Bhakti Shastri (024) – The Nectar of Instruction Text 1, Part 1

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Harihar.
Thank you very much. Hare Krishna. Welcome to the Bhakti Shastri course.
We are discussing nectar of instruction. We have completed one class in which we discussed the preface of nectar of instruction and we also had an overview of the flow of the contents of the nectar of instruction. Today we will start with the first verse of nectar of instruction.
Let’s begin. Vacho Vegam Manasah Krodh Vegam Jivhah Vegam Udharopasth Vegam Etan Veganyo Vishahet Dheerah Sarvam Upinam Prathinim Sashishyat So Vacho Vegam Manasah Krodh Vegam So here Rupa Goswami starts by talking about an interesting concept called VEGA. So VEGA, what does it mean? The word VEGA means URGE, URGENCY.
In Sanskrit the word, in vernacular languages they can name it out here. The word VEGA often means SPEED. So VEGA Prabhupada translates as URGE that means that there is DESIRE and there is URGE.
The difference between a DESIRE and a URGE is that a URGE is something which is URGENT. Which makes us want to act immediately. Which demands that it be fulfilled at once.
A DESIRE is something which is there. We want to do it but we may have a desire to maybe see the Himalayas or see the Niagara Falls. We may have a desire to go and see the seven wonders of the world.
Many kinds of desires we may have. They are more like idle desires, day dreams. But URGE means when that comes we have to do it.
It is URGENT. That is the very meaning of the word URGE. VEGA is let VEGA on.
VEGA on is SPEED. So when that URGE comes, when the VEGA comes it’s a very speedy demand and has to be fulfilled. So this is what he is talking about.
WATCH O VEGAM. So he is talking about six kinds of URGES over here. That means these are the desires that when they come they demand they be fulfilled immediately.
So there are the URGES of the speech WATCH O MANASAH KRODA VEGAM. So here for the sake of rhyme and for the sake of structure Rupa Goswami merges the word MANASAH and KRODA and uses the common VEGAM for them. And he does the same for UDAROPASTHA.
So he is talking about the URGES of the mind, the URGES of anger. Then JIVHA the URGES of the tongue. Now the tongue URGES he classifies as the URGE TO EAT.
Where the WATCH O VEGAM he talks about the URGE TO SPEAK. So when the tongue is speaking, it is acting as a GYANENDRIYA. When the tongue wants to eat it is acting as a GYANENDRIYA.
It is acting as a GYANENDRIYA. When it is eating it is acting as a GYANENDRIYA. We take in food through it.
We taste food. We come to know about food through it. Whereas when we speak, speech is a way by which we get work done.
So WATCH O refers to the KARMENDRIYA function of the tongue. And JIVHA VEG refers to the GYANENDRIYA function of the tongue. So then UDAR UPASTHA VEGAM.
UDAR refers to the belly. The stomach has an urge to eat a lot. And UPASTHA refers to the genitals.
They have a desire to enjoy. EETAN VEGAN YO VISHAHET DHIRAH These URGES the person who tolerates. One who is able to tolerate them.
VISHAHET DHIRAH Such a person SARVAM APIMAM PRITHVIM SASHISHYAT Such a person is qualified to be a teacher of everyone in the world. Such a person is capable of taking disciples all over the world. That means the capacity to control the senses enables a person to gain one qualification that is important for becoming a Guru.
A sober person who can tolerate the urge to speak, the mind’s demands, the actions of anger and the urges of the tongue, belly and genitals is qualified to make disciples all over the world. Now this may raise a question that this book is starting with UBDESH AMRIT that is the title. So it’s starting with UBDESH for the disciples.
So how does it start by talking about the qualifications for a Guru? Is it asking that the seeker is going to become a Guru? And why should for a seeker it talk about the qualifications of a Guru? There are multiple understandings. The first is that the seeker begins by finding a Guru. The seeker has to know the qualifications of a Guru.
The Guru is one who has conquered all these urges. Now of course the Guru has both regulative and positive qualifications. So the regulative qualifications are described over here in terms of the capacity to control and conquer the body and the mind.
Along with that there are also the positive qualifications in terms of the attachment to Krishna. And that will be described in later verses when Rupa Goswami talks about the levels of devotees and the exalted devotee who sees Krishna everywhere and who is serving Krishna one pointedly. But here at one level it talks about how a disciple should see the qualifications in a Guru.
At another level it recognises that even the seeker has to aspire to become a seer. Even the seeker should know these are the qualifications that eventually I have to acquire. And so by spelling out those qualifications right in the beginning the clear mindset is created.
This is the direction in which I have to go. There is much more which I have to do when I go in this direction. But this is important.
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu taught exemplary devotion but he also taught devotion that was coupled with detachment and renunciation. Because he himself was a sanyasi and the six Goswamis were sanyasis and even his grahastha disciples were not attached. They were attached to Krishna not to the world.
