Hare Krishna Prabhujis and Matajis,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva.
The following is an humble attempt to transcribe a nectarean class given by our beloved spiritual master HH Mahavishnu Goswami Maharaj in Sri Sri Radha Neelmadhav dham, Rajkot in October 2009 on verse 11.26.26 from Srimad Bhagavatam.
tato duḥsaṅgam utsṛjya satsu sajjeta buddhimān
santa evāsya chindanti mano-vyāsaṅgam uktibhiḥ
An intelligent person should therefore reject all bad association and instead take up the association of saintly devotees, whose words cut off the excessive attachment of one's mind.
(Maharaj made everyone recite the translation thrice.) "Excessive attachment of one's mind - This is also mentioned in Bhagavad Gita that we should detach ourselves from the mind's desires. The thing is we try to force our mind against the various desires. But mind is very adamant. Again and again it will present it's desires. The jnaan is we have to go beyond the mind. Unless you have guided intelligence, you cannot approach Krishna. Krishna's connection is in our heart. sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭo - He is situated in our heart. So heart to heart connection is there. That's why Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita verse 2.55,
prajahāti yadā kāmān sarvān pārtha mano-gatān
ātmany evātmanā tuṣṭaḥ sthita-prajñas tadocyate
So this mano-gatān is the mind. These desires of the mind, please stop it. You have to avoid the bad association. Stopping the bad association means stopping the bad ideas. Your ideas comes first and then the action follows. So if you hit at the root, then the action will not be there. If you don't hit at the root, then the action will be bad. In the same shloka the remedy is also given as to how to control the mind. In the same verse He gives what you should do, how you should do it. If you can do it, then you will have steady intelligence.
It is impossible for anyone else to give so much detail in a single verse. That's why Bhagavad-Gita is coming from sākṣāt throat of Lord Krishna. So it should be in our throat. We have material throat. But when you recite Bhagavad-Gita, you will have transcendental throat and you will be connected to Krishna. This arathi and arathi plate are made of brass. But daily they are used in service of Krishna. So we bow down to them. We see so many brass utensils. We don't bow down to them. But even a brass, when it is connected with Krishna's service, it is worshiped. The cotton wick, used to light the ghee lamp is used in service of Krishna and so we bow down to it. Otherwise there may be so many heaps of cotton. But we don't worship them. This little cotton wick is coming to Krishna and so we bow down to it.
Krishna willing, we shall continue to hear more nectar from Maharaj in the subsequent offering.
Hare Krishna.
Thank you very much.
Yours in service of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva,
Sudarshana devi dasi.
Copyright © 2023. All rights reserved.