Sankarshan Das Adhikari:

ataḥ kāyam imaṁ vidvān

avidyā-kāma-karmabhiḥ

ārabdha iti naivāsmin

pratibuddho ’nuṣajjate

ataḥ — therefore; kāyam — body; imam — this; vidvān — he who has knowledge; avidyā — by nescience; kāma — desires; karmabhiḥ — and by activities; ārabdhaḥ — created; iti — thus; na — never; eva — certainly; asmin — to this body; pratibuddhaḥ — one who knows; anuṣajjate — becomes addicted.

Translation and Purport by His Divine Grace, Srila Prabhupada.

Those who are in full knowledge of the bodily conception of life, who know that this body is composed of nescience, desires and activities resulting from illusion, do not become addicted to the body.

Purport.

As stated in a previous verse, those with good intellect (sudhiyaḥ) do not accept themselves to be the body. Being a creation of nescience, the body has two types of activities. In the bodily conception, when we think that sense gratification will help us, we are in illusion. Another kind of illusion is to think that one will become happy by trying to satisfy the desires that arise from the illusory body or by attaining elevation to the higher planetary systems or by performing various types of Vedic rituals. This is all illusion. Similarly, material activities performed for political emancipation and social and humanitarian activities performed with an idea that people of the world will be happy are also illusory because the basic principle is the bodily conception, which is illusory. Whatever we desire or perform under the bodily conception is all illusion. In other words, Lord Viṣṇu informed Pṛthu Mahārāja that although the sacrificial performances set an example for ordinary people, there was no need for such sacrificial performances as far as his personal self was concerned. As confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (2.45): 

traiguṇya-viṣayā vedā nistraiguṇyo bhavārjuna nirdvandvo nitya-sattva-stho niryoga-kṣema ātmavān

“The Vedas mainly deal with the subject of the three modes of material nature. Rise above these modes, O Arjuna. Be transcendental to all of them. Be free from all dualities and from all anxieties for gain and safety, and be established in the self.” The ritualistic performances recommended in the Vedas mainly depend on the three modes of material nature. Consequently Arjuna was advised to transcend the Vedic activities. The activities Arjuna was advised to perform were the transcendental activities of devotional service.

vande ham sri-guroh sri-yuta-pada-kamalam sri-gurun vaishnavams ca

sri-rupam sagrajatam saha-gana-raghunathanvitam tam sa jivam

sadvaitam savadhutam parijana-sahitam krishna-caitanya-devam

sri-radha-krishna-padan saha-gana-lalita- sri-visakhanvitams ca

nama om vishnu-padaya krishna-preshthaya bhu-tale

srimate bhaktivedanta-svamin iti namine

namas te sarasvate deve gaura-vani-pracarine

nirvisesha-sunyavadi-pascatya-desa-tarine

Those who are in full knowledge of the bodily conception of life, who know that this body is composed of nescience, desires and activities, is often an allusion to not become addicted to the body. Well, hopefully that's us. But unfortunately it's not us. We're still addicted to the bodily conception of happiness. So we have to rise beyond this bodily conception. Arjuna was also in the bodily conception. He was thinking, I am this body, how can I kill my kin? If I kill all my relatives, Who am I going to invite to the palace on the weekend? All my relatives are killed. So Arjuna understood his illusion. Therefore he said, 

kārpaṇya-doṣopahata-svabhāvaḥ pṛcchāmi tvāṁ dharma-sammūḍha-cetāḥ yac chreyaḥ syān niścitaṁ brūhi tan me śiṣyas te ’haṁ śādhi māṁ tvāṁ prapannam

Now I am confused about my duty. I have lost all composure to the miserly weakness. In this condition I ask you to tell me clearly what is best for me. Now I am a disciple, the soul should render to you, please instruct me." So beginning in the chapter 2, Krishna is putting aside the bodily conception. This is the whole point of this verse, we have to give up the bodily conception. So Krishna says, 

dehino ’smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā tathā dehāntara-prāptir dhīras tatra na muhyati

The embodied self continually passes in this body from boyhood to youth to old age. The self similarly passes in another body at the time of death, the self realized person is not immutable to such a change. So we have to kick out this bodily conception. There is so much rooted in it, the whole material world is based on it. Oh, I'm not a cute little boy but a cute little girl. One is immediately taught to identify with the body. I'm a boy, I'm a girl. How old are you? Oh, I'm 5 or I'm 10 or I'm 50. It's all the bodily conception. What's your nationality? I'm American, I'm Lithuanian, I'm Russian, I'm Ukrainian, I'm Indian, you know, all the bodies, the bodies, the bodies, the bodies. We have to kick out this bodily conception. It's the cause of all of our suffering. This body is destined to birth, death, old age and disease whether you like it or not. Your body gets born, it gets sick, it gets old and it dies again and again and again and again.

