Chapter Two: Searching Life’s Secret

We must have eagerness to mix with sadhus of the higher type and avoid liking the company of the ordinary public. If we allow ourselves to mix with the ordinary public in the name of preaching or collection or any other thing, that will be detrimental to our cause.

vācho vegaṁ manasaḥ krodha-vegaṁ
jihvā-vegam udaropastha-vegam
etān vegān yo viṣaheta dhīraḥ
sarvām apīmāṁ pṛthivīṁ sa śiṣyāt

Inspired by the advice of Sriman Mahaprabhu, Srila Rupa Goswami put His advice into this poetic language.

Vaco vegam  — one should not be habituated to speak much; to speak always, whether good or bad, without discrimination. Also, manasah, the raw mental flow is to be controlled. The mind generally thinks about war, about astonishing scientific research, about making money feverishly, and so on. People who are greedy always try to keep company with millionaires, but the mind must not be allowed to run after such things. Those who are full of lust are always searching for different conceptions of Narayana. So the ordinary flow of the mind towards exploitation, towards tempting things, must be checked. We are not to allow the flow of our mind to go this side, that side and every side.

Krodha-vegam. Sometimes anger may come, but it creates disaster. It is inevitable that there will be a reaction to anger, therefore we shall try to check that type of flow of the mind towards anger. But still, we must try to utilise for the Service of Krsna all of whatever we still have left of these things.

Kama krsna-karmmapane krodha bhakta-dvesi-jane. Speculation, planning, etc. may be utilised in the Service of Krsna.

We shall try to utilise any anger within us by defending the devotees, and in this way in no time we shall get relief from anger. The free- flow of the mind may be directed and utilised in sadhu-sange harikatha. Prajalpa is unnecessary discussion about mundane affairs. Also we should not be eager to have the company of any person without first considering whether his association will be good.

Jihva-vega means our attraction to a particular taste. Some may have a particular attraction to the pungent, some to the bitter, some to the sweet, some to the acidic, etc. We should try to avoid the hankering of the tongue to taste particular things. How? The process is that while taking anything I am to consider how nicely the sadhu, the Guru, or the Lord has first tasted it. The material things should be subservient and our attention should be directed towards the subjective feeling of how the higher have tasted it. This is the clue to how to get free from the material taste.

Mahaprabhu tried to avoid sweet things; «I am a sannyasi, so I must keep the ideal. If I take the good things then all will follow that example and it will be detrimental to them.»

Then Swarupa Damodara said, «That is the negative side, but thepositive side is that one should take Prasadam. A person must have the experience of how Jagannath has tasted the preparations.» From the objective world we are to go to the subjective. All feelings should be collected and applied towards the higher plane, and they must be withdrawn from the lower plane.

Udara-vega. «I have not taken much food. My belly seems to be vacant, I shall take more.» Such tendency to take more and more is called udara-vega.

Jihva-vega is for the taste, the quality, and udara-vega is for the quantity. And upastha-vega is the tendency or urge to gain pleasure from the company of women. We are instructed that these three are in one line and they help each other: jihva-vega, udara-vega and upastha-vega. We must be very careful to get rid of them. They cause so much disaster in one’s life. They spoil so many lives. We must be careful in our dealings with them.

«Etan vegan yo visaheta dhirah, sarvvam apimam prthivim sa sisyat. One who can control all of these difficulties is a real Goswami, and he can control the whole of the world. He is eligible to make the population of the whole world into his disciples. Any number of disciples cannot make him deviate from his standpoint.» These have been given as the cautionary points for the sadhus who come under the flag of Sri Chaitanyadeva.

But how can we become intimate with a sadhu?

dadāti pratigṛhṇāti guhyam ākhyāti pṛchchhati
bhuṅkte bhojayate chaiva ṣaḍ-vidhaṁ prīti-lakṣaṇam

We can increase our attraction and love for a sadhu by giving him raw items and by accepting his Prasadam  — to give and to take. To give items to be utilised by him, and to accept whatever is necessary for ourselves, but nothing new.

We won’t try to take anything new, but we will wish only for something which has been used by the Guru and Vaisnavas, whether it be a garland, clothes, decorations, or whatever. We shall try to ove by the remnants of the Vaisnavas. We shall present new things to the sadhus, and we shall try to live by their remnants.

Guhyam akhyati  — I should reveal my innermost feelings to the sadhu: from my innermost heart I feel these many particular things within me. Are these feelings good or bad? And if bad, what is the remedy?» We shall place our inner heart before him so he may examine and proceed accordingly.

Prcchati  — we shall enquire from the sadhu, «What is the secret of your holy life? Please tell me and I shall try to follow that example in order to get out of my present circumstances. In your case how did you gain relief?» We shall try to collect the secrets of success of life from a sadhu. Bhakti bhajayate caiva  — we shall feed him, and accept his Prasadam.

If we follow the above guidelines we shall come closer to a person. If we deal in these ways with a bad man we shall become bad, and with a good man we shall become good. There are two types of water: filtered and filthy. Filthy water can be purified. The higher sadhus can take evil thoughts from others without becoming contaminated. In their hearts resides Govinda. Govinda is infinite and He can consume any quantity of filthy things, therefore their hearts cannot be contaminated.

yāre dekha, tāre kaha ‘kṛṣṇa’-upadeśa
āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra’ ei deśa

«Whoever you find, talk with him about Krsna only.» This should be our motto. One who follows this is a real follower of Mahaprabhu  — not of Krsna. Krsna is almost confined within His own circle but when He comes as Mahaprabhu His main interest is to open the way to His domain. «Go on distributing. At first distribute My sound aspect. It is the most spacious, subtle and effective. Gradually you will find everything there. The first connection is with my sound aspect.»

His sound aspect is all-embracing. From far away it can connect, and then the Figure, then Colour, then Quality, then His Associatien, and then His Pastimes. At that time the devotee becomes attached with some particular duty by which he joins the Lila of the Lord.