What does beating the mind with broom and shoe mean?

Answer Podcast:

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
morning, evening. So, how do we do that practically? Actually, Prabhupada is quoting the Bhaktisthan Sri Thakur who would say that that he would say that the mind is the non-devotee with whom we constantly associate.
Constantly associating with. We have to keep the mind that way distanced. So, there are, as far as I have seen, Bhaktisthan Sri Thakur himself never gave a specific explanation for this.
What he meant. So, different devotees have given explanations. Essentially, the broom is a device used for cleaning and the shoe is what is worn on the feet.
So, that is associated in different places. The shoe represents the feet of the spiritual master. So, we take the instruction of the spiritual master very seriously.
And the cheto, darpana, marjanam, cleaning usually is referred to the holy name. So, clean the mind with the holy name. But the point is, either way, what the shoe and the broom represent, the important thing is that we distance ourselves from the mind and control it.
Say, if there is some pesky creature, some unruly dog or something like that, we have to control it, shut up. We may use a broom or a shoe to calm it, to silence it, to control it. So, the essential point is that we control the mind.
Now, for us, what will act as a shoe or what will act as a broom, that may not always be the same. It may vary. Sometimes, we may chant so attentively that mind becomes very calm.
Mind is agitated when we chant and the mind becomes calm. Sometimes it may happen that we are trying to chant and we are just not able to chant. The mind can just trouble us.
It’s a war and in a war we cannot go with a ritual. We have to see how the enemy is attacking and how we can counter attack. So, sometimes, instead of just struggling to chant, the mind not letting us chant, just take a few breaths, maybe, we can recite some verses, some verses which inspire us a lot or we can sing some lines from some Vaishnava song which evokes a bhakti bhava in our heart.
That might enable us to better control the mind. So, we have to find out by our own introspection what is the best tool by which we can control our mind. And this is actually where there is abundant room for individuality in bhakti.
Krishna has a unique relationship with you and Krishna has a unique relationship with me. And although, ultimately, that relationship is transcendental, but even now, we have a relationship with Krishna. And how Krishna will manifest himself in a most accessible, appealing, effective way to you may vary from how it may to be to me.
So, by looking at our own life and seeing how we can combat the mind, what is it that enables us to control the mind? We can use that. So, for example, like chanting or praying to the deities or reciting verses, these are all directly transcendental means for controlling the mind. And ultimately, for transforming the mind, we need to connect it with Krishna.
We need to devote it to Krishna. So, among the various limbs of devotional service, whichever enables us to control the mind, we do that in a diligent way. So, the morning and evening essentially means that we do it regularly.
So, of course, we chant the holy names and we have some kind of spiritual programs, either study Shastra or something like that, we do in the evenings. So that in the daytime, whatever materialism has come up, we are able to counter it in the evening also. So, we have a standard process of devotional service and we do practice it.
At the same time, there is abundant room for individual application of how best we can deal with our own mind. And, दधानि बुद्धियो कम्तम् येने मामु पयां दिते Krishna says, if we try sincerely to serve him, then he will give us the intelligence by which we can come to him. So, just as beating an unruly animal with a stick or a broom, with a shoe or a broom, what it means is, it is creating trouble, we bring it under control.
So, like that, we understand that the mind is troublesome and we get it under control. So, following the instructions of the spiritual master and following the instructions of the spiritual master to chant the holy names, that is important. And the spiritual master has given us a whole process of bhakti, of various ways in which we can control and focus the mind.
And doing it diligently will gradually bring the mind under control. Does it answer your question? So, thank you very much. Vishwa Prabhupada ki Jai.
Gaur Bhakta Vindaki Jai. So, see, we have in the Bhagavad Gita,