Engaging Senses in Devotional service

Lord Rshabha Dev's teachings

SB 5.5.27
The true activity of the sense organs — mind, sight, words and all the knowledge-gathering and working senses — is to engage fully in My service. Unless his senses are thus engaged, a living entity cannot think of getting out of the great entanglement of material existence, which is exactly like Yamarāja’s stringent rope.

Jada Bharat's teachings to Maharaj Rahugana: Some snippets

Some snippets from Jada Bharat's teachings to Maharaj Rahugana

1. Srila Prabhupada's purport in SB 5.11.8:
1. As stated in the Nārada-pañcarātra, sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam: when the mind and senses are purified, one’s total existence is purified, and one’s designations are also purified.
2. Srila Prabhupada's purport 5.12.4:
1. Formal inquiries and answers about the bodily conception do not constitute knowledge of the Absolute Truth. Knowledge of the Absolute Truth is quite different from the formal understanding of bodily pains and pleasures. In Bhagavad-gītā Lord Kṛṣṇa informs Arjuna that the pains and pleasures experienced in relation to the body are temporary; they come and go. One should not be disturbed by them but should tolerate them and continue with spiritual realization.
3. Srila Prabhupada's purport to SB 5.13.7
1. Śrīla Vidyāpati has therefore sung: tāṭala saikate, vāri-bindu-sama, suta-mita-ramaṇi-samāje. The happiness of family life, friends and society is compared to a drop of water in the scorching desert.
4. Srila Prabhupada's purport SB 5.13.8 : 
1. kauṭumbikaḥ krudhyati vai janāya: When one’s mind is disturbed in so many ways, he satisfies himself by becoming angry with his poor wife and children. The wife and children are naturally dependent on the father, but the father, being unable to maintain the family properly, becomes mentally distressed and therefore chastises the family members unnecessarily.

Everything possible by the blessings of a Vaishnava

In the pastime of Lord Brahma requesting Priyavrata Maharaj to accept household life, one may wonder if it may become an impediment to Maharaj Priyavrata's advancement. To explain this Srila Prabhupada write the following in the purport to SB 5.1.10:

"By the blessings of a Vaiṣṇava, everything is possible. This is described in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu as kṛpā-siddhi, or perfection attained simply by the blessings of a superior person. One usually becomes liberated and perfect by executing the regulative principles set down in the śāstras. Nonetheless, many persons have achieved perfection simply by the blessings of a spiritual master or superior."

Prescribed Duties a Vehicle for Mind Control

With mental health poised to become a disease of epidemic proportions, especially when the President of India Shri Ramnath Kovind makes a statement that the population of Indians affected by mental health diseases is greater than the population of Japan it would be nice to see what some scriptures and acharyas have to say about dealing with the mind.

Of course, some mental health issues need medication counseling etc but a lot of them can be nipped in the bud if one just follows their prescribed duties. If everyone follows their prescribed duties properly the society and social interactions are such that it creates a further favorable situation for everyone else to follow their prescribed duties.

Some important points from Srila Prabhupada's purports to the verses posted below. Srila Prabhupada explains how doing our varnashrama duties is important, varnasharama duties are given in the Vedas and if we follow we are on the safe platform else we can have a tremendous mental confusion:

• The varṇāśrama system is scientific. Therefore if we accept the divisions of varṇa and āśrama according to the Vedic instructions, our lives will be successful.(5.14)
• It is best, therefore, to accept the injunctions of the Vedas, which are mentioned in this verse as yad-vāci. In accordance with those injunctions, everyone should find out whether he is a brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya or śūdra and should thus be educated accordingly. Then his life will be successful. Otherwise, all of human society will be confused. If human society is divided scientifically according to varṇa and āśrama, and if the Vedic directions are followed, one’s life, regardless of his position, will be successful.(5.14)

In this verse, Prabhupada explains the connection between Varnashrama Duties and the pleasure of the Lord.

• A brāhmaṇa can surrender, and so can a kṣatriya, vaiśya or śūdra. Everyone can adopt this process. As stated in this verse, cakṣuṣmatāndhā iva nīyamānāḥ: one should follow the Lord the way a blind man follows a person who has eyes. If we follow the Supreme Personality of Godhead by following the directions He gives in the Vedas and Bhagavad-gītā, our lives will be successful.
• The example cited in this verse is that bulls tied by ropes in their nostrils move according to the direction of the driver. Similarly, if we move according to the instructions of the Vedas, the perfect paths for our lives will be set. Otherwise, if we do not move in that way but act according to our whimsical ideas, our lives will be spoiled by confusion and will end in despair.(5.15)

Connection between Varnashrama Duties, The Lord's pleasure, Sense control and Mind Control

The sense organs are certainly our greatest enemies, and they are therefore compared to venomous serpents. However, if a venomous serpent is bereft of its poison fangs, it is no longer fearful.Similarly, if the senses are engaged in the service of the Lord, there is no need to fear their activities.The devotees in the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement move within this material world, but because their senses are fully engaged in the service of the Lord, they are always aloof from the material world. They are always living in a transcendental position.


