. Then you can perceive through that crystal clear water to the bottom. Similarly when the mind is still through discipline, through Yoga, then you can perceive through your crystal clear still mind and perceive the eternal nature of your soul. That is why in the sixth chapter of Bhagavad-Gita Krishna says,

“bandhur ätmätmanas tasya

yenätmaivätmanä jitaù

anätmanas tu çatrutve

vartetätmaiva çatru-vat”

Bhagavad-Gita 6.6

One whose mind is uncontrolled, his mind is as his worst enemy. And for one whose mind is controlled, his mind is as his best friend. Then Krishna explains for one who is controlled his mind the super soul realization of God within your heart is already achieved. When your mind is clear, you simply see through that clear water of your mind and you perceive what is within you, is God. So therefore sixth chapter of Bhagavad-Gita describes that without controlling the mind and the senses through yogic discipline no one makes any spiritual progress. It is not a joke.

 

Discipline means Sacrifice

Of course to discipline our self means to sacrifice. It means to willing to accept pain. Pain for the shake of achieving something higher. This is the difference between a human and animal. “sreyas  – preyas”. An animal simply concern with satisfying with his immediate sensual and mental demands. An animal never philosophically with his intelligence discriminates is this right or is this wrong. When an animal feels like eating, he eats. When an animal feels like mating, he mates. When an animal feels like sleeping, he sleeps. But human life is meant to put aside the immediate feelings of our mind and senses to understand what will have me achieve the highest purpose of life. What is the difference between a Gosvami and Godasa. It is not a question of whether there is desire or not. It is a question of how you are willing to control your desires. If one has an impulse towards sinful activities or for activities that are not conduced to spiritual life. When that impulse comes if you are willing to say, no then you are a Gosvami. Go means the senses and svami means master. One who is able and willing to say no to his senses, he is a Gosvami. And who is always saying yes to the senses he is Godasa, a servant of the senses. Our guru Maharaja used to this example. Actually he sees this example in Bombay. I was just listening to a tape of Srila Prabhupada, he was giving a lecture in Bombay. He said, when you walking down in the street and you see a nice cinema. And your senses will say oh going to the cinema. If you will say, I will not go into cinema then you are a Gosvami, if you say oh yes, very nice cinema then you are a godasa. Because what is a cinema has to do with god. If it has to do with God that’s another thing. But from the billboard look for all these purple creatures with knives in their hands, embracing people, it does not look like these movies that must do with god.

If you go by a restaurant and you say this is very nice. Then you are godasa. If you go by a restaurant and say this is food is not conduce to my spiritual uplift, no. Your senses are saying, yes, yes. But your intelligence are saying, no. That is Gosvami. Gosvami is not a matter of taking a vow and wearing saffron. Gosvami is the matter of the quality of your life. There are many sannyasis who are godasas. There are many grihastas those who are gosvamis. It is not a rubber stamp. In true spiritual culture, nothing is rubber stamp. Everything is based on the quality. It is said in the purana

“sarvopädhi-vinirmuktaà

tat-paratvena nirmalam

håñékeëa håñékeça-

sevanaà bhaktir ucyate”

