Category:Teachings of Lord Kapila Chapter 09 - Purifying the Mind for Self-realization
Pages in category "Teachings of Lord Kapila Chapter 09 - Purifying the Mind for Self-realization"
The following 106 pages are in this category, out of 106 total.
A
- According to Vedic civilization, one has to cleanse himself externally three times daily - once in the morning, again at noon, and again in the evening
- Aham brahmasmi. I am not this material body, but spirit soul. And what are the characteristics of the jiva, the soul? First of all, he is animanam, very minute, infinitesimal
- Although one rises to the platform of Brahman, one again falls down to the material position if he neglects to worship the lotus feet of Krsna
- Ananda is experienced when we enter the spiritual planets, where Narayana, Krsna, is present. Paras tasmat tu bhavo 'nyo 'vyakto 'vyaktat sanatanah - BG 8.20
- As soon as we engage in devotional service, we immediately become freed from the influence of the gunas. Because we are not expert in approaching the Supreme Lord, we have to follow the principles of bhakti-yoga enunciated by the acaryas
- At no time can we be as great as Krsna, although we are the same qualitatively. No one is equal to God, and no one is greater than Him
B
- Brahma-samhita (5.1) also verifies this statement: isvarah paramah krsnah (Bs. 5.1). The word isvara means "controller," and the word parama means - supreme
- By severe austerity and penance one may elevate himself to the position of Brahman, but this is not the position of Para-brahman. Aruhya krcchrena param padam tatah - SB 10.2.32
- By this process (reading Srimad-Bhagavatam, and serving the person bhagavata) we can attain the stage of bhagavad-bhakti, but first we must get rid of all these anarthas, unwanted things
C
- Canakya Pandita has said: ayusah ksana eko 'pi na labhyah svarna-kotibhih. We may live for a hundred years, but not one moment of these hundred years can be returned, not even if we are prepared to pay millions of dollars
- Conditional life means that the mind is covered with dirty things, and this is our disease. When we are in the lower modes of tamo-guna and rajo-guna, these dirty things are very prominent
- Conditioned souls consider the body to be the self, and because of this the jivas identify themselves as American, Indian, brahmana, ksatriya, man, woman, elephant and so forth
F
- First of all, Brahma learned to control the universe; then he became qualified as Brahma. Although he was born Brahma, he still had to be educated
- For a few morsels of grass, the ass has to carry heavy loads all day, although not a single piece of clothing belongs to him. This is the way of the karmis
H
- Haridasa Thakura was chanting three hundred thousand holy names a day, but we have fixed the number at sixteen rounds. Nonetheless, we are so unfortunate and fallen that we cannot even perform them
- He (conditoned soul) is like an ass that belongs to a washerman who loads him down with heavy clothes
- How can this position be attained? We simply have to try to understand Krsna. Why does He come? What is His business? What is His form
- Human life is meant for purification. Unfortunately in this age people are not interested in Krsna, and they suffer through material existence one life after another after another
- Human life is meant to get rid of anarthas, unwanted things, but where is the university or college where this science of purification is taught? The only institution is this Krsna consciousness society
- Human life should be utilized only for chanting and reading Vedic literatures. The International Society for Krishna Consciousness is publishing many books so that people can utilize their time properly by reading them and make their lives successful
I
- If he (Brahma) was the first living being in the universe, who educated him? Krsna. Sri Krsna says in Bhagavad-gita (10.2), aham adir hi devanam: - I am the source of the demigods
- If one compares Narayana to the demigods, he simply reveals his lack of intelligence. It is also fashionable to speak of daridra-narayana, poor Narayana, claiming that the poor man in the street is Narayana. But what is this nonsense
- If one takes an animal aside and cuts its throat, the other animals will simply stand, look, and continue eating grass. They do not realize that the next time they may be slaughtered. The people in Kali-yuga are in the same situation
- If someone claims to be God, he has to prove that no one is equal to him and that no one is greater. If he can do this, he is God. This is a very simple definition
- If we don't take advantage of these literatures, all our education is for nothing
- If we simply fly in the sky, we can't have ananda. We have to descend to an airport at some time or another. If we simply rise to the Brahman effulgence, we do not experience ananda