Lord Brahma's Instructions to Maharaj Priyavrata:
SB 5.1.14 — My dear boy, all of us are bound by the Vedic injunctions to the divisions of varṇāśrama according to our qualities and work. These divisions are difficult to avoid because they are scientifically arranged. We must therefore carry out our duties of varṇāśrama-dharma, like bulls obliged to move according to the direction of a driver pulling on ropes knotted to their noses.
SB 5.1.15 — My dear Priyavrata, according to our association with different modes of material nature, the Supreme Personality of Godhead gives us our specific bodies and the happiness and distress we achieve. One must therefore remain situated as he is and be conducted by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, exactly as a blind man is led by a person who has eyes with which to see.
SB 5.1.16 — Even if one is liberated, he nevertheless accepts the body he has received according to his past karma. Without misconceptions, however, he regards his enjoyment and suffering due to that karma the way an awakened person regards a dream he had while sleeping. He thus remains steadfast and never works to achieve another material body under the influence of the three modes of material nature.
SB 5.1.17 — Even if he goes from forest to forest, one who is not self-controlled must always fear material bondage because he is living with six co-wives — the mind and knowledge-acquiring senses. Even householder life, however, cannot harm a self-satisfied, learned man who has conquered his senses.
SB 5.1.18 — One who is situated in household life and who systematically conquers his mind and five sense organs is like a king in his fortress who conquers his powerful enemies. After one has been trained in household life and his lusty desires have decreased, he can move anywhere without danger.
SB 5.1.19 — Lord Brahmā continued: My dear Priyavrata, seek shelter inside the opening in the lotus of the feet of the Lord, whose navel is also like a lotus. Thus conquer the six sense organs [the mind and knowledge-acquiring senses]. Accept material enjoyment because the Lord, extraordinarily, has ordered you to do this. You will thus always be liberated from material association and be able to carry out the Lord’s orders in your constitutional position.
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Criticism increases our entanglement in illusory dualities

We criticize when we are :

• Envious
• Unfairly treated
• Have Experienced Trauma

Why do we criticize:

• Makes us feel better about ourselves
• Revenge for unfair treatment and coping with trauma

However, this evaluation of good or bad is based on matter. Criticizing does not help us heal our pain.

Why is criticism harmful:

• We become entangled further in Maya and illusion as we further cement our materialistic viewpoint. The qualities good and bad we see are based on matter and thus temporary and have no basis
• We end up getting the qualities that we criticize by constantly associating with them in our mind
• We lose focus of our eternal identity, life and goal of serving Krishna.
• It increases our attachment to the material world and its dualities

The above points have been derived from the following verses by Lord Sri Krsna to Uddhava:

SB 11.28.1 — The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: One should neither praise nor criticize the conditioned nature and activities of other persons. Rather, one should see this world as simply the combination of material nature and the enjoying souls, all based on the one Absolute Truth.

SB 11.28.2 — Whoever indulges in praising or criticizing the qualities and behavior of others will quickly become deviated from his own best interest by his entanglement in illusory dualities.

SB 11.28.3 — Just as the embodied spirit soul loses external consciousness when his senses are overcome by the illusion of dreaming or the deathlike state of deep sleep, so a person experiencing material duality must encounter illusion and death.

SB 11.28.4 — That which is expressed by material words or meditated upon by the material mind is not ultimate truth. What, therefore, is actually good or bad within this insubstantial world of duality, and how can the extent of such good and bad be measured?

SB 11.28.5 — Although shadows, echoes and mirages are only illusory reflections of real things, such reflections do cause a semblance of meaningful or comprehensible perception. In the same way, although the identification of the conditioned soul with the material body, mind and ego is illusory, this identification generates fear within him even up to the moment of death.

SB 11.28.6-7 — The Supersoul alone is the ultimate controller and creator of this world, and thus He alone is also the created. Similarly, the Soul of all existence Himself both maintains and is maintained, withdraws and is withdrawn. No other entity can be properly ascertained as separate from Him, the Supreme Soul, who nonetheless is distinct from everything and everyone else. The appearance of the threefold material nature, which is perceived within Him, has no actual basis. Rather, you should understand that this material nature, composed of the three modes, is simply the product of His illusory potency.

SB 11.28.8 — One who has properly understood the process of becoming firmly fixed in theoretical and realized knowledge, as described herein by Me, does not indulge in material criticism or praise. Like the sun, he wanders freely throughout this world.

SB 11.28.9 — By direct perception, logical deduction, scriptural testimony and personal realization, one should know that this world has a beginning and an end and so is not the ultimate reality. Thus one should live in this world without attachment.

SB 5.19 and 5.20

5.19. A Description of the Island of Jambüdvépa

 1-8: Prayer to the deity of Kimpuruña-varña,Räma 

1. Write the flow of prayers to Lord Rämacandra.  Quote 5.19.4 yat tad viçuddhä… and 5.19.7 na janma… Give salient points from 3P and 7P.

