Self-Control – The Key to Happiness Gita 5.21-24

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
Hare Krishna so I will discuss based on four verses from the Bhagavad Gita about this topic of self-control the key to happiness this is 5.21, 22, 23 and 24 and then we will discuss some other points from Vibhishanam as well as Kirtab Gita, Kirtab Gita is the instructions of Lord Krishna to Arjuna from chapters 6 to 30 of the 11th canto of Sri Bhagavatam so let’s start with 5.21 5.21 Krishna tells so the 5th chapter of Bhagavad Gita is called as Karma Yoga Action in Krishna Consciousness and here Krishna has started talking about spiritual happiness prior to this in this particular chapter and in the Bhagavad Gita till now he has talked about how Arjuna should not renounce action he should act but with detachment and by that he will attain Brahma he describes earlier that yoga he describes in 5.7 5.6 he describes that a person should be pure hearted by that one will become liberated eventually but now in this particular section from 5.21 he will start talking about turning from material to spiritual happiness so first he describes the result 5.8 so external contact means contact with the sense objects 5.8 so 5.8 is detached 5.8 so he says that one who is indifferent 5.8 one who is indifferent to external pleasures what happens to such a person 5.8 such a person delights in relishes 5.8 one who relishes inner happiness what happens to such a person 5.8 such a person is well situated in Brahma Yoga Brahma Yoga is not another some new yoga Ashtanga Yoga, Jnana Yoga, Jnana Yoga Brahma Yoga basically is yoga that connects us to Brahma so it can be any path Ashtanga Yoga, Jnana Yoga, Bhakti Yoga but the yoga that connects us to Brahma so Brahma Yoga Yukta Atma such a person is Yukta Atma, such a person is well connected so Brahma Yoga, Yukta Atma is well connected and then Sukham Akshaya Lashita such a person will attain Akshaya Sukham the happiness that never ends Akshaya Sukham Akshaya is that which vanishes so that means Krishna is talking about 4 stages over here. First stage is Mahayana Parasheshwa Saptatma so normally when we refer to verses we refer to them by their numbers but if you want to refer to sections within the verses parts of the verses then we refer to them as 5.21a Mahayana Parasheshwa Saptatma 5.21b is the second line so like that A, B, C, D so A, B, C, D in this 5.21 Krishna is talking about 4 stages Mahayana Parasheshwa Saptatma become indifferent to external pleasures and then nobody can live without happiness what do you do? Seek happiness with it so become indifferent to external happiness seek happiness with it if you do these two things will be situated on the spiritual path Brahma Yoga will be situated in connection with Brahma and by doing this over a period of time you will attain unlimited happiness so in a sense this verse reflects the topic of this class self-control, the key to happiness so self-control is talked about in Mahayana Parasheshwa Saptatma actually to be, to stay indifferent to stay detached amid sensory pleasures that requires self-control and then what will happen by this? one will attain unlimited happiness the key to happiness so Krishna is telling that it is not that self-control is not a form of self-torture now people think that there is so much enjoyment available and we have the desire to enjoy we want to stop by stopping we are simply torturing ourselves actually if there were nothing higher available then it would definitely be torture like somebody has no food to eat and then whatever food is there we tell the person don’t eat it then you will be starving that person but actually speaking the happiness which is available at the material level is limited we will talk about that in the next verse this verse is like a sutra which is expanded over the next few verses so I will repeat this so what is Krishna telling? that become indifferent, be self-controlled so that you can become indifferent to material pleasures then turn the wheels look for inner happiness by doing these two things by becoming indifferent externally and by becoming intense internally you will experience spiritual happiness will become situated on the spiritual path and ultimately experience unlimited spiritual happiness so now at this stage Arjuna asks a question he says why should one become indifferent what is the reason actually we are in this world and it is natural for us to look for things in this world so the pleasures of this world are visible, they are tangible they seem real to us so why should we give up those pleasures so this actual challenge is harder now you know we are told to stay away from maya we are told to turn towards Krishna but the problem is Krishna is invisible and maya is ultra visible everywhere you don’t even have to turn your eyes wherever the eyes go there is maya and because there are so many impressions that even when you close the eyes also there are impressions which trouble us so how do we stay away from all this or more importantly before how do we say why should we stay away from it so that you will describe in the next weeks so 5.22 is what we quote quite often and if you know this verse you can repeat after me yehi sanskarsha jaan bhoga yehi sanskarsha jaan bhoga aadhi antavantav kamteha aadhi antavantav kamteha so I will tell you the thought flow of the 4 verses then we will go into the details first verse is like a summary it gives us the method by which we can get akshaya sukha so that requires turning away from external pleasures bhaya sparsheshwa sattatma why should one do bhaya sparsheshwa sattatma because that pleasure is sanskarsha jaan bhoga dukkha yo naya it leads to misery so external pleasures lead to misery therefore the wise people do not deny it then after this Arjuna gets the question ok I know even when I know that sense pleasure leads to misery still the desire does not go away what should I do with that then Krishna answers turn away the test of a strong person is the ability to admit so turn away we will discuss about this later more I am just talking about the flow right now so first is turn away from material pleasure and seek spiritual happiness then you will get unlimited happiness second is turn away from material pleasure because it leads to misery so even if you feel inclined towards material pleasure tolerate that desire even if you feel a desire for pleasure, tolerate it and then in the last verse he describes one who does this so one who tolerates the desire for external pleasures and turns inwards such a person such a person will attain the brahman plant such a person will attain the brahman plant he will attain the spiritual plant and that is platform of eternal happiness so in a sense 22, 23, 24 are expansions of 21 so let’s look at 22 and 23 primarily now 22 tells us that Buddha is the wise person such a person does not delight in material pleasures in that pleasure the wise person does not delight why? because two reasons there is a beginning and there is an end it’s temporary and secondly it leads to misery so it’s temporary and it leads to misery now actually to explain material enjoyment I often use acronym temporary, illusory, miserable enjoyment time so the temporary is talked about in Aryan, Kalam, Taha, Kaunteyan the illusory is talked about in A part 5.22 A we are souls so contact with the sense object that does not lead to real pleasure it’s illusory and that is miserable so therefore when we understand this time then we understand this time to give up this enjoyment so that’s how we move forward so let’s look at these three factors and try to see how this works out so temporary, illusory, miserable so temporary, how is the material enjoyment temporary? at various levels at the most undeniable level our own body is temporary because our body is temporary any enjoyment that we get through the body that is also temporary but beyond that actually even when we have a body the body doesn’t always have the capacity to enjoy the body has the capacity to enjoy for a short time maybe people talk about that’s maybe from the age of 12, 15 the age of 15, 155 or whatever, 16 the body loses potency quite often so it’s not there for the full life also so it’s temporary but beyond that so first limitation in the body itself is temporary within the lifespan of the body the body’s capacity to enjoy is temporary in terms of age within the age when the body has the capacity to enjoy within that also the time duration for which we can enjoy is limited isn’t it? because again, the body’s capacity to enjoy is like a water filled sponge’s capacity to give up water you squeeze it, water comes out but how long? after sometime water gets exhausted then there’s no water coming out till it again gets filled so actually within that also there are limitations first temporariness is body is temporary second is the time duration with which body can enjoy that is temporary then within that time period itself actually the capacity to enjoy is also limited that is also temporary so these three are directly related with us beyond that, external to us sense enjoyment, this samspasya bhoga requires contact of the senses with the sense objects so now till now we have talked about the limitation of the senses but what about the limitation of the sense objects? sense objects may not always be available to us even when they are available to us the sense objects are not always equally attractive sense objects they, for example person attracted to the form of the opposite sex that will be attractive for a few years in youth but after that the attraction fails so even when the attraction is there it’s not necessary that all the time one will have the range by which one can enjoy so we see that, we use the word conditioned soul why the word conditioned soul? because the soul’s enjoyment depends on so many conditions the condition, the health of the body the capacity of the body to enjoy the condition of the availability of the sense object the condition of the willingness of the sense object the condition of the appeal of the sense object so when there are all these conditions which come