- In Calcutta I have seen people taking pleasure in cutting the throats of chickens and laughing when the chicken jumps and flaps about. Sometimes in Western countries students are taken to slaughterhouses just to see how the cows are butchered
- In conditional life, we take birth, remain for some time, and enjoy or suffer. But really there is no question of enjoyment. There is only suffering
- In Kali-yuga people have lost all their stamina. They are so sinful that there is no question of becoming pious through all these prescribed methods. The only means is hearing about Krsna and chanting His names
- In one life they may be very opulent. Then they don't care about the next life. They think, "Let me eat, drink and be merry." This is going on all over the world, but the sastras say that people are making mistakes in this way
- In the paravyoma, the spiritual sky, there are many spiritual planets, called Vaikunthalokas. There are millions of these gigantic planets, and unless we take shelter of one of them, we will fall down again into the material atmosphere
- In this age, people take pleasure in committing all kinds of sins. They have no brains to see that this body is temporary and full of suffering. They are completely in the mode of darkness, just like the animals they slaughter
- In this Krsna consciousness movement, we have certain rules and regulations. We must rise early in the morning for mangala-arati, chant sixteen rounds of Hare Krsna daily, and execute all the functions of bhakti-yoga
- In this way (addressing one another as Narayana) we are overcrowded with Narayanas here and there. But how can everyone become Narayana
- In this way we undergo the tribulations of birth, old age, disease and death. The dogs and cats cannot understand this process, but we can understand it in human life through the Vedic literatures
- It is not necessary to give money or bathe in the Ganges. There are many pious activities and many processes recommended in the sastras for becoming pious
- It is not sufficient to rise to the platform of Brahman. Brahman is sat (being), and a partial realization of the Absolute Truth
- It is said that God is great, but we do not actually realize how great God is. He is so great that millions of universes are emanating from the pores of His body
- It is stated in the puranas that the individual soul is one ten-thousandth part of the tip of a hair. If we could somehow divide the tip of a hair into ten thousand parts, we might begin to understand how the soul is invisible
- It is stated in the sastras that Brahma, the greatest living being within this universe, is also meditating in order to learn how to control. Tene brahma hrda ya adi-kavaye - SB 1.1.1
- It is very fashionable nowadays to claim to have become Narayana, God. The Mayavadis address one another as Narayana, and thus everyone supposedly becomes Narayana
K
- Kama means "lusty desire," and lobha means "greed." people cannot have enough sex or money, and because of this, their hearts are filled with contaminations, which have to be cleansed by hearing, repeating and chanting
- Karma means regulated work, and vikarma means just the opposite - unlawful, forbidden activities. The word akarma means that one is not affected by the results of work
- Krsna has given us ears to hear and a tongue to speak. We can hear from a realized soul and thus perfect our lives. In this way we are given a chance to purify ourselves. Unless we are purified, we cannot become devotees
- Krsna is within everyone's heart. The individual soul is part and parcel of Krsna, and Krsna wants the individual soul to turn to Him
- Krsna is within the heart, and the contaminations are also there, but Krsna will help us cleanse them
N
- Narayana is Laksmipati, the husband and controller of the goddess of fortune. How, then, can He be daridra? This is all due to misunderstanding
- Narayana is the exalted Supreme Personality of Godhead. Even Sankaracarya says: narayanah paro 'vyaktat. Narayana is beyond this universe. Avyaktad anda-sambhavah: the entire universe is a product of this avyakta
- Nasta-prayesv abhadresu nityam bhagavata-sevaya (SB 1.2.18). We must regularly hear Srimad-Bhagavatam and chant Hare Krsna; these are the two processes recommended by Caitanya Mahaprabhu
- Not only should we read Srimad-Bhagavatam, but we should also serve the person bhagavata, one whose life is nothing but Srimad-Bhagavatam. Nityam bhagavata-sevaya - SB 1.2.18
- Nunam pramattah kurute vikarmah (SB 5.5.4): people have become mad with sense gratification, and therefore they engage in all sorts of forbidden things
O
- One has to raise himself to the mode of sattva (goodness) by the process of sankirtana and sravana. One has to hear krsna-katha