Srimad Bhagavatam Madhya 19.170

How do we control and discipline our mind and senses? Simply by saying no, no, no. You can not endure very long. Krishna says in Bhagavad-Gita. “parama drstva nivartate”. He said, one who controls his mind and senses and restrains from the objects of the senses. He will eventually fall down to sense enjoyment, if he has not experiencing something higher. The example of this is Viçvämitra Muni was very great Yogi in the process of saying no to his senses. He would tortured himself and endure it. My god, what he could do. We cannot even dream of doing. In winter, he would go to Gangoitri. Have you ever been to Gangoitri? I have been in the summer. Have you try to bathe in that water? How many people have been to Gangoitri, raise your hands? How many you have bathe in the water there? How long do you stay in that water? First of all do you go during the winter or summer. Summer. How long do you stay in the water? How long? 30 seconds. Why did you take such a first bath? After all you all that way, the roads up to the Himalayas take days and days to get there. Especially Visvarupa he was vomiting out the windows the whole time. I remember, I was sitting behind Him. You go to all are trouble to go there and only stay in the water 30 seconds, why? Because very cold. Very cold in the summer. But Visvamitra Muni, he went there in winter, when there was ice. He would crack the ice and he would go in the water up to his neck and he would just sit like this for six months without eating, without sleeping for just meditation. Do not think it did not hurt him. But he was willing to tolerating and endures and says no to his mind and senses. No matter how much they screamed, its cold, its cold. Lets go. He said no. I am hungry, I am hungry. No. And in the summer he would go into deserts put eight fires around him, blazing fires and sitting in meditation. Obviously he knows his mind and senses were screaming out go back to Gangoitri its nice than cooler. No. This is such a degree of endurance.

But ultimately when you gain great powers, you can be sure in this material world that there will be someone, who is envious of you. The better you are at somebody or anything, more people are envy you. Its material nature. Do not be surprised. You should not be upset about these things. Because its just the nature of the world. Whatever field of active you are is to the degree your good at it to that degree you are a target of envy. Because everybody wants to be the best. If someone see you are better than them you are the competitor and they become very very envious of you. Whether you are a business man, a doctor, a lawyer, a manager, a brahmacäré, a sannyäsé, a house wife, or whatever you are. The better you become the more efficient the more you are a target of envy. So Visvamitra Muni became very very powerful. And therefore many people are afraid of him. Because the greater you are the more envious people are thinking you are be- littling their position. The people who are none envious, when they see a great soul. They say, “I want to serve you”. The people who are envious, they say, “I want to conquer you”. I want to expose you.

That’s why Krishna says told Arjuna. You have one qualification. You can understand, what I am saying? And I have chosen you to receive this knowledge, because you are non-envious. You can intellectually understand that to actually accumulate spiritual principles, you have to non envious. To really grasp the concepts. Because ultimately there is only one envy toward one person that’s god. He is the one at full of all opulence. Whatever opulence, anyone has it is only due to Krishna. Krishna manifest Himself to this person or that person according to their Karma, according to their desire, according to their spiritual achievements and surrender. Krishna reveals His qualities. So what you are envious of is god. Krishna has six opulence. “Aishvaryasya, samagrasya, Viryasya Yasasa Sriya”. One of them is Vairagya (renunciation). Krishna was manifesting at just little flickering trace of His supreme opulence of renunciation through Visvamitra Muni and people became very envious, especially Lord Indra. Lord Indra was thinking my lord he is becoming better than me. He may take over my heavenly planet. So in your envious of someone, what you wanted to do? You want to destroy that person’s name and fame. So he sent Menaka.

Discipline involves positive engagement

Menaka is a beautiful apsara. Indra said Menaka do your thing. She said, yes very nice. Then she went by Visvamitra Muni and she walked. When she walked her ankle bells are tinkling very sweetly and her bangles are also making very sweet musical sounds. When Visvamitra heard this, he looked at her. And he said, very nice. Then he just completely forgot all of his principles and he became just a very fallen conditioned soul, why? Although he was saying no to the senses because he was not experiencing something higher by saying yes to higher forms of pleasure. He could not maintain his vairagya (renunciation). But then we also have the example of Haridasa Thakur.