So the detachment from the world and the capability to control the urges of the body and the mind that make us attached to the world that is an important qualification of a bhakta. So this qualification is what a seeker should also aspire to develop. And in that sense this positioning of the positioning of this verse right at the beginning of the act of instruction indicates the direction in which Rupa Goswami is going to lead us.
So he will start first by talking about how one needs to control control the negative side of bhakti. Negative side of our own life on the path of bhakti. And then it will talk about how we will be able to nourish the positive side.
And through this progression the bhakti shamruta will guide us towards prema. Now Srila Prabhupada’s purport begins in a very interesting way. He seems to start a little abruptly but we see the depth of Srila Prabhupada’s thought here.
Without giving any prologue or this is a question, this is a this is not giving any introduction, lecture or instruction. It’s already under the preface. Prabhupada comes directly to the point.
And his point is also very deep. He says yes we all want to control the senses if we want to make spiritual advancement but how can one do that? What is it that makes a person have uncontrolled senses? And what can help the person to control the senses? So he immediately goes to the conversation of Shukadeva Goswami and Pariksit Maharaj in the 6th canto of Srimad Bhagavatam, 1st chapter where Shukadeva Goswami is asked by Pariksit Maharaj how can people give up sinful activities? The context is that in the previous canto the highly sufferings are described Pariksit Maharaj being a compassionate person. He had been a responsible king, concerned about the well-being of his citizens.
So both as a responsible administrator and as a compassionate Vaishnava he is concerned about the plight of those who are destined to suffer in hell. He asks how can they be delivered? And then since those who have committed sins as a reaction to that they have to suffer. But if they commit atonement they can escape the suffering.
So Shukadeva Goswami speaks this as the first level answer. Generally speaking the sages see the level of the question and answer accordingly. And sometimes they give multiple levels of answers where the answer moves deeper and deeper and deeper as one becomes more perceptive.
So this is the first level answer that Shukadeva Goswami gives in the Chandogya Upanishad there is a conversation. How many gods are there? So the figure moves forward. First there are so many hundreds of gods then less, then less, then three, and finally one.
The idea is as people evolve and understand that there cannot be multiplicity of gods there is ultimately only one god. So this is how the teacher also raises the level of understanding of the student. So when he starts he starts by describing that do atonement.
Then Rishit Maharaj has been a king and he has seen how when criminals are put in jail as a punishment that punishment in and of itself doesn’t reform the criminal so thoroughly. They often come out of the jail and they commit crimes again. In fact many times in the jail they get contaminated by even worse association and therefore there they commit even greater sins.
So therefore what is the way out? The way out is not simply atonement. Now prison punishment is not exactly an atonement but basically it is a way in which a person is given consequences for the misdeeds by the king. So those consequences can come voluntarily also when a person does atonement that means I have done this wrong and I want to atone for this.
This is what I will do. So scriptures describe atonement but he says that that doesn’t work. I have seen that imposing punishment whether done by the state or done by oneself doesn’t work.
And he gives the example that this is just like an elephant being bathed. There are two more examples of Christians going for confession and a thief being punished. So now some religious people go for confession and after they do confession then they come back and say that again I am going to do sin and again they are going to do confession.
So that sort of confession is not much use. Sometimes they say okay I have done this sin please give me confession and next week I am going to do sin again so please give me advance confession for that. Now advance confession makes a mockery of the whole process of confession.
When you make confession the idea is that I am not going to commit sin again. So if somebody does advance confession that means that person has no intention of reformation at all. And then that is definitely a mockery of confession.
So this sort of confession doesn’t work. And what is the solution? So therefore he says just like an elephant may bathe but then elephant comes and puts dust on it on body. So then that sort of atonement is of no use.
Similarly he says this is of no use. Then Parikshit Maharaj goes forward and asks deeper. Shukadev Goswami answers deeper and says you can do vimarshanam.
You can absorb oneself in the cultivation of knowledge. He says even that is not enough because even when there is knowledge still that doesn’t lead to purification. See atonement doesn’t work because one has not lost the sinful mentality.
Sinful mentality is still there and that will make a person do wrong things again. And he says even if a person acquires knowledge and understands I am not the body I am the soul still the suffering doesn’t go away because one still thinks that I am independent of God. I am Atma on the path of Gyan.
One doesn’t really connect with God and get a higher taste. So he gives the example that when a liquor pot is washed still the smell of liquor remains. Like that even if a person is cleansed some sinful reaction still remains.
Some sinful contamination remains and a person is attracted to sin again. And finally he says the way out is by the practise of devotional service. So let’s look at this quickly.
So Maharaj Parikshit asks a question about atonement and explaining the futility of atonement. Sri Prabhupada talks about these three analogies the elephant bathing, the thief and the police and the confessions. And then Prabhupada moves forward to the description of real atonement that is talked about by Parikshit Maharaj.
