Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.1.50

Pradyumna: Translation: "Above the five senses of perception, the five working senses and the five objects of the senses is the mind, which is the sixteenth element. Above the mind is the seventeenth element, the soul, the living being himself, who, in cooperation with the other sixteen, enjoys the material world alone. The living being enjoys three kinds of situations, namely happy, distressful and mixed."

Prabhupāda:

pañcabhiḥ kurute svārthān pañca vedātha pañcabhiḥ ekas tu ṣoḍaśena trīn svayaṁ saptadaśo 'śnute [SB 6.1.50]

This is the analytical study of our material position. Very clear analysis. We, pañcabhiḥ, with five working senses—voice..., vāk, pāṅi, pāyu, udāra, upastha... Voice, arms, legs, anus and genital. There are twenty-four. The total material constituent parts are twenty-five, sometimes twenty-six they say. These seventeen, and the five elements gross and three subtle elements, in this way, altogether twenty-five including the soul. The soul is pure spirit, and other twenty-four elements, they are different varieties of material covering. In this way we are entangled, and we are desiring, and nature is giving us facility to enjoy our desires. This is the material world.

So unless we are free from all kinds of desires, we shall be entangled with these elements. Therefore bhakti, bhakti-mārga, devotional service, means no more material desire. It is difficult, because we are associated with the material desires life after life, from time immemorial. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura sings therefore, anādi karama phale pori bhavārṅava-jale toribāre na dekhi upāy. Anādi karama: time immemorial I am fallen in this ocean of fruitive activities, and I have no rescue from this ocean. Toribāre na dekhi upāy. This is our position. Very, very difficult to come out of these elements. But if we practice, that is possible. Abhyāsa-yoga-yuktena cetasā nānya-gāminā [Bg 8.8].

[He who meditates on the Supreme Personality of Godhead, his mind constantly engaged in remembering Me, undeviated from the path, he, O Pārtha [Arjuna], is sure to reach Me.]

Cetasā nānya-gāminā, this is practice. Mind is going somewhere. When we sit down, the mind is manufacturing so many ideas. All of a sudden mind is attracted by something which has no connection with my present position, still, mind is dragging me. Therefore Arjuna said, when he was advised by Kṛṣṅa that "You concentrate your mind..." That is the yoga practice. Yoga-indriya-samyaya. So Arjuna said, "Kṛṣṅa, it is not possible for me."

cañcalaṁ hi manaḥ kṛṣṅa pramāthi balavad dṛḍham tasyāhaṁ nigrahaṁ manye vāyor iva suduṣkaram [Bg 6.34]

"It is not possible for me." But if we concentrate our mind on Kṛṣṅa, then it is possible. Otherwise, it is not. Sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṅa-padāravindayor vacāṁsi vaikuṅṭha-guṅānuvarṅane [SB 9.4.18].

[Mahārāja Ambarīṣa always engaged his mind in meditating upon the lotus feet of Kṛṣṅa, his words in describing the glories of the Lord, his hands in cleansing the Lord's temple, and his ears in hearing the words spoken by Kṛṣṅa or about Kṛṣṅa. He engaged his eyes in seeing the Deity of Kṛṣṅa, Kṛṣṅa's temples and Kṛṣṅa's places like Mathurā and Vṛndāvana, he engaged his sense of touch in touching the bodies of the Lord's devotees, he engaged his sense of smell in smelling the fragrance of tulasī offered to the Lord, and he engaged his tongue in tasting the Lord's prasāda. He engaged his legs in walking to the holy places and temples of the Lord, his head in bowing down before the Lord, and all his desires in serving the Lord, twenty-four hours a day. Indeed, Mahārāja Ambarīṣa never desired anything for his own sense gratification. He engaged all his senses in devotional service, in various engagements related to the Lord. This is the way to increase attachment for the Lord and be completely free from all material desires.]

If we engage our senses only on Kṛṣṅa, always fixed up in Kṛṣṅa, then it is possible.

