Those who are cultivating spiritual life and executing devotional service are always engaged in activity. Such activity can be performed with the body or with the mind. Thinking, feeling and willing are all activities of the mind, and when we will to do something, the activity comes to be manifest by the gross bodily senses. Thus, in our mental activities we should always try to think of Kṛṣṇa and try to plan how to please Him, following in the footsteps of the great ācāryas and the personal spiritual master. There are activities of the body, activities of the mind and activities of speech. A Kṛṣṇa conscious person engages his words in preaching the glories of the Lord. This is called kīrtana. And by his mind a Kṛṣṇa conscious person always thinks of the activities of the Lord—as He is speaking on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra or engaging in His various pastimes in Vṛndāvana with His devotees. In this way one can always think of the activities and pastimes of the Lord. This is the mental culture of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
This is the mental culture of Krsna consciousness
Other Books by Srila Prabhupada
Nectar of Devotion
Lectures
Nectar of Devotion Lectures
Pradyumna: (reading) "A Kṛṣṇa conscious person engages his words in preaching the glories of the Lord. This is called kīrtana. And by his mind a Kṛṣṇa conscious person always thinks of the activities of the Lord as He is speaking on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra or engaging in His various pastimes at Vṛndāvana with His devotees. In this way, one can always think of the activities and pastimes of the Lord. This is the mental culture of Kṛṣṇa consciousness."
Prabhupāda: So Kṛṣṇa consciousness is not inactivity. This we have discussed yesterday. Actually the activity is being influenced by the soul. But it is being expressed through intelligence, mind and body. The activities are coming from the spiritual platform, but because it is now contaminated by the material coverings, the activities are not very adjusted. Diseased activities. The thinking, feeling, and willing... This thinking, feeling, and willing now polluted on account of material coverings. Therefore we have to revert to the thinking, feeling, and willing by Kṛṣṇa consciousness. As it is explained here, that we shall always think of Kṛṣṇa's activities, we shall always feel for satisfying Kṛṣṇa, and we shall always will to enact as He desires.
The same feeling... Nirbandhe kṛṣṇa-sambandhe yukta-vairāgyam ucyate. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī has given us two formulas how to become Kṛṣṇa consciousness, or how to remain in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So one formula is that anāsaktasya viṣayān yathārham upayuñjataḥ. You should not be attached to the viṣayas. Just like we have got a tendency to construct a skyscraper building. As in your country, you do. So you should not attached to the skyscraper building, but you can utilize the tendency by constructing a big temple like skyscraper for Kṛṣṇa. In this way, you have to purify your material activities.
Actually in pure Kṛṣṇa consciousness there is nothing material. I have several times explained. Material activities means activities without Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is material activity. Just like we are speaking through this microphone. We do not reject it as material. We take it as spiritual. Because it is being used in spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Anāsaktasya viṣayān yathārham upayuñjataḥ. Yathā arhati, as it deserves. Because this microphone is made of material elements, earth, water, fire, air... But this, if we remember that these material energies, earth, water, air, fire, sky, even mind, intelligence, ego... Prakṛti me, prakṛti me bhinnā aṣṭadhā. They're also energies of Kṛṣṇa. They're not separate from Kṛṣṇa. Therefore if Kṛṣṇa is spirit, then these so-called material elements, they are also spirit. But it is used as material because we do not remember the relationship of these material elements with Kṛṣṇa. Therefore the conclusion is when we are forgetful of Kṛṣṇa, then it is material. Otherwise, there is nothing as material. Everything is spiritual. Because brāhmaṇaḥ śakti.
It is described in the Viṣṇu Purāṇa. Eka-deśa sthitasyāgner jyotsnā vistāriṇī yathā, sarvedaṁ brahmaṇaḥ śakti... I just don't remember the whole verse. So everything, this is śakti-pariṇāma-vāda. Śakti-pariṇāma-vāda. Everything... Sarvaṁ khalu idaṁ brahma. Everything that we experience, that is manifestation of the energy of Kṛṣṇa. Sarvedam akhilaṁ jagat. Brahmaṇaḥ śakti. Śakti and śaktimān, they are not different. So if we accept everything as expansion of brahmaṇaḥ śakti, energy of Kṛṣṇa, and utilize it for Kṛṣṇa, then there is nothing, such thing as material. Everything becomes spiritual. So if we think in that way, thinking, feeling, and willing, if we utilize our psychological activities in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then we keep steady in attached with Kṛṣṇa. Yukta-vairāgyam ucyate. Vairāgya means renunciation. We do not require to renounce anything, provided we see everything dovetailed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is required.
Page Title: | This is the mental culture of Krsna consciousness |
Compiler: | MadhuGopaldas |
Created: | 20 of Sep, 2009 |
Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=1, Lec=1, Con=0, Let=0 |
No. of Quotes: | 2 |