The tongue, a hard working sense.
My tongue works hard all day, every day. He is one of my hardest working senses. He sits near the top of all the other senses, acting as a leader, setting an example for the rest of them.
If I let my tongue loose, allowing him to do as he pleases, the rest of my senses soon also become unruly.
The Padma Purana advises, “Discipline the tongue by giving him transcendental service and very soon you will see Krsna.”
The best services for the tongue are
• repeating the maha-mantra
• speaking about Krsna’s pastimes and instructions
• honoring Krsna prasadam.
Service means, “The action of helping or doing work for someone.”
The word service derives from Latin, servitium, “slave.”
A slave is one who is the legal property of another and is forced to obey them.
My tongue and all my other senses belong to Krsna.
One way or the other, my tongue is a slave. If he doesn’t obey Krsna and instead obeys the urges of lust, anger, and jealousy, he is corrupted.
“One who has not listened to the messages about the prowess and marvelous acts of the Personality of Godhead and has not sung or chanted loudly the worthy songs about the Lord is to be considered to possess earholes like the holes of snakes and a tongue like the tongue of a frog.” (SB 2.3.29)
On the other hand, when my tongue serves Krsna, repeating His names, he becomes noble and is praised throughout the scriptures.
“Oh, how glorious are they whose tongues are chanting Your holy name! Even if born in the families of dog-eaters, such persons are worshipable. Persons who chant the holy name of Your Lordship must have executed all kinds of austerities and fire sacrifices and achieved all the good manners of the Aryans. To be chanting the holy name of Your Lordship, they must have bathed at holy places of pilgrimage, studied the Vedas and fulfilled everything required.” (3.33.7)
“Devotees whose tongues are decorated always with prayers to Lord Krsna are always given respect even by the great saintly persons and sages, and such devotees are actually worshipable by the demigods’” (Quote from Skanda purarna given in NOD 9)
My tongue is Krsna’s property. Every day, I must carefully engage him in chanting japa, teaching him to follow Krsna, his true master. When I do so, not only does my tongue become satisfied, so also do all my other senses who follow his lead.
The maha-mantra means, “Oh Krsna, oh, my master, please engage me in your service.”
Vaisesika Dasa
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