So this involves the awakening of our dormant Krishna consciousness and this is training according to the principles of methodical life. So we will discuss this one by one. What this means is that how do we reform ourselves completely? To reform ourselves we have to revive our original nature.
We are originally pure we have become contaminated now. Now without returning to our originally pure nature if we try to decontaminate ourselves then we just shift from one kind of impurity to another kind of impurity. From the impurity of passion to the impurity of goodness.
And that doesn’t really restore us to our original nature and we can always be dragged down again. Because we are just shifting from one unnatural state to another for the Atma. So when we return back to our natural state of loving and serving Krishna then we actually become purified and then we attain a purity eventually a purity beyond return.
We attain a point where we will not fall back again. So what all does it involve? Sri Prabhupada explains that there are two ways to do it. So the training according to regular principles and methodical life in that when I want to do real atonement atonement I am sorry I will not do this again that’s the idea.
So one has training according to regular principles and methodical life. What all does the training involve? It involves traditional tapasya. So it’s a long verse which Shukadeva Goswami described.
Prabhupada would quote this verse So one does austerity and Prabhupada would give the example of austerity as fasting on Ekadashi. It’s a practise of celibacy. Celibacy does not mean renouncing family life.
Celibacy means it can also mean practising householder life also according to principles of Dharma. So now then mind and sense control. So what is mind and sense control actually? It’s an interesting concept when you talk about mind and sense control.
Often you put the two of them together but it’s not necessarily together. Actually mind control is safer and better than sense control. Although in one sense it’s tougher also.
But in another sense it makes things easier. Actually shama and dama are considered to be characteristics of a brahmana. shamo damastapa chaushyam shantirarjyamam jnanam vijnanam astikyam brahmakarmasvabhavajam Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita describes in the 18th chapter the qualities of a brahmana.
So there he describes the shama and dama. And this is also described by Shukadeva Goswami over here. So shama is mind control.
Dama is sense control. So the idea is it’s always better to control the mind itself. So if the mind itself doesn’t go to wrong thoughts then the senses will not get stimulated and then there is no trouble of controlling the senses because the senses are not gone out of control and they don’t need to control them.
It’s like if I know I am in this room and I have got a precious jewel in this room and I know that just outside this room outside the door there is a thief who is waiting to bounce in take the jewel and run away with it. So what will I do? I will lock the door, bolt the door, chain the door and never open the door. Make sure the thief doesn’t come in.
So like that the room is like our consciousness. In our consciousness we have the jewel of Krishna and outside the door there is the thief of Maya and Maya is waiting to come and steal away our Krishna consciousness. Waiting to bounce in and bounce on the jewel and take it away.
Now what should we do? We should not let Maya come in only. That means we busy ourselves in Krishna consciousness so much that we lock the door for Maya. There is no way she can come in.
When we keep ourselves absorbed in Krishna then the door gets locked. That is mind control. That means we don’t let the mind locking the door means we don’t let the mind entertain the thoughts of sense gratification only.
That is not so easy. We can try it. Definitely it is much safer if we can do it and we will be happier also because we will be absorbed in Krishna.
But when we can’t do that, that means somehow we leave the door open and as soon as the door has a little crack open, thief bangs on the door and throws it open and then charges it. So at that time what do we do? Now the thief has come. Let him take the jewel and go out.
What can I do? No. At that time what do we do is we jump on the door and then we try to force the door shut. We fight the thief and push the thief out and then lock the door again.
Now the struggle involved in fighting back the thief and closing the door is much greater than just keeping the door locked. Similarly the struggle involved in fighting off the agitation after the mind has got agitated and the senses have got stimulated after that the struggle is much greater. That means we leave the door open.
Thoughts about sense gratification come in. After thoughts come in then we become agitated. No, I am not going to indulge in this.
And then the senses have become hungry now because they have tasted blood. Just like when a tiger tastes blood and restraining the tiger becomes difficult. Similarly the senses taste.
Oh, there is pleasure available over here. They are like tigers. When they taste blood, then restraining them becomes difficult.
But then the fight will be much greater. However, we can fight. It’s not just because we have become agitated, we have to succumb to the agitation.
Just because the door has been left open, a thief has come. It doesn’t mean that the jewel has to be stolen. We can push the thief out and lock the door.
Similarly, when the mind gets agitated then the desires come in and they shake up our consciousness. Maya is coming to steal away Krishna from us. We can push Maya.
The mind is agitated but we don’t let the agitation express itself at the sensory level. We don’t act sinfully. Sinful desires may come in but they don’t transform into sinful actions.
That is sense control. So mind control is better. First is Shama.
If Shama doesn’t work, at least do Dhamma. Then beyond that there is Tyagena satya-sauca-bhyana yamena-niyamena-va. Tapasa brahmacharya yamena-niyamena-va yamena-sauca-bhyana By all this, what happens? By all this, one gradually becomes purified.
