When Kṛṣṇa was present on this planet, nobody could control Kṛṣṇa, but He controlled everyone. Nobody could control Kṛṣṇa. So therefore the great saintly persons, even Brahmā, they have decided, that īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ: (Bs. 5.1) "The Supreme controller is Kṛṣṇa." He controls even Brahmā, ādi-kavaye. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is said, tene brahma hṛdā ādi-kavaye (SB 1.1.1). Tene, He instructed Brahmā śabda-brahma, Vedic knowledge, hṛdā, through heart. That is Hṛṣīkeśa. You can argue that "Brahmā was the first creature within this universe. So how he could be instructed by somebody else?" No. The somebody else is always there within the heart, Hṛṣīkeśa. Hṛṣīkeśa means controller. Sarvasya cāham... Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, sarvasya, in the fifteenth chapter, sarvasya ca ahaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭaḥ: "I am sitting in everyone's heart." Mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca: (BG 15.15) "From Me, one remembers and one forgets also." Forgets also. If you want to forget Kṛṣṇa, so Kṛṣṇa will give you such intelligence that you will forget Him forever.
Hrsikesa means
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
Now, Kṛṣṇa took the position of guru, and He began to instruct. Tam uvāca hṛṣīkeśaḥ. Hṛṣīkeśa..., Kṛṣṇa's another name is Hṛṣīkeśa. Hṛṣīkeśa means hṛṣīka īśa. Hṛṣīka means the senses, and īśa, the master. Therefore Kṛṣṇa is the master of our senses, everyone's senses. That will be explained in the Thirteenth Chapter, that kṣetra-jñaṁ cāpi māṁ viddhi sarva-kṣetreṣu bhārata (BG 13.3). In this body there are two living entities. One is myself, the individual soul, ātmā; and the other is Kṛṣṇa, Paramātmā. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe arjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). So actually the proprietor is Paramātmā. I am given the chance to use it, so my senses, so-called my senses, that is not my senses. I have not created my hand. The hand is created by God, or by Kṛṣṇa, through the agency of this material nature, and I am given the hand to use it for my purpose, for my eating, for my collecting. But actually it is not my hand. Otherwise, when this hand becomes paralyzed, I am claiming, "my hand"—I cannot use it because the power of the hand is withdrawn by the proprietor. Just like in a house, rented house, you are living. If the proprietor of the house, landlord, eject you, you cannot live there. You cannot use it. Similarly, we can use this body as long as the real proprietor of the body, Hṛṣīkeśa, allows me to stay here. Therefore Kṛṣṇa's name is Hṛṣīkeśa. And this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means that we have accepted the senses from Kṛṣṇa. It should be used for Kṛṣṇa. Instead of using it for Kṛṣṇa, we are using it for our sense gratification. This is our miserable condition of life. Just like you are living in a place for which you have to pay rent, but if you don't pay rent—you think that it is your property—then there is trouble. Similarly, Hṛṣīkeśa means the real proprietor is Kṛṣṇa. I have been given this property. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā.
So Bhīṣmadeva, in Rājasūya-yajña, admitted that "Nobody is better brahmacārī than Kṛṣṇa. He was within the gopīs, all young girls, but He remained a brahmacārī. If I would have been within the gopīs, I do not know what was, what would have been my condition." So therefore Kṛṣṇa is the perfect brahmacārī, Hṛṣīkeśa. And these rascals they are saying that Kṛṣṇa is immoral. No. Kṛṣṇa is perfect brahmacārī. Dhīra. Dhīra means one who is not agitated even there is cause of being agitated. So Kṛṣṇa is such a brahmacārī. In spite of in His just on the verge of youthhood at the age of 15, 16, years, all the village girls were friends, they were very much attracted with Kṛṣṇa's beauty. They used to come to Kṛṣṇa for dancing in the village. But He was brahmacārī. You will never hear that Kṛṣṇa had some illicit sex. No. There was no such thing description. The dancing is description, but no contraceptive pill. No. That is no described here. Therefore He is Hṛṣīkeśa. Hṛṣīkeśa means perfect brahmacārī. Vikāra-hetu, even there is cause of being agitated, He is not agitated. That is Kṛṣṇa. He has got thousands and thousands of devotees, and some of the devotees, if they want Kṛṣṇa as lover, Kṛṣṇa accepts that, but He does not require anyone else. He does not require. He is self-sufficient. He does not require anyone's help for His sense gratification. Therefore Kṛṣṇa is Hṛṣīkeśa, the master of the senses.
