So for a Vaiṣṇava, as I was explaining, the tri-daśa-pūr ākāśa-puṣpāyate durdāntendriya-kāla-sarpa-paṭalī. So controlling the sense, that is durdānta. Durdānta means formidable. It is very, very difficult to control the senses. Therefore the yoga process, mystic yoga process—just to practice how to control the senses. But for a devotee... They... Just like the tongue, if it is engaged only in the business of chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra and eating only Kṛṣṇa prasādam, the whole thing is done, perfect yogi. Perfect yogi. So for a bhakta, there is no trouble with the senses because a bhakta knows how to engage each and every sense in the service of the Lord. Hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanam (CC Madhya 19.170). That is bhakti. Hṛṣīka means the senses. When the senses are engaged only for the service of Kṛṣṇa, Hṛṣīkeśa, then there is no need of practicing yoga. Automatically they are locked up in the service of Kṛṣṇa. They have no other engagement. That is the highest.
No other engagement
Bhagavad-gita As It Is
BG Chapters 1 - 6
The easiest way to control the mind, as suggested by Lord Caitanya, is chanting "Hare Kṛṣṇa," the great mantra for deliverance, in all humility. The method prescribed is sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-pādāravindayoḥ: (SB 9.4.18) one must engage one's mind fully in Kṛṣṇa. Only then will there remain no other engagements to agitate the mind.
Srimad-Bhagavatam
SB Canto 1
The Pāṇḍavas, by their unalloyed devotional service and full surrender unto the Lord, made it possible for the Lord to become a chariot driver or sometimes their letter messenger. Such duties executed by the Lord for His devotee are always very pleasing to the Lord because the Lord wants to render service to His unalloyed devotee, whose life has no other engagement than to serve the Lord with full love and devotion.
SB Canto 3
It appears that Kardama Muni was fully absorbed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness because as soon as he became silent, he at once began to think of Lord Viṣṇu. That is the way of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Pure devotees are so absorbed in thought of Kṛṣṇa that they have no other engagement; although they may seem to think or act otherwise, they are always thinking of Kṛṣṇa. The smile of such a Kṛṣṇa conscious person is so attractive that simply by smiling he wins so many admirers, disciples and followers.
One should engage in the service of the Lord twenty-four hours a day, as confirmed in the Brahma-saṁhitā. The stage of premāñjana-cchurita can be attained by developing complete love. When one's love for the Supreme Personality of Godhead in devotional service is fully developed, one always sees the Lord, even without artificially meditating on His form. His vision is divine because he has no other engagement. At this stage of spiritual realization it is not necessary to engage the mind artificially. Since the meditation recommended in the lower stages is a means to come to the platform of devotional service, those already engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord are above such meditation. This stage of perfection is called Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
SB Canto 6
A mahātmā is one who engages twenty-four hours daily in the loving service of the Lord. As Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad-gītā (9.13):
- mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha
- daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ
- bhajanty ananya-manaso
- jñātvā bhūtādim avyayam
"O son of Pṛthā, those who are not deluded, the great souls, are under the protection of the divine nature. They are fully engaged in devotional service because they know Me as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, original and inexhaustible." Thus the symptom of a mahātmā is that he has no engagement other than service to Kṛṣṇa.
Other Books by Srila Prabhupada
Nectar of Instruction
When one accepts the renounced order of life, he automatically assumes the title of svāmī. This does not mean that he is the master of his family, community or society; he must be master of his senses. Unless one is master of his senses, he should not be called gosvāmī, but go-dāsa, servant of the senses. Following in the footsteps of the six Gosvāmīs of Vṛndāvana, all svāmīs and gosvāmīs should fully engage in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. As opposed to this, the go-dāsas engage in the service of the senses or in the service of the material world. They have no other engagement.