together right only then a person is able to enjoy so therefore this is aadi antavantah kaunteya it’s temporary it’s temporary because actually the pleasure there is very limited and beyond that it is allegedly what is I? illusory why is it illusory? the soul is internal and the soul is within the body and for the soul the body is something external it’s got nothing really to do with the soul so sometimes some small children when they meet some relatives elderly children, elderly relatives sometimes they still have fun with the child now they start tickling the stomach of the child and stomach is tickled the child starts laughing now is that laughter actually happiness? if it were happiness then what? if the laughter from tickling were happiness then all of us could have a perpetual tickling machine and we would be happy for the rest of our life isn’t it? not just get a tickling machine and be happy does it work like that? why? because we understand actually there may be certain biological phenomena because of which stimulating and tickling a particular part of the body makes us laugh but that laughter is not happiness isn’t it? so why? because it is very superficial peripheral to our essential being just as the happiness of tickling is peripheral superficial to our essential being similarly the happiness that comes by stimulating the senses is peripheral to us the peripheral to us means it is really not got something to do with us internally with our core, with our essence it is just certain chemicals are being secreted chemicals are excreted and then people think that that is pleasure now there is some pleasurable sensations but they are really peripheral to our being so that is not really happiness as the Krishna says in the verse samisparshaja bhoga it is illusory, it has got nothing to do with the essential being of a person it is external to the soul now if the soul is attached, the soul may feel some pleasure that is because of misidentification just as when a person watches a movie at that time when the person watches the movie and say the hero and the heroine embrace each other people may whistle at that particular time, why? because they are identifying with that and because of their identification they may feel some pleasure but are they themselves really happy? actually whatever pleasure comes by this kind of misidentification, that is second hand pleasure second hand pleasure means the person in the movie is enjoying and people are watching thinking if only I were there it would be so nice so it is second hand pleasure so second hand pleasure that is there it is based entirely on misidentification so there might be some ticket checker in the movie theatre and the ticket checker has seen that movie so many times he is not interested in it so you know, the person who is watching the movie that person is completely lost in the movie, watching that show and then this person the ticket checker is watching his show why is this person getting so excited about the movie? so what happens is the whole pleasure is based on misidentification, if somebody doesn’t misidentify, there is no pleasure so now it’s illusive in the sense that it has got nothing to do with us so Janaki used the example, with the same soul, when he goes into a different body actually the soul doesn’t feel the same pleasure for example, when a soul is in a male body young male body, when he sees a female so the person gets sensually agitated, but in that same soul, goes transmigration, goes into a child’s body in that same female it is a completely different experience, there is no sexual attraction maybe there is a maternal attraction so that same soul goes into tiger’s body then there is no maternal attraction then there is digestional attraction is it? so what has happened? actually the same soul, in a youth’s body, in a child’s body, in a tiger’s body, and the same sense of object, but what has happened? because the misidentification is different so the whole experience gets changed, that’s why it’s peripheral to our brain and somebody may say, what is the problem? even it is peripheral, even it is a movie I enjoy the movie I enjoy, what is the problem? the problem is, in real life what begins as romance ends as pleasure what does that mean? that, when we try to enjoy in the virtual world, because we misidentify with the body as the body ages, as the body sickens, as the body dies so actually speaking when I say now, some cricket tournament is going on and there are people who are mildly maniac about cricket, and then when India wins they feel that they are in the seventh heaven, and when India loses they feel they have sunk into hell now there will be so much agitation suppose some person from the African tribal area comes to India and he sees people are getting so worked up, what is there to get worked up about? you see when we identify with something we cannot have selective pleasure that means, if I identify with cricket, when India wins, I will enjoy, when India loses, I will become detached it doesn’t work like that, if I get pleasure, then to the extent I experience pleasure to that extent, I will experience pain also, so the misidentification works both ways now that experience of pain say India loses a match, therefore I feel like hell with cricket that may lead to some detachment later on, but actually I experience the misery so the misery is caused by what? by misidentification and to the extent we seek pleasure through the misidentification, to that extent we will get pain to the extent we don’t seek pleasure, to that extent we don’t get pain, person is not attached to cricket, whatever happens in a cricket match, it doesn’t matter similarly, if the soul is not seeking enjoyment at the bodily level then, even if the body grows old and shrivels, the person doesn’t suffer so much, yes, because the soul is in the body, there is suffering but because the soul’s consciousness is not locker in the body, soul is not constantly enjoying through the body that’s why the suffering is much less so what happens is, to the extent in Sanskrit misidentification temporary illusory, miserable enjoyment is it leads to misery so what is the misery? the misery we discussed at one level is enjoyment itself ends but the misery is also that every single enjoyment it causes bondage and that bondage means, later on when suffering will come, I cannot escape the suffering now how does suffering come? as I said, in a cricket match suffering comes by losing the match, but in real life, suffering comes in many ways, suffering comes because there is bad karma often bad karma brings karma to the actions there is the craving that is there, you know, sense pleasure is a pain that is a pain to miss sense pleasure is a pain, that is a pain to miss, it is a pain why? because from the moment the desire for Sanskrit application comes to the mind, it’s a pain it’s a pain it simply agitates the mind but it is a pain, that is a pain to miss, that means if I say no to it, the the inner battle that goes on that torments me so it’s like, to do it if you do it, you are damned, if you don’t do it, you are damned why? because at the material level, both cause frustration, sometimes we think as a devotee, I have to follow so many rules I have to give up so many desires for enjoyment life is so troublesome but, you see as a non-devotee it’s not that life is not troublesome devotees have so many desires to give up, non-devotees have so many desires to fulfil both ways there is misery at the material level of consciousness, one cannot avoid misery no cough you know, we may be walking along on the road and we see some standing, redressed woman, we feel agitated and then we have to control that desire but materialistic people they are looking around, where do I find some attractive things but what happens by this is every attractive form that they see they get attracted and nobody humanly can enjoy every single object that is there so there is so much craving for these things so every single desire every single sense object injects a dart into the consciousness it injects an arrow into the consciousness which causes pain saṃsāra-sarpa saṃsārpa-sarpa maho-gṛhī-vraha saṃśrāgra-koti-pari-daśhya-vinashtha-mūrte nāgā-dvāhāni-suddhā-vinibhāsa-śaure lakṣmī-naraśaṁ mamadehi-karā-lambam so lakṣmī-naraśaṁ karunāra-stotra means that saṃsāra-sarpa viṣa-jagda-maho-gṛhī-vraha saṃsāra-sarpa it’s metal-adjusted and compared to a ferocious snake and its teeth if poison fangs are viṣa-jagda it has a tip with poison maho-gṛhī-vraha very frightening and very sharp then and how many are there? saṃśrāgra-koti there are crores of teeth pari-daśhya-vinashtha-mūrte so what happens when saṃsāra-sarpa bites us our vinashtha-mūrte our spiritual consciousness gets destroyed as soon as some sense objects come in the mind they inject within us the enjoying mentality and as soon as the enjoying mentality gets injected then we forget that I am not the body I am the soul we forget that I am supposed to serve Krishna so when this saṃśrāgra-koti pari-daśhya-vinashtha-mūrte when we are bitten by the snake of eternal existence then what happens? sarva-dharmān parityajya māyān ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja so what happens is we just forget everything wasn’t that what Ajāmila did? Ajāmila just forgot everything he was a brāhmaṇa, he was a husband, he was a son he was a respected member of a civilised society he just sarva-dharmān parityajya he just forgot everything else and he just surrendered to that prostitute so that’s what happens vinashtha-mūrte we forget our real identity and then he describes what is the solution? nāgātmahāli-suddhāpti-nivāsa-śaure so when a snake is bitten when a snake bites a person then the solution is that one needs nectar so who brings that nectar? nāgātmahāli-suddhāpti-nivāsa-śaure nāgātmahāli is lord Viṣṇu mohāna is Garuda so Garuda comes along suddhāpti-nivāsa-śaure so he leaves suddhāpti suddhāpti is the ocean of nectar that is lord Viṣṇu lives in the ocean of nectar nivāsa-śaure from there Garuda comes so in the rāmāyaṇa initially when the battle starts first Ravana sends some minor warriors.