Now, simply to become free from the bodily conception of life is not... But that consciousness should be made purified, purified. Just like to, just to stop the symptoms of fever or decreasing the degree of fever is not all. Suppose a man is suffering from fever. Doctor gives him medicine. Now the fever decreases and he comes to normal temperature. That is not all. That diseased man must get up from that bed and engage himself in the healthy activities. Then that is the real cure of disease. Simply, therefore, to understand that "I am not this consciousness, I am not this body; I am pure consciousness," that will not cure. You must have to engage your consciousness in pure activities. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam, hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanam (CC Madhya 19.170). Hṛṣīkeśa. Hṛṣīkeśa is the name of the Supreme Lord. Hṛṣīka means the senses, this. And īśa means the Lord. So hṛṣīkeśa, combined together, this is called sandhi, combination. So Hṛṣīkeśa. Hṛṣīkeśa means the Supreme Lord. We should understand that our senses, these senses which we are using, this hand, this leg, this eye, the ear, this is all rented just as you have a rented car. This, this senses actually belongs to the Supreme Lord. Because He sees, therefore we can see.
So this is our material disease. And how we are trying to be master or enjoyer of this material world? By the senses, by the mind. Manaḥ ṣaṣṭhāni prakṛti-sthāni karṣati. Manaḥ.... Mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ (BG 15.7). "The living entities," Kṛṣṇa says, "they are My part and parcel." So instead of serving Kṛṣṇa, they are trying to utilizing, they are trying to utilize the material nature for their sense gratification. This is called struggle for existence. Prakṛti-sthāni karṣati. Karṣati means hard struggle. Manaḥ-ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi prakṛti-sthāni karṣati (BG 15.7). This is going on. And this karṣati means struggling for existence. Because you cannot be happy by this artificial way of life. This is artificial way of life.
Just like both of them have been described as prakṛti. Bhinnā me prakṛtir aṣṭadhā. And apareyam itas tu viddhi me prakṛtiṁ parām. The parā, it is prakṛti. Suppose there are two prakṛtis, two women. One has dressed an man and one has dressed as woman. But how they can enjoy? Because actually they are prakṛtis. Simply by changing the dress, there is no possibility of enjoyment. Prakṛti. Therefore it is simply mental concoction. Manaḥ-ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi prakṛti-sthāni karṣati (BG 15.7). This is going on.
Therefore those who are too much engrossed in the bodily concept of life, for them, this yoga system... Dhyāna, dhāraṇa, prāṇāyāma, āsana, ity ādi. Different methods. Yama-niyama. But that yoga process also requires saṁyama. Saṁyamāgni, it is said. Saṁyamāgniṣu juhvati. This yoga practice means you have to control the senses, saṁyamāgni, sacrifice. The spirit of enjoying spirit should be sacrificed tin the fire of saṁyama. That is required. Saṁyamāgniṣu juhvati śabdādīn indriyāgniṣu juhvati. By controlling the senses, indriyāgni...
This is also very significant. Indriyāgni. Indriyāgni, that is described in the Nārada-Pañcarātra, hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate (CC Madhya 19.170). Hṛṣīka means indriya, and hṛṣīkeśa means Kṛṣṇa. So when the indriyas, the senses will be engaged in the service of the master of the senses, that is indriyāgniṣu juhvati... You cannot control the senses simply by artificial means, by dhyāna, dhāraṇa, prāṇāyāma, yama-niyama, āsana, pratyāhāra. There are so many systems. Big, big yogis, they failed.