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
Sādhu does not mean for livelihood change the color of the garment or having big beard and become sādhu. No. Sādhu means devotee. Sādhu means first-class devotee. That is also stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. Sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ samyag vyavasito hi saḥ (BG 9.30). Who is that man? Api cet su-durācāro bhajate mām ananya-bhāk sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ. One who is fully engaged. Bhajate mām ananya-bhāk. He has no other engagement. Not partial, some percentage for this purpose, some percentage for that purpose. No. Samyak, wholeheartedly, twenty-four hours engaged in the service of the Lord. He is sādhu. He is sādhu.
Therefore here it is said, "By meditating in this manner, meditating upon Me, Kṛṣṇa, always controlling the body." The first control is tongue. And the next control is the genital. Then you control everything. You give your tongue engagement for chanting and eating Kṛṣṇa prasāda, it is controlled, finished. And as soon as your tongue is controlled, immediately your stomach is controlled, immediately next your genital is controlled. Simple thing. Controlling the body, mind. Mind being fixed on Kṛṣṇa, no other engagement, controlled. Activities always doing Kṛṣṇa's work. Gardening, typing, cooking, working, everything for Kṛṣṇa—activities. "The mystic transcendentalist then—immediately they become mystic transcendentalist—attains to peace, the supreme nirvāṇa, which abides in Me." It is all in Kṛṣṇa. You cannot find out peace outside Kṛṣṇa activities. Outside Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is not possible.
So that is arranged, you eat, you sleep, you have wife or husband, enjoy, and properly defend yourself, but the business is different. Business is different means living peacefully he has to realize God, his relationship with God. That is his real business. But because people are not educated to the real business, he thinks that these four principles of bodily necessities of life, eating, sleeping, sex and defense, that is my business.
Therefore he's transferring from this eating to that eating, from this sleeping to that sleeping, from this sex to that sex, from this defense to that defense. Because he has no other idea. This is the difficulty. He's thinking that sex life from this person to that person will be nice. But that is not. Sex life by the dogs, by the hogs, or by the man, the same pleasure. As I have repeatedly said, that any nice tasteful eatable, either you keep it in the golden pot or in iron pot, the taste is the same. But he, rascal, does not know. He thinks that "If I put it in the golden pot it will be more tasteful." This is going on. The sex life is the same. He's thinking in the human form of sex in a very nice apartment, so many, so many, decorated, it will change the quality of the sex between dogs and dogs. No, that will not change. The same taste. But because he has no other engagement, better engagement, therefore he's trying to improve these things, the tendency for these things. That is his trouble. He's becoming entrapped.
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
So in one way you stop your impious activities; in other way you improve your spiritual understanding in this way. Yeṣām anta-gataṁ pāpaṁ janānāṁ puṇya. Anta-gataṁ pāpam means you stop. Anta-gatam. So if you engage yourself in pious activities, in Kṛṣṇa consciousness activities, where is the scope of dong nonsense work? Therefore it is stopped. Automatically it is stopped. So yeṣām anta-gataṁ pāpaṁ janānāṁ puṇya-karmaṇām, in this way, te dvandva-moha-nirmuktā (BG 7.28). They have no other engagement.
So similarly, even in this material world, if you simply increase your Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then you are also in the spiritual world. Just like in this temple. In this temple we are living, we are living in the spiritual world. Because here there is no other business than Kṛṣṇa consciousness. There is no other engagement. Although it is practiced just like apprentice... This Deity worship, śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyam (SB 7.5.23), so many engagements. But it is on account of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore those who are strictly following the regulations of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he's living in the spiritual world. He's not in the material world. Just like we are not living in Los Angeles; we are living in Vaikuṇṭha. Yes. That's a fact. It is consciousness. The consciousness... I can give you another example. Just like in this seat there is a bug. But the bug and myself sitting on the same place, but because the bug has no consciousness, therefore he is bug, and I have got consciousness, I am your spiritual master. But we are sitting in the same place. Sitting in the same place. Because the bug has not developed his consciousness, he remains a bug, and one who has developed the consciousness, therefore he becomes spiritual master. But the position is the... Similarly either you remain in the material world or, spiritual, there is no question, if your Kṛṣṇa consciousness is very strong, then you are not in the material world. You are not in the material world.