This is the traditional method of Tapasya that is talked about in the Vedic literature. And it is important. As devotees also we can follow this.
We can follow some principles. But our focus is not on following these principles. Our focus is on purifying our hearts through the direct engagement of devotional service.
Now if you see, in all these Tyagena satya-sauca-bhyana yamena-niyamena-va the focus is not on Krishna. The focus is on self-restraint. The focus is on self-mastery.
Which is good. It can become a good platform for practising Krishna Consciousness. But in and of itself, even celibacy is not spiritual or devotional.
There are so many, there are times even an atheist can also be a celibate. Difficult, but an atheist can be a celibate. So celibacy in and of itself is not spiritual.
When we say a brahmachari, a brahmachari is not just a celibate. A brahmachari is a person who is trying to do charan in Brahma. One is trying to live in Brahman.
Pursuing Brahman. So these are material. Tyagena satya-sauca-bhyana yamena-niyamena-va.
These are helpful because they set up a platform by which you can practise bhakti steadily and swiftly. At the same time, what this verse recommends, this traditional tapasya is a gradual process. In contrast with that, we can have the Pancharatrik tapasya.
Pancharatrik tapasya is what Rupa Goswami did. Now what is Pancharatra? Pancharatra is the method centred on devotional activities. So there is the Pancharatrik which centres on taking shelter of Krishna and practising devotional service in a way that is centred on the worship of the deities and the service to the spiritual master.
So when we practise devotional service in this way, at that time by such practise we make swifter spiritual advancement. So there is Rupa Goswami telling us do’s and don’ts. And what are the do’s and don’ts that he tells? The do’s are practise bhakti under guidance of guru in the association of devotees.
So my desire is I want to serve you lotus feet of my spiritual master and how do I want to serve? By living in the association of devotees. This is my aspiration life after life. This is the mood of a devotee.
This is what we should do and purification is guaranteed if we do this. Serve the spiritual master in the association of devotees. And the do’s and don’ts are we follow the four elemental principles.
We don’t indulge in sinful and moral anti-devotional activities. So among these two, the devotional processes are far more potent and that’s why they are far more important. In the path of bhakti the celibacy, brahmacharya, they are important but they are not all important.
And sometimes a person may be a brahmachari but that person may not be necessarily as devotionally disposed. The person who is not a brahmachari but has a greater devotion. So the important point is that renunciation, self control, truthfulness all these are conducive for the process of bhakti and that’s why we adopt them.
And to the extent they are conducive, to that extent we utilise them and then they can become obstructive instead of being conducive. Then we reject them. That’s why we have Chaitanya Mahaprabhu making the famous verse saying that So he is saying that he is disidentifying himself, distancing himself from all the four varanas and the four ashramas.
Although Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is in a very privileged position both ways. Among the four varanas the brahmana is the highest, among the four ashramas sanyasi is the highest. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is a brahmana and a sanyasi.
So he is in the most privileged position in the varana ashram and he is still distancing himself from both. He is saying I am none of these. And what am I? I am simply the servant of the lord of the gopis.
And that lord is the reservoir of all joy. He is the greatest source of happiness. So as sadhakas we don’t need to practise the traditional tapasya to the extent it helps us in the process of devotional service.
Now how do we apply this? So now actually Prabhupada is going to talk about So we have to practise tapasya and when we apply the principle of tapasya, applying the principle of tapasya is to do vachyo vegam manasah krodha vegam. So let us look at the application here. The application is based on Srila Prabhupada’s purport and Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur’s purport.
So Srila Prabhupada himself quotes Bhaktisiddhanta Thakur’s purport in the second part of his purport. So let us look at first at Srila Prabhupada’s purports. Srila Prabhupada talks about vachyo vegam, manasah vegam, krodha vegam.
Then he talks about shivaya and uddhara pastha briefly and then we will go to Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur. Now what is vachyo vegam? The urge to speak. So Srila Prabhupada gives the example of karmis and jnanis who are speaking things which are unconnected with Krishna and by such speaking they are simply inviting the snake to come and devour the toad.
This is a graphic example given from nature. The Bhagavatam uses many analogies drawn from nature to illustrate its many profound principles. So when we are in this world we are tempted to speak many things.
ayur harati vaipumsam uddhyanarthastam jayanita tasyarthe yath chanoni uddham shlokamarth That person who is not engaged in glorifying the Supreme Lord, for that person with every rising and setting of the sun life is diminishing. The person is dying with every passing day. So what do we do when we engage in vachalva? It is just like when a toad speaks.
Toad is croaking, croaking, croaking. Then the snake cannot stand tall and see where the toad is. So it is a little difficult for the snake to find the toad.
But when the toad speaks that sound basically attracts the snake. Okay, the toad is here, let me go and eat it. So similarly it is said that when we speak unnecessarily we attract the snake of death.