He thinks, what are these vanaras, I can just kill them and go. But one by one these minor warriors are killed. Then he sends his sons.
His sons also get killed. He has many sons. Then Indrajith says, I will do it.
So actually Indrajith comes twice and in different occasions he uses different weapons. So, first time when he comes, he attacks the vanaras with his flamethrower. And finally when the vanaras are getting wounded, Lord Ram and Lord Lakshman, they come and fight with Indrajith.
And Indrajith is flying with his chariot in the sky. Ram and Lakshman are shooting arrows. And Indrajith sometimes becomes visible, sometimes becomes invisible.
And he fights very trickily. And then after sometime, Indrajith starts using the sarapastra on Ram and Lakshman. And Ram and Lakshman are completely bound by that.
And as they become bound by that, the arrows fall out from there and the snakes not only come around them, the snakes are biting them. And as he is biting them, both Ram and Lakshman stomp on the ground. And stomp on the ground, the vanaras panic.
And they start screaming. Screaming in anger at Indrajith, screaming in fear at Ram, screaming in terror at what is going to happen now. And he starts laughing hideously.
Ram and Lakshman are dead. You lament now, tomorrow morning I will come and if any of you remain, I will finish you off. So, Indrajith actually, his arrogance and overconfidence become the cause of his un-doing.
So, when he goes off, at that time the vanaras are panicking. The vanaras try to revive Lord Ram. Nothing happens.
And then as they are watching, suddenly they see a huge amount of wind blowing. As a storm suddenly comes, where does the storm come from? And they are looking around and they see in the sky, it appears as if a giant cloud is zooming at high speed towards them. And then they observe, is this Indrajith coming back in some other mystical vehicle out to kill us? And they are about, vanaras don’t have any weapons.
So, they try to decide they will raise their stones. But before they can raise their stones, the sheer force of the wind is such that the stones are just flown away. And the vanaras start becoming very panicky.
And then as the storm comes closer and closer and closer, they start discerning that it is a giant bird. And then there is a great surprise. As the bird starts coming closer and closer, suddenly the snakes that are there around, Ram and Lakshman and the vanaras, the snakes start loosening themselves.
And the snakes just slip away, as fast as they can for their survival. And then Garuda comes there and Garuda, this is actually Garuda, he comes there, lands on the feet of Ram and Lakshman and he humbly prostrates himself before them. And touches their feet.
And then Ram and Lakshman come back to consciousness. And then they look around and they look at the Ram. Ram asks, who are you? So, Garuda says, surely my lord, you know me.
I am your servant. I am your carrier. So, actually in the Ramayana, Lord Ram doesn’t act as the supreme lord.
Now, the question of Valmiki at the start of the Ramayana is, Valmiki asks a question to Naraduni, please tell me who is the ideal human being, filled with all extraordinary qualities. And in response to that, the story of Ramayana is told in brief by Naraduni. And Naraduni tells Valmiki, you go into mystic dhyana and there you will see the full Ramayana enacted in your heart and then you can write it down.
So, that Ramaji helps him. But the point is that every scripture has a particular mood that is set by its starting questions. So, the Bhagavad Gita starting question is should I fight or not? So, the entire philosophical analysis is done centred on this question.
Bhagavatam is based on what is the duty of a person about to die? So, to understand the book’s mood is very important. Then we have to understand the context in which the statements in the book are made. So, Lord Ram is definitely the supreme lord but that is not the focus of the Ramayana.
That’s why. So, Lord Ram says, I am a human being, how can I know who you are? And Naraduni bows his head and smiles and says, oh my dear lord, I am your eternal servant, I am Garuda. And I had come because you said you will surpass me.
I thought that I will get a grand feast on these snakes. But before I could reach them, these snakes were alerted by the glowing of my wings and they fled. But now I am happy to see that you are revived and you are ready to fight.
Kindly grant me. And Garuda departs. The point here is that snakes are driven by Garuda and Garuda is the carrier of Lord Vishnu.
So, like that, actually how do we drive away these snakes of the desires for material enjoyment, the snake fights? So, Garuda here references the pure devotee or the devotee in general. Just as Garuda carries this, Lord Vishnu, so the devotee carries Krishna in his heart. And the devotee comes in our life by the inspiration, guidance and wisdom of the devotee.
The material desires gradually grow from our heart. When we see the devotee’s purity, then we feel ashamed of our impurity and we feel I should also become Lord. When we understand the devotee’s guidance, we understand, okay, this is the way I will become Lord.
So, the point is, this is a place of misery. This world is a place of misery and material desires make us all the more miserable. So, this is how, this is temporary illusory misery.
But now, after that what? Arjuna says, yes, I agree that these desires lead to misery. But how, still I have these desires. It’s not that just because I know something is not good, automatically the desire will go away.
It doesn’t happen like that. When Krishna describes the next verse, you can repeat after me. I’ll read slowly.
शक्नोति है वयह सोड़ हूँ राक्षरीर्वि मोक्षनात् तान्त्रोधोध्भवं वेगं तयुप्तत्सुखी नरहा So, here, शक्नोति, शक्नोति means is it possible? यहाई वयह सोड़ हूँ, सोड़ हूँ is to tolerate. See, one of the biggest errors that we make is that when material desires come into our consciousness, then we should show them the red flag. But what happens is, we roll out the red carpet for them.
So, instead of the red flag, we offer the red carpet. Red flag means stop, red carpet means welcome. So, what happens is, there are 2-3 reasons why we do this.
Why do we offer the red carpet to material desires? One is because we think they will make us happy. So, if our intelligence is completely destroyed, at least temporarily, then we think, oh, this is the way to enjoy it. Then we welcome them.
Another reason is that sometimes we feel that it is impossible to resist them. So, better why fight with them? Anyway, I’ll be defeated only. So, better just give me that, I’ll enjoy at least.
We’ll see afterwards what to do. So, often, we sometimes think that if material desires are coming in my mind, at least I have a fallen stone. Oh, I’ll not be able to purify myself.
I’ll not be able to give up these desires. So, how long can I keep at it? Better let me just give it a go. However, it is not necessary.
See, there is temptation and there is transgression. Temptation means the desire comes in the mind. Transgression means we act on that desire.
