How to Engage Mind Positively ? | SB 3.25.26 | Kenya | 10 Jan 2020 | Srila Gopal Krishna Goswami

We're going to do Kena Upanishad, Chapter 25, Text 26. Okay, is that clear? How many of you have smartphones? Smart people have smartphones. But those are really smart, they have Prabhupāda books on their smartphone. So how many of you have Prabhupāda books in your smartphone? Otherwise, if you don't have smartphones, I think you are being too modest. Some of the people don't even want to advertise their smartphones because then you look a rich man. Okay. But these days, nobody refers to the board for shloka, they just for all the smartphones. Bhaktiya, Uman, Jāta, Rāga, Indriya, Viṣṣā, Sūtāṁ, Mā, Jānu, Cinteya, Chītasyā, Jāto, Āli, Yoga, If you don't mind, we'll go straight to the word meaning. Word meaning.

Krishna, seeing in this world. Shuddha, horror in the next world. Madhyamātman, activities of creation, and so on. Anujñātayām, by constantly thinking about.

By constantly thinking about.

Chittasya, chitta of the mind.

Of the mind.

Translation: Thus, consciously engaged in devotional service in the association of devotees, a person gains distaste for sense gratification, both in this world and in the next, by constantly thinking about the activities of the Lord. This process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the easiest process of mystic power. When one is actually situated on that path of devotional service, he is able to control the mind responsibly. Those consciously engaged—

louder—

those consciously engaged in devotional service, in the association of devotees, apart from gains, he stays for self-gratification both in this world and in the next. And happiness by constantly thinking about the activities of the Lord. This process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the easiest process of mystic power. When one is actually situated on that path of devotional service, he is able to control the mind. In all scriptures, people are encouraged to act in a pious way so that they can enjoy sense gratification not only in this life but also in the next. For example, one is promised promotion to the heavenly kingdom of higher planets by pious spiritual activities. But the devotee in the association of devotees prefers to contemplate the activities of the Lord how He has created this universe, how it's maintained, how the creation dissolves, and how in the spiritual kingdom the Lord's pastimes are going on. There are full literatures describing these activities of the Lord, especially Bhagavad-gītā, Brahma-samhita, and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. The sincere devotee who associates with devotees gets the opportunity to hear and contemplate this subject of the pastimes of the Lord. And the result is that he fails his test for so-called happiness in this or that world, in heaven or on other planets. The devotees are simply interested in being transferred to the personal association of the Lord. They have no more attraction for temporary so-called happiness. That is the position of one who is yoga-yoga-yoga. One who is fixed in mystic power is not disturbed by the allurement of this world and that world. He is interested in the matters of spiritual understanding, of the spiritual situation. This sublime situation is very easily attained by the easiest process of the yoga, rittu-bhir yoga-marga. A very suitable word used here is rittu-bhir, or very easy. There are different processes of yoga-marga, attaining yoga perfection, but this process, devotional service to the Lord, is the easiest. Not only is it the easiest process, but the result is sublime. Everyone therefore should try to take this process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness and reach the highest perfection of life.

