Gurudeva Katha1996 LecturesThe Root of Evil and The Yogi

The Root of Evil and The Yogi

Srila Gurudeva: What is manasa-vega? How can we control the mind? Can anyone say? Where is Jayadeva Prabhu? What is he doing? He should stand up. What are the effects of the mind’s urges? What are we going to control? You should explain.

[Srila Gurudeva then has some devotees explain.]

Vrndavana-vilasini can explain. She is shy, very shy. You can go under the earth like Sita. What about you? You should stand up and explain? What is your name?

Devotee: Vinoda-vani.

Srila Gurudeva: You can come nearer.

[Vinoda-vani dasi then speaks a few words.]

Very good. The root of all evils, anarthas, and offenses is the mind. The main root of all the evils and also the root of all good things is the mind.

mana eva manushyanam
karanam bandha-mokshayoh
bandhaya visayasango
muktyai nirvisayam manah

 

[“For man, mind is the cause of bondage and mind is the cause of liberation. Mind absorbed in sense objects is the cause of bondage, and mind detached from the sense objects is the cause of liberation.” (Amrita-bindu Upanishad 2)]

The mind is the cause of all evils. The conditioned souls come to this world and become opposite to Krsna. And thus, they go to hell.

karanam bandha-mokshayoh

The mind is also the cause of salvation. At first, we do sankalpa, and vikalpa in our minds. We accept and reject. Desires come in our hearts by the medium of our minds. If our minds are not good, and are impressed by all kinds of evils, then they will take us to hell. We will be continue to wander in the cycle of birth and death. So, the root of all evils is the mind. If you desire anything at the time of death, then you will have to take birth again to taste the fulfillment of your desires. Bharata Maharaja was the emperor of the world. At the age of fifty thousand years, he was still quite young. He had so many sons, daughters, and wives. But he was so much detached from them. He left his home, parents, wives, and children. And, he entered the deepest region of the forest. He then began to worship Bhagavan.

What do you mean by worship? To chant, remember, and continuously engage oneself in bhakti is aradhana or worship. Thus, Bharata Maharaja had engaged himself in chanting, remembering, and practicing bhakti-yoga. He was charmed by a deer’s child, which he had saved from drowning in a river. He had become piteous towards the young one that was fighting for its life. He at once ran and saved the young one. He was so charmed by the fawn. He would always serve it and put it on his lap. He would feed it cow’s milk, and nourish it like a mother. And gradually, his aradhana, and bhakti-yoga decreased. His attraction towards the fawn increased. The fawn grew into a deer and became restless. It would run here and there.

One day, a group of its kind came and the deer ran after them. Soon after, it became one of them. Bharata Maharaja ran helplessly and tried searching for the deer. He cried out in separation. While Bharata Maharaja was regretting and weeping for the deer, the time of his death came. After his death, he became a deer his next life. So, we should not become as attached as Bharata Maharaja was to the deer. He was a bhakti-yogi. He had come upto the stage of bhava. And that is why, he again came to the same stage of bhakti after three births. He then attained Vaikuntha. But we are not in that stage. So, the mind is the root of all evils.

Ajamila remembered the name of his child (Narayana) at the time of death. The effect was that he galloped past death. After being saved from dying, he heard the dialog between the Yamadutas, and the Visnudutas. He remembered the Narayana-mantra after taking bath in the Ganges in Haridvara. And then, the same messengers of Narayana came and took him to Vaikuntha. So, you are seeing the effect the mind had on Bharata, and Ajamila.

So, any requirements you have will first appear in your mind. You will be attached to them if these requirements are fulfilled. If not, anger will come and destroy everything. If you want to do bhajana, and if you want to serve Krsna, Guru and the Vaisnavas, then you should first try to control the mind. We can easily control what we eat. We can check ourselves from taking eggs, and meat. We can control ourselves from taking so many things. But it is very hard to control the mind.

cancalam hi manah krsna
pramathi balavad drdham
tasyaham nigraham manye
vayor iva su-duskaram
—Bhagavad-gita 6.34

 

[For the mind is restless, turbulent, obstinate and very strong, O Krsna, and to subdue it is, it seems to me, more difficult than controlling the wind.]

The mind is more, more powerful than wind. Can you conquer the wind? You should try to block your nose. Or you should try to close your nostrils with some cotton for some minutes. As a result, you will die at once. So, it is very hard to control the wind. And the mind is more powerful than the wind. A yogi can conquer the wind by his sitting postures. The yogi can be in such a state for a hundred, two hundred, or even five thousand years. He will not die. This is called recak, purak, and kumbha. This is called Patanjali-yoga. Air can be controlled by this process. One such yogi retired to the Himalayas when the Mahabharata war was going on. He controlled the air and remained in a meditative state for five thousand years. After five thousand years, he awoke and asked:

“What happened in the Mahabharata war?”

“Oh five thousand years have passed!” a person replied.

So, a yogi can control the air. Who is a yogi? Saubhari Rsi would stand in the waters of the Yamuna in Vrndavana and perform austerities during the summer, and winter. He was quite naked. He was always controlling his mind. He could even see Paramatma (the Supersoul). But yet, he could not control his mind. He saw two fish playing and he was inspired by what he saw. He stopped his meditation and went to Mandhata Rsi.

He told him, “I want to marry your fifty daughters.”

The King replied, “I cannot do so because I have managed a svayamvara for them tomorrow. Many princes will attend the ceremony. You should come in that assembly. And if my daughters are ready to marry you then they will place a garland around your neck. I cannot marry them to you. They are free to select their husband.”

