Tapasa brahmacaryena samena
(Excerpts from Prabhupada's Lecture)
Srimad Bhagavatam 6:2:9-12 (July 24, 1971, New York)
...This is animal life. Just try to understand. The regulations, lawbooks, restrictions, they are meant for human being, not for animals. And if you want freedom from all restrictions, then you come to the animal life.
Therefore Sukadeva Gosvami recommends first tapasa. If you want to stop the problems of life, then you have to accept the life of austerity, tapasa. And what is the tapasa? That is also... Brahmacaryena. Brahmacaryena.
Brahmacaryena means restricted sex life. Real meaning is no sex life, no sex, celibacy, completely. This is tapasya. Therefore, according to Vedic culture, the first beginning of life is brahmacari. (Splice) But in the brahmacari life there is no sex life.
...People are not taught how to execute tapasya life, tapasvi life. Simply by criticizing will not do. Practically you have to be trained in the life of tapasya. Then it will be effective. Just like we are doing. Here, in our Krsna Consciousness Movement, in every center, everyone, at least who are living within this temple, must get up at four o'clock to perform the aratrika. This morning I was asking somebody that if you cannot rise, then you cannot live in this temple. Because this temple is meant for tapasya, not for extravagancy. Unless you follow the life of tapasya, you cannot make progress. So this temple, we are inviting everyone to live here, to live with us, and practice tapasya. Then your life will be advanced. Then you'll understand what is your constitutional position, what is God, or Krsna. What is your relationship with Him, what is the aim of life, how to
execute it, how to make life successful.
...Because human life is meant for knowledge. The animal life, they're not required to take education. They are simply busy with how, with the business, how to eat, how sleep, how to mate and how to defend. That's all.
So the tapasya life begins from celibacy, brahmacaryena. Sukadeva Gosvami recommends. Brahmacarya is described in the sastras that smaranam kirtanam keli preksanam guhyam asanam. Sex life, smaranam, thinking of sex life, that is against brahmacarya. Complete celibacy means one should not think of even sex life. Smaranam. Or talk of sex life. Our modern literature, newspaper and everything, simply full with talks of sex life. But this is against brahmacarya life. Smaranam kirtanam keli. And actually indulging in sex life. Preksanam. Looking, overlooking a nice boy or nice girl. That is also against brahmacarya. Guhyam asanam. Whispering between girls and boys. That is also against brahmacari. Guhyam asanam sankalpa. Then determination of sex life.
...Advyavasaya. Endeavoring how to effect sex life. So when we can stop all these activities, that is real brahmacarya. It is very difficult at the present age. Etad maithunam asthangam pravadanti manisinah vikarita
brahmacaryam eda astanam laksanam iti. So brahmacarya means that you cannot think of sex life, you cannot talk of sex life, you cannot whisper about sex life, or you cannot endeavor for sex life. These eight types of activities in sex indulgence are against brahmacary life. But here it is prescribed that if you want to make solution of the problems of life, then you adopt, you have to adopt a life of tapasya, austerity, which begins from brahmacari. To summarize this brahmacarya life in this age, we have given a simple formula that no illicit sex.
...There are eight types of different regulation to stop sex life. But these things are very difficult in this age. Therefore we have simply summarized that don't have sex life beyond the married life. That is not good. Then how brahmacarya can be executed? That is also given here: tapasa brahmacaryena samena. Samena means controlling the mind. The yoga system, astanga yoga system practicing the asana, sitting posture, breathing exercise, controlling the senses from outside engagement, pratyahara, these are, this yoga system is meant for controlling the mind and controlling the
sense. If there is no control of mind and no control of senses, the so-called yoga practice is bogus. It has no meaning. Yoga indriya samyama. Yoga means to control the senses. That is the real meaning of yoga. So if one is unable to control the senses... I have seen in some yoga practice institution in New York. They are practicing some, this asana, and just after finishing, immediately smoking.
...Yoga system means to control the senses, control the mind, and control the mind means you have to control so many things, your eating, your sleeping, your behaving
...Sama dama, controlling the mind, controlling the senses. Because nobody can properly practice the astanga yoga system, impossible. It is not only impossible now. Even five thousand years ago, when Krsna was advising about this astanga yoga to Arjuna. Arjuna was not ordinary man. He was friend of Krsna. He was a great son of a royal family. And Arjuna's name and fame, everyone knows. So he said to Krsna: "My dear Krsna, this yoga practice is not possible to be performed by me. I am unable." So Arjuna said frankly that he was unable to practice this yoga system. And what we are, in comparison to Arjuna? So this astanga yoga system is not possible at all in this age. If you are satisfied by learning some sitting posture, artificially, that may give you some chance of good exercise of the body. You can keep good health. But there is no chance of spiritual realization by astanga yoga practice in this age. So Sukadeva Gosvami says samena. Sama means manasa niyaman, controlling the mind.