As long as we continue to base our happiness on this body we are cheating ourselves big time, big big time. You can't really enjoy the body, you might have some temporary sense of enjoyment but that's not permanent, it's a temporary titillation of the senses. Oh it feels so good. But you are getting old at every minute. You are going to the grave at every minute, going to the cremation ground closer by every second. So what is that so-called pleasure of the senses? So we have to understand  jīvera svarūpa haya nitya kṛṣṇa dāsa The constitutional position of living entity, the eternal servant of Krishna. When we actually come to this position, you actually become Krishna conscious. You are in a very good position. We have to become Krishna conscious, that is the whole point of having a spiritual master, that is the whole point of having the scriptures, that is the whole point of the Krishna conscious movement, is to train us how to become Krishna conscious and to kick out this bodily conception by replacing it. Now the Mayavadis they also kick out the bodily conception so in that sense they are good. In the negation part of the Mayavadis it is good. I am not this body but Mayavadis agree. But they don't know how to affirm the other side. I am Brahman. That's my actual identity. It's true, but what is the nature of Brahman? Now they don't understand. We are Brahman, we are spirit. But what is the nature of that spirit? They think it is the supreme spirit. You see that is the problem. They think they are the supreme spirit. I am God, you are God, we are all God. That is the big problem with the Mayavadis. The very conception that God has kicked out of the spiritual world, they are embracing that conception. I am God. So we have to affirm the other side, am the eternal servant of Krishna. That is our constitutional position. That is how we can actually become happy.

viṣayā vinivartante

nirāhārasya dehinaḥ

rasa-varjaṁ raso ’py asya

paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate

The embodied soul may be restricted to sense enjoyment, though the taste of sense objects remains, but ceasing such engagement by experiencing what? Can anybody .. guess it? Higher taste. By experiencing the higher states of the Krishna consciousness. So this taste, I am the disciple of my spiritual master and the devotee of Krishna, is a very high taste, very high taste. The ecstasy of having a loving relationship with the spiritual master is beyond any love of this material world. It is divine love. The loving feelings the disciples have with the spiritual master are not based on the body, they are not based on lust, anger, greed, madness, delusion or envy. They are based on love of God. So that is actually the attractive feature of Krishna consciousness. So we can feel loving affection for the spiritual master. Because that actually elevates us into transcendental dimension, beyond the cycle of birth and death. The loving affection of the spiritual master saves us from all the hell we are going through and through millions and millions of births. When you actually become a Krishna Consciousness, it is a very, very enviable position to be in. Just imagine if your best friend was the most powerful, the most wealthy, the most intelligent and the most cognizant person in all of existence. He was your best friend, he was with you at every minute, he could see everything that was happening, he was with you at every minute. Wouldn't that be a pretty good deal? Your best friend owns everything. He's the most powerful, the most wealthy, the most famous, the most everything and he's with you at every minute and he's arranging everything for your benefit at every minute. Wouldn't that be a good deal? You can never be in a difficult situation because he controls everything and he owns everything and he knows everything. So the only difficulty you ever have is When you cut yourself off from Him, you see. If you're back in touch with Him, you're sitting pretty. You've got no problems. You're in good shape. You see, they connect with it.

The difficulty is we're so foolish we cut ourselves off. Well, foolish I think he is. Actually, I'm the supreme. We cut ourselves off, you know how stupid we were? Cut ourselves off, put ourselves in so much difficulty being tossed in the three modes of material nature, being tossed in the waves of the material ocean, Up and down, around and around, in the karma chakra, being tossed this way and tossed that way. We are so stupid, can you imagine how idiotic we actually were? So it's time to become intelligent. Buddhi yoga means the yoga of the intelligence. Bhakti yoga is also buddhi yoga, the yoga of the intelligence. Those who are fools, they don't take up bhakti yoga. Those who are intelligent, those who have good brains, they take up bhakti yoga. It's not a religion for sentimental fools. It's a religion for the most highly intelligent person. It's not a religious sect. It is religion in its original pure form. Religion comes from the, means religio, to relink. It's like a ligament in your body, it connects. So religio, to reconnect. That's the actual meaning of religion, to reconnect with that Supreme Person as the source of your existence. It's not a question of which religion do you belong to. No, it's not saying a different religion. Religion is one, you become a pure lover of God, you call him Allah, Jehovah, Krishna. There is one supreme person as a source of all existence, he has unlimited name, but to actually be connected with him, now you are truly a religious person. You re-link, you reconnect them. So the modern day religionists are actually not religious, they are irreligious. They are pseudo-religious. They are not truly religious. They are religious, they belong to a messiah, a jain, a Christian, a Hindu. This is not religion. This is bodily consciousness once again.

