So long one is under the impression that he is this body, he cannot make much progress in this movement. Lord Caitanya says that factually all living entities are the servants of Krishna. This servitorship cannot be rendered from the material platform, because Krishna is not matter. He is Sat-Cit-Ananda Vigraha. Anyone trying to serve Krishna from the material platform of body, mind and intelligence cannot appreciate this fact. One has to become free from the contamination of matter, represented in gross and subtle forms as body, mind, intelligence and ego. Until then, one is not a pure devotee. In the Narada Pancaratra it is clearly stated that one has to become free from all material designations. So long as one is under the cover of material designations, he cannot serve Krishna. Therefore, we have to transcend this position by cleansing our hearts from such rubbish concept of life that I am American, I am European, I am Indian, I am this or that. Anyone keeping himself under such impression, but at the same time trying to get into Krishna Consciousness is called neophyte devotee, or prakrta.
Mind and intelligence (Letters)
Expressions researched:
"intelligence and mind"
|"intelligence and the mind"
|"mind and intelligence"
|"mind and the intelligence"
Correspondence
1969 Correspondence
1970 Correspondence
Krishna Consciousness means to come to the pure understanding that one is neither American nor Indian, but he is eternal servant of Krishna, and thus engages himself in rendering loving service to the Lord. This is his pure spiritual life.
As long as he does not come to that standard, he is supposed to be materially contaminated. Krishna Consciousness Movement means to engage our sense in the service of the Lord, just opposed to the materialistic way of life wherein the senses are engaged for sense gratification.
Your third question is, "As You have explained in "Two Essays", that as body is covered by shirt and coat, similarly, soul is covered by mind, intelligence, and false ego—if it is so, then who are mind, intelligence and false ego? Who controls them?" The soul controls the mind and intelligence. When he is designated, he controls the mind and intelligence in one way; but when he is free from designation, he controls the mind and intelligence in another way.
In other words, when the soul is designated, for example, as American or Indian, he controls the mind and intelligence in that direction and acts for that particular nation. Similarly, when he is free from the designations and feels himself as the servant of Krishna, he controls his mind and intelligence for that purpose. That is to say, a soul is destined to use his mind and intelligence for rendering service to others because his original position is servant. A servant has to render service to some master, so when he is in designated condition of life, he accepts somebody as master which is Maya.
Maya is illusion. When a soul renders, therefore, service as American or Indian or any other designation, he accepts Maya as his master, because thinking oneself as Indian or American is illusion. Therefore, one's perfect position of life is to render service to Krishna, and for that purpose control the mind and intelligence. So, the conclusion is, in either of his statuses of life, the soul itself is the controller of the mind and intelligence.
1971 Correspondence
Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 27th August, 1971 and have noted the contents. I can see that you are always thinking how to improve the society and push on this movement. All your ideas, they are very good. Go on like this and Krishna will give you more and more opportunity for His service. So your ideas are welcome. When the mind and intelligence work together like male and female, then something comes out as a child, or if the mind and intelligence are good then a good product will come out.
So all your ideas are very good and I have no objection to any of them. But these are all matters that should be discussed with Rupanuga and other GBC members. These matters are in their jurisdiction of GBC affairs and should be handled accordingly.
1973 Correspondence
"Always think of Me and become My devotee. Worship Me and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend." So to become the friend and the devotee of Krishna, that is required. Just become the pet dog, that is surrender.
What is that friendship? At the end of 12th Chapter of Gita Krishna describes that the person "who is very dear to Him, or His best friend, is one who is not envious but is a kind friend to all living entities, who does not think himself a proprietor, who is free from false ego and equal both in happiness and distress, who is always satisfied and engaged in devotional service with determination and whose mind and intelligence are in agreement with Me . . . He for whom no one is put into difficulty and who is not disturbed by anxiety, who is steady in happiness and distress . . . A devotee who is not dependent on the ordinary course of activities, who is pure, expert, without cares, free from all pains, and who does not strive for some result . . . One who neither grasps pleasure or grief, who neither laments nor desires, and who renounces both auspicious and inauspicious things . . . One who is equal to friends and enemies, who is equipoised in honor and dishonor, heat and cold, happiness and distress, fame and infamy, who is always free from contamination, always silent and satisfied with anything who doesn't care for any residence, who is fixed in knowledge and engaged in devotional service . . ." such person is described by Krishna as "very dear to Me."
But even more dear than such devotee who is dear to Krishna, one who is "very, very dear to Me," is "He who follows this imperishable path of devotional service and who completely engages himself with faith, making Me the supreme goal," and also "one who explains the supreme secret to the devotees," . . or one who is preaching the message of Krishna to the devotees everywhere—such person is most highly regarded by Krishna as His best friend and devotee:
You say that you have eight brahmanas, that is very good, now engage all of them so that everyone becomes expert. By nicely worshiping the Deities we can be so pure in condition of health, mind and intelligence. Yes, all blessings of Krsna upon Saranam dasi, for her loyal book distribution. I am very pleased, and you can give both her and Satyaki dasi second initiation. So now you can have ten brahmanas, yes? I have also received your $100.00 daksina and I thank you very much for it.
Regarding Nanda Kumar, try to help him. He is a good boy and he will come out again very nicely. But he must marry that girl, we cannot play with sex-life, that is not our business. If he shows he is faithful for three months, then he again can take care of Radha-Krsna.
1975 Correspondence
Regarding your question about the difference between the mind and the soul, in the Bhagavad-gita it is directly said that the mind is inferior energy in a subtle form, and soul, jiva, is superior energy. So they are completely distinct. Mind is not spiritual, but mind is a subtle material form. When the soul becomes captivated for enjoying the material world instead of rendering service to Krishna, that is the beginning of his falldown. When the living being thinks himself to be the enjoyer, that is called false ego. His constitutional position is to serve Krishna. So this false egotism degrades him to pollute the intelligence and the mind.
So mind and intelligence are already there in the soul, but in the conditional stage the same mind and intelligence become polluted as false egotism or enjoyer. The bhakti process is to purify everything. The mind is not the soul but is a venue for expressing the soul's desire. So if the mind is purified, then things go on nicely in its original position. If he does not go on rightly he falls down in conditional life. The whole yogic system is to convert the mind from matter to spirit. You can utilize the mind in both ways. When the mind is spiritually trained up it is the best friend of the soul, and when the mind is materially polluted, it is the worst enemy.
| Page Title: | Mind and intelligence (Letters) |
| Compiler: | Labangalatika, Devendra |
| Created: | 23 of Oct, 2009 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=0, Con=0, Let=6 |
| No. of Quotes: | 6 |