- One may rise to the Brahma effulgence, but because there is no shelter there one will return to the material atmosphere. One may go to Brahmaloka, the highest planet in the material sky, but one's position there is temporary
- Our mind is our friend, and our mind is our enemy. If it is cleansed, it is a friend, and if it is dirty, we contact material diseases. If we keep ourselves clean, pure, we will not be contaminated
- Outside the pot there is sky, and within the pot there is sky. The separation is only due to the wall of the pot. When the pot is broken, the inside and outside become one. However, this example does not properly apply to the soul
P
- People actually waste their time talking politics, sociology, anthropology, and so on. They read many literatures that do not glorify the Supreme Lord Hari, and thus they waste their time
- People are thinking, "I belong to this family, this nation, this community. I have this duty or that duty," and so on. People do not know that these are all false designations
- People simply act unlawfully, not considering the results of their actions. They act for sense gratification, and actually they take pleasure in committing sins
- Presently everyone is laboring under this delusion, but in order to understand our spiritual identity, we must find the proper guru
- Presently we are wasting our time thinking, "This is my country. This is my nation. This is my body and my family," and so on. Nityam bhagavata-sevaya
S
- Self-realization means knowing our identity as small particles. The small particle of spirit soul is within every one of us, but it is not possible to see with material eyes
- Self-realization means seeing one's proper identity as the infinitesimal jiva. At the present moment, we are seeing the body, but this is not our proper identity. We have no vision of the real person occupying the body
- Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu enjoins, jivera 'svarupa' haya-krsnera 'nitya-dasa': our actual position is that of eternal servants of Krsna. We are mistakenly thinking that we are servants of a family or nation, but this is due to ignorance, tamo-guna
- Such urchins do whatever they like, for their fathers and mothers do not care for them. Life in ignorance, tamo-guna, is such a careless life
T
- The bhakti-yoga process is the process of purification whereby we can become free from kama and lobha, lust and greed, and the influence of the lower gunas, tamo-guna and rajo-guna, ignorance and passion
- The first lesson we receive from BG (2.13) informs us that the body and the owner of the body are different. When we can understand that we are not the body, that is the beginning of self-realization, and that is called the brahma-bhuta (SB 4.30.20) stage
- The Krsna consciousness movement is trying to give these rascals a little sense. We are saying, - Don't remain animals. Become human beings
- The mind is the cause of bondage, and the mind is the cause of liberation. When it is dirty, it brings about bondage
- The original demigods are Brahma, Visnu and Siva. Lord Krsna is Visnu, but He is the instructor of Brahma and Siva. Therefore it is said that Lord Krsna is the source of all the demigods
- The purpose of this Krsna consciousness movement is to teach people how to understand Krsna. If one is fortunate in understanding Him, one's life is successful. As long as we have lusty desires and greed, we cannot come to this understanding
- The sastras warn that if one thinks that the demigods are equal to Narayana, one is a pasandi, an atheist. We should not think that because we have become liberated, we have attained the position of Narayana
- The Soul cannot be cut in pieces or segmented. This means that the soul is eternally, perpetually minute. We are the eternal parts and parcels of Sri Krsna
- The spark is also fire, but if it falls from the original flame, it will go out. One should not think that because he is qualitatively one with God, he is God. the supreme controller
- The Vedic literatures - the Vedanta, Upanisads, Ramayana, Mahabharata and many others - should be utilized if we wish to become free from the contamination of tamo-guna and rajo-guna. The whole world is revolving due to kama and lobha
- The word sanatana means "eternal," and the word amsa means "particles." God, Krsna, is very great. No one is equal to Him or greater than Him
- There are small controllers and larger controllers. If we go to Brahma, we see that he is controlling the entire universe, but he is not the supreme controller
- There are small microbes and insects we can barely see, but they have an anatomy consisting of many working parts. Within a small insect there is also the spirit soul, and that spirit soul also exists within the elephant and other big animals