So it's time to kick out all these pseudo religions from the mentality of the world population and bring back the .. why this book distribution is so important. Because the books contain this knowledge of the actual, what is actual religion. To reconnect with that Supreme Person as the source of all existence. So we simply take this Bhagavad Gita very seriously. Then our lives become limitlessly sublime.

na hi jṣānena sadṛśaṁ

pavitram iha vidyate

tat svayaṁ yoga-saṁsiddhaḥ

kālenātmani vindati

In this world there is nothing so sublime and pure as transcendental knowledge, as transcendental knowledge is the mature fruit of all mysticism. And he who becomes accomplished in the practice of devotional service relishes this knowledge within himself in due course of time. How would you like to be in that position? Relishing this knowledge within yourself in due course of time, the mature fruit of all mysticism. It doesn't matter where you would be. If you actually achieve the mature fruit of all mysticism, you are more powerful than a yogi sitting in the Himalayas doing all the mystic yoga exercises. You are more connected than he is. That's bhakti yoga. Why are we not tasting it? Well, we are stumbling, bumbling neophytes right now. That's our position. Stumbling, bumbling neophytes. So, what's the hope of being successful? Well, you just got to stay on the path. How do you take a thousand mile journey? One step at a time, isn't it? You give up, well, a thousand miles I can never do it, I give up. But you keep taking one step, another step, another step, you can achieve the goal in due course of time. So that's the key, every day, chant your rounds without fail. You see? Be respectful to the Vaishnavas. And to be disrespectful to the Vaishnavas is an offense against the holy name. Always be respectful to the Vaishnavas, don't be in an angry, argumentative mood with the devotees, that's a defense against the holy name. Always be in a cooperative, loving, respectful mood. Chant Hare krishna, give up illicit sex, meat eating, intoxication, gambling, and also includes fish and eggs. It's not just meat, fish and eggs also. And as far as sex goes, sex is only for procreation. Not that you're married and you can have sex as much as you want, have some fun in bed at night with your wife. No. Sex is only for procreation and the standard for procreation is what Prabhupad gave us, anything else is illicit. And once in a month, 4 to 6 days after the menstrual cycle. Why? Because that's when the wife is most likely to get pregnant. 4 to 6 days after the menstrual cycle, that's a lot. Husband and wive, both should chant atleast 50 rounds of japa. Any sex besides that is illicit. So if you follow that principle, no illicit sex can... And actually who wants to waste their semen? It takes many pounds of blood to make even one drop of semen. So people who pass semen, whether masturbating or having fun with their wives, they're foolish. They don't understand they're actually depleting themselves with so much energy that will go to the brain and nourish the brain for higher understanding, give one resistance against disease and a longer life span also. So the more you can withhold your semen the better off you are.

So no illicit sex, no intoxication, that includes marijuana and methadrine and so many other things. No intoxication. Also even caffeine, No caffeine, no caffeinated tea or no coffee. Caffeine is also a mild form of intoxication. No caffeine. And no gambling. That also includes mental speculation. That's a gamble. Going to Las Vegas and playing the casino, that's a gamble. But also to speculate, well I don't know what I'll just get, you see, that mental speculation is also gambling. Don't gamble with knowledge, you have to read these books, you don't have to gamble with knowledge. Well I think, I think, I think, you see. Not what I think, what do the authorities say? That's what the authorities say. If you don't know, you say, well I think, no, I don't know, so I'll check Prabhupad's books, I'll find out what Prabhupad said, then I can give you an answer. Right now I'm going to give you what I think is the way it is. No, I don't think. I use my intelligence to hear from that person who has the perfect knowledge.