2. Mention various reasons for the appearance of Lord Räma based on the purports of SP and VCT to 5.19.5. 

• To kill Ravana 
• Lord Rama Chandra wanted to teach the general masses that life centered around sex life, like Ravana is futile and leads to great misery
• He also showed how by accepting a wife he underwent so many tribulations
• However, he also showed that if one accepts a wife one must be a faithful husband and give her full protection
• He also wanted to show that although the Lord and His devotees may seem to suffer material tribulations they have nothing to do with such material tribulations for they are always engaged in serving the Lotus Feet of the Lord.

9-15: Prayers to the deity of Bhärata-varña,Nara-näräyaëa Åñi

 3. Write the flow of prayers to Nara-näräyaëa Åñi. Quote 5.19.12 kartäsya sargädiñu… along with salient points from 12P.

4. “Devotional service is the real path of liberation.” Explain based on 20P.

• By association with devotees , on comes to know about Krishna and gradually comes to know about his position as eternal servitor of Krishna.
• The association helps us cut the knot of ignorance and realize that by serving Krishna and His devotees we will also become transcendental and free from material attachment.
• By serving the One who is beyond matter we are also able to transcend our attachment to matter and thus devotional service gives real liberation.

 21-28: The demigods glorify Bhärata-varña

5. Summarize the glories of Bhärata-varña. Quote 5.19.23 kalpäyuñäà sthänajayät… and 5.19.24 na yatra vaikuëöha… and give salient points from 25P (real profit – elaborate) and 27P.

 5.20. Studying the Structure of the Universe

 1-5: Plakñadvépa and the inhabitants’prayer toSürya

 1. Draw the structure of Bhü-maëòala and mark the oceans, islands and mountains along with their dimensions.

 2. Mention the common characteristics of the islands of Bhü-maëòala. 

• Each of them along with their oceans form concentric cycles around the previous dvipa.
• Ocean and dvipa it surrounds are of the same size. However each dvipa and ocean sze is twice the size of the previous dvipa
• There is a tree, mountain, river that is there on each dvipa
• The rulers of all these dvipas are sons of Priyavrata Maharaj
• Thre are 4 castes of people living in each dvipa . The residents of first 5 dvipas experience longevity,strong senses, mental strength etc
• They worship the Supreme Lord through the DEmigods Sun, Moon, Agni, Varuna, Vayu, Brahma

3. How is the sun god the reflection of the Supreme Lord? (5P)

What is the right mood of worshipping demigods?(17)

1. With the understanding that the demigods are representatives of the Supreme Lord and whatever offerings we make to them they offer it to the Lord.
2. We see them as representatives of the Lord subordinate to the Lord
3. But to worship them thinking they are Supreme and independent of the Lord means we are worshipping them aviddhi purvakam

SB 5.17

1. WBN on the glories of Mother Ganga. Draw her 4 paths. (SB.5.17.1-10)

1. Touching the water of the Ganga purifies all living entities internally( freedom from sins and inner purification) and externally(protection and freedom from disease)
2. Knowing it to be the water that touched that touched the Lord's Lotus Feet Dhruva Maharaja and the sapta rsis accept the water on their head with great devotion.
3. Since they are bhaktas and not impersonalists the sapta rsis neglect all other means of perfection and constantly meditating on the Lord they accept the Ganges water on their head

Her paths:

2. WBN on the 8 heavenly Varshas. (SB.5.17.11-15)

The eight heanevly varsas are known as Bhauma Svarga

1. People live long and youthful lives there
1. Their bodies are extremely trong like 10000 elephants and sturdy like thunderbolts
2. Women only conceive in the last year of their lives
3. They enjoy sense pleasure without tribulations
2. The place is very beautiful filled with gardens, flowers, hermitages, lakes and many birds
3. The demigods there enjoy with their wives 
4. The Lord Narayana expands Himself and resides in each of these varsas to remain near His devotees to give them mercy and accept their service.

3. Write the flow of Lord Siva's prayers to Lord Sankarshan. Quote 5.17.18 bhaje bhajanyäraëa… Give salient points from 19P. (SB.5.17.16 -24)

Lord Siva worships Lord Sankarasana knowing Him to be the original cause of his own existence. 

He glorifes Him by sayin :

1. Reservoir of all transcendental qualities
2. Unlimited
3. Unfathomable
4. Lotus Feet protect devotees from all dangers
5. Highest shelter of six opulencesManifests his different forms for the satisfaction of his devotees
6. Stops the repetition of borth and death, origin of material creation
7. Not affected by material world
8. But we are completely affected and therefore we must worhsip the Lord so we can conquer the senses
9. Lord Remains unagitatede.g Naga patnis)
10. Does creation, maintainence, and destruction. He is unlimited and holds the universes on His hoods
11. He is the greatest , greater than Siva and Brahma and all the demigods
12. We cannot understand Him because we are covered by Maya. Without being favored by him we cannot get out of Maya nor understand the Lord.