They have created this petroleum problem, this horseless tin carriage. (laughter) Yes. They are thinking, "Better than horse. Now I have got this tin carriage." As soon as it is old it has no value. You throw into the street, especially in your country. Nobody takes care of it. And..., but one must have this carriage. And it must run on petrol, and take labor, so hard labor, goes wihin the desert, drill it, and then take out the oil, then bring it in tanks. And it is called ugra-karma. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, that these rascals, demons, they have created ugra-karma simply for trouble to the whole people. That's all. Kṣayāya jagato 'hitāḥ, and bringing destruction nearer, nearer. Now they are going on, and that may be big work that means destruction and simply for creating a little comfort. Formerly also they were moving. Transport was there. But they do not like to remain in the former ways, because they have no other engagement. Better engagement that they do not know. Here is the better engagement: to come before Rādhā Kṛṣṇa and glorify the Lord. Try to understand our relationship. This is our real, real business, but nobody is interested in the real business. They are interested in superfluous engagement whole day work in the office, then come here, go to the club, go to the football club, tennis club. In this way they have invented simply how to waste valuable life of tis human form. They have invented. They have no sense that how this life should be utilized for stopping this, I mean to say, prime problem, janma-mṛtyu-jarā. They do not know.
Generally people take to devotional service when they are in materially distressed condition. The rich men, they do not care for it. But if a rich man takes care that "I have got this money by the grace of Kṛṣṇa. I must use it for Kṛṣṇa," then he will never be unhappy. He will never be unhappy. Because after all, whatever we get, it is by the grace of Kṛṣṇa. Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (ISO 1). Everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa. So by His favor we get opulence, riches, but when we are opulent we forget Kṛṣṇa, because māyā is very strong. Māyā will detect, "Oh, you have got so much money, why don't you enjoy wine and woman?" As it is going on in European and American countries, anyone who gets money, he utilizes it for wine and woman. He has no other engagement. He does not know how to utilize money. Therefore, now the British Empire, we have seen it practically, how opulent British Empire was and now how they are coming down. Recently we have seen in London that people are lying down on bench. So this is the nature. Luxury leads to poverty.
Mauna. Mauna means don't talk, grave. This is also very good qualification because generally, when we talk, we simply talk nonsense. That's all. We shall sit together and some friends or family, some useless talks, we shall go on for hours together. But if you are called to talk about Kṛṣṇa or Bhagavad-gītā or Bhāgavata, this philosophy, nobody will come. So better not to talk. It is better not to talk than to talk nonsense, foolish. So generally, we are accustomed to talks, enjoy foolish talks, which has no meaning, neither any benefit for this material world, neither any benefit for spiritual world. If you are, of course, gaining something material benefit... Just like businessmen talk. They talk seriously if there is any profit. Otherwise the secretary says, "Oh, the Mr. such and such has no time to see you." That is also some good because time is so valuable. So why should we talk nonsense? So that is also very good qualification if you don't talk nonsense. Either you talk about Kṛṣṇa or don't talk. That is called mauna. If there is no subject matter for talking on the subject of Kṛṣṇa, then it is better not to talk. But we have got very nice engagement. We can talk Hare Kṛṣṇa. If you have no other engagement, then we have got these beads, "Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa..." You can day and night, twenty-four hours, go on. This is called mauna.
