Just Say "No!"

When our senses scream at us begging for gratification, we should just say "No!" If we take this simple approach to sense control, we will find it very easy to become goswamis, masters of the senses. But if we start thinking that maybe we should compromise with our senses by giving them a little bit of over indulgence, we are paving our royal road to hell.

Since if we give Maya an inch, she will take a mile, it is always better to err on the side of caution than on the side of looseness. While some gratification of the senses is necessary to keep the body fit for serving Krishna, it is suicidal to cross the line and overindulge them. If we do so, we are sure to become unhealthy both spiritually and materially.

When we practice devotional service seriously it is not difficult to nicely control our senses because in Krishna consciousness we experience the joy of engaging our senses in the Lord's service. We get to relish delicious Krishna prasadam. We are privileged to feast on our eyes on the amazingly beautiful divine form of the Lord. We are blessed with immersing our ears and hearts in the nectarean ocean of Hare Krishna kirtan. We stimulate our intelligence by studying the most sublime philosophy of the Bhagavad-gita and the Srimad Bhagavatam. In this and in so many other ways we become fully satisfied in a life based on satisfying Krishna. And we will not have to say "no" to Maya because she won't come knocking on our door anymore knowing full well that she will find a more suitable customer for her wares elsewhere.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Devotee Relishes The Sweet Taste of Hare Krishna Kirtan

Answers According to the Vedic Version:

Question: Why Am I Attracted to Yoga Principles?

Dear teacher:

Please accept my humble obeisances.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Why am I attracted to some of the astanga-yoga principles, like complete brahmacarya (no marriage), saucam (purity), tapah (austerity), satyam (truthfulness), silence, ahimsa, and santosa (satisfaction)? Is such attraction favorable for practicing Krishna consciousness or unfavorable?

Your humble servant,

Yechen Zhang

Answer: Transcendentalist in Your Previous Lifetime

The reason you are attracted to these yogic principles is that you were an aspiring transcendentalist in your previous lifetime who did not complete his process of self-realization. Now you are picking up from where you left off.

All of the items you mentioned are favorable for Krishna consciousness. However it should be carefully noted that for a Vaisnava silence means to only talk about Krishna. This is the perfection of silence. Other who try to practice the so-called silence of not saying anything end having to say something anyway. And because they are not Krishna consciousness whatever they do end up saying or communicating is usually nonsense.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari