HH. Bhaktimarga Swami Maharaja

Hare Krishna!
Can you hear me? This is a very special time of the day when we associate with Krsna. It’s communication time with him. That being said, it’s a very important time of the day. We should try to be attentive. It’s very difficult to be attentive, but we try to be attentive. Prabhupada explained what a Vaisnava is. It is somebody who tries. If we give up trying, then we are in big trouble. We will be in trouble for so many lifetimes. Now we have to chant right here. This chanting is a very sacred, very blessed time. Please enjoy these moments. I will try to. I am so happy to have your association. Seeing your faces and trying to make good of this most sacred aspect of our devotional life – namely sravanam kirtanam. I am happy to be in your association. Thank you very much. That’s how we say in French in Canada – Merci beaucoup. Chant with the upper and lower lips and your tongue, throw your heart out there. Thank you for your company. Haribol! Jay! May you shine. Hare Krishna!

Guru Maharaja

Today we had 365 participants. HH Bhaktimarga Swami Maharaja was also a special participant today. We seem to be excited and enlivened to see Maharaja chanting with us. He kindly addressed you all, but he did this earlier. Some of you were not there as he spoke 40 minutes ago. But his message was basic and foundational. He was encouraging all of you to chant with attention. CHANT WITH ATTENTION. He said it’s not easy to chant attentively and it’s a fact. Then he said to keep trying. If you don’t try you will be in trouble. So all that Maharaja briefly spoke was nothing but the truth. Keep trying. Lord Krsna also said that when Arjun said it’s very difficult to control the mind.

cancalam hi manah krsna
pramathi balavad drdham
tasyaham nigraham manye
vayor iva su-duskaram ( BG. 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 very difficult to control. It’s very obstinate. Children sometimes are very obstinate, so the mind is like that. vayor iva su-duskaram – It’s more difficult to control the mind than controlling the wind. Krsna was sympathetic not only to Arjuna, but he is sympathetic to all of us. It was not just Arjun’s mind which was difficult to control. Isn’t that everyones mind? Because it is the mind! The mind is the mind. It is common in all of us. It is one of the elements of this world or what this body is made up of. It’s a subtle element. This is a dhatu.

bhūmir āpo ’nalo vāyuḥ
khaṁ mano buddhir eva ca
ahaṅkāra itīyaṁ me
bhinnā prakṛtir aṣṭadhā (BG 7.4)

Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence and false ego – all together these eight constitute My separated material energies.

So it’s one of the prakritis. bhinna is separated from the Lord. All minds are created by the same creator. There is no such thing as an American mind, Indian mind or Noida mind. The mind is the mind. There may be some difference of flavours, culture according to different countries, but basically it’s a mind, which is cancala in nature. So Krsna’s stronger recommendation was:

asamsayam maha-baho
mano durnigraham calam
abhyasena tu kaunteya
vairagyena ca grhyate ( BG. 6.35)

Lord Sri Krsna said: O mighty-armed son of Kunti, it is undoubtedly very difficult to curb the restless mind, but it is possible by suitable practice and by detachment.

That’s what Bhaktimarga Maharaja also said. Krsna said and Maharaja repeated it – keep trying and practicing. Someone asked Prabhupada how to control the mind? He said. ‘Just don’t listen to the mind.’ So don’t listen to the mind , listen to the holy name, hear the holy name. Don’t hear the mind.

yato yato niscalati
manas cancalam asthiram
tatas tato niyamyaitad
atmany eva vasam nayet ( BG. 6.26)

From wherever the mind wanders due to its flickering and unsteady nature, one must certainly withdraw it and bring it back under the control of the Self.

This advice Krsna gave in Bhagavat-Gita. The sixth chapter of Bhagavad-Gita is useful if you wish to be japa yogis or bhakti-yogis. Krsna has shared the knowledge with all of us. In order to control the mind or concentrate the mind on Krsna, the Lord has given the tips. He has also has described the nature of the mind.

uddhared atmanatmanam
natmanam avasadayet
atmaiva hy atmano bandhur
atmaiva ripur atmanaḥ (BG. 6.5)

One must deliver himself with the help of his mind, and not degrade himself. The mind is the friend of the conditioned soul, and his enemy as well.

Mind could be your friend or could be your enemy. The first thing that Krsna said in this statement is uddhared atmanatmanam You have to lift yourself. Uddhared – liberation. atmanatmanam – here two atmas are mentioned. One atma is mind and another atma is intelligence. With the help of the intelligence which is part of the our selves we lift the mind. Intelligence lifts the mind.

indriyani parany ahur
indriyebhyah param manah
manasas tu para buddhir
yo buddheh paratas tu sah (BG. 3.42)

The working senses are superior to dull matter; mind is higher than the senses; intelligence is still higher than the mind; and he [the soul] is even higher than the intelligence.

Intelligence is superior to the mind. So with the help of intelligence we have to lift the mind, liberate our minds. The mind is thinking, feeling and willing. So with intelligence we have to get rid of nonsense thoughts. Some thoughts are nonsensical. With the help of intelligence we have to throw out those mayavi, illusory, temporary thoughts and plans for purification of the senses. When the mind goes to the objects of the senses, Krsna says uddhared atmanatmanam. You have to lift your mind. atmaiva hy atmano bandhur so the mind, atmaiva – atma eva, atmano bandhur’ means the mind is certainly a friend of the soul. The mind could be friend of the soul or the mind could be also ripu – enemy. We have to change, transform the mind. We have to make an enemical mind friendly. Friend in need is friend indeed. We need Krsna. The mind could help us to think of Krsna then that mind is a friend. So wherever mind goes …

yato yato niscalati
manas cancalam asthiram
tatas tato niyamyaitad
atmany eva vasam nayet ( BG. 6.26)

… from there you drag the mind back. atmani eva vasham nayet. Atmani means the self. Fix it on the supreme self. This is a practice.

abhyasena tu kaunteya
vairagyena ca grhyate ( BG. 6.35)

Developing vairagya,disinterest, detachment or becoming udas Not interested. Arouse that disinterest. Understand this or that is not useful to me.

na ca sreyo ‘nupasyami
hatva sva-janam ahave
na kankṣe vijayam krsna
na ca rajyam sukhani ca (BG. 1.31)

Arjuna said that killing his own people will not give him happiness. There is sreyas and preyas. We have to be fixed on sreyas or long term. What is good for me in the long term. What is just a short term or temporary. With the help of intelligence we have to understand what is sreyas and preyas. Accordingly sort this out.

I was saying earlier, don’t listen to Maya , don’t listen to the mind, listen to Krsna. Hear and think of Krsna. So while chanting

HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA
KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE
HARE RAM HARE RAM
RAM RAM HARE HARE

Hear and think of Krsna . Just think of one thing that is KRSNA. Don’t mix. Hear attentively. Chant attentively. Attentive chanting is difficult, but we have to practice, so keep trying. That’s why we have the opportunity of chanting. We have a morning meeting. Chant . Some failure today, but don’t give up. Failure is the stepping stone of success. We learn lessons from how and why we failed today. Rectify. Improve in a proactive manner and learn lessons from failures. Try for attentive successful chanting. Krsna wants us to be successful. His Divine Grace wants us to be successful. Our acaryas want us to be successful. Our spiritual master wants us to be successful. They are behind us, with us.They are our well wishers, friends and philosophers. They are our guides. The Lord’s representatives are like that. We have every hope. So don’t give it up. “Stop not till the goal is reached”. Goloka is our goal. Going back home, residing with Krsna in our home. We take one step and Krsna takes 100 steps, 1000 steps towards us. Everyday we are getting closer, but endeavour has to be there, abhyas has to be there. With that message I will stop here.
We have big day in ISKCON Noida today. I have to give Bhagavatam class. Then Bhaktimarga Maharaja’s drama is there entitled “ Queen’s Secret”. In the evening we have Greater Noida relocation. So we stop now.

Hare Krishna!.