This way we can actually transcend this material existence. We follow this pathway, chanting the 16 rounds, following the four regulative principles, taking shelter of the bountiful spiritual master. Sometimes people think, who should I accept as my guru? There are so many people who are getting so many gurus in ISKCON. How should I know which guru to take? Well, my advice is just hear from as many as you can and see who inspires you the most. Hear from as many as you can and see which one inspires you the most. That's one way to do that. That's one very practical thing. Whoever inspires you the most, .. Krishna. That's one way to approach it. So we take this process seriously, the fact that we are going to take the sweetest nectar. We have to kick out this bodily conception, the greatest stumbling block on the spiritual pathway. Keep this on the material pathway. Kick out the bodily conception. Bodily conception means I base my enjoyment on gratifying my senses, isn't it? On gratifying my senses. If you are not your body, then all you have to do is keep your body in good health. That's your service to Krishna, to keep your body in good health, so you can serve nicely. Your happiness is not based on gratifying your senses. Your happiness is based on satisfying your spiritual master and satisfying Krishna. That's your source of happiness. If anytime, given the example, When you water the root of the tree all the leaves and branches are nourished. If you water the leaves and branches separately and you don't water the root, the tree will die. So if you just try to gratify, you are like a leaf or a branch on Krishna. So you have to water the root, you have to give your loving service to Krishna. And you will focus on giving your loving service to Krishna in all times, all places and circumstances you will find yourself in a state of bliss 24 hours a day without any need of intoxication, gambling, illicit sex or meat eating.

Just always think, what can I think right now that will please Krishna? How can I speak right now that will please Krishna? How can I act right now that will please Krishna? You say, well, why do you ask about Krishna? Because Krishna is aware of everything you're thinking, everything you're saying, everything you're doing. He's fully cognizant. He's Sarva Gyan. He knows everything. And he's not played out because he has to pay attention to so many living entities. He can't really focus on you very much. No, Krishna has the ability to focus 100% on you. He can give you a complete undivided full attention. Everything you are doing, everything you are saying, He is fully aware of everything you are doing, everything you are saying, everything you are thinking.

So my dear listeners, do not cheat yourselves by trying to find happiness outside of Krishna consciousness because I guarantee you, you will not find even one teeny weeny tinge of happiness, genuine happiness outside of pure Krishna consciousness, pure bhakti. You will not find any, even, it's only on a pseudo happiness you will find and that pseudo happiness will cheat you into more and more suffering. So don't cheat yourself by giving in to pseudo happiness. Illicit sex, meat eating, intoxication, gambling or mental speculation. Don't cheat yourself by giving in to these things. With intelligence, follow the pathway of buddhi yoga and you get the intelligence by basing your thoughts, words and deeds on these wonderful teachings of the Bhagavad Gita. Krishna makes it very, very clear exactly how we should think, how we should find our happiness. What does he say in chapter 5?

yo ’ntaḥ-sukho ’ntar-ārāmas

tathāntar-jyotir eva yaḥ

sa yogī brahma-nirvāṇaṁ

brahma-bhūto ’dhigacchati

One whose happiness is within, who rejoices and is active within and whose aim is inward is actually the perfect mystic. He is already liberated in the Supreme and ultimately attains the Supreme.

So that my dear listeners, is where you have to find your happiness, within. That means in your relationship with Krishna. That's your actual happiness, your relationship with your spiritual master and your relationship with Krishna. That's within. So that's where you have to find your happiness. My relationship with my Guru and Krishna. That's where you find your happiness. If you rejoice and you're active in that plane, then you're actually the perfect mystic, Krishna says. The perfect mystic. What does perfect mystic mean? Absolutely totally fixed on the divine consciousness and the divine love. That's the perfect mystic. And you are already a liberated soul. Even while you're in this material world, even when you're working a job, even when you're working a job or out there on the commute on the freeway, on the not so free freeway, whatever your position, you see, if your aim is inward, you're a liberated soul in any condition. And the time of death, you wake up and go to sleep and wake up in the pastimes of Krishna. Wow! That would be a nice better than having a nightmare right? You know what I say, you'll wake up in a Goloka Vrindavan.

So my dear listeners, don't become confused and be bitter like Arjuna was in the beginning because of bodily consciousness. Kick out bodily consciousness. Someone said, what about my family? Try to understand my dear listeners, who is your actual family? I have to please my family members. They don't like me if I don't think Krishna consciousness. No, you have to understand who is your actual family member. Your actual family members are all living entities. Even the mosquito is your family member, you see. You have to understand who is your actual family member. And you should ask for the benefit of all family members by dedicating your life to follow Lord Caitanya's order. Yare dekho tare kaho krishna upadesa, amara agya guru hoiya tara ei desh. Whomever you meet, instruct him in the teachings of Krishna, and this way on my order you become a guru and you deliver the people of this country, wherever country you are in. You want to travel country to country, that's also good. Deliver the whole world. Whatever your position, wherever you are, you must be very active to give them Krishna consciousness. Every opportunity you must look at as the opportunity to live or deliver this poor living entity who is caught up in bodily consciousness. This is my opportunity to help them see there is something beyond this hellish material existence. So we have to be compassionate. What do we say every morning? I offer my respectful obeisance unto all the Vaishnava devotees of the Lord who are just like desire trees who can fulfill the desires of everyone and they are full of compassion for the fallen conditioned souls. What does that mean, full of compassion? Is it some theoretical thing? No. They want to get out there and give Krishna to everyone. They want to give Krishna to everyone. That's what it means, full of compassion. They want to liberate all these poor souls who are caught up in the cycle of birth and death. Now they can fulfill the desires of everyone. Well that means not their rascal material desires, their innermost desires, the genuine actual desire of every single living entity is to be reconnected with Krishna. Deep within, that's what everybody wants. Nobody wants to keep suffering in the cycle of birth and death. And only the pseudo-desire, they falsely identify with. But the real desire of every single living entity is to become reconnected in their eternal loving relationship with Lord Sri Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the source of all existence.

ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo

mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate

iti matvā bhajante māṁ

budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ

I am the source of all material and spiritual worlds. Everything emanates from me. The wise who perfectly know this engage in My devotional service and worship Me How? A little bit? No, it's all very much. So are we doing that? Are we neophytes doing it yet? No. That's why we're still suffering in so many ways, isn't it? We're not selling any of our hearts to Krishna. Well, a little for Krishna, a little for Maya, a little for Krishna, a little for Maya. The time for us to kick out this stupid, this asinine-ness of going 50-50 or maybe 90-10. 90-10% for Krishna, you see. 90% for Maya, 10%. It's time to, If I can't do it all at once, at least go 11% of Krishna, then 12% and 13%, just keep moving forward, advancing, so that someday I'll be 100%.

yaṁ śyāmasundaram acintya-guṇa-svarūpaṁ

I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who is Śyāmasundara, Kṛṣṇa Himself with inconceivable innumerable attributes, whom the pure devotees see in their heart of hearts with the eye of devotion tinged with the salve of love. That's where we want to come to. Prabhupada was talking and said, you can't see how Krishna is accepting the offering but I can see. I can see how He is accepting the offering. So such a liberated person can actually put the prasadam on the altar and see how Krishna is actually taking the prasadam. Prabhupada can do that. He says, You cannot see but I can see. So this is why we take shelter of Prabhupada. So here we are in all this maya. Trying to be Krishna conscious. We have a great founder Acharya, His Divine Grace, Om Vishnu-pada paramahamsa parivrajakacharya ashtottara-shata Shri Srimad A. C. Bhaktivedanta Tridandi Goswami Maharaja Prabhupad. So I [28.25 inaudible] has his direct contact. People are writing letters and get answers, be able to sit at his lotus feet, have him actually take a personal interest in us, see him take a personal interest for our welfare, even singling us out of the crowd of devotees to make sure we had gotten the mercy of him. We experienced such an amazing person. Even though he had thousands and thousands of disciples all over the world, but every disciple said he was the most important person in the whole world. That was an amazing quality of Prabhupad. He could make every devotee feel they were the most important, the most important of all the disciples. Because he gave that much mercy, I was just some crazy Bramachari. He would give that feeling that I was the most important person. He has amazing qualities. Even there was a policy, from now on only Temple presidents and Sanyasis can write letters. GBC, Temple presidents and Sanyasis, and that's it. The common devotee was cut off. No more letters of Prabhupada. The one brahmachari had this desperate need, so he wrote Prabhupada. He didn't put his name on the return address, hoping he would get through the security. And Prabhupada answered the letter. And he said, he informed us of a new policy, but he said, but if there's any urgent need, I'm always happy to hear from my disciples, no from my beloved disciples. Can you imagine the feeling one would have with such a spiritual minister? He's willing to give you an exemption to the temple, the movement wise policy. He gave that devotee an exemption to the policy.

