HOW TO DIVERT THE MIND AND SENSES INTO KRISHNA’s SERVICE?
A girl devotee asked like this (Name hidden):
“jai shri Krishna prabhuji!! with your guidance and grace of Krishna me and many other people try to become a pure devotees of Krishna but in the way of Krishna conciousness most of the people face difficulty to control their senses through that between their efforts of trying to becoming a good devotee of Krishna they loose their control and attacted by maya and after that time again we need to start to becoming a devotee and try to control our senses. My humble request to you please tell us why it is difficult to control senses ( sexual senses ) again and again and how we can control. Thank you. Jai shri Krishna!!”
REPLY:
(A) DIVERTING OUR MIND FROM ILLICIT ACTIVITIES
Lord Himself has said that it is very difficult to control the mind, but, by sustained practice, it can be achieved. So, do not fight hard to control the lust.
This problem is not only for you; It is faced by most of the devotees!
(Can a devotee having past illicit violations get the mercy of Krishna? READ HERE!)
This material life itself is a fight with maya. Maya has spread its wing widely and attractively to involve every one of us into that net.
Lust is also one of the wings of maya devi. Lust to be in the company of beautiful girls/ boys, Lust to become rich, Lust of being a leader and appreciated by others, etc., are all the tools used by maya devi to bind us with this material world.
Particularly, maya devi tests the devotees of Krishna much. It is said: “Maya devi is standing just behind Krishna and watching your activities. Until you are sincerely involving in Krishna Consciousness, she will remain silent. If you forget Krishna for some time, maya devi readily catches you and then drag you towards materialistic activities”
So, to escape from maya’s disturbances, we have to catch Krishna strongly all the time.
A question should come in your mind:
Why maya devi is doing like this when she is the external potency of Krishna? What is the benefit for her? Why should she deviate us from Krishna?
(What is the repentment for our past illicit activities? READ HERE!)
Yes. It is the duty assigned to her by Krishna. Maya devi has been assigned the management of this material world. So, she expects us to be under her control and engage more in material activities. She is doing her duties perfectly to engage you in material activities so that this world order will be maintained. Being the controller of this material world, she will not wish all the people to escape from this world and go back to spiritual planets such as Vaikunta, Goloka, etc.
However, as she is also the servant of Krishna, she can’t catch a devotee until he is strongly practicing Krishna Consciousness. Maya is like darkness and Krishna is like sun. Where there is sun, there will be no darkness.
So, until you are catching the lotus feet of Krishna strongly, maya devi can’t drag you. Only when you give a gap in your Krishna Conscious practices, maya becomes very happy and easily drags you into the material activities.
To set our mind in a right direction, our scriptures advise us to see all the women except our wife as our mother. That is why, Srila Prabhupada, the founder of ISKCON advised the devotees be called as Mathajis and Prabhus.
(SPIRITUAL TIPS TO AVOID WATCHING ADULT CONTENTS AND ITS CONSEQUENCES! READ HERE!)
Srila Prabhupada says in his morning walk on 25.10.1975:
“Any woman should be looked upon as mother. This is culture. Except his married wife, all women should be treated as mother. The brahmacaris were taught like that, “Mother.” This is culture. Simply they are trying to elope other’s wife, other’s woman, exploit them. And they’re cultured. There is no culture at the present moment”.
A devotee asked Prabhupada: “Srila Prabhupada, should we call all the women “mother”?
Prabhupada: Yes. And treat it like mother. Not only call, but treat it like mother.
Krishna gives an idea to control our senses in Bhagavad Gita C-2, T-59:
“The embodied soul may be restricted from sense enjoyment, though the taste for sense objects remains. But, ceasing such engagements by experiencing a higher taste, he is fixed in consciousness.
If our mind and senses disturb us much, that means, we are not concentrating sincerely in the master of senses, ie, Krishna. Instead, we are concentrating in mundane media and other sources that supply plenty of dangerous resources that make us mad for sex.
(20 POWERFUL TIPS TO CONTROL “LUST” AND GO CLOSER TO KRISHNA! READ HERE!)
Just a room, a girl and boy and a digital camera are needed to prepare a spoiler movie of dirty acts. But, by investing just a very small amount, these unqualified and ugly people make plenty of profits by engaging the people in seeing them and spoiling themselves.
So, understand the tricks of these people in money making by spoiling our lives. Do not fall prey to their tricks.
Be with the humble and sincere devotees of the Lord as much as possible. Speak only about Krishna to them. Read more about Krishna. Chant from your heart as much as possible. Engage in daily worship and avoid rajo and thamo guna foods like meat, onion, garlic, etc. Honour only Krishna Prasadam.
Thus, make your thoughts filled with Krishna. In due course of time, the mind and hence genitals will become silent like our pet dog that is under our control.
Only Krishna can help us in mind and sense control. Thousands of devotees who were leading lusty life have become reformed by following devotion to Krishna sincerely.
(I, an initiated male devotee committed sexual violation with my co-staff, violating guru. What to do? READ HERE!)
H.H.Bakthi Vikas Swami, in his book, “Brahmacharya in Krishna Consciousness” says that even while changing our dress, we should avoid seeing our own genitals to avoid sense disturbances. When we see them eagerly, next, we will touch them and enjoy that feeling. Thus, self sex happens. This will finally result in wastage of our own resources. So, he advised like that.