- There is no instrument existing in the material universe by which one can actually see the soul. Because of our inability to perceive the soul, we say it is nirakara, formless
- They (karmis) may become big multimillionaires, but they are just like asses, working hard day and night. Regardless of how much money they may have, their stomachs can only hold so much
- They (karmis) require only six feet of space to sleep. Nonetheless, these big karmis are thinking themselves very important. They think, - Without me, all the members of my nation will die. Let me work day and night to the point of death
- They (people in the mode of passion and ignorance) do not care for the sastric injunctions, and they are totally irresponsible. They are just like street boys who have no education and do not care for anything
- Thinking in these bodily terms, people consider their wives and children to be theirs and the land of their birth to be worshipable. Thinking thus, people are willing to fight and die for their country
- This Krsna consciousness movement is giving everyone a chance to become pious. Punya-sravana-kirtanah - SB 1.2.17
- This universe (jagat) is situated on the strength of one part of Krsna's yogic powers. In this way we must understand the greatness of God and our own identity as minute particles
- Those who strictly follow the brahminical rules and regulations follow this process. Cleanliness is next to godliness
W
- We are actually after ananda. Sac-cid-ananda: cit means "knowledge," and that is also partial. We must add ananda (bliss) in order to have complete realization
- We are also jyoti, effulgent, like God, but God is brahma-jyoti, all-pervading and infinite. According to the Mayavada theory, we are the same as that brahma-jyotir. Mayavadis give the example of a pot and the sky
- We become attached to rendering service to Krsna, and we become practiced in this science. When we attain this stage, we immediately become self-realized
- We can attain the platform of sattva-guna by following the instructions given in Bhagavad-gita. Hearing krsna-katha, topics about Krsna, clears all the dirty things from the mind. Also, if we chant and dance, these dirty things will be wiped away
- We can vanquish all these false conceptions when we come to the platform of sattva-guna. Then we will not be disturbed by tamo-guna or rajo-guna, nor by kama or lobha (lust and greed). This is the vasudeva platform. Om namo bhagavate vasudevaya
- We cannot add a moment, nor can we get a moment back. If time is money, we should just consider how much money we have lost. However, time is even more precious because it cannot be regained. Therefore not a single moment should be lost
- We cannot even calculate its dimension (akara). Although we cannot calculate it, it is there nonetheless. The living entity has full form
- We have to enter the eternal planets and associate with the Supreme Personality of Godhead in order to be happy. If we do not attain this position, we will return to the material world
- We should not compare Narayana to anyone, what to speak of the poor man in the street (daridra). This is all foolishness
- We should not foolishly claim that we are as great as the Supreme God. We should understand that we are like sparks of the original fire
- We should not waste our time reading and talking nonsense, but should engage in the study of Srimad-Bhagavatam. Our time is very valuable, and we should not waste it
- We small living entities are controllers to a degree. We can control, at times, our family members, wives, children and so forth. Or we can control our office, factory, country or whatever
- When a boy goes to school, he has to follow the rules & regulations, but after a while he becomes accustomed to them and does not have to be taught. In other words, he learns automatically to come to school at a certain time, take his seat & study nicely
- When one forgets his relationship with Krsna, he acts in a very foolish way, and maya gives him one misery after another
- When people are in the modes of passion and ignorance, they perform vikarma. They do not care for their future lives, and they are habituated to eating anything and everything, just like hogs
- When we actually realize our identity as Brahman, our life becomes successful. Presently we are identifying with the body, but as long as we do so, we are no better than cats and dogs, although we may have a considerable amount of scientific knowledge
- When we die, we have to give up the body & then take on another body. We immediately enter the womb of another mother, stay for nine months or so, and then come out. Then a new chapter of life begins. This is conditioned life, & it goes on again & again