Haridasa Thakur was always tasting the sweet nectar of the holy name. He was not so concerned with being famous as a renunciant. He was simply concerned will being humble servant of the Lord. Maya herself in all of her prowess, she came to test him. In the middle of the night she approached him. —– ran away, He just “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”. She said I want to enjoy with you. He said well, I am chanting Hare Krishna, you just be wait your turn. Now I am with Krishna. Hare Krishna. She ended up, surrendering to him, became his disciple. He was becoming so great also that one Ramachandrakhan, he was envious of him. This Haridasa Thakur was becoming so spiritually recognize the people are not going to surrender to me so much. They are not fearing my sense gratification. Instead trying to become his servant, Ramachandrakhan was thinking I must destroy him. He sent a prostitute to Haridasa Thakur. Every night that prostitute, who was very beautiful. Every part of her body was just perfectly arranged to bewildered a man’s mind. When she came to Haridasa, she said, Haridasa you are a young man and you are very handsome. Just see I am very young woman. I am very very beautiful, everyone knows. So why do not we enjoy. And he said, yes. We should enjoy. But he was not thinking of that type of enjoyment. She was thinking of giving him a certain type of enjoyment and he was thinking of giving her completely other kind of enjoyment. He said, you just wait here and let me chant Hare Krishna. Because I cannot have anything done until I finish my rounds. He was disciplined. And he sat there “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare” all night long. At the end of the night the prostitute was saying, what is worng? How could you do not do with me, what I want? He has been chanting all night. He said tomorrow I would promise. The next after three nights by hearing the holy names from him, she fell on his feet and I must admit. I have been sent by Ramchandrakhan just to destroy your life. But now after associating with your divinity and after hearing the beautiful sound of the name of Krishna, I want to become your disciple. I want to surrender to you. He said, give up your bad habits and you come here and you chant Hare Krishna. He said actually, when I heard about Ramachnadrakhan not liking me. I was ready to go. I do not want cause conflict. I only stayed here three extra days just to make you a pure devotee. You see Harisdasa Thakur was able to restrain his senses and say no to the mind and senses, because he was so busy saying yes to positive pure spiritual principles.

Bhakti Yoga means to fill your life so much with positive spiritual activities that you do not have time for those things which are destructing to our spiritual progress. It will be painful, it will be a state of suffering to say no to anything we are conditioning to doing. That is bad. We must indurate but at the same time we must be place it by keeping our mind and senses busy in positive spiritual actions, discipline.

“räga-dveña-vimuktais tu

viñayän indriyaiç caran

ätma-vaçyair vidheyätmä

prasädam adhigacchati”

Bhagavad-Gita 2.64

But understand how discipline works. It is not that by your endeavor because you are very staunch in your discipline yourself. You will make spiritual advancement. That is not the secret. The secret is by your discipline your self, by your accepting things favorable for devotional service and rejecting those things unfavorable by that sincere expression of your sacrifice. You attract the mercy of god. You please the spiritual master and you please Krishna. And by their mercy (it is described in this verse) you become free from all attraction and all over in this world. A devotee is completely depending upon the mercy of guru and Krishna.

 

Discipline means to Please Krishna

Therefore a true devotee will never accept any credit for anything. He understands that whatever spiritual progress are made it is only by the mercy of Krishna and the mercy of the great saints. Krishna’s mercy comes through their guru and the sadhus. But we have to learn how to receive that mercy. The process of receiving that mercy is expressing our sincere desire through our action. Its just like many of you are parents. If a child does not try to get good grades in school. Will the parent think he is serious about school? What of the child says, mumi I really want to please you and I really want to go to the school. But I’ll not do homework and I’ll not go to the school. The mother will think, what kind of way of pleasing me is this. You want to please me, you will do what it takes please me. You discipline your self. So similarly if you want to please god, we have to be willing to perform sacrifice. To show Him that we want to please Him. If god if Krishna is giving a certain rules and regulations, do not do this and do not do that. But we are still doing it. What is it mean? Really we do not want to please him. If we really want to please him, will be willing to sacrifice anything to please. Krishna sees our sincerity by how much we are willing to discipline ourselves to say yes to the things we wants and no to the things we does not want. No matter what we think or no matter what we like. And through this process we please him. Our motive should be to please him. Our motive should not be spiritually advanced. Because of your motive is to be spiritual advance, you will neverr become spiritually advanced. Because you cannot make your spiritual advance by your own power. Your motive should simply be to please Krishna. To please the spiritual master. To please the saint. If I please them then that is spiritual advancement. But if I do not please them, there is no question of spiritual advancement.