So, make this life meaningful by understanding its real purpose. This life is not for having a few seconds of nerve pleasures. This life is to understand our real position and aim for higher status after this life.
REGULATION OF MIND:
It is the function of mind that induces the senses to engage them in their respective activities. Mind engages eyes to see beautiful boys/ girls. It engages ears to hear sweet words of opposite sex. It engages nose to smell the body of opposite sex. It engages the skin to feel the sweetness of the touch of opposite sex. It engages sexual organs to have the interaction with the opposite sex.
Thus, our mind is doing its duty perfectly to engage us in the interaction with the opposite sex. Why? Because, we have allowed the mind to remain a servant of maya and we have not given serious engagements to the mind in Krishna Consciousness.
It is the nature of mind to go with the consciousness with which we function the most. In other words, it goes with the dominating consciousness. Now we have the domination of material pleasure seeking. So, the mind goes towards sense enjoyments again and again.
(Why and how to avoid illicit sex in life? READ HERE!)
If we engage the same mind IN THINKING OF AND SERVING KRISHNA, it will remain in Krishna Consciousness like a pet dog. The dog remains loyal to those who give them the food. Similarly, our mind is also loyal to the preference of a person – whether Maya or Krishna.
So, the best method is to divert the mind and senses into Krishna’s service. Keep on chanting whenever you have no work to do.
Idle mind is devil’s workshop. So, engage your idle mind in chanting. Chant thinking of Krishna, not any actors or friends. Have more association of devotees. Reduce the association of mundane people. Read the literature on Krishna more and more. Visit Krishna temples or sathsangha as much as possible. Do works thinking of Krishna.
These are the practical ways to engage your mind more in Krishna. So, your mind will direct your senses to remain happy and blissful with the thoughts of and practices for Krishna.
(B) HOW TO DIVERT OUR SENSES INTO KRISHNA’s SERVICE?
Actually, it is not difficult to divert the mind and senses into Krishna’s service. No one can avoid exposure to material or lustful things now-a-days. But, if you involve all your material activities in the service of Krishna, it becomes spiritual, ie, even lust (desire) can be applied in the service of Lord.
(Though I follow devotion, I am disturbed by sexual disturbances . What to do? READ HERE!)
How to do that?
(1) Go to job and earn well. If you use all the earning for material life, it is material. If you spend a part of your earning for Krishna and then use the remaining money for essential expenses, the same money becomes spiritual.
(2) If you use mobile phone for talking to friends and relatives to please your senses, it is a material activity that induces lust of material desires. But, if you use the same mobile to preach Krishna Consciousness and to discuss with friends about Krishna, the same ‘mobile talking’ becomes spiritual.
(3) If you use computer for chatting with friends about cinema, sports, girls or boys, it is material that may induce lust. But, if you use the same computer to learn and spread Krishna Consciousness like we do here, it becomes spiritual.
(4) If you eat food for pleasing your tongue without offering to Krishna, it is a food with karma, that is material and that karmic food will induce lust. If you offer the food to Krishna and then honour that prasadam, it becomes spiritual and free from karma. So, it increases devotion, not lust.
(5) If you live your family life for sense gratification alone, it is a Material Grahamedi life. But, if you use the same family life to serve Krishna by making your house like a temple where Krishna lives, the same material life becomes a Spiritual, ie, Grahastha life approved by the scriptures.
(6) Similarly, if one uses sex to produce animal-like children or to have pleasure, it is material lusty activity; But, if he uses the same sex to produce devotee children for Krishna, the same sex becomes a service to Krishna.
Thus, just start involving all your material activities in the service of Krishna. Thus, you can regulate your senses and material involvements!
(Eight forms of subtle sex to be avoided by brahmacharis! READ HERE!)
If you see a Vaishnava, he also seems to act like us. He also has a bike, mobile, computer, internet connection, house, etc. He also speaks; He also writes; But, he does everything for Krishna; But, we do for our pleasure. That’s all.
So, You need not worry for the disturbance of mind and senses. Because, these are the tests maya is giving you to test whether you are strong in Krishna Consciousness, or not. Just divert the mind and senses into Krishna’s service. Then, your life will become a spiritual even without going to forests. You can lead a Krishna Conscious life even within the family set up.
You can divert the mind and senses into Krishna’s service and hence bring them under control. You need not try hard to control them artificially.
However, there will be problems, disturbances, etc., in our devotional path. Just neglect them since your main objective of life is to serve Krishna. If you bear all these disturbances, Krishna will start to take care of you personally and elevate you in Krishna Consciousness.
Most importantly, if you have more disturbances even after all these efforts, marry a devotee and continue your devotional practices while keeping your senses under the control with the help of your wife/ husband.
In such cases, please DO NOT SKIP MARRIAGE AND GET MARRIED AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE. THIS IS RECOMMENDED FOR YOU.
HOPE NOW YOU KNOW HOW TO DIVERT THE MIND AND SENSES INTO KRISHNA’s SERVICE.
(HOW GIRLS AND BOYS FALL VICTIMS OF LUST ? BOYS PRAISED MY BEAUTY AND EXPLOITED ME. WHAT TO DO? READ HERE!)