I have several times said, the marriage is sense gratification, sex life. But somebody may say... They say that "Marriage is legalized prostitution." It may be, but still, there is some control. Although it is called "legalized prostitution," there is no difference between prostitution and married life, but there is some control. People become responsible. By responsible life, they can make advance. Irresponsible life will not help. Therefore loke vyavāyāmiṣa-madya-sevā nityā hi jantoḥ. So our tendency for sense gratification is controlled. Therefore it is called license. Gṛhastha life means a license for sense gratification. But we must know that sense gratification means material life. It may be systematic or not systematic. Sense gratifications means material life. But our aim is to transcend this material life and come to the spiritual life, platform of spiritual life. That is required. So there are so many processes.
So that is being discussed by Kṛṣṇa. Here He is especially referring to the mystic yoga system, indriyāgniṣu juhvati, controlling the senses. So this controlling the senses... The simple method is that artificially if you want to practice yoga like Viśvāmitra Muni or Durvāsā Muni, very great... There are many big, big stories about these munis who were big, big yogis. This Durvāsā Muni traveled all over the universe and he went beyond the universe in the spiritual world. He saw Lord Viṣṇu personally. Still, he was defeated. There are many stories. Ambarīṣa Mahārāja. So these indriyas cannot be controlled. Durdāntendriya-kāla-sarpa-paṭalī. But these indriyas cannot do any harm to you if you take the poison teeth of this deadly snake, poison teeth. Indriya-kāla-sarpa-paṭalī protkhāta...
What is that? What is the process of taking away the poison teeth? That is bhakti-yoga. That is bhakti-yoga. That means sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170), hṛṣīkeṇa-hṛṣīkeśa means indriya-hṛṣīkeśa-sevanam. You cannot control the senses unless you engage your senses in the service of the senses of the Lord.
So by force you cannot control the senses. That is not... This is... There are many instances. Even great yogis they have failed. This is artificial way of controlling the senses. The real sense control is that you purify your sense in the activities of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is real sense control. Hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate (CC Madhya 19.170). Hṛṣīka means senses and hṛṣīkeśa means Kṛṣṇa. When you apply your senses for satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa, then it is called bhakti. And when your senses are engaged in the service of Kṛṣṇa it cannot be engaged otherwise. Otherwise the sense will be engaged in the sense objects. Therefore there is failure. Those who are not engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, simply artificially trying, they fail. Viśvāmitra Muni, Durvāsā Muni, there are many great instances. These are artificial. But that is a process recommended. We may be successful to a certain extent but in this age it is very difficult to practice such things. Nobody can practice how to control the senses from the sense object.
So here jñāna means, to understand the Paraṁ Brahman means, sarvataḥ pāṇi-pādam: "Paraṁ Brahman has got pāṇi, hands, and pāda, and legs, everywhere." How it is possible? That is knowledge. That is knowledge. It is possible because we are part and parcels of Kṛṣṇa, we have got our hands and legs, therefore Kṛṣṇa has got his hands and legs everywhere. But our hands and legs are now engaged otherwise. It is not for Kṛṣṇa. That is called illusion. Actually, the hands and legs belong to Kṛṣṇa. My hands, it is not my hand, it is Kṛṣṇa's hand. My leg, it is Kṛṣṇa's leg, but in māyā, in illusion, it is covered, upādhi. My hand means it is Indian hand." "My leg means Indian leg." "My hand means American hand." "My leg means American leg." No. It is neither American leg, neither Indian leg, neither Indian hand, nor American hand. It is all Kṛṣṇa's hands and legs. That you have to realize. That is real knowledge. That is jñeyam. You have to understand that you are not the proprietor of these hands and legs. Kṛṣṇa is the proprietor.
Therefore Kṛṣṇa's another name is Hṛṣīkeśa. Hṛṣīka means senses, and īśa means the master. Hṛṣīkeśa. Senayor ubhayor madhye rathaṁ sthāpaya me acyuta (BG 1.21). Another place Arjuna has addressed Kṛṣṇa as Hṛṣīkeśa. No, I mean to say Sañjaya said "Hṛṣīkeśa." So Kṛṣṇa's another name is Hṛṣīkeśa. So hṛṣīka means indriya, senses, and hṛṣīkeśa means the master of the senses. We have got our hands and legs, we have got our mouth, we have got our tongue, everything we have got. That's all right, but the real knowledge means to realize that these hands, legs, tongue, eyes, ears—everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa. That is knowledge.