And he knew he could write a letter again if he wanted to. Because if he had an urgent need, because that was the loving kindness of Prabhupada. Just for a rank and file person, he wasn't even qualified to be a Temple president or a G.B.C. Or anything. You know? Very unqualified brahmachari, Prabhupada gave so much loving affection. It was amazing to see such an amazing personality. So we have Prabhupada as our inspiration. Such a great personality, he tolerated all of our faults. He would correct them, but he didn't reject us because of our faults. He lovingly accepted us, appreciated whatever we were doing, and with his loving kindness. So those of us who have that association with the Prabhupada, we have to somehow try to represent him in the way we deal with our disciples and the devotees. We have to somehow be able to represent him in the way that he did, the amazing kindness that he had. So all of us now in this movement, we should learn from this loving kindness of Prabhupada and we should be very, very kind to all the suffering souls of this material world. It was his loving kindness that attracted so many people to join his movement. And the loving feelings they had for them were so attractive that many, many devotees said, wow, this kind of a love for a person, this is something mystical or transcendental. Let me also experience this. Let me also join this movement. So we have to, that feeling of love and attraction to Srila Prabhupada, we have to keep that going, keep it alive. So the whole world wants to take shelter of Prabhupad, wants to take his books as their very life and soul. Everybody wants to have a full set of Prabhupad's books in their home. Full set. Bhagavatam, Caitanya Charitamirta, Bhagavad Gita, Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Easy journey to other planets, etc., etc., etc. Science of self-realization. So now we have the opportunity to kick out the influence of Maya in our hearts. What are those influences? Lust, anger, greed, madness, illusion, envy. We have the opportunity to kick it out. Kick it out. Kick it out with boot. Mr. Lust, you are not welcome. Mr. Anger, get out. Mr. Greed, we don't need you. Kick it out and boom. These things are the enemy, the living entity.

Why should we welcome the enemy? Would you want to welcome an enemy into your house? What do you think, Kardama Muni? Would you like to welcome an enemy? Come on, enemy, come and live in my house. If you invite an enemy to live in your house, so your heart is your house. You can't let enemies into your house. Lust, anger, greed, madness, illusion, envy. Enemies get out. You are not welcome. I only want Krishna. I only want Prabhupada. I only want my spiritual master. I only want the devotees in my house. That's all. In the house of my heart, I only want Guru, Krishna and Vaishnava, nobody else. Nobody else in my heart. Everybody else can get out. If you want to come in my heart, you become a devotee. That's the condition. If You want to be in my heart? Become a devotee and then you are welcome. You want to remain an enemy of Krishna? You are not welcome in my heart. I will try to encourage you to come in, to change your mentality, but if you want to come in and be in my heart, you have to be a devotee of the Lord. The only one who is welcome in my heart is him.

So Krishna is there, he is giving us all good advice, all good mercy, all loving kindness at every minute. He is doing everything he can at every minute to try to induce us to come back to pure loving devotional service. But his three-three energy is also there to facilitate us, we want to forget Krishna. If you want to forget Krishna, he will give you the intelligence that you can forget him forever. That's what you want. If you want to stay forever in the material existence, never becoming back to your original position, Krishna will give you the intelligence to stay in the cycle of birth for all of eternity. That's what you want. Krishna wants you to have what you want. He don't want you to be a robot. He wants a person who is right of their own loving free will wants to come back and be engaged in His service. That's what He wants. He is not going to force you. But if you are intelligent, you see, if you have any brains at all, you will understand what a good deal it is to be Krishna conscious. What an idiotic thing it is to give in to sense gratification. But absolutely the most stupid thing you could ever do in millions of lifetimes is to give into your senses. Okay senses, I will give you what you want. It is time to be a little intelligent and realize that sense gratification has kept me entangled in the cycle of birth for millions and billions of lifetimes. What has it gotten me? Another damn rotting material body. So sense gratification, goodbye. Devotional service, come on in. I don't need sense gratification. Let it every minute be thinking how can I do what Krishna wants, how can I do what my spiritual master wants? Every minute we should be introspective in this way seeing everything from within. So let us no longer be carried away by the modes of material nature. Let us understand these great Acharyas, how they have come to save us.

yad yad ācarati śreṣṭhas

tat tad evetaro janaḥ

sa yat pramāṇaṁ kurute

lokas tad anuvartate

Whatever the great man does, the common people, whatever example he sets, whatever action the great man performs, the common man follows whatever standard he set by exemplary acts all the world pursues. So at least we can pursue it. The whole world doesn't do it, although we want to come to that point. Our goal by preaching is that the whole world pursue, follow Prabhupada's example. That's our goal. We want to see those words of Krishna come true. The whole world will pursue it. We want to see that will happen. At least if they don't do it, at least I'm going to do it. Whatever action the great man performs, the common man follows. Let me follow Prabhupad's example. Let me no longer be caught up in this foolish injury of savers and service to the majority of senses.

Let's see if we have any questions rolling in. Yeah? Not on the internet, but I'm about to mark, local devotees here. Any questions? Yeah?

Devotee: What does it mean to take gradual increases towards?

Sankarshan Das Adhikari: What does it mean, what?

Devotee: You were saying to like if we are not at 100% to go a little more so what does like a little more mean? Like what does it look like to do a little forward?