Hare Kṛṣṇa! Hare Kṛṣṇa! This is a famous verse of the Bhagavad-gītā. Is it right, Maharaj? It's a very well-known verse of the Bhagavad-gītā. It is very often quoted. So, as I said, This section of the Bhāgavatam emphasizes the need to get attached to a saintly person. Earlier in this chapter, Devahūtī, the mother of the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇadeva, said, "My dear son, you are my transcendental eye." Tānsyad lāyī means through whom I can gather information. Therefore, please guide me. How can I become free from the miseries of birth and death? The sun was very pleased by the question. Just like those of you who are Kṛṣṇa conscious, and somebody meets you, "Prabhupāda, tell me more about Kṛṣṇa consciousness. I want to go back to Godhead." You feel happy, isn't it? So the Lord was happy at inquiry. Then the Lord said, "My dear mother, get attached to a transcendentalist. You get attached to a transcendentalist or a sadhu, then that can open the doors of liberation. If on the other hand," You get attached to a materialistic person, then that opens the doors to bondage. So the son was saying, "Get attached to a saintly person." What does it mean getting attached to a saintly person? It doesn't mean you just sentimentally get attached. What in reality it means is you get attached to the instructions. You get attached to the Vāni. Vāpu and Vāni, the two processes how we associate with saintly persons. Vāpu is always temporary, and that refers to the association and the knowledge you derive from that association. Vāni refers to meditation or the instruction. Lord Kripila said, "It is a tājna sādhu." Then he says, "What are the qualities of a sādhu?" Then he further says, "These saintly people are always engaged in devotional service, in hearing and chanting about the glories of the Lord." Lord Kripila has already explained in this section, the qualities of a sadhu, the characteristics of a saintly person. You don't become a saintly person just by putting on a spiritual uniform. By that I mean put on saffron clothes, shirag, etc. We become saintly by exhibiting saintly qualities. And they were nicely described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam as hidden qualities. So, Lord Kṛṣṇa Deva is continuing to emphasize the importance of spiritual association, and then He says that execute devotional service. So, after this, Lord Kṛṣṇa continues to explain. Here He is saying, "Those who want at this stage, home sense enjoyment." What is our biggest impediment? What is our biggest obstacle? What is our biggest challenge? Who knows? Our biggest challenge is getting into this state for sense gratification. Am I right, Mārāj? That's our biggest challenge. How to get at this stage for sense gratification? Because we are so used to sense enjoyment. We are born and brought up in the environment where from a young age we are taught about The glories of sense enjoyment. Just like this chapter is called The Glories of Devotional Service, there is also The Glories of Sense Enjoyment. And the beauty of sense enjoyment is you don't have to go to a school or college to be educated in sense enjoyment. It comes automatically as you get older. Normally, if you want knowledge, you have to go to school or college. But to get knowledge on sense enjoyment, you don't need any formal education. It comes naturally. And this is the greatest impediment. Just like in the 3rd chapter of the Bhagavad-gītā, Arjuna questioned, "How is one compelled into sinful acts even unwillingly?" I know it's wrong. I don't want to do it. But I still get compelled. Then the Lord replied, "It is lust only, the all-devouring enemy of the living entity. It is always burning like fire and it is never," you know what? Satiated. It doesn't, you can't give it up so easily. Then the Lord says where this enemy is to be located, where? By the indulgence and the senses. And then the Lord says how to destroy this enemy with the weapon of knowledge. So we need to cultivate knowledge to get at least 8% of the Advaita. At the present moment, We are very deeply attached to sense gratification. And even after we come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that taste remains unless we make a serious endeavor. So what is the Lord saying in this verse? Let's consciously engage in devotional service in the association of devotees. So consciously engage. You can render devotional service consciously and unconsciously. Agyātā-sukriti and jñātā-sukriti. Agyātā-sukriti is you render service without realizing you've done something auspicious. Just like, for example, you go for book distribution. People buy a book. They don't know that I am buying this book and this is the beginning of my devotional service. They buy because devotees spoke enthusiastically or whatever. But that is Agyatha Sukhdevi. You go in Hare Kṛṣṇa Nama, people join us, they begin to chant and dance. So they are rendering service But they don't know this is going to give me some benefit. Whereas consciously engaged means you know how devotional service should be executed, what the process is. The process of devotional service is not something whimsical. The process is very clearly defined and explained by the Ācāryas, and Prabhupāda summarized that in his books. So what is Kapiladeva saying? Engaged in devotional service in the association of devotees, a person gains distaste for sense gratification, both in this world and in the next. So many of us, or most of us, are addicted to sense enjoyment. Is it right, wrong? Right, wrong?

Right.