It was at first like this in India. Hearing this, he became so happy. He joyfully exclaimed, “I know you are cheating me! You think I am very old, and ugly. Your daughters will not want me as their husband. So, you speak these words. Oh I want to see them at once! Take me to your palace, I want to meet them.”

“Then come with me.”

Saubhari Rsi then became more handsome than the combined beauty of lakhs, and lakhs of princes. He became fifteen years of age. He was so lovely, and attractive.

He told the daughters of the King, “I will come tomorrow. It depends on you if you want to get yourselves married to me. But I am going now.”

The daughters replied, “No! No! We want to marry you immediately!”

They were all attracted to him. They at once garlanded him and said, “We want to marry you at once. There shouldn’t be a moment’s delay.”

The King was so much astonished. He told Saubhari Rsi, “I desire that you marry all my daughters at the same time.”

So, Saubhari Rsi at once expanded himself into fifty forms and married the princesses. By the affect of his austerities, he manifested fifty palaces. They were more beautiful than Indra’ palace. Their beauty eclipsed the beauty of heaven. And all kinds of materials were there for enjoyment. The marriages then immediately took place. Saubhari Rsi took each of the princesses to a different palace and he enjoyed with each of them for ten thousand years. He was performing austerities in the Yamuna for ten thousand years. And now, he enjoyed for ten thousand years with all his wives.

One day, one of his wives told him, “It is evening now. You should chant your ahnika now.”
The Rsi replied, “It is evening now. Alas! I have lost ten thousand years with all these ladies, children, grandchildren, and other relatives. I never thought night would come. I have lost my age, and the fruit of all my austerities. Now I should go. I have committed many offenses at the lotus feet of Garuda. I thought, ‘I am the most supreme person. I can do anything.’ But I am so sorry for this. I have lost my time entirely. Now I should go and take shelter of any good Vaisnava and Guru. I can then cross all these obstacles. And then, I can control my mind. I want to go to a Vaisnava now.”

He then left all his wives, and children. He went to a very qualified Vaisnava and took initiation from him. He sat in any place in Vrndavana and did bhajana. He was unseen and unknown to anyone. He renounced all his desires for mystic perfection. He renounced his desire to control his mind, and maya. Now he situated himself in his right position. Very soon, he became a Vaisnava and he crossed the cycle of birth and death.

So, the mind is so mighty that we may even control the wind—but we cannot control the mind. So, how to control the mind? It will not be controlled by any practice of yoga, astrology, fasting, or other practices. You can fast for a couple of days. But then, you will again eat as much as you like. So, we should not try to control the mind like this. You should try to go to a bonafide Guru who has controlled all these things. He sees all the ladies as his mother, daughter, and sister. He has no lust at all. He has offered his entire self at the lotus feet of Krsna.

He will say, “You should try to serve Krsna. But at first, you should serve your Gurudeva and Vaisnavas. And they will give you Krsna-prema—the service of Krsna. You cannot control your mind by other means. You can control your mind only by the means of chanting Hare Krsna.”

Mere chanting of harinama will not do unless you are under the supervision of any good Vaisnava. Mere chanting will not do. I think that so many people are chanting, and remembering. But if they will give up their independence and come under the guidance of any good Vaisnava, then they will be able to control their minds. Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Rupa Gosvami have said:

vaco vegam manasah krodha vegam
jihva-vegam udaropastha-vegam
etan vegan yo visaheta dhirah
sarvam apimam prthivim sa sisyat
—Sri Upadesamrta verse 1

 

[“A wise and self-composed person who can subdue the impetus to speak, the agitation of the mind, the onset of anger, the vehemence of the tongue, the urge of the belly and the agitation of the genitals can instruct the entire world. In other words, all persons may become disciples of such a self-controlled person.”]

You can easily control your mind by controlling the urge to speak. So, vaco-vega is first. I want to explain vaco-vega tomorrow, so you should be prepared. I will explain each of the vegas (urges). You should very carefully try to accept and become established in these practices. Try to always chant, and hear harikatha. You should first listen to harikatha from any bonafide Vaisnava. Sravana is first, and then there is kirtana. Mere reading, and listening to cassettes will not do. They cannot give sabdha-brahma.

yaha, bhagavata pada vaisnavera sthane
ekanta asraya kara caitanya-carane

 

[“If you want to understand Srimad-Bhagavatam, you must approach a self-realized Vaisnava and hear from him. You can do this when you have completely taken shelter of the lotus feet of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.” (Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Antya-lila, 5.131)]

You should hear from a bonafide Vaisnava. You can then easily control vaco-vega, manasa-vega, and all the other vegas. The desire to make disciples will also go away. Like, Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Sukadeva Gosvami, Rupa Gosvami, Sanatana Gosvami, and all the other Gosvamis. Everyone will automatically become the disciples of such personalities. We all know that Rupa Gosvami is our Guru. Do you know of any disciples of Srila Svarupa Damodara to whom he has given diksa, accompanied by a fire sacrifice? We know that Raghunatha Das Gosvami is his disciple—real disciple. But he never gave diksa formally. So, we should follow the words, thoughts, philosophy, and bhajana of our Gurudeva. We should observe how he has preached. We are truly his disciples if we accept this, otherwise not.

I will discuss about vaco-vegam tomorrow. You should try to realize and follow all these teachings. You should be a bonafide Vaisnava. You should think, “We will follow Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Rupa Gosvami, and Raghunatha Das Gosvami.” This should be your aim and object.

Gaura Premanande! Hari Haribol! It is enough for me because I cannot speak more.

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30 October 1996 Mathura
[CC-by-NDNC Bhakta Bandhav]

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