...The mind's business is acception, acceptance and rejection. This is mind's business. Even one is very elevated, the mind's business is mind's business. Mind will accept something: "It is very good", and next moment it will reject. That is mind's business. But you have to fix up your mind in something which you cannot reject. That is only the lotus feet of Krsna. If you fix up your mind on the lotus feet of Krsna, then your mind cannot go elsewhere. You practice it and you'll see it. Sa vai manah krsna padaravindayoh. Therefore Ambarisa Maharaja fixed up his mind always... Our Krsna consciousness Movement we are teaching our students, how to fix up
the mind always in Krsna. Some way or other. That is the first-class yoga system. And Krsna also advises. (Splice) ...feet, and pray, bhajate. "Krsna, I am Your eternal servant. Kindly again engage me in Your service.
Somehow or other, without being engaged in Your service, I have been dragged to the service of maya.
...I am rendering service. Because I am eternal servant, therefore my serving process is going on. But where it is going on? I am serving my lust, I am serving my anger, I am serving my greediness. So that means, in one word, I am serving my sense gratification. So kindly help me. Instead of serving my sense gratification, let me serve Your sense gratification." That is yoga. That is first-class yoga. Pray always, fix up your mind in Krsna's lotus feet, and pray that "I am eternal servant. Now I'm engaged in the service of my sense gratification, and You please help me. I have come to my senses, to engaged my in Your sense gratification." The business is there, sense gratificatino. But Krsna consciousness means instead of satisfying one's own senses, one should be ready to satisfy the senses of Krsna. That is Krsna consciousness. It is not very difficult. In the Caitanya Caritamrta this distinction has been clearly made, what is love and what is lust.
...Lust means satisfying to gratify one's personal senses. And, and love means trying to satisfy the senses of the lover. And who is the lover? Krsna. The Supreme Lover. So one, one is called prema, love. And the other is called lust. Although the process may appear to be the same. Krsna indriya trpti vancha dhare prema nama, atmendriya trpti vancha tare nama kama. Kama and prema, this is the difference. So in order to control your mind, in order to control your senses, if you simply divert your activities for Krsna, or you act in Krsna consciousness, then you become the perfect yogi. First-class, topmost yogi. There is no comparison of this yogi.
Yoginam api sarvesam mat gatam antaratmana, sraddhavan bhajate yo mam.
Krsna. Mam means Krsna. Sa me yuktatamo matah. He's the highest, topmost yogi. So this Krsna consciousness Movement is not any concocted idea of a bluffing movement. It is authoritative, based on Vedic authority, and Bhagavad-gita is there, Srimad Bhagavat is there, accepted by all the acaryas.
Srimad Bhagavatam 6:2:9-12 (July 24, 1971, New York)
...This is animal life. Just try to understand. The regulations, lawbooks, restrictions, they are meant for human being, not for animals. And if you want freedom from all restrictions, then you come to the animal life.
Therefore Sukadeva Gosvami recommends first tapasa. If you want to stop the problems of life, then you have to accept the life of austerity, tapasa. And what is the tapasa? That is also... Brahmacaryena. Brahmacaryena.
Brahmacaryena means restricted sex life. Real meaning is no sex life, no sex, celibacy, completely. This is tapasya. Therefore, according to Vedic culture, the first beginning of life is brahmacari. (Splice) But in the brahmacari life there is no sex life.
...People are not taught how to execute tapasya life, tapasvi life. Simply by criticizing will not do. Practically you have to be trained in the life of tapasya. Then it will be effective. Just like we are doing. Here, in our Krsna Consciousness Movement, in every center, everyone, at least who are living within this temple, must get up at four o'clock to perform the aratrika. This morning I was asking somebody that if you cannot rise, then you cannot live in this temple. Because this temple is meant for tapasya, not for extravagancy. Unless you follow the life of tapasya, you cannot make progress. So this temple, we are inviting everyone to live here, to live with us, and practice tapasya. Then your life will be advanced. Then you'll understand what is your constitutional position, what is God, or Krsna. What is your relationship with Him, what is the aim of life, how to
execute it, how to make life successful.
...Because human life is meant for knowledge. The animal life, they're not required to take education. They are simply busy with how, with the business, how to eat, how sleep, how to mate and how to defend. That's all.
So the tapasya life begins from celibacy, brahmacaryena. Sukadeva Gosvami recommends. Brahmacarya is described in the sastras that smaranam kirtanam keli preksanam guhyam asanam. Sex life, smaranam, thinking of sex life, that is against brahmacarya. Complete celibacy means one should not think of even sex life. Smaranam. Or talk of sex life. Our modern literature, newspaper and everything, simply full with talks of sex life. But this is against brahmacarya life. Smaranam kirtanam keli. And actually indulging in sex life. Preksanam. Looking, overlooking a nice boy or nice girl. That is also against brahmacarya. Guhyam asanam. Whispering between girls and boys. That is also against brahmacari. Guhyam asanam sankalpa. Then determination of sex life.