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
Pratyāhāra means that your senses have been withdrawn from material engagement. The example is just like the tortoise. The tortoise can wind up all these parts of the limbs of the body within immediately. And when it is required, he can expand. So pratyāhāra means that you have to withdraw the sensual activities inside. When you withdraw your senses for inside activities, that is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. You have to think of always how to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. Hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanam (CC Madhya 19.170). Therefore hṛṣīka, hṛṣīka means the senses, and hṛṣīkeśa means the master of the senses. Kṛṣṇa is the master of the senses. I am possessing my hand, but actually the owner of the hand is Kṛṣṇa. These things are very nicely explained in Bhagavad-gītā. Mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca (BG 15.15). Suppose you are writing with your hands. So your memory must be acting; otherwise you cannot write. If your memory, if your brain, does not act, how you can write? Suppose you are typing. If memory does not act, then what is the use of this hand or your leg? Then Bhagavad-gītā says, Kṛṣṇa says, sarvasya cāham hṛdi sanniviṣṭaḥ: "I am sitting in everyone's heart." Mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam: "The knowledge and memory is from Me." Therefore, when Kṛṣṇa gives you memorization, gives you knowledge, then you can write or do something.
Suppose you are engaged in worshiping the Deity, in cleansing the room, in decorating the Deity, in making foodstuff for Deity, everything nicely... So your senses are already engaged. Where is the chance of your senses being diverted? The senses are already controlled. Because my senses, hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate (CC Madhya 19.170). Bhakti means simply to engage the senses in the service of the master of the senses. Hṛṣīkeśa means master of the senses, and hṛṣīka means senses. So now our senses are engaged for sense gratification. Sarvopādhi, upādhi yuktaḥ. So I am this body. So I must satisfy my senses. This is the contaminated stage of life. But when one comes to the understanding that I am not this body, I am spirit soul, part and parcel of God, so my senses, spiritual senses, should be engaged in the service of the Supreme Spiritual Being. That is wanted.
You have to free yourself from the designation. Designation. The same example can be given. Just like Arjuna. He was designating himself with the Kuru family; therefore he was impure. When he gave up this designation, he identified his interest with Kṛṣṇa, he became devotee. So we have to give up this designation, "I am American," "I am Indian," "I am Christian," "I am Hindu," "I am this," "I am that"—"I am Kṛṣṇa's. I am God's. I am servant of God." And if you act in that way, then whole thing becomes purified. And if you keep your designation accidentally... Just like you are American. This is accidental. By somehow or other, you have come to accept a body from the American family. Now this will be changed. You do not know what is your next body. So this is changing. This is not my permanent settlement. But your permanent settlement is to identify yourself that "I am Kṛṣṇa's." That is your permanent settlement. So if you put yourself in that position, being freed from all designation, then your process of everything, all qualities, become purified.
- sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ
- tat-paratvena nirmalam
- hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-
- sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate
- (CC Madhya 19.170)
Hṛṣīka. Hṛṣīka means senses. So when the senses are applied for Hṛṣīkeśa—means Kṛṣṇa—then it is purified. And when the senses are applied in our designated position, that is impure. That is contaminated.
One who is interested in Kṛṣṇa consciousness... It is said, sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170). Nirmalam means purified. You have to become purified. And sarvopādhi-vinirmuktam. Now we are in, covered, by this material body, means I am covered by so many designations: "I am American," "I am Indian," "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim." These are all coverings, material. So we have to get free, freedom from this covering. You should not think that "I am American" or "Indian" or this or that. As Caitanya Mahāprabhu advised, jīvera svarūpa haya nitya-kṛṣṇa-dāsa (Cc. Madhya 20.108-109). When you understand simply that "I am eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa," that is sarvopādhi-vinirmuktam (CC Madhya 19.170), nirmalam. And with that conception of life, hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate. Hṛṣīkeṇa means when your senses are now clean, without any covering, then with that senses, when you try to satisfy Kṛṣṇa, hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanam... (CC Madhya 19.170).
