Don't Let Your Monkey Mind Steal Your Vision

6 October 2010--While on parikrama today at the Sri Sri Radha Damodar temple in Vrindavana a monkey stole the glasses from Mr. Joshi, one of the members our of party. The monkey was so bold that he stole them from Mr. Joshi while he was wearing them. Sometimes the monkeys will accept bribes in the form of bananas or other foodstuffs to return the stolen goods, and sometimes they will accept the bribe and then not return what they have stolen.

You may wonder why I am presenting such a topic where I normally present the science and philosophy of Krishna consciousness. The reason is that there is very nice simile here. One's mind is like a monkey. And that mind, if allowed to be uncontrolled, steals away one intelligence. One is no longer able to distinguish between illusion and reality. When one's mind becomes like a monkey one should feed it with the knowledge of Krishna consciousness. In this way one will be able to regain complete control over his mind and will have the clear vision to distinguish reality from illusion

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Vrindavana Monkey Steals Mr. Joshi's Glasses
and Returns Then After Being Offered a BribeMonkey Steals Glasses and Returns Them After Being Offered a Bribe

Answers According to the Vedic Version:

Question: Dhyāna, Dhāraṇā, and Prāṇāyāma

What is your opinion about dhyāna, dhāraṇā, and prāṇāyāma? Don't you think they are also important or essential for a sadhaka (one who practices self-realization) to develop his Krishna bhakti or Krishna consciousness, as you say? I need your clarification please.

With my obeisances,

Chandra

Answer: Beneficial Only for the Non-Devotees

Dhyāna, dhāraṇā, and prāṇāyāma are three of the steps in the eightfold yogic path known as aṣṭāṅga-yoga.

The eight stages of the aṣṭāṅga-yoga are as follows:

1. yama--prohibitions
2. niyama--positive regulative principles
3. āsana--sitting postures
4. prāṇāyāma--breathing exercises
5. pratyāhāra--withdrawal of the senses from material sense objects
6. dhāraṇā--concentration
7. dhyāna--meditation
8. samādhi--trance

The above process is recommended for less intelligent persons who have no better knowledge. But one who has tasted the beauty of the Supreme Lord Krishna, in the course of his advancement in Krishna consciousness, no longer has a taste for dead, material things. Therefore, restrictions are there for the less intelligent neophytes in the spiritual advancement of life, but such restrictions are only good until one actually has a taste for Krishna consciousness. When one is actually Krishna conscious, he automatically loses his taste for pale things.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Little Sparrow Who Conquered the Ocean

Image
In his purport to Bhagavad-gita, Chapter 6, Text 24 Srila Prabhupada wonderfully teaches us the power of determinations by telling us the story of the little sparrow who conquered the ocean: "As for determination, one should follow the example of the sparrow who lost her eggs in the waves of the ocean. A sparrow laid her eggs on the shore of the ocean, but the big ocean carried away the eggs on its waves. The sparrow became very upset and asked the ocean to return her eggs. The ocean did not even consider her appeal. So the sparrow decided to dry up the ocean. She began to pick out the water in her small beak, and everyone laughed at her for her impossible determination. The news of her activity spread, and at last Garuda, the gigantic bird carrier of Lord Visnu, heard it. He became compassionate toward his small sister bird, and so he came to see the sparrow. Garuda was very pleased by the determination of the small sparrow, and he promised to help. Thus Garuda at once asked t
Read more

Heart Melting Reunion with Amarendra and Gayatri

Image
On Friday 26 June 2015 I was blessed with the greatest good fortune of meeting with two of the dearest devotees of my entire life, His Grace Amarendra Prabhu and his good wife, Srimati Gayatri devi dasi. I am eternally indebted to these great souls for how much they helped me in my spiritual life when I was a young devotee. When I was young brahmacari monk in 1973 I joined with the two of them in Gainesville, Florida. We were a three person preaching center, and they were just like a mother and father to me. I had so many wonderful Krishna conscious experiences in their association that I can hardly begin to describe them here. But at least may it suffice for me to say for now that Gayatri taught me what it means to be a soft-hearted devotee of the Lord and she gave me my first cooking lesson, teaching me how to make cauliflower pakoras, and Amarendra taught me the art of how to preach strongly, intelligently, and coolly to defeat opposing arguments. Recently Gayatri almost died. But
Read more

Who is this Krishna?

Image
Krishna is not a myth, nor is He an ordinary historical personality. He is the Supreme All-Attractive Personality of Godhead. He is the oldest of all while simultaneously maintaining the form of a 16 year old youth. He is all-attractive because he exceeds everyone in all of existence by possessing unlimitedly all the qualities that are attractive namely power, beautify, renunciation, knowledge, wealth, and fame. There is no one who equals or excels Him in the possession of these attractive qualities. This is why is accepted by all enlightened spiritualists as being God, the original source of all existence. The perfection of our existence is to re-establish our long forgotten loving relationships with Him. There Is No One More Amazing Than Krishna Video for the Day Don't Be a Hypocrite Answers According to Vedic Wisdom Question: Was Krishna a Real Person? Was Krishna a real person who lived on Earth? Ray Galindo Answer: He Was and He Still Is My Dear Ray, Pleas
Read more