So, between temptation and transgression, we can build a stopper. There is temptation, we don’t go to transgression. So, that stopper is soul, who? Soul is tolerance.
Tolerance is the stopper between temptation and transgression. I may get tempted, but if I tolerate that desire, then I don’t have to act on that temptation. I don’t have to transgress.
How does this happen? It happens by understanding that temptations are a part of living in the material world. In the material world, suppose I am going on a road. If I am going on a road, I see that, you know, in India, when we are driving on the roads, it’s a nightmare.
In America, driving on the roads is a dream. The dream literally is the same that the roads are so smooth and clear that people go to sleep and dream. And when they go to sleep and dream, then the vehicle just turns off and they wake up in a nightmare.
It’s a different situation. So, what happens is, this is a long road. In India, when you are going on a long road, suddenly some cow will come, suddenly some buffalo will come.
And sometimes you are going on a bike and you hit the buffalo. And then the buffalo acts as if nothing has happened. The bike only falls off.
So, in the west, when people are going on the roads, at that time, because the roads are often clear, people fall asleep. So, therefore, on the sides of the road, they have something similar to sweet breakers. They are called as road periphery markers.
Now, what happens is, when a person falls asleep and the vehicle veers off, it hits the road periphery marker and there is a jolt. And at that jolt, what happens? The person wakes up. Now, when the person wakes up, what does that imply? Now, oh, I am going off track.
Let me bring on track. So, the jolts don’t indicate that the person has to fall down. The jolts indicate that the person has gone off track and the driver must come back on track, then he will not fall.
If the driver doesn’t come back on track, he will fall. So, the point is that the jolts are not a necessary, are not a necessary, are not a predictor that one necessarily has to be taken accident. They are not predictors of disaster.
They are indicators of danger. There is a difference between them. It’s not that disaster has to happen.
The jolts that happen, they are predictors, not predictors of disaster. They are indicators of danger. And if one takes the indicator properly, one will turn back.
Similarly, when material desires come in our mind, it’s not necessary that we have to fall off. Basically, when material desires come up, we are going on the straight path of Krishna consciousness. If we stay on the path, then we will not get agitated only.
But somehow or the other, we get agitated, we go off track. So, just as there is a jolt when somebody hits the road, similarly, when we become off track, there is a jolt. That jolt is the awakening of material desires.
Material desires may be there in our heart, but they awaken at a particular time. Because of certain provocations. Now, when the material desires awaken, that doesn’t mean one has to succumb to those desires.
What happens when the material desires awaken? I understand that, oh, I have gone off track. So, let me come back on track. So, all in the presence of material desires indicates, it doesn’t necessarily indicate that we have fallen.
It doesn’t necessarily indicate that we will fall down. It simply indicates that we are going off track. We will come back on track, the desires will go away.
So, the mind, at this stage, tricks us by a treacherous misdiagnosis. What is this treacherous misdiagnosis? You know what is a misdiagnosis? A patient has malaria and the doctor diagnoses that he has got pneumonia. Then the whole wrong treatment starts off.
When the wrong treatment starts off, then the disease can become worse. But, imagine if a person has got diabetes and the doctor says, doctor diagnoses you have got sugar deficiency. Then what is happening? The doctor what is prescribing is actually the opposite of what the patient needs.
Diabetes and sugar deficiency, the patient will take more sugar and suffer all the more. So, similarly what the mind does is, when we start feeling agitated, when we start feeling agitated by material desires, what it indicates is that we have gone off the track of Krishna consciousness. It indicates that what we are lacking is Krishna consciousness.
But, the mind misdiagnoses and tells us what we are lacking is sense gratification. So, when material desires are present, what does it indicate? That we are lacking in Krishna consciousness. That’s why material desires are coming.
But, instead the mind misdiagnoses and tells us we are lacking in sense gratification. Then what happens? Then we go towards sense gratification. Then we fall prey, we succumb.
So, that’s why if you understand this point. So, earlier I talked about the red carpet and the red flag. So, what happens when we hear the mind’s misdiagnosis? When we hear the mind’s misdiagnosis, then instead of showing the red flag, we show the, we show, open the, roll out the red carpet and then we fall prey.
So, if we recognise that when temptations come, that does not mean that we are lacking in sense gratification. It simply indicates that we are lacking in Krishna consciousness. And if we turn back, we again become Krishna conscious, material desires will go away.
That’s why this verse, what Krishna says is, sa yukta sa sukhila raha. Krishna says, chaknoti hai bheya sodhu. If Arjuna you can tolerate, then what will happen? Sa yukta sa sukhila raha.
Such a person will be yukta, such a person will be well situated. The word yukta was used in 5.21. See, sa brahma yoga yuktatma. So, yukta is, the word yukta is connected with the word yoke.
You know, yoke, sometimes when a bull is supposed to plough the land, bull is yoked, horse is yoked. Yoke means to be connected. So, yukta is related to yoga, yoga is related to yoke.
So, Krishna says if we understand this, that when the material desires come, our response should be tolerance, not indulgence. Indulgence means we act on it. Tolerance means we patiently watch the yoke.
Then what will happen? Sa yukta ha, will be well situated, will not go off track in the spiritual path. And not only sa yukta ha, Krishna says, sa sukhila raha. Such a person will be happy also.
Why? Because we will keep advancing in the path towards happiness. So, if I understand the material desires come, like if I am lacking not in gratification, but I am lacking in Krishna consciousness, then we will turn towards Krishna consciousness. And when we turn towards Krishna consciousness, naturally we will experience happiness.
Because Krishna is the source of unlimited happiness. So, therefore, sa yukta sa sukhila raha. So, we will be situated in the spiritual path and we will experience spiritual happiness also.
Now, what this is? So, A and D. What is B and C? And this was telling? Sakhno tihaiyaya zonukh. Praakshari mokshanah. So, how long one has to tolerate? Praakshari mokshanah.
Till the moment of death. Why? Because these desires will keep coming. And they will keep backing us.
But that doesn’t mean that we will have the same struggle and torment lifelong. It will be danger lifelong, but the struggle will be much lesser. Why the struggle will be much lesser? Because as we keep fighting, we will become seasoned warriors.
Now, what does a seasoned warrior means? When the enemy attacks, when the enemy attacks, one has to fight. But when there is an inexperienced warrior, the first time the warrior goes to fight. And the warrior has got his gun and suddenly he hears the enemy shot.
He just drops his gun and gets frightened. But a seasoned warrior, okay, where does the shot come from? Takes aim and shoots. So, like that, the war will go on, but when we become seasoned warriors, we will not get so agitated.
We will know what to do. Firefighters, when their initial stages of training, they go actually to the side of a fire. They see the giant fire, they go, small hose, what will this hose do? They get frightened.
Sometimes they get paralysed by the scene. And then they go, no, no, actually, war won’t happen. So, initially when the firefighters are inexperienced, their reflex action takes time.
Their reflexes are slow. So, initially they will become panicky. But then, as they become experienced, their reflexes become sharper and quicker.
Similarly, as devotees, as we keep practising spiritual life, our spiritual reflexes will become faster and quicker. That is, first temptations come, oh, temptations, what can I do? As I said, why do we show the red carpet, roll out the red carpet? Two reasons. One is, we think this will give me enjoyment.
Or another is, we think, I can’t resist this. So, why fight? But, as we become spiritually mature, we will understand, actually, this will not give me enjoyment. This will simply cause wanting, simply cause suffering.