Nectar of Devotion Lectures
If you are actually seriously engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then Kṛṣṇa gives us intelligence how to approach Him. So pure devotional service is rarely achieved. But by chance, guru-kṛṣṇa-kṛpāya pāya bhakti-latā-bīja (CC Madhya 19.151), if we somehow or other come in contact with bona fide guru and Kṛṣṇa... Kṛṣṇa is already there. We are already in touch. And if we are serious, then by grace of Kṛṣṇa, we get niṣkiñcana, a devotee, and by his grace we achieve to the platform of devotional service. Otherwise it is very difficult. Not by executing karma, jñāna, yoga. No. Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti (BG 18.55). Simply you have to take pure devotional service. Therefore it is very difficult. People do not wish to come to the pure devotional service. They want hodgepodge: something this, something that, something that. No. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekam... (BG 18.66). That is the beginning of pure devotional service. No other engagement. Simply Kṛṣṇa. That is pure devotional service. But that is very difficult to achieve. People will not accept the simple thing.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures
We think that "Spiritual cultivation is meant for old age. Now let us enjoy our life in this material world." That is our wrong conception of life. What do you mean by old age? Nearing death. So who can guarantee that he is not nearing death? Everyone is nearing death at every moment. Why should you wait for old age? That is manda-mater, bad intelligence. We should know that death may take place at any moment. Therefore every one of us are already old. (We) generally understand that old age means nearing death, but who can guarantee that there is no death immediately? At any moment. Therefore śāstra says tūrṇaṁ yateta anu-mṛtyu pateta yāvad, Before meeting your next death, you should endeavor so dexterously that you complete your Kṛṣṇa consciousness before your death comes. That is intelligence. Not that "I am now young man, let me enjoy. And in old age, after passing sixty years, when there will be no other engagement, at that time I shall chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra." No. Immediately, tūrṇaṁ yate.
So the Bhāgavata says, simply to understand "This is not Brahman, this is māyā, this is not Brahman," if you go on speculating and without any interest for devotional service or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then teṣām eṣa kleśala eva śiṣyate. So their advancement in self-realization is simply troublesome. Troublesome. They simply take the trouble of discriminating that "This is māyā, this is Brahman. This is false, this is reality." Because they have no other engagement. For a devotee there are so many engagements, but the Māyāvādī philosopher takes it for granted that these devotees' activities... "They are cooking for Kṛṣṇa or they are offering prasādam to Kṛṣṇa, they are decorating Kṛṣṇa, or they are singing for Kṛṣṇa, glorifying Kṛṣṇa—these are all mayic activities," they say. Because this bhakti-mārga is not appealing to them. They simply want to... Similarly, the bhaktas also say that "You are simply wasting time. Real thing is Kṛṣṇa. Just engage yourself in the service of Kṛṣṇa."
Conversations and Morning Walks
1974 Conversations and Morning Walks
Bhagavān: I didn't understand that about one book.
Prabhupāda: One book... Suppose we have prepared some small quantity of paper. So you can, if you want that book, you just copy another book.
Bhagavān: By hand.
Prabhupāda: Yes. There is no need of printing books.
Bhagavān: Some people would be engaged in copying books.
Prabhupāda: No, you engage yourself. If you want book, that book, you copy yourself. Why someone should be engaged for you? You have got enough time. You are not going to the factory or hundred miles for your earning livelihood. You are on the local space. You have got enough time. You just take, copy. That's all. Minimize your unnecessary waste of time. Save time. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Go back to home. This is our idea. Instead of chanting twenty-five rounds, you chant hundred rounds. That is utilization of proper time. Instead of begetting cats and dogs, you just beget one child, Kṛṣṇa conscious. This is the ideal life. What is the use of using sex life unnecessarily? Therefore only for begetting nice child one should have sex life. This is ideal life. Not that you use sex life, contraceptive method. This is all demonism. But they cannot do without it. Because they have no other engagement, they do not know how nice Kṛṣṇa is and how pleasurable it is to reciprocate with Kṛṣṇa, Therefore they go to the dog's pleasure, sex life on the street and there, on the beach. That's all. They have been educated like dogs. Therefore they want it.
Prabhupāda: These people they have no aim of life. What is the aim of human..., they do not know. So their animal propensities are being adjusted this way, that way, this way, that way. Just like they go to see naked dance. The animal propensity—he is seeing his wife daily naked, and still he is going to see naked dance, and paying some fees. Because they have no engagement except this animalism. Is it not? So what is the use of going to see another woman naked? You are seeing every day, every night, your wife naked. Why you are... Because they have no other engagement. The animals. Punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām (SB 7.5.30). That a dog, it does not know what is the taste. He is simply chewing the, one bone, this way, that way, this way, that way. Because he is animal. He has no other engagement. So this whole society is animal. Especially the westerners. And they have developed a civilization on that animal propensities, means "I am this body, and the best use of my life is to gratify senses." This is animal.