So to engage the mind means, as it is said here, that pañcabhiḥ, the mind means controlling all the senses. So if you control the mind, then all the other senses will be controlled. So therefore it is advised that you engage your mind in Kṛṣṅa. Vacāṁsi vaikuṅṭha-guṅānuvarṅane. And vāk, vāṅī, pāyu, the voice..., voice, arms, legs, anus and genitals. So voice should be engaged in vibrating Kṛṣṅa activities. You read Bhagavad-gītā, read Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and talk about Kṛṣṅa. Then voice is engaged. Vacāṁsi vaikuṅṭha-guṅānuvarṅane. Always engage your voice in chanting or speaking about Kṛṣṅa. The mind is engaged automatically. Then arms, the hands, is engaged in cleansing the temple.

Śrī-vigrahārādhana-nitya-nānā-śṛṅgāra-tan-mandira mārjanādau. This is the advice. This is business of guru, to engage how the arms can be engaged. You can engage your arms for decorating the Deity, for sewing the clothing, dress, garland. In this way you can engage your arms. Voice in speaking about Kṛṣṅa, eyes to see Kṛṣṅa nicely decorated, come to the temple. For coming to the temple your legs will be used. And after coming to the temple, your hands will be used, your eyes will be used, your ear will be used, your tongue will be used—chant Hare Kṛṣṅa, take prasāda. In this way, if we engage all our senses in Kṛṣṅa consciousness, then we are victorious. Otherwise, it is not possible. Sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṅa-padāravindayor vacāṁsi vaikuṅṭha-guṅānuvarṅane [SB 9.4.18]. We have got our senses. Senses cannot be stopped working; that is not possible. The Māyāvādī philosophers, they stay that stop, nirvāṅa. Buddha philosophy: stop sense activity. That is not possible. That is impossible. Then how we can control the senses? You can control the senses by engaging all of them in Kṛṣṅa's service. Then it is controlled. Otherwise not.

Therefore our business is... "Artificially, I shall not see anything." Now how it is possible? You'll see in the mind. Suppose you close your eyes, but there are so many impressions, they will come within the mind, even if you close your eyes. The so-called meditation means he has closed his eyes but he's thinking of his beloved or his business or something like, something like that. So it is not possible. First of all, you have to fix up your mind in Kṛṣṅa. Always think of Kṛṣṅa. That is advised by Kṛṣṅa. Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru. These four principles guarantees, Kṛṣṅa says. Mām evaiṣyasi asaṁśayaḥ [Bg 18.68]. If you simply execute these four things, then Kṛṣṅa guarantees, asaṁśaya, without any doubt, "You are coming back to Me, back to home, back to Godhead." It is so nice.

So mind engaged in Kṛṣṅa, always think of Kṛṣṅa. We are seeing Kṛṣṅa here so nicely dressed, decorated, and immediately there is impression with the mind, and you can think the whole day. And Kṛṣṅa says he is first-class yogī who,

yoginām api sarveṣāṁ mad-gatenāntarātmanā śraddhāvān bhajate yo māṁ sa me yuktatamo mataḥ [Bg 6.47]

[And of all yogīs, he who always abides in Me with great faith, worshiping Me in transcendental loving service, is most intimately united with Me in yoga and is the highest of all.]

He is first-class yogī. There are different types of yogī. Kṛṣṅa says yoginām api sarveṣām. Sarveṣām means all different kinds of yogīs. There are many. "But one yogī, bhakta-yogī or dhyāna-yogī, who is always thinking of Me within the mind, he is first class." He is first class. That we have to practice. We have got our senses, and the sense... We are covered by the network of the senses—the knowledge-gathering senses, the working senses, the sense objects. Everything is explained here.

pañcabhiḥ kurute svārthān pañca vedātha pañcabhiḥ ekas tu ṣoḍaśena trīn svayaṁ saptadaśo 'śnute [SB 6.1.50]

So this is practice. This is called bhakti-yoga practice. Engage your senses, all senses, working senses and perceiving senses, everything in Kṛṣṅa, and that will make you perfect.

So the mind, as it is said here... Similarly, Kṛṣṅa personally says that sa vai..., yoginām api sarveṣām [Bg 6.47],

[And of all yogīs, he who always abides in Me with great faith, worshiping Me in transcendental loving service, is most intimately united with Me in yoga and is the highest of all.]

sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṅa [SB 9.4.18].