And secondly, we will also understand that, this, is it irresistible? No, it appears irresistible, but it is not that when I fall prey, when the temptations come, I have to fall prey. It’s not like that. I can rise to a higher level of consciousness.
So, in this way, one can rise. So, what will happen is, the battle will go on, but our spiritual reflexes will become stronger, over a period of time. And the stronger our spiritual reflexes become, the less we will fall prey.
So, so, yukta havasya sukhe na raha, Krishna says, the person will stay happy, stay well situated. Now, Srila Prabhupada was asked about this. Srila Prabhupada said that, isn’t it natural for a young boy and a young girl, it’s natural for them to become attracted to each other.
So, why stop something that is natural? So, Srila Prabhupada said, actually speaking, isn’t it reparation to stop that which is natural? Prabhupada said, it depends on why you stop it. You know, if a patient is sick and the treatment requires certain things to be checked, then that stopping that is not reparation, it is treatment. It is a part of the therapy, a part of the cure.
So, if somebody just is told to repress the senses without any clear and philosophical understanding of why a person is doing that, that is reparation. But when we understand it is part of a treatment to cure us of material infection and to raise us to spiritual level of consciousness, then it is not a reparation, it is treatment. Then, in the last verse, Krishna describes, so, how this sukhi will happen? Then he describes, actually, sukha doesn’t come, see, rules make life difficult.
Remembrance of Krishna makes life easy. Rules don’t make life easy. Rules always make life difficult.
And if I only have to follow rules, my life will be miserable. But the rules, they help us to remember Krishna. And remembrance of Krishna makes life easy.
Rules always make life difficult. Because our mind wants to go here, do this, do that, they are all right. Rules make life difficult.
But when we understand what is the purpose of the rules, the purpose of the rules is to help us remember Krishna. And when we do that remembrance of Krishna, remembrance of Krishna makes life easy. That’s what Lord Krishna talks about in the 24th verse.
Tathantar jyotirenvaya Tathantar jyotirenvaya Sayogi brahma nirvana Sayogi brahma nirvana Brahma bhuta dhigacchati Brahma bhuta dhigacchati So, Krishna has now, remember the verse was, bahiyas parsheshwa sattatma Become detached from external pleasures. So, why and how Krishna talks about it in 22 and 23. Why? Because it leads to misery.
How? By tolerance. Then, he describes now, then, how will we experience Sukhamakshaya Vashnute? How will we experience internal happiness? Yo antah sukho antarahamas One who finds happiness within. Antarahamas One who actually delights within.
Tathantar jyotirenvaya Whose light is within. Whose illumination is within. So, Sayogi brahma nirvana Sayogi attains brahma nirvana Attains spiritual platform.
Sayogi brahma nirvana Brahma bhuta dhigacchati Krishna attains the brahman platform. So, that brahman platform is a platform of unlimited happiness. brahmanohita-pishtha-hamamrutasya-vesuja shashvatasya-dharmasya sukhasya aikanti-kasya Krishna describes that the brahman platform is the platform of aikanti-kasya.
Now, even the bhakti, the happiness of bhakti is experienced in the brahman platform. sukhasya aikanti-kasya aikanti, ultimate happiness. So, now when we talk about this ultimate happiness, Krishna says, turn inwards.
Seek happiness inwards. Now, what do we mean by inward happiness? When we come to the 10th point, we don’t look inwards, we look at the deities. This is it.
So, what does it actually mean to look inwards? When we come in association of devotees, we don’t look inwards, we look at devotees, we hear from devotees. But actually, these are all ways by which we turn inwards. Right now, we cannot directly turn inwards.
So, therefore, Krishna manifests in the outward worldwards to direct our consciousness inwards. There are, generally we use the word sense objects in terms of the objects which offer sense gratification. But we need to differentiate between material sense objects and spiritual sense objects.
The deity is a sense object in the sense that it is something which we see with our eyes. But the deity is a spiritual sense object. The deity is a spiritual sense object because the deity reminds us of the spiritual reality.
The deity redirects our consciousness towards spiritual reality. So, the path of bhakti does not involve shutting off the senses. But it involves focussing the senses on those spiritual sense objects that elevate our consciousness.
And then, as we move forward, as we move forward and advance in spiritual life, then we connect internally with Krishna. The more we connect internally with Krishna, the more we experience spiritual happiness. Even when your spiritual sense objects are not present externally.
Actually, Prabhupada explains in the third canto, in the section of Kapiladeva, chapters 27, 28, in the principle of pure devotional service, he talks about how there is no difference between a devotee taking darshan of the deities and a yogi taking darshan of the Paramatma in the heart. Both are essentially the same. The difference is in two ways.
One is that even a new person can take darshan of the deities. A new person, a new sadhaka cannot take darshan of the Paramatma in the heart. That’s one difference, which is positive from the head of the deity worship.
The other difference is that once a person has developed as a yogi, then the yogi can take darshan of the deities anywhere. In the sense that God is always in the heart. In dhyana, the yogi sees the Lord in the heart.
So, actually, the whole idea is non-different, but the purpose is also that we see the spiritual sense objects. By the spiritual sense objects, we rise to the spiritual level of reality. And when we rise to the spiritual level of reality, then that reality is within our hearts.
In the experience, it happens. So, when we say turn inwards, in Krishanayasa, we want us to go under our aramas. How do we turn inwards? We can’t just close our eyes and turn inwards.
We just go to sleep. And that will not be turning inwards. That will be turning downwards.
What do we mean by turning downwards? Basically, sleeping is tamo guna. Turning inwards is going towards sattva guna and higher towards shuddha sattva guna. So, we can’t just turn inwards by closing our eyes at this stage.
But we turn inwards by focussing on those things externally that help us to move inwards. The deities, the devotees, the philosophy, the process of devotional service, all of these help us to turn inwards. So, when we turn inwards in this way, then we slowly become purified.
And then, we connect with Krishna at the internal level. So, I’ll conclude with one elaborate metaphor which will illustrate this point of how self-control is the thing which happens. In 13.22 in the Bhagavad Gita, this is called as the bijya vakya of the last six chapters of the Gita, last six chapters of the Jnana section.
And 13.22 they call the seed. 13.22 is describing how the soul is trapped in material existence. So, purushaha, the soul, prakriti, sohi, is situated in material nature.
By situated in material nature, what does it belong to? Soul wants to enjoy the products of material nature. And, so to understand this point, we can imagine a person watching a TV or a movie or a virtual reality. A person sitting in front of a computer and is maybe watching a flight simulation.
So, now, in the flight simulation, if the person very expertly hits the target, and then, he did it. On the other hand, if the anti-aircraft missile hits him, he gets panicked, struck by it. I am wounded now.
So, all this has happened because of misidentification. Person is identifying with the computer simulation of the fighter pilot. So, like that, purushaha, prakriti, sohi, is a person sitting comfortably on a chair, the pilot.
But that pilot thinks that I am the pilot who is handling this simulated fighter plane. And, that misidentification causes that pilot to go through a gamut of emotions. Similarly, the soul is purushaha, is spiritual.
But prakriti, sohi, soul becomes situated in matter. And, bhunkte prakriti ja anugodham, for the desire of enjoying the products of material nature, that is, sense objects. So, now, imagine a person watching TV.
And, while watching TV, this person is so lost, person becomes oblivious of the entire reality around. You know, maya covers this in two ways. It is avarnatmika shakti and there is prakshepatmika shakti.
So, understanding these shaktis is very easy. Avarnatmika and prakshepatmika. So, when people go to watch a movie in a theatre, first thing that happens is, avarnatmika means cut off the reality.