1975 Conversations and Morning Walks
Bhakta-rūpa: Perhaps that man thinks he has retired from working hard. But still he is performing so many activities, material activities.
Prabhupāda: Hmm. What can he do? He has no other engagement. (laughter) He doesn't know that there is another engagement, spiritual life. He doesn't know. Ignorant. Karma-samjñā. That I was discussing, this ignorance. He thinks working is life, that's all. Hard work.
Jagadīśa: Now he's working hard to put a ball in the hole.
Prabhupāda: Yes. He knows, "This is life." There is no other alternative. That is his ignorance. He cannot do it. Still, he is doing. You see? You know that when there was electric failure in New York? The statistics is that more women became pregnant. (laughter) But what they will do in the darkness? "Let us have sex." That's all. (laughter)
Prabhupāda: Or just like these elderly persons, how they are wasting time.
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Just sitting on the beach.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Not only sitting, they have no other engagement. They do not know how human life should be utilized. They do not know. They are simply taking consideration of the body, running or skating or this or that, but they have no other engagement. They do not believe that there is soul and that soul's business is first business. They do not know that, neither they do accept it. They are under nature's law, very simply explained in the Bhagavad-gītā, dehino ’smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā. By nature's law you have to change your body. It is evident. Still, they will not believe. We're changing body every moment, and they will say, big, big professors, that after the body is finished, everything is finished. This is ajñāna. And that is going on as education, whole world. "It is folly to be wise where ignorance is bliss." The whole world is in ignorance, so we are giving them wise instruction. They are thinking, "These people are crazy men." That's all.
1977 Conversations and Morning Walks
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Will you be staying here for a little while still, in Vṛndāvana?
Prabhupāda: Why not?
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I mean, you have no... I'm just trying to think in terms of pacing ourselves, what the schedule...
Prabhupāda: No, we can stay here unless business is finished. There is no other engagement.
Correspondence
1968 Correspondence
Please accept my blessings. I thank you very much for your letter dated August 1, 1968, which I received just yesterday, after the mail strike. Anyway, I am so much pleased to read the contents of the letter for your intelligent questions and many other things, and all mentioned there. The first thing is about your husband's endeavor to produce films of our activities. I very much appreciate this attempt and try to help your husband as much as possible in this matter. When you have no other engagement, at that time you can attempt to paint pictures if you have got taste for such artistic work.
1970 Correspondence
Our first business now is to establish at least three temples in India: One in Calcutta, one in Bombay, one in Vrindaban, and if possible a fourth one in Delhi. People should say that these Americans have come here and they have built this wonderful temple. We must do something tangible. Actually here in India the street Sankirtana Party has not got so much importance as in the U.S and other Western countries where Krishna Consciousness is being newly introduced. Here in this country if we are out on the streets too much, it will be misunderstood as begging. Here in Bombay I have instructed devotees only to go out on Sankirtana party if they have no other engagement. Simply to dance in the street and to eat and sleep, that will not be considered real preaching work here. If you establish a temple, that will be real pracara.
1971 Correspondence
You have been my student for some time, and I consider that you are one of the big men who are assisting me in this vast work, so I am naturally concerned for your well-being. I want that you should give up this idea of outside living and working and regard it only as a temporary trick of Maya. I need such strong men as yourself to stick with me and together we shall go back to Home, back to Godhead. If you have no other engagement, I would be greatly pleased if you could take up this work of selling my books and literatures everywhere, as many as possible.
| Page Title: | No other engagement |
| Compiler: | Labangalatika, Serene |
| Created: | 23 of Jul, 2009 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=1, SB=4, CC=0, OB=1, Lec=12, Con=5, Let=3 |
| No. of Quotes: | 26 |