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.

SB 5.16

1. Write the importance of focusing one’s mind on the Lord’s external energy.SB 5.16.1-3

Since we are in conditional life constantly associated with matter and also our minds are difficult to focus on. When we learn how to see everything around us in relation with Vishnu it purifies our consciousness as we stop seeing things from an exploitative tendency to a way we can worship things as they are all connected to Vishnu.

When we understand the creation of the cosmos, the planets, the bhu mandal we realize how everything is connected to the Lord. Thus having seeing the connection with Krishna our mind shifts from exploitation to reverence and thus to mode of goodness.

We also understand how all the creation of things of material enjoyment have come from the mode of ignorance ( 2 nd canto) and if we further associate with those things to enjoy we will remain in ignorance. Rather we learn the art of seeing the connection with Krishna and using in Krishna's service and not for our own sense gratification.

2. Draw and mark with details the following: 

(i) Structure of Jambhudvipa and its Varshas

(ii) Ilavrta-varsa and the details surrounding Mt. Sumeru,

(iii) The demigod abodes on top of Mt.Sumeru.

3. WBN on the people of Kali-yuga (SB.5.16.20-21P).

1. People in Kali Yuga like ourselves feel very proud of our existence and material wealth. Those with more money think they are living a superior form of life when they compare themselves with the have nots.
2. However planetary systems there is so much opulence- mud on banks of jambu river mixes with jambu river and due to the reaction of sunlight on it, large quantities of gold are produced.However in Kali Yuga produce huge quantities of gold.
3. But people in Kali Yuga think that their opulence is in plastic - plastic money, jewels and vessels instead of gold currency, gold jewels and gold vessels.
4. Lured by a promising life in heavenly planets they want to be promoted after death or achieve the same through space missions, but they can never do so.
5. Pure devotees do not want any of this, they only want the humble service of the Lord.

4.5 Frustration of the Sacrifice of Daksha

1-5: Siva creates Virabhadra

6-13: Virabhadra and his associates reach the sacrificial arena

14-26: Destruction of the sacrifice

1. Briefly describe the fighting and the sequence of events of 4.5.


2. WBN on: (i) Competition between the modes (4P), (ii) Mahätmä (12P).

SB 4.4 Sati Quits Her Body

1-5: Sati leaves Lord Siva
 1. Describe Sati’s dilemma. WBN on husband-wife relationship based on 4P.
Sati was one hand very desirous of attending the sacrifice at her father's home and meet all her relatives, however, on the other hand, she was afraid of Lord Siva's warning that Daksha may not receive her properly.

Husband Wife Relationship:
Husband and Wife are incomplete without each other.Women may sometimes get attracted to their family members and may neglect their marriage. If a woman is tolerant and intelligent and self-realized there is no possibility of separation in the marriage.

6-10: Sati gets a cold response from Daksa’s camp 

2. Describe the neglect by Daksa and remorse of Sati. Give SP’s instructions on bodily relationships (8P). 

Her father did not acknowledge her presence, nor did he welcome her by asking about her well-being.
Therefore Sati felt very uncomfortable and could not accept the seat and gifts offered to her her mother, sister's and aunts.

Bodily relationships are very weak and transient- they get disturbed as soon as there is a slight provocation or disagreement between those related by the body.

11-23: Sati condemns Daksa 

3. Write the different levels of sädhu and asädhu (BS p. 45). Elaborate based on 12P.

• Levels of Sadhu:
• sadhu: Accepts faults because faults can be transformed into good qualities by different methods
• mahattara: overlooks the faults , sees the good 
• mahattama: takes small good qualities and magnifies them, not seeing the faults
• ati-mahattama: Sees good qualities in others where there are none
• Levels of Asadhu:
• asadhu: Thinks someone's good qualities will turn into faults
• asadhutara: Sees faults only, overlooking the good qualities
• asadhutama: Takes small faults and magnifies them, seeing no good qualities at all
• ati-asadhutama: Sees only faults in others, even when there are no faults 

 4. How did Sati glorify Lord Siva in front of Daksa? WBN on “Power of the dust of a Vaiñëava” based on 13P. 
 His name purifies one of all sinful activities
His order is never neglected
His fame is always pure
His Lotus Feet are sought after by materialists and transcendentalists
He is the friend of the universe
Great personalities like rahma carry the flowers offered to Lord Siva's Lotus Feet on their head

Power of Dust of a Vaishnava:
The dust of the lotus feet of a vaishnava offers all blessings to a vaishnava who serves the great vaishnavas however for one who offends a vaishnava the same dust can cause the offender to repeatedly fall down.

5. “It is better to execute one’s own occupational duty than to criticize others.” Elaborate based on 19P.
Elevated transcendentalists are not obliged to follow the rules and regulations for the general masses, therefore one must follow their own duties properly and not criticize others.

6. How to respond to the blasphemy of Vaiñëavas? Quote 4.4.17 karëau pidhäya…
One should block their ears and leave the place if they cannot punish the blasphemer. ( Brahmana)
If one can kill, then they should cut the tongue of the blasphemer and kill him( Ksatriya)
 and after that give up their own life( Vaisyas and Sudras)

24-27: Sati gives up her body 

7. What is the ultimate aim of yoga? (25P)
Liberation of the soul  from material encagement and attain to the Lotus Feet of Krishna

8. How did mother Sati give up her body? Give comments by SP about (i) Good association (26P), Perfection of yoga samädhi, the effect of chanting (27P).
She sat facing north in saffron clothes,did acamana and then practiced mystic yoga. She raised her life air to the middle of her eyebrows.

She meditated on the fiery air within her body and , meditating on the Lotus feet of her husband she became cleansed of all material contamination and quit her body in the blazing fire.

Good Association
One should not associate with persons who are atheists, materialists and do not respect higher authorities, If one wants to be liberated one must associate with great souls.

Perfection of yoga samadhi, the effect of chanting
Is to meditate on the Lotus Feet of  Lord Krishna and achieve the highest eternal bliss. By chanting one is freed from the material contamination and one remains in blissful meditation about the Lord.


28-34: Great cry arises from the sky; The fight 

9. Describe the hardheartedness of Daksa and elaborate based on the purport

Daksha a prajapati was supposed to look after the maintainence of all living entitites but he overlooked the well being of his own daughter and allowed her to die.
Because he is hatrd hearted he was considered unworthy to be a brahamana.