Okay. And we come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, why? To get a distaste. If somebody says, "I want Kṛṣṇa consciousness, but I want sense enjoyment at the same time." Is that possible? No. That's not possible. If you want sense enjoyment, You want spiritual life, you have to give up something. There's a saying in English, "You want your cake and you want to eat it too." You know what I mean? Like, you know, there's a very nice cake, nice icing like that, everything looks very nice. You don't want to cut it, it looks so beautiful. Then the saliva is coming from your mouth, "Oh, I want to taste it all." No, you can't have it both ways, one way or the other. So if you want at this stage of sense enjoyment, you have to make an endeavor, and the endeavor is a process of devotional service. The process that has been handed down to us is a process coming down in the disciplic succession, and we have all experienced it. That if you try that process, it works. In most spiritual organizations, you walk in there and you get initiated. But in ISKCON, Prabhupāda made so many rules. There's a minimum period of waiting for 2 years, chanting and all that. Why? So that you can experience the process. And only if you are convinced should you deepen your commitment. Otherwise, don't deepen it. So this process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness works for those who make an endeavor. So Kapiladeva is saying that they engage— by engaging in devotional service, in the association of devotees, you can get at this stage of sense gratification. Both in this world and the next. If you want to distaste from sense enjoyment, this is the process. Execute devotional service in the association of devotees. Now what happens when you are in devotee association? Why is devotee association emphasized so strongly? And why is it considered very painful if you are separated from devotee association. Caitanya Mahāprabhu was on a tour of South India. And before He embarked on His tour, Sarvobharata Śraya, who had just converted to the path of personalism, was advised that on His tour of South India, He means a great devotee. Who was that great devotee?

Sri Ramana Maharshi.