“räga-dveña-vimuktais tu

viñayän indriyaiç caran

ätma-vaçyair vidheyätmä

prasädam adhigacchati”

Bhagavad-Gita 2.64

prasädam adhigacchati means regulating your senses, by following the principles of devotion. You obtain the complete mercy of god. And by that mercy you become from the core of your heart purified and free from all attachment in a version.

“çåëvatäà sva-kathäù kåñëaù

puëya-çravaëa-kértanaù

hådy antaù stho hy abhadräëi

vidhunoti suhåt satäm”

Srimad Bhagavatam 1.2.17

Just we have explained so many examples of the things we have to say no to. That it is explained that one who develops a taste for hearing the glories of the lord. One who is always willing to say yes, to hear the Srimad Bhagavatam from the person Bhagavatas. To submit your self before great souls and hear from them and take pleasure in hearing the philosophy and the glories of the lord. Krishna within your heart is so satisfied that he personally cleanses all the impurities within your heart and reveals Himself to you. The process of the Srimad Bhagavatam for self realization is to learn to develop the higher taste of hearing and chanting the glories of the lord and simultaneously for biddong your mind and senses from doing anything contrary.

 

Power of Service – Body, mind and Soul

Now we may say but I just do not have much ever taste for hearing and chanting the glories of the Lord. I tried, what to do? Srimad Bhagavatam describes, what to do?

“çuçrüñoù çraddadhänasya

väsudeva-kathä-ruciù

syän mahat-sevayä vipräù

puëya-tértha-niñevaëät”

Srimad Bhagavatam 1.2.16

By rendering service to the great souls “mahat sevam” “puëya-tértha-niñevaëät”. That is the great service is done. Through that process of getting the blessings of the great souls, the desire to hear about Krishna, the desire to chant the glories of the lord will awaken within your heart. Just like there is story of Narada Muni.

In his previous life he was a maid servant’s son. But simply because he pleased the great souls, humbled himself before and they got their blessings. Through that process he developed a desire to hear about glorify Krishna. Now was not just automatically mechanical process. With that desire he disciplined his life, to accept things favorable and reject things unfavorable. And he became so purified by that process that by the mercy of the lord in his next birth he became Narada Muni. Krishna gave him that infinity treasure of prema Bhakti (pure love) to distribute throughout the world. So really this is the great achievement in human civilization. The greatest achievement in human civilization is to give, to selflessly give for the benefit and welfare of others. There is no more noble man in this world than the man that is charitable.

Caitanya Mahaprabhu explains to us that the greatest charity you can give the spiritual enlightenment.

“bhärata-bhümite haila manuñya janma yära

janma särthaka kari’ kara para-upakära”

Caitanya-caritamrita Adi 9.41

Especially lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu anyone born in Bharat varsa (India), it is your birth right to know Krishna and to love Krishna. And it is the greatest perfection of your life through disciplining your life according to the principles of god as handed down by the great sadhus and the scriptures to find that treasure of pure love within your heart and then to distribute the contains of that treasure to all living beings. Our Visvarupa is here and Dwarakadhish, we see that they are spiritual people. They are doctors by profession. But their motivation for being doctor is not simply to become rich and famous. But to use whatever god given intelligence they have. Also our Sri Govinda is also doctor. They want to use their god given intelligence to actually help elevate people on the physical, mental, and spiritual level. Spiritual life is meant to be holistic. We do not neglect the body or the mind or the soul. Our spiritual master Srila Prabhupada he wrote letter to all of his temples in India, when he was living. He said, if you want to please me, there should be within the radius of 20 miles from every temple there should not be a single hungry man. And it so happened practically everyone of his temple were in the cities. He said we should have so much Prasad. Just reading the letter, beautiful letter.