...Advyavasaya. Endeavoring how to effect sex life. So when we can stop all these activities, that is real brahmacarya. It is very difficult at the present age. Etad maithunam asthangam pravadanti manisinah vikarita
brahmacaryam eda astanam laksanam iti. So brahmacarya means that you cannot think of sex life, you cannot talk of sex life, you cannot whisper about sex life, or you cannot endeavor for sex life. These eight types of activities in sex indulgence are against brahmacary life. But here it is prescribed that if you want to make solution of the problems of life, then you adopt, you have to adopt a life of tapasya, austerity, which begins from brahmacari. To summarize this brahmacarya life in this age, we have given a simple formula that no illicit sex.
...There are eight types of different regulation to stop sex life. But these things are very difficult in this age. Therefore we have simply summarized that don't have sex life beyond the married life. That is not good. Then how brahmacarya can be executed? That is also given here: tapasa brahmacaryena samena. Samena means controlling the mind. The yoga system, astanga yoga system practicing the asana, sitting posture, breathing exercise, controlling the senses from outside engagement, pratyahara, these are, this yoga system is meant for controlling the mind and controlling the
sense. If there is no control of mind and no control of senses, the so-called yoga practice is bogus. It has no meaning. Yoga indriya samyama. Yoga means to control the senses. That is the real meaning of yoga. So if one is unable to control the senses... I have seen in some yoga practice institution in New York. They are practicing some, this asana, and just after finishing, immediately smoking.
...Yoga system means to control the senses, control the mind, and control the mind means you have to control so many things, your eating, your sleeping, your behaving
...Sama dama, controlling the mind, controlling the senses. Because nobody can properly practice the astanga yoga system, impossible. It is not only impossible now. Even five thousand years ago, when Krsna was advising about this astanga yoga to Arjuna. Arjuna was not ordinary man. He was friend of Krsna. He was a great son of a royal family. And Arjuna's name and fame, everyone knows. So he said to Krsna: "My dear Krsna, this yoga practice is not possible to be performed by me. I am unable." So Arjuna said frankly that he was unable to practice this yoga system. And what we are, in comparison to Arjuna? So this astanga yoga system is not possible at all in this age. If you are satisfied by learning some sitting posture, artificially, that may give you some chance of good exercise of the body. You can keep good health. But there is no chance of spiritual realization by astanga yoga practice in this age. So Sukadeva Gosvami says samena. Sama means manasa niyaman, controlling the mind.
...The mind's business is acception, acceptance and rejection. This is mind's business. Even one is very elevated, the mind's business is mind's business. Mind will accept something: "It is very good", and next moment it will reject. That is mind's business. But you have to fix up your mind in something which you cannot reject. That is only the lotus feet of Krsna. If you fix up your mind on the lotus feet of Krsna, then your mind cannot go elsewhere. You practice it and you'll see it. Sa vai manah krsna padaravindayoh. Therefore Ambarisa Maharaja fixed up his mind always... Our Krsna consciousness Movement we are teaching our students, how to fix up
the mind always in Krsna. Some way or other. That is the first-class yoga system. And Krsna also advises. (Splice) ...feet, and pray, bhajate. "Krsna, I am Your eternal servant. Kindly again engage me in Your service.
Somehow or other, without being engaged in Your service, I have been dragged to the service of maya.
...I am rendering service. Because I am eternal servant, therefore my serving process is going on. But where it is going on? I am serving my lust, I am serving my anger, I am serving my greediness. So that means, in one word, I am serving my sense gratification. So kindly help me. Instead of serving my sense gratification, let me serve Your sense gratification." That is yoga. That is first-class yoga. Pray always, fix up your mind in Krsna's lotus feet, and pray that "I am eternal servant. Now I'm engaged in the service of my sense gratification, and You please help me. I have come to my senses, to engaged my in Your sense gratification." The business is there, sense gratificatino. But Krsna consciousness means instead of satisfying one's own senses, one should be ready to satisfy the senses of Krsna. That is Krsna consciousness. It is not very difficult. In the Caitanya Caritamrta this distinction has been clearly made, what is love and what is lust.
...Lust means satisfying to gratify one's personal senses. And, and love means trying to satisfy the senses of the lover. And who is the lover? Krsna. The Supreme Lover. So one, one is called prema, love. And the other is called lust. Although the process may appear to be the same. Krsna indriya trpti vancha dhare prema nama, atmendriya trpti vancha tare nama kama. Kama and prema, this is the difference. So in order to control your mind, in order to control your senses, if you simply divert your activities for Krsna, or you act in Krsna consciousness, then you become the perfect yogi. First-class, topmost yogi. There is no comparison of this yogi.
Yoginam api sarvesam mat gatam antaratmana, sraddhavan bhajate yo mam.
Krsna. Mam means Krsna. Sa me yuktatamo matah. He's the highest, topmost yogi. So this Krsna consciousness Movement is not any concocted idea of a bluffing movement. It is authoritative, based on Vedic authority, and Bhagavad-gita is there, Srimad Bhagavat is there, accepted by all the acaryas.
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