Ramana Maharshi. Lord Caitanya asked Ramana Maharshi a series of questions. One question He asked was, "What is the most painful experience for a devotee in his life?" Sometimes you have pain, and you tell the doctor, "Doctor, my pain is too severe. Give me some painkillers." You know, in medical science, there's a whole branch of science now called pain management. So I asked the doctor who specialized in pain management, "Pain is pain. How do you manage pain?" You know. They manage it by giving you different tablets at different times. So Lord Caitanya's experience was, "What is the most painful experience for a devotee?" What was the reply? Apart from separation of devotees from devotee, I know of no unbearable pain. In other words, the pain that He experiences when He gets separated from devotees is unbearable. So that should be our position. So we should want to execute devotional service in association with devotees. Someone may say, "What's the benefit?" The prime benefit is, if you are in genuine association, you hear the philosophy, and that will inspire us to also follow. And when you are in devotee association, our goal or mentality should not be that everyone has to listen to me. When you are in a community of devotees, you are anxious to also listen. That's humility. I'm ready to listen. Birds of the same feather flock together. You heard that before? So when you are in the association of devotees, you get a distaste for sense gratification. How can you get a distaste for sense gratification? How? What do you have to do? You have to experience what? Higher taste. Am I right? We have a cookbook called The Higher Taste. So when you experience the higher taste, then you can abandon lower taste. But if you don't experience the higher taste, then you're not going to experience, then you won't give up the lower taste. Just like if you're doing a job that pays you $100 a month, you don't want to give it up if you get something with a higher salary. So when you engage in devotional service, and when we talk about devotional service, what do we mean? We're chanting together, we are eating prasad together, we are attending the Bhagavad Gita class together. The Bhagavad Gita class is a very important ingredient in our spiritual attempt. It is not that we should only come to the Bhagavad-gītā class when there is a sannyāsī or a senior devotee. We should make it a point to come to the class on a regular basis. And what does the Bhagavad-gītā say on this point? What's that famous verse? So we should regularly hear and read the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. And we should come to these classes. Even if there's no senior devotee. You know how people go to watch movies. They see who the stars are. If they have a famous star, then they go to see the movie. So sometimes we have the mentality, "Let's see who the speaker is, then I'll decide whether I'll go or not." We should be attending the classes on a regular basis. Now in the Bodhi Association, it's easier to execute devotional service, isn't it? Sometimes I know, devotees, they get transferred or located in a city where we don't have a temple and we don't have enough devotees. Then they always complain, "Ma, there's no association there." So, look, look, when you are in association, it will be easier to execute devotional service. Is that right? When you come to the temple, you see everyone chanting. Don't you feel like chanting also? When you are attending a Bhagavanam class, there is only one person falling asleep. Do you feel enthusiastic? No. So when you are in devotee association, you are more inspired to execute devotional service. Then another point is we have to get addicted for sense gratification, both from this life and the next. In other words, we have to recognize sense gratification is simply an impediment, and also don't take interest in karma-kanda. Karma-kanda means, "I want sense enjoyment in my next life." Karma-kanda is a sort of business engagement with the Lord where you say, "My dear Lord, I'm going to give You this, this, this sacrifice for Your pleasure, but in exchange, I want these benefits. So karma-kanda, does it satisfy the individual? Yes, no? I don't know if people are listening or sleeping. Okay. Can this karma-kanda, can it satisfy the individual? Yes, no? What is that famous verse in the scriptures? Kṛṣṇa-bhaktanis kāma-āteyeva śānta, bhakti-mukti-siddhikāmī-sakārya śānta. Those who are walking in the devotion, selfless devotional service, Āteyeva śānta, they are always peaceful. One who is on the unenlightened path of devotional service, he is peaceful in all situations, position of comfort or a position of discomfort. It's not that if you become a devotee of the Lord, there will be no discomfort, there will be no challenges, no difficulties. No, there will be. But since we have embarked on the anālaya-devotional path, A devotee is always peaceful. In comparison, mukti mukti siddhi kāmī sakālīyaśānta. You always want karmakanda, liberation, etc. You're always unpeaceful. So karmakanda is not the ultimate. Vyāsadeva, having compiled the Vāsanātic literature, And some might say that in the Vedānta-sūtra, was still feeling despondent, and when he was meditating on the banks of the river Sarasvati, as to what could be the cause, who appeared? Nārada-mūrī. He said, "The cause of your unhappiness is you haven't exclusively glorified the path of pure devotional service." of service, and then came the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. So one who has knowledge knows that I don't want material happiness. Now or later, even if you do karma kanda, you can get elevated to a higher planet, but can you stay there for long? Your only store is there. As long as your karma allows you. Just like a plane can only fly as long as it has enough fuel. Before it exhausts, it has to descend. You can go to a country, stay there only as long as the visa allows you. So karma karma activity gives you a visa to go to the heavenly planets. And you go to the heavenly planets, You can experience much higher sense of enjoyment than on this planet, but it's all temporary. Therefore, in the Bhagavad-gītā, Kṛṣṇa says, "Ovama bhūmanānālokaḥ rādhā-vṛtta-nirājūdaḥ." You go from the bottom planet to the top, all are what? Praise Ramana Maharshi. But only one who comes to me can transcend that. So that understanding must be there, that even if I get elevated to the heavenly planets, the benefit is temporary. What do you need it for there? Lord Kṛṣṇa says, by constantly thinking about the activities of the Lord. One of the activities of a devotee is to engage actively about the activities of the Lord. This process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the easiest process of mystic power. When one is actually situated in the path of devotional service, he is able to control the mind. So continuing on the theme of spiritual association and not desiring any material happiness in this life or the next, the Lord says, a transcendentalist is constantly thinking about the Lord. And not Kapila Deva. This is the easiest process. Is this an easy process or a difficult process?

Not sure.