Mind, engage always mind. Do something for Kṛṣṅa, then the mind automatically will be engaged, something. Just like a nationalist, a family man, he is doing always something for the welfare of the family or for the welfare of the society. Or a big, big nationalist, leaders. Why they become big leaders? Why they are worshiped? Because they are thinking always of the nation, of the community. They are [indistinct]. That is good. But a Vaiṣṅava is not only thinking of the community or society or family, he is thinking of all living entities. That is Vaiṣṅava. Lokānāṁ hita-kāriṅau, all planets. That is Vaiṣṅava. Nānā-śāstra vicāraṅaika nipuṅau sad-dharma-saṁsthāpakau lokānāṁ hita-kāriṅau tri-bhuvane mānyau śaraṅyākarau. This is Vaiṣṅava business. They are not thinking for a particular... That includes. Kṛṣṅa includes everything. So if you think of Kṛṣṅa, then automatically you'll think of everything. The same process: watering the root. Why we are preaching? Why, what was the necessity to come in the Western country? No. Kṛṣṅa wants; Caitanya Mahāprabhu wants. Therefore devotee goes from town to town, village to village. Pṛthivīte āche yata nagarādi-grāma [CB Antya-khaṅḍa 4.126].

[In every town and village of the world, the chanting of My name will be heard.]

This is Vaiṣṅava. He is thinking for everyone. Because it is a fact, without Kṛṣṅa consciousness, everyone is suffering. That's a fact. So therefore preaching is so important—to awaken them. Jīva jago, jīva jago, gauracand... This is Gauracanda, Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission, to awaken everyone from this material entanglement. That is preaching.

Actually, they are suffering. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate [Bg 8.19]. We are getting these elements according to the circumstances, according to the body. The same encagement, but quality. A dog has got body, I have got body. The body is made of the same ingredients, but according to the body or quality of the body, the thinking, feeling, willing and activities are different. Because mind, mind's sphere of activities, is thinking, feeling and willing, psychology. So according to the body... Just like a child. His thinking, feeling, willing is different from the child's father. Why? Because he has got a body, child, and the father has got a different body. People cannot understand. We are changing. "Child is the father of man." So the same child, he has become now father, but he's not talking nonsense now because the body has changed. The child is talking so many nonsense things. People laugh, enjoy. But if the father talks nonsense, then he'll be called, "Here is a rascal." So because the body has changed. So in this way, body is being changed. The child is becoming father; the body has changed. Still, you cannot understand how the change of body, transformation of the body, does not make any transformation of the owner of the body. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanam [Bg 2.13].

[As the embodied soul continually passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. The self-realized soul is not bewildered by such a change.]

He is there, but according to the body he is behaving differently. When he's in the cat's body, he's behaving differently. When he's in a dog's body, he's behaving differently. When he's human body, he's behaving differently. When he's child's body... This is all due to the body.

So therefore, when we come to the full-fledged human form of life, developed consciousness, we must utilize it, as it is advised by Kṛṣṅa Himself, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru [Bg 18.65]:

[Always think of Me and become My devotee. Worship Me and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend.]

"Always think of Me," man-manā. And who can think of Kṛṣṅa unless he's devotee? Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto. Who is nondevotee, he'll think of something else: "Why I think of Kṛṣṅa?" Therefore to stick to this principle, to apply the mind always in Kṛṣṅa, that means he's devotee. This is devotee. Devotee means not with four hands or four legs. No. The hands, legs are the same, but his mode of thinking different. That's all. That is devotee. Devotee does not depend on the country, color or religion or circumstance. Devotee means the mind. Anyone who is always thinking of Kṛṣṅa, he is devotee. That is the first qualification of devotee. Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto. Therefore we have to practice. Abhyāsa yoga-yuktena... [Bg 8.8].

[He who meditates on the Supreme Personality of Godhead, his mind constantly engaged in remembering Me, undeviated from the path, he, O Pārtha [Arjuna], is sure to reach Me.]