Now you may wonder how does this happen? Some of us may feel that okay, there is destiny and our life span is fixed. If our life span is fixed then actually it is not exactly a life span. It is the number of breaths that we are going to take that is fixed.
Then at that time we are going to die. Is it that if I speak more, I am going to die faster? What exactly does this example convey? It is not that time is going to flow faster. It is not that death necessarily is going to come closer.
But the point is that the flow of time is relative to the way we engage it. So if we engage ourselves in frivolous activities and often frivolous activities just consume our time so much that we don’t realise it only. Sometimes we get into prajalva and so much time just goes away in that.
Just chit-chatting, chit-chatting, chit-chatting. And actually we see in many ways most newspapers, most chat rooms and things like that, they are basically often filled with prajalva. So this sort of prajalva is undesirable.
We will discuss more about prajalva but here we are talking about vacho vekam, the urge to speak. So often when we speak we get so absorbed in it that time just flies away and we don’t realise it also. This was both Pururava’s realisation and Yadati’s realisation.
When we got into sense gratification then just how time went away I didn’t realise only. So that’s what happens. Sometimes people start watching TV and one programme, second programme, third programme and just time flows away.
So the important point is that actually we will waste so much time without realising how much time we have wasted. So that’s the problem with this sort of engagement in activities and that’s how our speaking and our gossiping is like a toad speaking in that sense. So now what is solution to this? Solution is, Srila Prabhupada explained, not silence but krishna katha because we cannot stay silent for very long.
Even if we try to we will have a natural urge to speak and if we don’t dovetail that natural urge properly then the only result will be that we will feel ourselves suppressed and when we suppress ourselves for too long after that suppression just expresses itself in ugly ways. So we have to spiritualise our urge to speak. So when we learn to speak about Krishna it is supremely satisfying because when we speak about Krishna it purifies us, it benefits us and similarly it purifies and benefits others.
The process of bhakti is so wonderful that whatever our bodily urges are we are not asked to give them up, we are asked simply to sublimate them, to spiritualise them. And in fact there is no activity more auspicious than speaking about Krishna. So every opportunity that we have to speak about Krishna we can be grateful for that.
Now that opportunity may be on the Vyasasana where we speak informally to people or it may be informally speaking to one or two people. But every opportunity to speak about Krishna is taking us closer to Krishna and is helping others to come closer to Krishna. So in this way the very tongue that normally attracts death can now attract Krishna.
When Krishna says oh this devotee is speaking about me sharing my message with others Krishna becomes pleased by that. Krishna says that one who shares my message with others I am very pleased with that person I love that person and I bring that person back to me quickly. I guarantee him pure devotional service.
Krishna describes in 18.68 in the Bhagavad Gita that a person is so very dear to me, no one will ever be more dear to me than one who shares my message. So this is the wonderful power of bhakti. The very thing that was causing us bondage can now become the source of liberation for us.
And after that after we look at Vachavegam then let us look at Manasahavegam. So Manasahavegam is the urge of the mind. So there the problem is that we can’t have a vacuum.
We can just keep our mind empty that will attract the anarthas. The solution is to meditate on the lotus feet of Krishna. Prabhupada gives the example of Sun and Krishna.
The mind has to think about something. It may think about things randomly or it may think about things systematically. But thinking cannot be stopped.
Speaking can be stopped for some time at least. It can be silent for some time. We can’t be all the time silent.
But as far as the activity is concerned the mind is far more active than the physical senses. And it’s not only its activity more but its speed is also far greater. One thought, second thought, third thought, fourth thought.
So it can think faster and move faster. The mind can move faster than the speed of light also. The speed of light is considered to be the fastest by modern physics but the mind can go much faster than that.
So now this Manasahavegam, surge of the mind, we can’t freeze the mind. Even when the mind is caught in one object, sometimes we are attached to something and the mind gets caught in a particular sense object. The alcoholic is there, the person’s mind is caught in that bottle of alcohol.
But actually even then the mind is not at rest. Actually the mind is caught in the bottle of alcohol and from there it is having so many imaginations. I’ll drink this, I’ll do this, I’ll do that, I’ll do that.
And those imaginations are also endless. So the mind in and of itself can never be inactive. So why can’t it be inactive? Because it’s very naturist to be active.
It’s subtler than the gross sense. In the gross sense the mind is further active, hyperactive. So the best thing that we can do for the mind is give it a safe and satisfying avenue for activity.
Just like a child. We can’t expect the child to stay silent. A child is by nature active.
A child starts playing with a knife or starts playing with a lighter and starts turning on the fire of the gas. Then it’s dangerous. So instantly what does the mother do? The mother gives the child some toys to play with.
The child becomes satisfied. So like that we can’t avoid the mind being active. What we can do is give the mind a safe avenue for activity.