Kṛṣṇa's name is another, Hṛṣīkeśa. Senayor ubhayor madhye hṛṣīkeśa sthāpaya me acyuta. The Hṛṣīkeśa name is there. Hṛṣīkeśa means actually Kṛṣṇa is the master of the senses. We are not proprietor of the senses. Kṛṣṇa is the proprietor of the senses. So when our senses are purified and we apply them... After all, our senses are employed for satisfaction of somebody, myself or somebody else. Actually, somebody else. That is kāma, krodha, lobha, moha, mātsarya. That is illusion. We are not serving ourself; we are serving our lusty desires, kāma, krodha. I am angry; therefore I am killing somebody. So that is not mine. But I am servant of the anger. I am servant; I am not master. If I would have been master, then I could control my anger. But I am not. I am servant of anger. I am servant of lusty desires. So I am servant, but this servitude should be transferred to Kṛṣṇa. That is perfection of life.
Here it is said, yad vidur hy aniruddhākhyaṁ hṛṣīkāṇām adhīśvaram. Hṛṣīka. Hṛṣīka means senses. And another name of God or Kṛṣṇa or Aniruddha is Hṛṣīkeśa. Senayor ubhayor madhye... The Hṛṣīkeśa name is there in the Bhagavad-gītā. Hṛṣīkeśa means hṛṣīkāṇām adhīśvaram. So practically, the senses which you are using, the real proprietor is Aniruddha, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead. You can utilize the instrument. Just like you hire some instrument to use it for some purpose, but the instrument belongs to somebody else, similarly, our the instrument, the karaṇa, the means of working, or instrument, as you say—the proprietor is Hṛṣīkeśa, or Aniruddha. So we are now utilizing instruments without fulfilling the desire of Aniruddha, or the Hṛṣīkeśa. That means we are using it for sense gratification unlawfully. Therefore we are becoming implicated in sinful activities. (aside:) Who is talking this side? Stop them. So, therefore, bhakti means that when you don't use the hṛṣīka, or the senses, for any other purpose than to serve the Hṛṣīkeśa, that is called bhakti.
The yogis, they are also having sense gratification. But where? Anante: "With the Supreme." They are also having sense gratification. Ramaṇa. Ramaṇa means sense gratification. Just like Kṛṣṇa's name is Rādhā-Ramaṇa. His sense gratification is with Rādhārāṇī. So the sense gratification is also there, but not this sense... Don't consider like this. Here it is only... Sense gratification is a perverted reflection of the spiritual sense gratification. The whole devotional line of service is also sense gratification. Hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanam (CC Madhya 19.170). Hṛṣīka means senses, and Hṛṣīkeśa means the master of the senses. The master of the senses is Kṛṣṇa. So when your senses will be applied for the sense gratification of Kṛṣṇa, that is your transcendental position. And when your senses will be employed for your sense gratification, that is material. This is the difference. So when one is situated in the transcendental platform, when one's existential conditions are purified by tapasya, by voluntarily accepting austerity and penance under the guidance of spiritual master, śāstras, scriptures, saintly person, at that time it will be possible that you are in the platform of satisfying the senses of Kṛṣṇa and you are fully satisfied.
If you want to realize God, first of all you should engage your tongue in the service of the Lord. It is very astonishing that "Engaging the tongue I become perfect?" Yes. The beginning is the tongue because tongue is the greatest enemy. People are going to hell on account of being unable to control the tongue. Therefore one has to control the tongue. And controlling tongue means you engage the tongue in the service of the Lord. How? Tongue means you can speak with your tongue and you can eat with your tongue. So engage the tongue chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa and preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This is service. And tongue wants to taste. Give him kṛṣṇa-prasādam, very nice. So as soon as you engage your tongue in these two business, then naturally you become purified and your senses become also purified. Then you come to the real platform.
- sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ
- tat-paratvena nirmalaṁ
- hṛṣīkena hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ
- bhaktir ucyate
- (CC Madhya 19.170)
This is the bhakti, to engage the purified senses in the service of the master of senses, Hṛṣīkeśa. Hṛṣīkeśa means master. Hṛṣika means the senses, and īśa means master. Hṛṣīkeśa. Kṛṣṇa's another name is Hṛṣīkeśa.
If I think I'm American, if I think I am Christian, if I think I am Indian, if I think I am Hindu, if I think I am Muslim, if I think I am this, I am that, these are all designations. When you are free from the designation, sarvopādhi-vinirmuktam And what is that freedom? "I am Kṛṣṇa's." That's all. I am not American, not Indian, not Hindu, not Muslim, not Christian. I am Kṛṣṇa's or God's. That is sarvopādhi-vinirmuktam. And as you are convinced that you are God's or Kṛṣṇa's, then engage yourself not in the designated service, but Kṛṣṇa's service. Tat-paratvena nirmalam. Then everything will be purified. Your eyes will be purified, your ears will be purified, your legs, everything, all senses will be purified. When your senses are purified, hṛṣīkena hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate (CC Madhya 19.170). When with that purified senses Hṛṣīkena means senses. Kṛṣṇa's name is Hṛṣīkeśa. Hṛṣīkeśa means the master of the senses. Govinda. Govinda also means the master of the senses. So the senses which you have got, this hand, leg, eyes, everything, I am not the proprietor. Practically the proprietor is Kṛṣṇa. So when you engage your all the senses in the service of the master of the senses, that is called bhakti. Hṛṣīkena hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate (CC Madhya 19.170). That hṛṣīkena, that senses, must be purified. How? Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktam, being released, freed from all designations.
Nectar of Devotion Lectures
The snakes, kāla-sarpa, indriya. Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī has explained about these kāla-sarpas, snake... Our senses are compared with the snakes. Just like a snake, as soon as it touches somebody, it kills. It is very dangerous, touching by the lip of the snake. Similarly, a, a slight sense gratification is so dangerous, kāla-sarpa indriya-paṭalī, especially in the sex matter. So one... Yogis, they are training the senses how to restrain them from sense gratification, but a devotee, on account of their senses being engaged in the service of the Lord, there is no poisonous effect of the senses. Hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate (CC Madhya 19.170). Kṛṣṇa's another name is Hṛṣīkeśa. Rathaṁ sthāpaya acyuta. Hṛṣīkeśa. In the Bhagavad-gītā, this word is used, Hṛṣīkeśa. So Hṛṣīkeśa means "the master of the senses." Actually, our senses are given by Kṛṣṇa. We wanted a type of instrument to enjoy certain type of material enjoyment, and Kṛṣṇa has given us senses. Actually, the proprietor of the senses is Kṛṣṇa; therefore His name is Hṛṣīkeśa, "master of the senses." So if we actually use the senses for the service of the proprietor of the senses, that is bhakti. Do not..., we do not want to stop the activities of the senses, but it is, they are used for the purpose of the sense proprietor, Hṛṣīkeśa. That is called bhakti.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures
As it has been stated, by the instruction of saintly person, by the instruction of spiritual master, one gets out of this kicking problem. And what is that instruction? The instruction is very simple: that you give up the service of this sense gratification. You just engage yourself to the service of Kṛṣṇa. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. You simply change the consciousness. Now your consciousness is absorbed in varieties of sense gratification. You stop this. You just apply your senses unto the service of the Supreme Lord. This is called devotional service, bhakti, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It is simple process. Just we have to change. The activities are the same. Bhakti means sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170). Nirmalam. Hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate (CC Madhya 19.170). Hṛṣīka means senses, and hṛṣīkeśa means Kṛṣṇa. So Kṛṣṇa is the master of your senses. Just like actually... Suppose this house. So we are now occupying this house. We are supposed to be the master of this house, but actually we are not the master of the house. The master is the landlord. But again, if you go further, the landlord is also not actually master. The master is the state. The supreme master is God. So we have to take shelter of the supreme master.
Initiation Lectures
Prabhupāda: Maṇḍeleśvara. Maṇḍaleśvara means a leader, leader of a group. He is called maṇḍaleśvara. Not ordinary rogues' group but Vaiṣṇava group. Hare Kṛṣṇa. There are different kinds of groups.