This is called abhyāsa. Mind is going out of my control. I want to think of Kṛṣṅa, but mind is thinking something else. This is called yoga practice. So we have to catch again mind: "Why you are going there? Come here. Think of Kṛṣṅa." Then that is practice. That is called yoga. You cannot allow the mind. And when you can control the mind... Generally, we are controlled by the mind. That is the position of our conditional life. Baddha-jīva, mukta-jīva. Liberated soul and conditioned soul. What is the difference? Conditioned soul means who is becoming conditioned by the mind or controlled by the mind, he is conditioned soul. And liberated soul means who is not conditioned by the mind. Mind says, "Why not smoke one cigarette?" And when you'll be able to say, "No cigarette!" then you've controlled the mind. Mind will say always for some sense gratification. But when you control the mind, then you are liberated person. Therefore the svāmī, svāmī means controller, or gosvāmī. Svāmī does not mean you simply stamp over your name "Svāmī." No. Svāmī means the controller of the mind. He is not controlled by the mind; he controls the mind. Then he is svāmī. Gosvāmī. Go means "senses," and svāmī means "master." When you are able to control your senses, then you are a gosvāmī or svāmī, the same thing. Otherwise, godāsa. Dāsa means "servant." Everyone in this material world, he's godāsa. Godāsa means servant of the mind, servant of the senses. Everyone, servant of the senses. He may be very big man, but he's servant of the senses.

So the spiritual process, spiritual advancement means that at the present moment we are all servants of the senses or of the mind. Mind is the master of the senses, central point. Therefore if you can control the mind, then you can control the senses. So among the senses, the tongue is the most formidable, very difficult to control. So Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura said, tār madhye jihvā ati, lobhamoy sudurmati ta 'ke jetā koṭhina saṁsāre, that of all the senses, the tongue is the strongest enemy, always proposing, "Eat this, eat this, eat this, eat this, eat this." Just see, for tongue only, one person eats little bit of beef only, not much. No, I have seen. A piece of beef. But for the satisfaction of the senses, thousands of innocent animals are being killed. Just see. They cannot control this, a bit of beef. They cannot control. If they decide that "We shall not..." We are prohibiting, "No meat-eating." So this is controlling the sense. Because unless you bring the senses under control, there is no question of spiritual advancement. Tār madhye jihvā ati. Yan maithunādi-gṛhamedhi-sukhaṁ hi tuccham [SB 7.9.45].

[Sex life is compared to the rubbing of two hands to relieve an itch. Gṛhamedhīs, so-called gṛhasthas who have no spiritual knowledge, think that this itching is the greatest platform of happiness, although actually it is a source of distress. The kṛpaṅas, the fools who are just the opposite of brāhmaṅas, are not satisfied by repeated sensuous enjoyment. Those who are dhīra, however, who are sober and who tolerate this itching, are not subjected to the sufferings of fools and rascals.]

Tṛpyanti neha kṛpana bahu-duḥkha-bhājaḥ [SB 7.9.45]. The sense—the tongue, the belly, the straight line, and then the genital. If you can control the tongue, then you can control your belly and then control your genital. And that is required. Unless you can control the genital, there is no question of liberation from this material bondage. This is the principle.

Therefore by practicing bhakti-yoga, gradually... Immediately it is not possible. But gradually, by sticking to the regulative principles and chanting Hare Kṛṣṅa, we shall be able to control the senses, and the first sense is the tongue. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ. Ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṅa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ [Cc Madhya 17.136].

[Therefore material senses cannot appreciate Kṛṣṅa’s holy name, form, qualities and pastimes. When a conditioned soul is awakened to Kṛṣṅa consciousness and renders service by using his tongue to chant the Lord’s holy name and taste the remnants of the Lord’s food, the tongue is purified, and one gradually comes to understand who Kṛṣṅa really is.]

