Hare Krsna Dear Devotees,
Please Accept My Humble Obeisances, AGTSP🙏🏻
Actually, I was having a doubt about myself,I kind of analyse myself everytime I read BG by the Lord's grace. Krsna in BG 3.6 speaks, "One who forcefully restrains their senses from action, but in their mind, they keep thinking of sense objects and enjoyment, is foolish, and in delusion and certainly a pretender. " (Sorry I didn't paste it, I wrote what I remembered) 🙏🏻
Yes so when I re-read this, I kind of thought my mind also sometimes keeps going back at materialism and sense gratification, but I do also forcefully restrict myself thinking that's what Srila Prabhupada had told us to do. So Like my question is isn't this the process? Like if I am impure, which I definitely am, I still would want to be like how my Guru Maharaja wants which means that even if my mind wanders at times, shouldn't I still be chanting as that's the way we can be purified? I know this is very idiotic, but I am confused as to what actually is wrong according to our Lord here. Am I mistaking him in this verse? Please Enlighten me on this.
Your Servant,
Hari Bol🙏🏻
Jai Srila Prabhupada
Replies
Hare Krsna
So Like my question is isn't this the process?
What you are doing, that is remembering instructions of Srila Prabhuapda and restraining is actually taking shelter of Srila Prabhupada and Sri Krsna. This is perfect.
What Sri Krsna mentions in Bg 3.6 is pertinent for those whose mind continously wants sense gratification, but they do not allow senses to gratify. They fight against their material desires without taking taking shelter of spiritual principles. They try restrain and fight material nature on their own. This is similar to forcing a person on a strict diet, by prevent them from eating unhealthy things. Eventually the person may break diet restrictions. What Sri Krsna advises in Bg 3.7 is like providing healthy supplement and thus preventing unhealthy food.
The main difference is devotees take positive shelter of Krsna and can avoid negative. Avoiding negative without positive may not work out well.
Hare Krsna
Hare Krsna,I get it now Prabhuji, Thank you alot for putting it like this, it helped so much.
Your Servant
Hari Bol🙏🏻
Hare Krishna,
The next verse has the answer to it.
On the other hand, if a sincere person tries to control the active senses by the mind and begins karma-yoga [in Kṛṣṇa consciousness] without attachment, he is by far superior. (3.7)
A householder can also reach this destination by regulated service in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. For self-realization, one can live a controlled life, as prescribed in the śāstras, and continue carrying out his business without attachment, and in that way make progress. A sincere person who follows this method is far better situated than the false pretender who adopts show-bottle spiritualism to cheat the innocent public. ( purport 3.7 BG)
REGULATED SERVICE
CONTROLLED LIFE
Are the choice of words in the puport given
What do they mean.
YOU REGULATE THE SENSES BY STRONG MIND AND INTELLECT.
THE FUNCTION OF SENSES IS TO WANDER. YOU CAN REGULATE THEM
Just like traffic police.
The traffice is channelled and regulated controlled by the Traffic police in such a way that there is no chaos.
Similarly senses are there to go in various directions. There are 5 senses ( like 5 horses) they run in different directions.
But what is the duty of mind and intellect?
Intellect or buddhi is our traffic police.
If intellect is lost you cannot control the mind and mind will listen to senses and run in random directions.
look at this picture
Give the reigns ( or the rope) into the hands of Krishna He wil direct the senses in correct way.
THE FUNCTION OF INTELLECT IS TO DISCRIMINATE BETWEEN WHAT IS REAL AND WHAT IS UNREAL .. If Intellect is not functioning according to Krishna consciousnes.
Intellect loses the judgement between what is good what is bad.
and that junction Intellect can deviate mind and mind lose control on the senses and the ropes are slackned and your mind is enjoying the senses.
Well. . It is easier to say then to practice.
But WE CAN PRACTICE SLOWLY AND TRAIN THE MIND TO CONTROL THE SENSES PROPERLY.
We may fall 100 times while being trained.. it is okay
No one is perfect
But constant practice is important. Someday we can make it happen and out intellect will give the mind right instruction
Intellect is under influence of Krishna alone can make correct judgement.
Because Atma and Parmatama are located in the Heart and Parmatma is giving instructions always. But it is our intellect who is doing these judging and taking actions.
If the intellect ( buddhi) is free of False ego it will do as per Parmatma's guidance.
if the buddhi ( intellect ) is brasht ( or) in false ego it will take wrong decisions.
I hope it is clear.
Hare Krishna
Hare Krsna, Thank you so Much Gayatri Mataji, it definitely gave a clear picture, it's very well explained.
Hari Bol