Viṣṇujana: Naradevī.
Prabhupāda: Naradevī. Naradevī means queen, like Queen Victoria. Is that all right? (laughter-girl offers obeisances) Hare Kṛṣṇa. Queen Victoria was very popular in British Empire. Yes.
Trivikrama: Hṛṣīkeśa.
Prabhupāda: Hṛṣīkeśa. Hṛṣīkeśa means the same thing, master of the senses. Hṛṣīka means senses, and hṛṣīka-īśa..., īśa means ruler or master. So actually hṛṣīkeśa means Kṛṣṇa. He is the master of the senses. And bhakti means hṛṣīka..., hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate (CC Madhya 19.170). Our hṛṣīkeśa means if we be under the control of Hṛṣīkeśa, then these senses now being used for other purposes, upādhi, designations... Just like one is very busy in his national work. Means he is giving service to a designation, falsely thinking that "I am this body," "This body is American," "This body is Indian," "This body is this." So under this false impression he is giving service. This is one stage. And when we are freed from this, all these false impressions, and give service to Kṛṣṇa, that is our perfect stage. So Hṛṣīkeśa means Hṛṣīkeśa dāsa, to become the servant of the Hṛṣīkeśa. Kṛṣṇa is Hṛṣīkeśa, so your name is Hṛṣīkeśa dāsa. Come on. Hare Kṛṣṇa. All right.
Devotee: All glories to you, Śrīla Prabhupāda. (end)
General Lectures
Intoxication. Oh, it is very difficult. Why they avoid Kṛṣṇa consciousness? Just like our friend Allen Ginsberg, he says, "Swamijī is very conservative." And so many friends, they ask me, "Swamijī, why you impose these rules?" You see? The people are so unable. Their inability is so strong that these four principles only... You want sex life? All right. We say that you get yourself married. But that is also difficult. Intoxication? Nobody has learned smoking from the beginning of his life. It is simply by association. So if you associate with us, you'll forget smoking, drinking. It was learned by association, you can forget it by association. No child used to eat meat from the very birth. It was milk. So this is all artificial, the so-called conventions of human society. Natural life does not allow all these things. So by good or bad association you have acquired so many artificial, I mean to say, habits. So simply by association you can forget also. Then you come to the pure life. And God is pure. Just like without being heated, you cannot stand in a place which is very heated. The temperature must be the same. This is known to everyone. So God is pure. You cannot approach God being impure. So the whole process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is purificatory process. Hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate (CC Madhya 19.170). Hṛṣīka, hṛṣīka means senses, and Hṛṣīkeśa means the master of the senses, the Lord of the senses, Kṛṣṇa. So by engaging your senses in the service of the master of the senses, that is called bhakti. Now, how you can do that? Tat-paratvena nirmalam. You have to simply purify. Then it is easily possible. So Kṛṣṇa consciousness means to adopt the purificatory process, and then you have got natural engagement in the service of the Lord, your life is perfect.
Sañjaya said that evam uktvā, "Kṛṣṇa, I am not going to fight," evam uktvā hṛṣīkeśam, "unto Kṛṣṇa..." Kṛṣṇa's another name is Hṛṣīkeśa. Hṛṣīkeśa means... Hṛṣīka means the senses, and īśa means the master. So we have got our senses. Everyone has got senses. The master is Kṛṣṇa. We are not the master. That we have to understand. I am speaking that "This is my hand," but if the power of the hand is withdrawn by Kṛṣṇa, we cannot act. We should understand this way, that none of our senses belong to us. It is given to us for proper use. Therefore, because it is given to us by the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa, the master of the senses, it should be utilized for Kṛṣṇa. This is bhakti-yoga. We should know that "Although we have got all these senses, it has been given to us for use, but the senses do not belong to me." Therefore Kṛṣṇa's name is Hṛṣīkeśa.
| Page Title: | Hrsikesa means |
| Compiler: | Jahnu |
| Created: | 25 of Jan, 2012 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=21, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 21 |