And what is that safe avenue? That is Krishna Consciousness. Vishal Prabhupada gives the example that just as he gives the example in Chaitanya Charita Amrit that Krishna Surya Sama Maya Hai Andhikar Jahan Krishna Tahar Nahi Maya Radhikar So it’s a very interesting way of putting it. He uses the word Adhikar.
Adhikar means authority. That’s why he’s saying that wherever there is Krishna, Maya has no authority. Maya has no jurisdiction.
It’s an interesting phrase because the implication is two-fold. One is that the converse is also true. That means wherever there is no Krishna, there is Maya’s authority only.
That falls under Maya’s jurisdiction. And by default material desires will be there, whether they are manifest or they are not manifest right now. So now the second point is that how does Maya’s jurisdiction, Maya’s control over a particular area go away? How does she withdraw from our consciousness? It’s Krishna Surya Sama.
When in a room light is off, at that time, if I am irritated with the darkness, I’m stumbling on something, falling on something, I’m groping around. What can I do? I cannot use my fist. You darkness, I’ll punch you.
Get lost. I cannot curse the darkness. I cannot even use a sharp sword.
I will chop you to pieces. It’s all useless. But the darkness comes.
The only way to remove darkness is by getting light. And with all the previous efforts, that bringing out darkness was impossible. But as soon as the light comes out, actually comes on, we don’t have to do anything separately to remove the darkness.
Just the bringing of the light, darkness has to flee. Similarly, jahan Krishna tahar nahi maya radhikar. Where there is light, darkness has no authority left over there.
Similarly, when we bring Krishna, maya has to go away. Maya can’t stay on. Maya just has to be driven out.
So the solution is to, when we meditate on Krishna Lotus Feet means we serve Krishna. The Lotus Feet represent basically service. So when we serve Krishna, by that service to Krishna, by fixing the mind in Krishna, we can drive away maya.
So this is again not mechanical. We have to observe ourselves in Krishna. Because again the point is that we have to fill the mind with Krishna.
So if I am just uttering Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, and all that I am doing while uttering Hare Krishna is just my lips are speaking. But my mind is still caught up in all the parade of sense objects the world is presenting in front of me. Then such chanting, it’s also beneficial at one level, but it’s not actually transformational.
It still doesn’t allow my mind to move from material things to Krishna. Therefore, manasa vega, the vega of the mind, has to be controlled by directing it towards Krishna. And how do I direct it towards Krishna? That is something which each of us has to find out for ourselves.
Each of us is unique, and each of us has a unique relationship with Krishna. Of course, at a pure spiritual level, the unique flavour of our relationship, our unique rasa, will be revealed when we become purified, when our swaroopa becomes manifested. But even now, although our conditioning may be there, and although our spiritual uniqueness is covered over, and what we now have is material uniqueness, but still, even in this condition also, because we are unique, our disposition is distinctive, and we have to find out what is the way I become attracted to Krishna.
Some of us may find that by studying philosophy, studying scripture, understanding concepts seriously, I become fixed, I become steady against strength. Some of us may find that by worshipping the deity, by going and praying, by taking darshan, by offering, by doing puja, by worshipping the deity. If you are a puja, if you are a brahmana, then you can do personal worship.
That’s what gives me a lot of strength. Some others may find that by singing bhajans, I get a lot of strength. Someone else may find that by just singing Dharmi Krishna Mahamantra in different tunes and dancing in kirtans, that gives me a lot of strength.
Someone else may find that, okay, an association of a particular devotee gives me a lot of strength. There is this important role of individuality in the universal process of Krishna Consciousness. Although the processes are universal, but every one of us is individual.
And we have to find out which process of devotional service attracts us, in which process can we absorb ourselves more and more. And when we absorb ourselves more and more in Krishna, then maya will go away. So often, our struggle becomes more difficult because we try to drive maya away without finding out how we can become attracted to Krishna.
Ultimately, I am responsible for my spiritual advancement. My spiritual advancement is not Krishna’s responsibility. It is not my spiritual master’s responsibility.
It is not my counsellor’s responsibility. It is my responsibility, first and foremost. Of course, it is their responsibility also.
The spiritual master takes the responsibility of delivering the disciple. But that is like a doctor saying that I will take the responsibility to cure the patient. But the doctor cannot be there all the time making sure, nagging the patient Have you taken this medicine? Have you taken this medicine? Have you taken this medicine? And the doctor says, I will take responsibility for the patient, for the cure in the patient.
That means I will use all my knowledge, all my experience to recommend the best possible treatment. And if any complications take place, I will use all my abilities to make sure that I address the complications. But taking the treatment is the patient’s responsibility.
So in that sense, getting cured is the patient’s responsibility. Offering the facilities for the cure is the doctor’s responsibility. Similarly, our spiritual advancement is primarily our responsibility.