And, prakshepatmika means start the illusion. So, how does it work in a movie theatre? First thing is, switch off the lights. That is avarnatmika shakti.
And then, switch on the lights on the screen. That is prakshepatmika shakti. So, what happens? Avarnatmika shakti makes us forget that I am the soul, I am the servant of Krishna.
And, prakshepatmika shakti makes you think, I am a man, I am a young boy, and this and that, I want to enjoy. So, these are two phases of illusion. Now, when by these two, the lights are switched off, one light is switched off, the other light is turned on.
And then, we go off into illusion by that. So, actually, at that time, the person becomes oblivious of the entire reality around him. When the person is oblivious of the entire reality around him, how will the person be made of it? Now, what is obvious? Suppose, if I am sitting here and I am caught in watching a movie, I may even forget that somebody else is sitting next to me.
So, actually, it is obvious that somebody else is sitting next to me, but what is obvious? That is to me oblivious. I am oblivious to it. Why? Because I am completely lost.
So, what do I do? It is just a situation. So, actually, obvious and oblivious, I write an entire article about this. One of the articles is, you know, obvious becomes oblivious because of the difference between what is LR, oblivious, obvious.
That LR is actually lusty illusion. The illusion created by lust. The desire to enjoy.
What it does? It makes us oblivious to that which is obvious. So, what is obvious? It is obvious that we are souls. It is obvious that, at the spiritual level, it is obvious that right next to us is Krishna.
The Supersoul is sitting right next to us in our heart. But, we are deaf and blind to His presence. So, then what happens? This is the time.
The person is completely lost, watching the virtual reality, watching the illusion. Then, how is such a person awakened? So, what Krishna does is, we have the person who wants to awaken the friend. Krishna wants to awaken us.
So, if a person is lost in the virtual reality and his friend wants to take him out, what he does? The person is not ready to come out of the virtual reality. Then, the friend, what he does is, the friend goes to a place where that virtual reality is being broadcast. He goes there and enters into the space.
Hey, do you remember me? Who are you? I am your friend. Really? What friend? And then, slowly the revival of the memory starts. So, like that, when Krishna enters into the world of matter, what is he doing? The virtual world is like a virtual reality.
But, Krishna enters into the virtual reality. And, what does that happen? No, I am your friend. I was sitting right next to you, but you are not ready to hear me.
That’s why I have come this way. Oh, really? Sitting next to you? Where? What is happening? Coming out of the trance. Oh, you are here? Wonderful, I didn’t know you were here.
We embraced here. Reunited. So, like that, the spiritual sense objects in this world, what are they? Krishna is present right next to us in the heart.
But, we can’t perceive him rightly. So, the spiritual sense objects are the external manifestations of Krishna. And, their purpose is to direct us inwards.
To direct us towards him. And, when we come directed towards him, then we experience supreme happiness in life. So, now, with this example in mind of virtual reality, if a person is not self-controlled, that means a person just goes into virtual reality whichever person likes to.
Now, that means, you know, you just go into a channel, okay, like a person watching TV, you know, channel surfing, tap, tap, tap, see what is there, what is there, what is there. You know, in channel surfing also, when people have a lot of channels to see, often people are more excited when they are surfing the channels than when they are watching the channels. Why? Because the nature of the passionate mind is that it is never satisfied with what is available and always hoping that something better will be there elsewhere.
So, the passionate mind, and now surfing is, maybe something better, maybe something better, maybe something better. And the, whatever is available, the person is not satisfied with that. So, that way, if a person is not regulated, if there is no self-control, then the person will just go on an endless spin go here, go there, go there, go there, and there is no hope for the person’s release.
So, we don’t cut off all interactions in the material world, we keep regulating. So, self-control enables us to regulate it. When we regulate that, then we can connect with Krishna.
And when we connect with Krishna, how do we connect with Krishna? We connect with him through the practise of devotional service in which we interact with the spiritual sense objects. We interact with the objects that give us spiritual happiness. And by that, we become purified.
By that, gradually we come out of the illusion, towards the reality. And that reality is the reality of supreme happiness. So, I’ll summarise, then you can have question and answers.
I started by talking about how self-control is the key to happiness. So, basically the class was 5.21, which is expanded in 2020 and 2021. 5.21 has four stages.
First is give up external happiness. Become indifferent towards external happiness. Seek happiness in words.
Then you’ll be safely situated, well-situated. And then you’ll attain unlimited happiness. So then, we discussed about why should we give up external happiness? Because it leads to misery.
So, I discussed the acronym TIME. T-I-M-E. So, temporary is it’s temporary.
आद्यंतवंत कौन्तेय Then, the temporary I discussed about how our body is temporary. The body’s capacity to enjoy in terms of age is temporary. Within that enjoyable age also, the amount of enjoyment is always temporary.
Sense objects are temporary. Their attractiveness and appeal is temporary. Therefore, it’s temporary.
The illusory, यही संस्पर्शिजा, भोगा, we discussed that. It’s like a tickling machine. Sense pleasures are peripheral to our reality.
And then miserable. Miserable, we discussed. दुक्कयोनये एवते So, T-I-M-E.
What is the misery? The misery is all the karmic consequences that come. Now, just as when a person enjoys the country winning the cricket match, a person will have to suffer when the country loses the cricket match. We can’t have only one side of the coin.
So, to the extent they enjoy material things, to that extent they suffer when those material things go wrong. And in this way, when we understand that we are suffering, then we become, we get an impetus to become detached. But after that, what do you have to do? Why do we detach? Because it’s temporary.
But how do we become detached? By tolerance. And this was the main thrust of the class. We discussed elaborately that tolerance is the stopper between temptation and transgression.
And, so when material desires come, we should offer them the red, we don’t roll out the red carpet, we should show the red flag. Why do we offer the, roll out the red carpet? Because we think they will give us happiness. Or we think that, I can’t resist them.
But they won’t give us happiness, they will lead to misery. And can we resist them? Yes, we can. How? We recognise that material desires are like the jolts when we come across the road boundary markers.
So, it doesn’t indicate that we have to fall off, it indicates that we have to turn back and try. So, when material desires come, the misdiagnosis is to think that, that we are lacking in self-gratification. The right diagnosis is to understand that we are lacking in Krishna Consciousness.
We turn back to Krishna Consciousness. Right? Then we will become well situated, we will be happy. And lastly, with respect to experiencing spiritual happiness, we discussed spiritual sense objects.
You know how? Spiritual sense objects are the external manifestations of Krishna that enable us to turn inwards. And we discussed the virtual reality example. How Krishna is such a loving friend that when we become oblivious to his presence, he manifests within the virtual reality and will drag us to the actual reality, take us back to the actual reality.
So, self-control is required to regulate our interactions with the virtual reality. And by practising devotional service, we return back to the spiritual reality, which is the basis of all happiness, which is the basis of ultimate happiness. Thank you very much.
Are there any questions? Here there is one question. Do we have another mic? Okay, I think I can ask now. Yes, no problem.
If sense objects are before us, it is very hard to tolerate. Initially, sense gratification looks very nice. Over-rating.
But after, we suffer. How to deal with it? How to develop love for Krishna, just like boy for girl? See, first is that if sense objects are before us, it is very hard to tolerate. Yes.
That’s why we should keep a safe distance with the sense objects as much as possible. There is no point. See, the point of bhakti is not to prove our greatness.
Sense objects are there and still I am out of it. That is not the point of bhakti. The point of bhakti is to serve Krishna.