But here Kapila Deva is saying it's an easy process. So you can't differ from that, can you? You may differ. You may say, "No, no, it's not so easy." In previous ages the processes were far more extreme. For example, in Satya Yuga, You could meditate for 60,000 years. In Kṛṣṇa Yoga, there were very elaborate sacrifices. In Rāpa Yoga, there was very often worship of the Lord. In the same way, you can arrive in Kali Yuga by chanting the Holy Name of the Lord. So this process, Bhakti Yoga, has been described by the Lord to be very easy. So, it is easy in the sense, it is easy and it has been made even easier by whom? Oh, it is in the Bhāgavatam. Prasāda is— here is Kapīla Deva speaking 5,000 years ago. This Bhāgavatam that you read, was spoken 5,000 years ago. So 5,000 years ago, Dr. Pillai says this process is what? Easy. Lord Chaitanya made it even easier. He freely distributed this process of knowledge without discriminating who was fit and who was unfit. Freely he gave this knowledge to everyone. So Lord Kṛṣṇa says, "This process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the easiest." He doesn't say just easy. Prabhupāda says easiest. Just like you have good, better, best. Best is better than— best is higher than better, better is higher than good. So it's all relative. So here, Kṛṣṇadeva is saying, not only is it easy, but it is the Easiest. There's nothing easier than this, easier than this. And on this path of devotional service, we should also think about the activities of the Lord. That is, hai bhau. That is, someone who is asleep. So this process is easy. Here Lord Kṛṣṇa talks about— or the thinking about the Lord. So the mind, as we know, is an important instrument on the path of devotional service. In the Bhagavad-gītā, Kṛṣṇa says, "When one has conquered the mind, he'll be peaceful." And an unconquered mind, he will not be peaceful. So the point is, We should constantly think about the activities of the Lord. There are several ways we can do that. One, of course, is think about the pastimes of the Lord, think about the form of the Lord, think about the instructions of the Lord. Just like the Holy Name is non-different from the Lord. Is that right? Is that true?

Yes.

Some people wonder, "how can you guys chant the same name and not get tired?" We don't get tired with the Holy Name that is non-different from the Lord. Similarly, the message of the Bhagavad-gītā is non-different from the Lord also. The message of the Śrīmad-bhāgavatam is not different from the Lord also. So when you meditate on the shlokas of the Bhagavad-gītā, when you meditate on the ślokas of the Bhāgavatam, you are actually associating with the Lord. And Prabhupāda even says in one of the purports in this section that when you associate with a devotee, you really mean associating with the Lord. Because the characteristic of a devotee is he only will talk spiritual subject matters with you. So, when we engage the mind in thinking about the glories of the Lord, the teachings of the Lord, we are actually associating with the Lord. Because this is not different from the Lord. In the Bhāgavatam we read that when the Lord departed to His planet, the Lord departed from the material world, His constant companion Arjuna was very sad, heartbroken, lamenting in grief. For us to realize the pain that the gopis felt for the Lord, or the pain that Arjuna felt when the Lord departed, is not easy because we are so accustomed to not remembering the Lord. But then Arjuna began to meditate on Kṛṣṇa's instructions from the Bhāgavad-gītā. And when he began to meditate on Kṛṣṇa's instructions from the Gītā, what did Arjuna feel? He felt that Kṛṣṇa was right there next to him. When you read the Bhāgavad-gītā attentively, you'll feel that Kṛṣṇa is right there next to you. And then his moroseness disappeared and he became blissful again. So if you engage in thinking about the Lord, then you'll also be able to control the Lord. So basically, a devotee of the Lord, once you engage in pure devotional service, anāhāya service of the Lord, and then Kripīlā is saying that if you execute devotional service in association with devotees, then you'll be able to make spiritual, get at these stages and get Many times what we devotees feel, you know, before we get initiated, we are very keen on associating and so on. Once we get initiated, we think, "Oh, now, I've seen my God. It's not necessary to associate." But that's a misleading understanding. Initiation is just the beginning of spiritual life. It's not the end. It all depends how we endeavor. So constant association is paramount if you want to make spiritual advancement. And if you don't want to make spiritual advancement, then you may not associate. So to summarize, Dr. Pillai is coming— continuing to describe that by engaging in devotional service, With the association of devotees, you can get at this stage 4, for what? Hāmivyuṇa deshayaṇa pramāṣanta-kārtā-karīṣa. Everyone, by assembly of pure devotees. Hare Kṛṣṇa. Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama. Lama Lama Hare Hare.