Sankarshan Das Adhikari: Whatever you are doing, do more. Whatever level you are at, increase it. Whatever you are, increase it. Whatever level you are at, say, let me move forward now, do a little better. If I can't be your pure devotee right now, let me do a little better than I have been doing. Let me try to improve in everything I'm doing. Whatever I'm coming out of my mouth, let me try to improve that. Whatever I'm thinking, whatever I'm doing, let me always try to improve it and do it in such a way that pleases Krishna. I make a lot of mistakes, no doubt. I make tons of mistakes. I say so many wrong things, I do so many wrong things, I think so many wrong things, but now let me try to do it a little better. Let me always try to say and speak in a better way, I don't.. always think in a better way and act in a better way. In that way you move forward. You are always trying to improve. Just like in baseball, they have a batting average, right?

Devotee: Yeah

Sankarshan Das Adhikari: And let me improve my batting average. I get more hits and more home runs. You have to always improve your batting average. So your Bhakti average you have to improve. 100% means you can see Krishna face to face. Now I am at 20%. I need to go to 21 and then 22. I always try to improve.

Now we have questions rolling in on the internet. Vishnurata Das, Srila Gurudev, why and till which point the mind and modes have tendency to mix with one another? Why because we want to enjoy, we have a desire to enjoy separately from Krishna, Vishnuratha. That's why the mind gets caught up in the mode, because of our tendency to try to enjoy separately from Krishna. But to what point? Well, when you realize that There is no happiness in sense gratification. Now I have to kick it out.

The doctor is giving you the cure. You are not cured yet, but he is giving you the medicine. You are supposed to take one pill in the morning and one pill in the evening. You follow the doctor's order and that way gradually you recover from the disease. So the doctor, Srila Prabhupada has come and he has given us what we have to do to get out of this mind caught up in the modes of material nature. Chant at least 16 mantras of the Hare Krishna mantra And how do you chant them? You just chant them mechanically? No, you have to chant it and give up the 10 offenses also. To not be respectful to the Vaishnava, to consider the names of the demigods or Lord Shiva to be the same as the name of Lord Krishna. There's so many offenses, we have to become pure in our chanting. We should not be inattentive in our chanting. So, you have to take these instructions that Prabhupada has given us and gradually, gradually, gradually, this mind caught up in the modes of nature will become, the mind will become liberated from the mode and the mind will become a liberated soul.

Srimati Gurumataji (Vishnu-priya Devi Dasi): What to do if the same mistakes go on and on and on and on and on and never get left behind?

Sankarshan Das Adhikari: Then you should take instruction, take the mercy of those who are guiding and instructing you in front of you.

Srimati Gurumataji: That usually doesn't work.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari: You have to pray to Krishna, my dear Lord, here I am stubbornly making the same mistakes again and again, year after year, decade after decade. Here I am making the same stupid mistake. My dear Krishna, please help me get out of this illusion and become actually thinking and acting properly. Ask Krishna for His help. Pray to one's guru for one's help.

Srimati Gurumataji: We pray to Krishna, we pray to Guru, but the attitude doesn't change.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari: We have to pray the attitude changes.

Srimati Gurumataji: How?

Sankarshan Das Adhikari: Beg Krishna, my dear Lord Krishna, please bless me my attitude changes.

Srimati Gurumataji: Is something mechanical?

Sankarshan Das Adhikari: My dear lord please not some mechanical thing but may it be from the heart. Not just on the lips, Krishna, please save me. No, from the heart. Let it be genuine from the heart.

Srimati Gurumataji: Correction.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari: The trash can?

Srimati Gurumataji: Correction.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari: Oh, Let me take the corrections very seriously with due respect.

Srimati Gurumataji: Today I did it, tomorrow I forgot it. Same mistake.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari: We have to come out of our foolishness and become intelligent.

Srimati Gurumataji: Is that, you can say, cheating or genuine?

Sankarshan Das Adhikari: If one continuing is a mistake, it means a cheating mentality. He still thinks he's the supreme. Who can correct me anyway? Don't they realize I'm God or I'm a great soul? It's a cheating mentality. One doesn't take the corrections very seriously and put them into practice. It's a cheating mentality.

Srimati Gurumataji: Same, same, continuously ..

Sankarshan Das Adhikari: Cheating mentality. Okay, now we have Sharada Devi Dasi.

Srimati Gurumataji: How can we get out of that?

Sankarshan Das Adhikari: As I already explained, we have to beg Krishna to help us and very sincerely. 

Sharada Devi Dasi. Why is it so difficult to perceive love of God within? 

All of us there naturally remain in a dormant state because it's very covered. It's become very, very covered, very, very, very deep. It's a treasure, a very treasure, a very deeply buried treasure. Bhakta Sunil.