The spiritual master is like a doctor. The spiritual master provides all the facilities. He will provide us his own association through classes and through personal association.
He will provide his senior disciples who are trained, who can inspire and guide us. He can provide us his audios. He may write books and provide books for us.
He will build a beautiful community, build beautiful temples and have deities. Through that he provides facilities. That’s what Srila Prabhupada has done for all of us as our as the founder acharya of our movement.
Ultimately, it’s our responsibility to make spiritual advancement. So once we understand that fixing the mind on Krishna, fixing my mind on Krishna is my responsibility, then we will become serious. What is the way I can fix my mind on Krishna? By doing this, by doing that, by doing that.
And each of us may take a devotional inventory of our own spiritual life and find out what attracts us to Krishna and then fix the mind on Krishna by that. And then we will be able to stay steady and happy in our devotional life. Then, Manasa Vegam, then Krodha Vegam.
So Krodha Vegam is the urge for anger. So actually, Prabhupada says the problem is that anger can’t be stopped and the solution is to apply against blasphemous. Prabhupada gives examples of Jagai, Madai, Hanuman and Arjuna.
So among all the six anarthas that are there, lust, anger, greed, envy, pride, delusion, probably the one anartha that almost everyone agrees is bad is anger. And lust, materialistic people think that it’s good. The more lust there is, we will enjoy.
Of course, they also have some limits. They don’t, you know, materialistic people feel that sex should be consensual, it should not be forcible, whatever. But they think lust is good.
Similarly, greed, people think, people may decorate greed by the title ambition. You have to be ambitious. But anger is something which almost everybody agrees is bad.
Because often anger makes us do things that make a problem, that create a bigger problem than the original problem. Somebody has done something wrong and I speak such things in effect of anger and it breaks that person’s heart. So first, whatever thing that was in that got broken and then the person’s heart got broken.
So the problem becomes worse. So therefore, anger is something which can be quite detrimental. And it can be very dangerous also at times.
And especially when we are a devotee association and we commit offences in a fit of anger, that can be very dangerous. Of course, if we have deep-rooted malicious intentions, if we somehow are envious of devotees and we want to put them down and because of that we speak wrong things, that is much worse. But if in the heat of the moment sometimes we speak something because we wanted to do some service and we are not able to do that because of the negligence of some devotee, then that is excusable.
That should not be repeated. But that is not a serious offence. Offence primarily means that we have a harm causing mentality towards others.
So, now what do we do with our anger? Actually, it can be expressed in devotional service, but in a very regulated way. Srila Prabhupada normally gives these three examples. But if you think about all the devotional literature that is there, there are not many examples like this.
And the important point is that rather than focussing on how I can use anger, we should focus on how I can control anger. Because there is a very thin dividing line between whether I am using anger in Krishna’s service or anger is using me in Maya’s service. How do we know the difference? Whether I am using anger in Krishna’s service or anger is using me in Maya’s service.
Actually, it will depend on two things. One is the motivation and the second is the effect. The effect in turn will depend on the nature of the relationship and the situation in which we became angry.
So, first and foremost is, if I become many times when some things go wrong, our anger is not so much because some service to Krishna got disrupted. Our anger is because I was doing you the service and now my good name will be spoiled. What will people think about me? So, when we are more in a mood of preserving our own name and then we burst out at others, then the Krishna element is very less.
So, in general, it is good for devotees to avoid anger. Hanumanji did become angry when Lord Ram was blaspheming, but at the end of it, we see in Lanka, Hanuman started lamenting. What did I do? In a fit of anger, I just burnt Lanka.
He looks around and says, almost the whole of Lanka is ablaze. At least the area where everything is ablaze. Has Sita also got burnt? What did I do? What was I thinking? I just got in a fit of rage and the whole purpose for which I came has been defeated because of my rashness.
And he starts goading himself for that. And at that time a divine voice comes and says, don’t worry, Sita is fully safe. And then he feels relief.
Still at that time, he speaks that anger is very dangerous. One has to be very careful about getting angry. So, in general, if our motivation is not pure, then the anger can be very counterproductive.
And beyond that, consequence. Sometimes I may say my motivation is pure, but that doesn’t mean that the other person can take the anger. The other person may still become devastated by that.
And that person’s spiritual life may get shattered or morale may get shattered. So, you have to be extremely careful of getting angry. Sometimes there is an example that a person can show fangs, but not bite.
This is the story of Narada Muni who preached to a snake and the snake became a devotee. And the snake after that stopped biting people. But then when he stopped biting people, others started beating him up.
So then Narada Muni came and saw that the snake was injured and the snake told him, it’s pretty common. Narada Muni said, yes, I told, don’t bite others, but that doesn’t mean you can’t show your fangs. That means, the point is that sometimes we have to speak assertively so that people take us seriously.