So, if for serving Krishna, in the ambit of service of Krishna, we have to interact with some sense objects, we may interact. But it is not our goal to prove that answer sense control. That’s why if it is not necessary for us to expose our sense objects, we should not expose our sense objects.
But where it is inevitable, then we have to keep it keep it to the point. So, that means whatever is required, we do the needful and we iterate. There should not be any dallying.
That way, when we keep our purpose in mind, see generally, when we don’t make any plans, then the mind makes plans for us. And the mind’s plans are always for sense gratification. So, when we have our life planned, I am going here to do this, then after that I have to do this, then after that I have to do this, I have to do this.
So, when we have plans for how to serve Krishna, then the mind doesn’t get any scope for executing its own plans. But if we don’t have any plan, then we will waste a lot of time and then we will fall into the touches of the mind. So, if we keep our interactions brief and to the point, then whenever we are exposed to sense objects also, we can keep it to a minimum.
So, there are basically three steps. Clear it out, keep it out, turn away from it. So, clear it out means wherever possible, don’t let the sense objects come close to us.
Clear it out. So, for example, if we have a computer with an internet connection that will take us to all nasty sites, then take all nasty things out. Clear it out, keep it out.
So, don’t let that things come. Maybe you can have an internet filter that blocks things. So, clear it out is, first, if I have something nasty which is going to provoke me, clear it out, don’t keep it out.
Second is, keep it out. And then whenever there is any exposure inevitably, turn away from it. Turn away from it.
That means we don’t unnecessarily expose ourselves. So, if we can’t turn away physically, then we turn away internally. We understand that, okay, this is as a part of learning.
I have to be in this situation. I have to deal with it. But I won’t delight in it.
See, the phrase that is in 5.22 is, Nateshu Brahmatey Budha So, the wife does not delight in that. It doesn’t say the wife doesn’t interact with it. You see, even the wise people, even the wise Lodhranistas, Lodhranistas may have family and they may be taking care of the family.
They take care of the family responsibly. What is the point? Nateshu Brahmatey Budha doesn’t delight in that. So, if we are not hungry for sense objects, we are not craving for some gratification, then even when, even when we are interacting with them, we can stay unagitated.
Of course, if we keep interacting, we will become agitated. But, ultimately, the oneness is on us. If we don’t have an enjoying, if we don’t, we are not hungry for, craving for that enjoyment, then even the interaction will not trouble us so much.
So, that way, this thing, we can turn away from this. So, clear it away, keep it away, turn away from it. How do we, how do we develop love for Krishna just like boy for girl? First, we start by finding something about Krishna consciousness that we like.
You know, something, something which uses strength, which gives us happiness. For somebody, it may be kirtans, just hearing some nice music. For somebody, it may be reciting verses.
For somebody, it may be reading a particular book or hearing a particular devotee’s classes, whatever it is. Now, that becomes our weapon. Now, when a war is going on, we need an emergency weapon where we take shelter, where we hold on.
So, we have to find out what it is that gives us strength. And, then what happens is something gives us strength, doing it is what we like to do. Then, whenever we feel trouble, we do that.
This doesn’t mean we give up our normal sadhana. We do our sadhana but in that particular situation, whenever we feel trouble, we turn towards that activity. That activity becomes our shelter.
And, once we do that activity, through that consistently doing that activity, our attraction to Krishna will develop. So, first we may feel attracted to only one particular activity. But, by doing it more and more, our relationship with Krishna will develop.
And, in our relationship with Krishna will develop, then we will become attracted to Him in other activities also. So, first time I just like Kirti because I do not like classes. But still, if I keep participating with people enthusiastically, then, over a period of time, I will understand that actually, it is not just the singing and dancing.
It is not just dancing, singing, moving around and making me happy. It is actually, yes, there is some happiness, but actually, it is the remembrance of Krishna that makes me truly happy. And, what is this remembrance of Krishna? Why does the remembrance of Krishna make me happy? And then, I want to tell you a story.
So, that is why, first, wherever Krishna, whatever meditation Krishna attracted, we start with that. And then, we move forward and over a period of time, when we come to the stage of Ruchi, so, right now, all of us are in the stage of fighting with our anantas. So, all of you know the nine stages of bhakti, didn’t you? Shraddha, then, Sadhusanga, Vajanakriya, Anarthaniruddhi, Vishtha, Ruchi, Nasakti, Bhava, and Prema.
So, first, with a little faith, we come to the process of bhakti, we come to the association of devotees, Sadhusanga, then we do bhajan with Kriya. We start practising those senses, then anarthas start going away. So, before anarthaniruddhi, our mind is naturally attracted towards sense objects, instinctively.
But after the anarthaniruddhi, the attractive sense objects goes away, because the anarthas are not there. Then, because we see the process of Krishna consciousness working, so, our faith increases, this purification does happen. Then, we become nishtha, then we become strongly like, you know, I had a sickness, I took a doctor’s medicine and I got cured.
Actually, then I have faith that this doctor’s medicine works. Then, after nishtha, we see ruchi. At the stage of ruchi, it is said that, just as the conditioned soul’s mind naturally goes off towards the sense objects, the devotee’s mind, at the ruchi stage, naturally goes off towards Krishna.
So, we will come to that stage by the practise of bhakti. Right now, we are in the battle stage. But if we keep going through it, by finding what gives the strength in Krishna consciousness and doing that more and more and developing our relationship with Krishna, then we will come to the ruchi stage where, just as man is attracted to a woman, we will be attracted to Krishna.
Any other questions? Yes. In the micro stage, you can ask. Thank you.
So, you are saying that in Krishna’s kingdom, in Maya’s kingdom, both there are kinds of objects. And wherever we see, we get attracted to them. They are there.
They are very far, very far away. It doesn’t come with any advance warning. So, we can’t say which place we’ll get more agitated.
So, we can’t place we’ll get more agitated. So, we can’t say which place we’ll get more agitated. So, we can’t say which place we’ll get more agitated.
agitated. In general, it is likely that we’ll get more agitated in non-devotee circles, but it is also likely that it is more dangerous when we get agitated in devotee circles. Why is that? There is a difference between them.
Often, non-devotees, they get more provocative, and then their culture is different. So, if we accept the culture of Krishna consciousness, we may get agitated, but we may not feel tempted to pursue any relationship. It will just be a sensual attach, sensual agitation.
It will come, it will go. Like when walking along the street, like some boardings, you see something, you get agitated. But, we know that we are not going to develop any relationship with that person.
There is some sensory agitation. But when the agitation happens in devotee circles, then we will say, okay, I am a devotee, he is a devotee, we will come to the temple, and we will have a nice relationship. Now, there is nothing wrong with that, but if one wants to be a brahmachari, then that is not desirable.
So, in that sense, becoming agitated anywhere is dangerous, but it can be more dangerous if a person is not rooted in the culture of Krishna consciousness. If a person is rooted in Krishna consciousness, then it may become a little more difficult if a person is not having strong conviction that a person may think that, okay, I will practise spiritual life as well as other thoughts. There is nothing wrong with that, but the point is if one wants to practise brahmacharya, then that is not a desirable thought.
Now, either way, the solution is caution. We have to be cautious wherever we are practising. And if we become agitated, there are these three stages.
As we discussed, there is vritti, general lusty inclination. That is there in everyone. When a young person with a testosterone charged body, you see the sense of just naturally that person gets lusty inclination, that agitation is there.