There was a man from Panama city in central America, an initiated devotee. He had been preaching to many Indians there and attain a ten thousand dollars. The Indians donated that ten thousand dollars for a temple there. Srila Prabhupada said, if you really want to do something great for mankind, you should send that ten thousand dollars to India to buy food to feed the poor. Of course in other places he also told people let us build temples. But the principle is the temple is meant to elevate people’s source and the food distribution is meant to elevates the people’s bodies and souls. Because it is prasadam. But the people understand the process of healing is what takes place, when we take to spiritual life. This is based on compassion. This is based on mercy. So to the degree a person according to his natural duty as a human being experiences the treasure of love and compassion within his heart to that degree he is the most charitable welfare worker of all living beings.

We have other examples of Business man, like Dr. Desai. Although in his industries he has making reasonable sums of money, I believe. But yet his money, he understands it is not his. It is to be used out of compassion for the upliftment of humanity, in a holistic manner in the service of God. Let us elevate people by distributing Prasad, by giving medical care, by distributing books, by distributing the holy name, by making people understand the compassion of great souls. His wife Maithili Priya, her father Arvind Mafatlal, my god, he does about 20,000 free eye surgeries in a year in Chitrakuta. He gives out tens and thousands of free plates of Prasad every year. He also has built beautiful temple to elevate people on all levels, mental, physical, and spiritual. This is the real success of our life. Whether you are big, whether you are small, whether you are rich or whether you are poor. Whether you are intellectual or whether you are illiterate. The real question is according to our capacity, how much is the quality of our life meant for the purpose of elevating people’s consciousness by giving in charity for the body, mind and the soul. If you simply give for the body it’s not enough. If you simply give for the mind it’s not enough. If you simply give for the soul, nobody will listen to you. So therefore the body, mind and soul, that is Krishna Consciousness. To rejuvenate the lust God consciousness within the hearts. But in order to give we must have. And we must accept the process of Yoga. We must be willing to make sacrifice.

There is one lady was asking me today, I want to do some service, how do I know often doing enough. I told it is very easy, if it does not hurt you are not doing enough. There is say in America, No pain no gain. Whether it’s your time, whether it’s your energy, whether it’s your wealth, whatever it is that you are offering in compassion to others in the service of god. If it does not hurt, you are not doing enough. There must be some suffering. There must be some sacrifice. Otherwise what is the question of love. Without sacrifice the love is meaning less. A mother who does for the child, what she likes to do for the child is not a loving mother. But a mother who is willing to endure any difficulties any suffering to help her child in his wellbeing that is love. Human life is meant for sacrifice. So when we discipline ourselves by following the regulative principles by chanting regularly the name of the god, by reading the scriptures regularly, by associating with saintly persons regularly, through these discipline, through the sacrifice our mind becomes peaceful. Our mind become still. And by the mercy of the God He reveals Himself through that clear mind and then that great wealth we can distribute from our heart in the form of love and compassion to all living beings. One who understands and pursued the principles is the most fortunate. He is peaceful in this world and in the next.

 

QD: Maharaj, Senses demand and we say no… we are convinced we have to say no.. but…..

 

AM: What is the purport? What is the purport of this sloka that has been resounded by the higher voice … time for prasadam. That’s why we need someone who resident. We need one of the confidential associates to interpret the higher voices. I would gone for another hour but that you know it is time for prasadam. So you may have question, but guru maharaja says it is time for Prasad.

Written by

Radhanath Swami

H.H Radhanath Swami is one of today’s most beloved and respected spiritual teachers. A Bhakti Yoga practitioner for 40 years, he is a guide, community builder, philanthropist, and acclaimed author.Born and raised in Chicago,at the age of 19 he discovered India's Mystical devotional tradition and now spread his message of compassion and love around the world.

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About Me

Radhanath Swami

H.H Radhanath Swami is one of today’s most beloved and respected spiritual teachers. A Bhakti Yoga practitioner for 40 years, he is a guide, community builder, philanthropist, and acclaimed author.Born and raised in Chicago,at the age of 19 he discovered India's Mystical devotional tradition and now spread his message of compassion and love around the world.