Otherwise, if you are always kind and gentle, it may happen, kind and gentle and sweet, then people may start exploiting us, pushing us around, not taking us seriously and doing all sorts of things with us which are basically exploitative. So at that time, we have to take a firm stand. So taking a firm stand is not becoming angry.
Because when we take a firm stand, it is we who are in control. When we become angry, it is anger that is in control. So when anger comes in control, that means when we are speaking something, we lose awareness of what we are speaking.
And we just blast out things. Afterward, somebody gave us a tape recorder of what we spoke and we hear it and we are horrified. I spoke all those things? How could I speak all those things? So if we lose control of ourselves while we are speaking, then it is most likely that it is not that we are using anger in Krishna’s service, it is Maya who is using us or it is anger who is using us in Maya’s service.
Therefore, for us as devotees, we should make it a principle in general that I will not become angry. Because for us at the sadhaka stage to experience spiritual anger is difficult. It will just be material anger at our stage.
Material anger can be very very damaging for our spiritual life in terms of our relationships. So when we meditate on Krishna’s lotus feet, we can direct it against blasphemers. What does it mean to direct anger against blasphemers? That doesn’t mean that wherever we see a blasphemer, we just go and start speaking all sorts of abusive words to the blasphemer.
Not at all. Directing the anger to the blasphemers means that we, in an intelligent way, refute their misconceptions. So again, even when dealing with atheists, dealing with blasphemers, we have to be in control.
We have to be aware of what we are doing and act accordingly. The Bhagavatam gives the example of Daksha, of the yajna of Daksha. And basically, there were just curses and counter-curses and the whole yajna became an assembly of devastation.
So it all started with Daksha having an over-estimation of his own position. And so when Shiva didn’t offer obeisances, he considered that as a put-down. And then he spoke a lot negatively about Shiva.
And then after that, Shiva went away. And then his wife Parvati came and Parvati was disrespected. And when Parvati was disrespected, she committed suicide and then Shiva got angry.
He sent Veerabhadra and Veerabhadra had to kill everyone over there. Destroyed everything over there. All the sacrifices and then killed Daksha Prajapati.
And man-handled many of the sages also over there. Priests, rather, who were performing sacrifices. So before, so all this was later.
Huge complications. And Brahmaji personally had to go to Lord Shiva’s abode and pacify him. But even before that, there were counter-cursing and counter-cursing.
And the Daksha Prajapati cursed Shiva and Shiva’s followers cursed the Brahmins. The Brahmins cursed Shiva’s followers. And what happened? Now the point is not whether the anger was justified or not.
The point is whether the consequence was right or not. The consequence became undecidable. Now the followers of Shiva were right in saying that, Oh, actually our spiritual master is blaspheming.
We have to counter. Yes, we have to counter. Now, you know, every devotional principle is integrated in the framework of other devotional principles.
We cannot take one principle in isolation and apply it. See, ultimately the most important devotional principle is that we remember Krishna and we help others to remember Krishna. And all other devotional principles are subordinate to that.
So, Smarthaavya Sattam Vishnu, Smartha Manu Jatuchit, Sarva Vidhi Nishedasur Eta Yo Reva Kinkaram. That all rules and regulations are subordinate to this one principle that we should always remember Krishna. Now, if I take this rule that we should not hear the blasphemy of our spiritual master, that’s true.
But in the name of responding to the blasphemy, I could make the situation worse. And when I make the situation worse, then there are curses and counter-curses and there are further complications and there is conflicts and conflagrations and violence. Then have I really served the purpose? It’s not that we should be afraid of conflicts and confrontations, but the point is, our goal should be ourselves go closer to Krishna and help others go closer to Krishna.
We can’t isolate any rule from the overall framework of rules that are given. Overall scriptural framework that is given and the primary scriptural rule is that we should always remember Krishna. So, we should always react to all situations, including blasphemy, in a way that is uncool to our remembrance of Krishna.
So, when we direct our anger against atheists, that means that we use the passion, even the anger, we could say, for systematically and thoroughly refuting their misconceptions. So, we use logic, arguments. See, anger can energise us, but rather than letting that energy go out of control and letting that energy take control of us, we channelise that energy so that we vigorously, even vehemently, audaciously refute the misconceptions.
And that way, we will check the arrogance of the atheists and the blasphemers and those who are waverers, those who are sitting on the fence, they will see, okay, these people, what they say makes sense, and they will come towards Krishna. So, our goal is to remember Krishna ourselves and to help others come close to Krishna. So, atheists may not come close to Krishna, but at least those who are under atheistic influence, those who may get affected by atheists, they can come towards Krishna by our sharing of Krishna consciousness in a vigorous way.
So, in this way, the urge for anger needs to be controlled and then channelised as vigour and even vehemence, we could say, in our efforts to reach out, to share Krishna consciousness with others. This is how vācho manasa krodha vegam can be regulated. Thank you.
We will continue the remaining vegas in our next class. Hare Krishna.