Vedanta Psychology - Suhotra Maharaja Archives

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Maharaja: No.Devotee (4): No?Maharaja: No.Devotee (4): Then who?Maharaja: The soul in connection with the mind. This is the point that we are tryingto make. Intelligence doesn’t make a distinction.Ok, which of these two rocks is bigger? This one, ok. So that’s what theintelligence can do. Now, which is better? That’s the mind. Depends what you want todo. So that’s the whole point, the mind is not going to go away, and we don’t need itto go away. We just have to redirect it towards the Lord.Devotee (4): But that’s my point, the nine processes of devotional service is the…Maharaja: Yes, no, but you are just taking, I do the activity and ignore the mind.No, the mind has to be engaged in those activities, otherwise, why is it he is goingalong, he is chanting, he is the best devotee in the temple, and one day, bang, he isgone. And how many of those were there in your temple? Why? Because one day,suddenly the mind went, hey, what about me? And then they are gone. And the soulidentifies with the mind.This is what we are discussing, this is a real reality, due to this ignoring the mindand dealing with it, is one point, and accepting the mind as us, therefore there is somuch social and devotional disruption. While simply if we accept that the mind is real,we have to deal with it, but it’s not us, then so much problem goes away. I, the mindwants this, but it’s not me and that’s not good, so why should I bother? It wants todo something, it wants to be active, so then be active, but why be active for ourself?It’s so much better to be active for Krsna. You get what you want anyway.I am hungry, I have a friend, I could just feed myself. Then I am physicallysatisfied, but emotionally I am not, and my friend is really not. Now if I work on theprinciple of feed my friend, then they are going to be satisfied, I am also going to eatin the process, and emotionally then it’s been taken care of, and relationship hasbeen developed. So in both cases you ate. So which is better?So if the mind accepts that connecting to the Lord and serving the Lord,everything we require we’ll get, but this is where we don’t understand that. We’llthink, by serving the Lord I give up everything for myself. I have offered nice prasadato Krsna, but I will not enjoy that prasada. I didn’t make the prasada for myenjoyment, but when I am taking the prasada it is very enjoyable. Why won’t it be,it’s Krsna. The soul is satisfied in connection with Krsna.But we tend to think like the impersonalists, no, any kind of enjoyment I mustthrow it out if it’s going to be spiritual. I have actually heard devotees say, enjoyingprasada is maya. So they do like this in anything. They want to be married, they
have to be married, but being happy in that family they’ll call it maya. So they dotheir best to mess it up. But the point is it’s non what’s being done.It’s whether it’s being done for Krsna or it’s not being done for Krsna. Eating is notmaya, it’s a fact of life. They do it in the spiritual world, it goes on here in thematerial world. What makes it spiritual or material is whether it’s connected to Krsna,or whether it’s not connected to Krsna, that’s all. That’s the whole point. So that’swhat we are trying to discern.Otherwise it will just be, oh, we just chant Hare Krsna, great, let’s run the societylike that, but I don’t see that going on. That’s what’s told to the two or threebrahmacaris and brahmacarinis that still somehow or another happen to be still in atemple somewhere. But the other 300-500 devotees out in the congregation don’twork according to that, and why?Because they are not accepting the mind, they are not working with it. They say, Iam being real. But what’s so real about identifying with your desires. No. Deal withthem, but don’t identify with them. I am hungry, I need to eat, that’s fine, but I amnot this hunger, I am not this need. No. It’s there, because the body requires it, themind requires, the senses require. But that doesn’t make it me.So that’s what we are trying to identify, then we can engage nicely in devotionalservice. Because why don’t we engage it? Because the mind has another idea. Butthe mind doesn’t see how it can be brought in line with Krsna. You want to eat, fine,that’s being real, but take prasada.Devotee (5): So Maharaja, are you saying that if we accept this point that the mindis…, we need to accept that and then get… Is that more or less what…?Maharaja: That’s basically what we are saying, because it’s not an acceptedplatform. It’s like you just ignore it, or like we discussed in the beginning you juststop it, you just control it. That’s great, but the thing is how many are doing that?And how many who have said to do that are still doing that? A few are doing. Butthere is a lot who used to say that and they are not. And now they are saying, we arejust being practical or we are being real. But it’s not more practical or real, becauseit’s still not identifying, the mind’s desires have to be transferred to Krsna.Devotee (5): Because then if you accept…for the mind and it needs to be somewhatsatisfied to get to the point of pure devotional service, means that you canunderstand what kind of service is the best thing to satisfy those needs and…?Maharaja: Guna and karma, means what is your nature, that’s based on the mind,not on something else. Gita says that the body is based on the mind. The mind has aparticular set of desires, so then you have, based around the mind all the senses aregrouped, and that produces your specific form. So therefore in taking care of eventhe needs of the body, you still have to deal with the mind, because the body camefrom the mind. So actually you are trying to satisfy the mind, not the body.
Page 1 and 2: Vedanta PsychologyFebruary 12, 2009
Page 3 and 4: whole establishment or whole identi
Page 5 and 6: Means it’s like night is the lack
Page 7: get married, so what are we dealing
Page 11 and 12: In the same way it’s said here, t
Page 13 and 14: February 13, 2009Maharaja: Then yes
Page 15 and 16: So this is the connecting point her
Page 17 and 18: Just as we see in the more specific
Page 19 and 20: verse 17 then he brings out this po
Page 21 and 22: Now the problem comes, then when it
Page 23 and 24: And then the next verse:My dear son
Page 25 and 26: that understanding. Because you hav
Page 27 and 28: February 16, 2009Maharaja: So then
Page 29 and 30: So that’s the reality. The illusi
Page 31 and 32: the activities of the verb, but at
Page 33 and 34: as the center, it’s Krsna is the
Page 35 and 36: house is for Krsna, therefore invit
Page 37 and 38: us, it’s not really about the bri
Page 39 and 40: That’s the whole idea, to give up
Page 41 and 42: You talk about what a great pot it
Page 43 and 44: So what happens is here in engaging
Page 45 and 46: technically it’s not bhakti, beca
Page 47 and 48: them. So how much does Krsna accept
Page 49 and 50: efficient cause, what’s the other
Page 51 and 52: interaction is actually the interac
Page 53 and 54: That’s why justice has to be deal
Page 55 and 56: So that’s why therefore the Vedas
Page 57 and 58: So that’s the thing, from habit,
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it. Means mother Yasoda and them th
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in another. They may work on their
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connection to Krsna, 1000 people th
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So we want to do the same thing wit
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Means the person doesn’t know any
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there is nothing else. That’s rea
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control of this hell? Satan. So the
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to be able to take these things. It
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Like sometimes, there was one lette
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If there is a need, if it will help
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preaching, so therefore I should lo
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Maharaja: That’s the whole…, yo
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therefore no Krsna conscious conten
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Just like, if you are sitting in th
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the material world is not still hav
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much then it’s progressive connec
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method in connection Krsna, then yo
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We are doing a fire yajna, it’s a
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Devotee (2): Yes, in one sense, bec
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No, we’ll have to end here. If yo
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they are substandard tastes. If you
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Are you talking about first base? A
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So the element of surrender, sacrif
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Devotee (1): Then therefore I have
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So in this, so this is the techniqu
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through. But for that to have happe
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Maharaja: Yes, you see Krsna, becau
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Maharaja: So this it’s called, Ma
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simple, it is only that much. The K
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even talks doesn’t mean it’s an
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So now we have re-identified oursel
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Maharaja: No, formula you can find.
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that the jiva-sakti in the pure sta
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understanding that there is no tran
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So here then we have a discussion,
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angels, how big are these angels? T
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enjoying that interaction, the visa
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Devotee (2): Maharaja, throughout t
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Maharaja: They get benefit in that
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good, but in a normal terminology i
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we are considered we have situated
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So once you expand the masculine an
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for over a hundred years, and it wo
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Maharaja: He is smart. He is smart.
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of the things. Otherwise if you are
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you are materially stuck. You incre
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difficult to apply. So you really h
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Devotee (3): Well, that’s what th
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having done that there is no ksatri
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Does this starting to make some sen
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So I can’t handle that, so we don
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Devotee (2): Thank you, Maharaja. A
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void area exist here, or the place
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When you go into his office, make a
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clothes, I live in this part of tow
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Because everything is there in the
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that you can use it, those are the
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Devotee (3): Especially young peopl
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Maharaja: Is monogamy an innovation
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you could say four things. One is t
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Maharaja: Was that a good choice?De
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going to interact, I am going to do
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So we can see, structure becomes th
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Prabhupada considered if they take
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Devotee (2): Still a judge or a per
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what’s the essential element of t
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that’s why they make these things
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Maharaja: Yes, but we shouldn’t b
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