The senses are so strong, they'll not allow me to become Kṛṣṅa conscious. They'll not allow me. Ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṅa-nāmādi. Kṛṣṅa consciousness means to understand Kṛṣṅa—His name, His form, His pastimes, His paraphernalia, so many things. Kṛṣṅa is the Supreme Lord. How much we have to learn about Him, just imagine. So all these things cannot be understood by these blunt senses engaged in material sense enjoyment. That is not possible. Therefore we have to control the senses. Ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṅa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ. Our indriyas... We are now habituated to use this indriya for material sense enjoyment. Therefore these indriyas, senses, is not fit for understanding Kṛṣṅa. It has to be purified. The senses..., you cannot stop the activities of the senses, but you have to purify. That is recommended. That purification of the senses begins from the tongue. Therefore we have recommended that don't eat meat, don't taste intoxication, don't..., and illicit sex. From the tongue, it goes to... Sex is not prohibited, but illicit sex, that is controlled, that is controlled. If one is allowed to have unlimited, unrestricted sex, then he is doomed. Better restrict your sex in one. That means gradually it will be controlled.

So we have to follow this. If we are actually serious about Kṛṣṅa consciousness and going back to home, back to Godhead, make our lives successful in this very life, then... Life successful means mukti, to be not entangled again with this material body. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti [Bg 4.9].

[One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.]

That is success, that after giving up this body... This body means the combination of the so many, twenty-four elements. So long we'll be entangled within this network of twenty-four elements, it is called conditioned life. And mukti, liberated, means no more entanglement. Muktir hitvā anyathā rūpam. We are now entangled in these twenty-four elements, and mukti means we are not entangled. Muktir hitvā anyathā rūpam. Because we are entangled, we are thinking otherwise: "I am American," "I am Indian," "I am this," "I am that," "I am that," "I have got so many duties." These things. But when one understands that these so-called duties and entanglement of these twenty-four elements of matter, "I do not belong this. I am aloof. I am aloof," this understanding is called brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā [Bg 18.54].

[And of all yogīs, he who always abides in Me with great faith, worshiping Me in transcendental loving service, is most intimately united with Me in yoga and is the highest of all.]

At least theoretically if we understand, then our duty changes. Prasannātmā, fixed up, that whatever I am doing now, I am doing with this material..., for the benefit of this material, not for my personal benefit. I am not these twenty-four elements. This is called mukti.

So we have to practice. We are accustomed to this material entanglement. This practice is there. Then gradually we shall be freed from this entanglement. Sarvopādhi vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam [Cc Madhya 19.170].

[Bhakti, or devotional service, means engaging all our senses in the service of the Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the master of all the senses. When the spirit soul renders service unto the Supreme, there are two side effects. One is freed from all material designations, and one’s senses are purified simply by being employed in the service of the Lord.]

That is purification, when we become freed from this designation. Then hṛṣīkena hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate. And when you are freed from this... Therefore bhakti actually begins after liberation. Bhakti is not... Nivṛtta-tarṣair-upagīyamānā. Nivṛtta means one who has ceased tṛṣṅa. Tṛṣṅa means aspiration. We have got so many aspirations. So this transcendental life, or chanting of Hare Kṛṣṅa, is means for the liberated person. Nivṛtta-tarṣair-upagīyamānād bhavauṣadhāc-chrotra-mano 'bhirāmāt [SB 10.1.4]. This chanting is the medicine for our conditioned stage.

nivṛtta-tarṣair-upagīyamānād bhavauṣadhāc-chrotra-mano 'bhirāmāt ka uttama-śloka-guṅānuvādāt virajyati pumān vinā paśughnāt [SB 10.1.4]

Paśughnā, animal killer. Paśughnāt has two meanings. One who is killing himself, he's also paśughnā. And one who is killing animals, he is also paśughnā. Therefore meat-eating is prohibited, that if you remain a killer of animals, then you cannot be purified. That is essential, no meat-eating. So in this way... You cannot stop the activities of the senses. That is not possible, because I am living being. If the sense activities are stopped, then where is my life? I'm finished. So that cannot be. This is impossible. The Buddha philosophy is stop, nirvāṅa: "Stop the activities of the senses." That is not possible. "Stop" means you stop material activities. A boy is, when he's child, he is simply doing all nonsense and creating some disturbance. The same boy, when he's engaged in reading and writing, going to school, he's a good boy. Similarly, you cannot stop the activities of your senses, but when you engage your senses in the activities of Kṛṣṅa, that is perfection of life.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya. [end]