But it is just, as I said, a distant inclination. You can see some good-looking person get agitated. But when a person dwells on it, when a person pursues that relationship, then that becomes a vasana, that becomes a specific concentrated desire.
So, as I said, vritti is a general inclination, but as I said, a vasana is a specific concentrated desire. Concentrated is concentrated on a particular person. And then that, in a sense, is more dangerous.
Because then, if that is a devotee circle, then we come to a temple, every time we see that person, every time we get agitated. And then beyond that is samskara. Samskara means, if one indulges, the word samskara can mean many things.
In this context, what it means, I am talking about. In this three-stage analysis, samskara means, if one actually engages in physical relationships, that creates a very deep-rooted impression. And so, at each of these stages, the struggle becomes more and turning away becomes more difficult.
You remember the chariot body analogy? So, there are five horses are the five senses. Now, if one of the horse suddenly says, oh, there is a fruit on that side of the road and I want to eat it, the horse starts turning its head away. It looks and it turns again, the chariot brings the head back, pulls the reins, brings it back.
The head turned, brought it back. So, at the level of rukti, there is an attraction, bring it back, nothing to eat in that direction. But then, the horse starts running in that direction and the horses see that fruit and the horse sees that fruit and starts running in that direction and then when the horses gain momentum, then to pull it back and bring it on track requires much much more effort.
It’s possible, but it requires much more effort and say that fruit is on the daily route of the horse only. Now, then every day it is the horse and there is much more agitation, much more challenge happening there. Now, it may happen that the horse runs so fast that it goes off the road, goes and bites the fruit, eats the fruit and then the whole person, the chariot turns upside down and everything is disrupted over there.
Now, even after that the person can turn the chariot upside down, get the horse, yoke to the chariot and get the chariot on the road and move on, but the trouble is much much more. So, the third stage is like the chariot getting upside down and going off track, the horse eating the fruit and then comes the car. So, the earlier we check the agitation the better it is.
But nothing, no stage, at no stage is a person irredeemable. Irredeemable means, no atmosphere is so solemn that we can’t practise devotional life, we can practise. But, if we make life much much more difficult, if we let the senses get agitated, so the earlier the better.
If you have decided that this is the kind, I am going to live a life as a learned chariot, then don’t entertain those desires. Because, if we entertain those desires, the only result will be all pain, no gain. It’s not all pain, no gain.
Why? Because, we don’t want to indulge in that. Then, when we entertain those desires, we are simply causing agitation for ourselves. Because, we are not going to indulge in it, there is no gain.
But, because we entertain desires, there is all pain. Therefore, it’s best to completely get it out of the mind. Whenever it comes in, take it out.
Whenever it comes, send it out. Afterwards, over a period of time, the agitation will not come. Clear? Any other questions? How to develop the conviction, how to increase the tolerance capacity in your mental desires? When a warrior goes to war, when the enemy attacks, the warrior can’t say, I forgot to get my weapons, let me go and get the weapons, then we’ll fight.
No, the enemy will slaughter at that particular time. So, that way, we have to be equipped. That means, that we should know what are our strengths and keep them with us.
That means, if for example, some shloka inspires me, then I should memorise the shlokas. Whenever the mind gets elevated, I recite the shlokas. So, the holy name is always there for us.
But, the challenge is, when we feel tempted, we remember what I said, the mind misdiagnoses. So, what happens, because of that misdiagnosis, we don’t feel like chanting. If we chant, the desires will go away, but at that particular moment, we don’t feel like chanting.
So, what happens is, when the misdiagnosis has been done, we have to counter that misdiagnosis intellectually. Now, what you’re saying is wrong. I’m being agitated, not because of Latin Sanskrit education, but because of Latin Krishna consciousness.
So, some verses which we find very inspiring, which we find very meaningful, we can recite them. Or, we can make our own pocket diagram with some important points, which we find very convincing. It’s not just general notes, but sometimes in different classes we hear certain points, it’s not really very sound, very convincing.
So, that sort of point, they become like our emergency reference. And then, when we keep that in our mind, when the mind gets agitated, we decide those verses, read those points. And then, when we do that, then we can inspire to call out to Krishna.
Otherwise, we don’t want to call out to Krishna. Krishna, you stay away, now I want to do my business. That’s how we feel like it.
In fact, when somebody comes in the way also, get out of the way, I want to enjoy. That’s how it happens. That’s the tricky misdiagnosis.
So, we need to counter the misdiagnosis. So, that’s why when we keep our weapons ready, that helps us. And, sometimes we feel that the battle is endless.
Every day desires come, today, tomorrow, day after, how long will it go on? But we should know that every time we say no to the temptations, the temptations are becoming weaker and we are becoming stronger. Although, it may seem that the same battle is going on every day, but no, every single time when this woman goes to temptation, the temptation is becoming weaker because the indulgence is the food for the temptation. When I don’t indulge, the temptation doesn’t get the food.
And, when I say yes to Krishna, when I say no to Maya, the soul is getting nourished by saying yes to Krishna. That’s why, although it may seem that the same battle is going on again and again and again, but each day that we fight, we are becoming stronger. Not only winning on that particular day, even if we don’t feel I’m winning, I’m just surviving somehow.
But, even through that, surviving also is one level of winning. And, because what is happening, through every day of surviving, we are growing stronger. And, the more we grow stronger, then the greater is the chance that we will win eventually.
That’s why, by keeping our weapons ready with us, we should be trained, equipped and alert. When a soldier goes to fight, what is it? So, he has to be trained. It’s not that you take a gun, the first time you use the gun is on the battlefield.
You don’t even know how to press that trigger. It won’t work. So, training means we should know how we should remember Krishna.
So, our morning programme, we say, training to remember Krishna, to call out to Krishna, to turn us all to Krishna. And, equipped means that we should have the means by which to turn to Krishna. Then we have our bin bag, we have our notes, we have flashcards, we have some lectures, we have some books which we can read.
There are equipments, there are spiritual sense objects which connect us to Krishna. And, you have to be alert. If you are not alert, then what happens is that when the temptations come, we offer the, we roll out the red carpet, not the red, so we are alert now, red flag red flag.
So, when we train, equipped and alert. So, tea, we don’t drink tea, but this is the tea we can use. If disease is due to past life karma, then sometimes why is it cured by medicine? Yes, because past life karma is also, destiny is fixed, but the manifestation of destiny is not fixed.
That means past life karma that I have done, I will get some reaction, I will get some sufferings because of that, but the way it will come, that is not fixed. If I don’t take medicine, then I am not doing my this life duty. I have been given a body and I will take care of my body.
So, if I don’t take care of my body, then I am not doing my this life duty and that itself comprises bad karma and that further aggravates something. So, that means that way I can go and say, you know, if I am supposed to live, to say, by destiny to live to 70, then why do I need to eat? Even without anything I live to 70. Isn’t it? No, it doesn’t work like that.
Yes, there is past life destiny, past life karma is there, but we also have our this life duty. If I don’t do my this life duty, then I complicate situations. I make my suffering worse.
For example, suddenly I find this chair has caught fire, then the chair is catching fire, I can say this is past life karmic reactions, but then if I just stay seated on the chair and that is not past life karmic reactions, this is this life foolishness. Isn’t it? So, that means the disease happening to us is past life karma, but our not paying attention, not taking the treatment, that is not past life karma, that is this life foolishness. So, when we do our this life duty properly, then we can avoid further complication, which can lead to further suffering.
That is how we also have to do our this life duty also. Any other questions? If you don’t have any questions about this particular topic also, we have general questions also we can discuss. Thank you very much.