Srimati Gurumataji: Yes, by faith, the cheating mentality goes away automatically.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari: Yeah, that would be great. That would be very nice if it goes away with Krishna's mercy. Bhakta Sunil, I don't know the extent to which I have overcome bodily conception. To whatever extent you taste the transcendental bliss of Krishna's Holy Name. Lila Smriti. Yes, we have been given the greatest opportunity by your grace ever to engage in Krishna consciousness. How do we make it our business to serve Him always more and more. So if you understand that's what you need to be doing, that's the first thing. And then you have to learn how to put your understanding into practice by trying again and again and again to put yourself back in the mentality.

yato yato niścalati

manaś cañcalam asthiram

tatas tato niyamyaitad

ātmany eva vaśaṁ nayet

From whatever and 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. So if one is being corrected and one continues to make the same mistake, that means that they're letting their mind wander, letting their mind go back into the modes of nature. You have to bring the mind away from the modes of nature and bring it back to the point again and again and again and again. No matter how many times the mind wanders away, you've got to keep bringing it back, bringing it back, bringing it back.

Srimati Gurumataji: We notice, but why it doesn't happen?

Sankarshan Das Adhikari: Because they're not bringing it back. They're letting it go crazy, letting it go wild. They're not bringing it back. Hare Krishna Das. How to always abide the mood of being a fool and at the same time acting intelligently in all dealings? The more you can understand you are a fool, the more you are intelligent. I am a big fool. The more you can understand you are a rascal and an idiot the more your intelligence is developing. It is like our great Acharya's prayer.

gopīnāth, mama nivedana śuno

viṣayī durjana, sadā kāma-rata,

kichu nāhi mora guṇa

My dear Lord Gopinath, I am a materialistic rascal, I am always full of lust, I have no good qualities. This is how the great Acharyas are praying. So what's our position? What's our position?

What will help one to perceive that even in the beginning? By hearing from advanced devotees. That's how you can get proper vision. You find those who are more advanced than you and take shelter of their association. Aditya Devadasi, I'm seeing so many thoughts within me, Should I want to see how to rectify it? Yes. Definitely when you see it, well, how can I rectify that thought? You see, we are eager to rectify it. But just by being sincere and silent, the arguments get destroyed. Well, that will happen, but you also need to be aware of what your anarthas are and consciously try to overcome the faults that you know that you have.

Anything else from our local devotees here? Guru Mataji, any more points? Narada Mani, any points? Are you convinced? Are you still doubtful? (No, am an convinced) Will you put it in practice now?

Srimati Gurumataji: If we go on making the same mistake, would you say that person is sincerely praying to Krishna?

Sankarshan Das Adhikari: No, they are not. They are praying. They may be praying, within their mind, they are praying to Krishna and to Maya also. Coming into Maya again and again. Back and forth like a windshield wiper. Krishna, Maya and Krishna. Not fixed in Krishna. Somebody who makes the same mistakes again and again, they're not fixed in Krishna consciousness. Their mind is going somewhere else.

Now we have, let's.. Now we have more coming in. Is a mistake for unexpected impure thoughts coming in the mind at the thinking level, which one nips in the bud in thinking. Is one at mistakes? Yeah, if you have impure thoughts coming into your brain, you are definitely at mistake, you are making mistakes. Anything besides Krishna consciousness is a mistake. Jagannath Bandhu. Is the false ego the last stage of self-realization, to overcome before we surrender to Krishna? The false ego. False ego means misidentification of matter. The symptoms of false ego are many, lust, anger, greed, madness, illusion and envy. These are the symptoms of false ego. So if you completely overcome false ego, false identification with matter, you have to also realize.. that overcome by total surrender to .. Yeah false identification of matter is overcome by total surrender to the Lord.

Anything else? Any other points Guru Mataji? The cheating mentality, if one continues making a mistake, definitely a cheating mentality. The way to overcome it is, how do you overcome a cheating mentality? By understanding you're cheating yourself by a cheating mentality, you're cheating oneself. Understanding I'm doing myself a great disservice by maintaining this cheating attitude in my service, I'm hurting myself. I realize he's hurting himself by doing that, and let me stop hurting myself. And I realize this person is correcting me, is actually blessing me. They're not cursing me, they're helping me. Let me take it with a sincere appreciation, all these corrections I'm getting and take it as a great blessing and actually do something about it so I can please, I can give pleasure to this person who has been correcting me. I can please them instead of angering them.

Anything else? If there is nothing else, we can stop here. Thank you everybody for tuning in.

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare