Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada

Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya

  • 33-37: Dealing with the mind, the main obstacle in yoga

So what Sri Krishna says over here 

Bg 6.35

śrī-bhagavān uvāca

asaṁśayaṁ mahā-bāho
mano durnigrahaṁ calam
abhyāsena tu kaunteya
vairāgyeṇa ca gṛhyate

Word for word: 

śrī–bhagavān uvāca — the Personality of Godhead said; asaṁśayam — undoubtedly; mahā–bāho — O mighty-armed one; manaḥ — the mind; durnigraham — difficult to curb; calam — flickering; abhyāsena — by practice; tu — but; kaunteya — O son of Kuntī; vairāgyeṇa — by detachment; ca — also; gṛhyate — can be so controlled.

Translation: 

Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa said: O mighty-armed son of Kuntī, it is undoubtedly very difficult to curb the restless mind, but it is possible by suitable practice and by detachment.

 

asaṁśayaṁ mahā-bāho, undoubtable O Arjuna, without any doubt, 

mano durnigrahaṁ calam, it is very difficult to control mind, it is restless, abhyāsena tu kaunteya, however by abhyasa, vairāgyeṇa ca gṛhyate.

So what Sri Krishna is telling to Arjuna over here? Yes it is difficult but it is not impossible. It is possible by Abhyasa and Vairagya. Sri Krishna uses very generic term over here in telling how to control the mind, He is not using Bhakti specific terms or Yoga specific terms. He is using generic term that by Abhyasa and Vairagya it is possible. Is Shri Krishna recommending any specific process over here? No he is giving generic answer how mind can be control yes it is possible by practice and by detachment. So what does this practice and detachment refer to? These are generic principles on all paths. If a person is sick then the person has to take the treatment / therapy that is Abhyas, and avoid the items which he should not be taking which is Vairagya, e.g. if a person has fracture how he has to be cured? Person may be told walk a little bit walk in this way, exercise in this way move this finger this is abhyasa and what is Varigya don’t do the activities which will damage the effected portion more, so Abhyasa and Vairgya is prescription and proscription. So with respect to Bhakti Yoga it is applied that when we are trying to practice spiritual life, abhyāsena tu kaunteya, vairāgyeṇa ca gṛhyate

We keep practicing to try to keep mind under control and when it goes off we will bring it back again, and again and again it goes off and we bring it back. Abhyasa-Abhyasa, And Vairagya means we try to follow the regulative principles we try to avoid activates which agitate our mind disproportionately. 

Now we can say that it is because of mind only I can’t do Abhyasa and Vairagya, so the very thing I am not able to do if I am told to do the same how it will work. No that is why there is progression, like a person has got fracture so he is told to walk slowly, he can say because of fracture only he can’t walk how can someone tell him to walk, no whatever you can walk you walk, walk few steps don’t walk till it pains too much, but walk a few steps by walking a few steps gradually the strength recovers and then the person can start walking again, similarly we may feel actually you are telling me to chant Hare Krishna to control the mind but because of uncontrolled mind only I am not able to chant, so how to do, NO Keep chanting we may not have full control over mind but certainly we may have some control and that level of control keep increasing as we move forward, so abhyāsena tu kaunteya, vairāgyeṇa ca gṛhyate. Vairāgya means detachment no I will not get involved in these things. There are certain activities which are not desirable, doing this we will unnecessarily be entangled. We don’t want to get involved in those activities so vairāgyeṇa ca gṛhyate. So by Abhyasa and Vairagya one can move steadily in spiritual life without much difficulty, Abhyasena and Vairagyena, so this way if one moves forward one will be able to control the mind, Sri Krishna is saying. Srila Prabhupada explain from Bhakti prospective what is Abhyasena and what is Vairgyena in the purport, then Srila Prabhupada says actually when one practices spiritual life Srila Prabhupada quotes from Bhagavatam this attachment is called pareśānubhava, spiritual satisfaction. Bhakti … pareśānubhava…this comes in 11th canto, this describes when one feels week one eats and when one eats one gets taste, one gets strength and one’s hunger gets disappeared. Similarly when we remember Sri Krishna all these things happen, what all happens? When we remember Sri Krishna we get strengthen, our hankering goes away. We are hankering for so many objects in this world, then we get Krishna yes I am satisfied I don’t need any more, so our hankering goes away. After that we started getting taste, yes it is so nice and we feel strong, Krishna is so nice and whatever temptation come I will face them. Srila Prabhupada gives example here more we engaged in devotional service the greater satisfaction we will get.

End of transcription.