Srila Prabhupada speaks on: Aural Concentration

February 5, 2008

" Aural Concentration " Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.15.41Los Angeles, December 19, 1973 listen

Pradyumna: " Then he amalgamated all the sense organs into the mind, then the mind into life, life into breathing, his total existence into the embodiment of the five elements, and his body into death. Then, as pure self, he became free from the material conception of life. "

Prabhupada: Read the purport also.

Pradyumna: " Maharaja Yudhisthira, like his brother Arjuna, began to concentrate and gradually became freed from all material bondage. First of all he concentrated all the actions of the senses amalgamated in the mind. Or in other words, he turned his mind towards transcendental service of the Lord. He prayed that since all material activities were performed by the mind in terms of actions and reactions of the material senses, and since he was going back to Godhead, the mind would wind up its material activities and return towards the transcendental service of the Lord. There was no longer need for material activities. Actually, the activities of the mind cannot be stopped because they are the reflection of the eternal soul. But the quality of the activities can be changed from matter to the transcendental service of the Lord. The material color of the mind is changed by washing it from contaminations of life breathing and therefore getting it freed from the contamination of repeated birth and death and getting it situated in pure spiritual life. All was manifested by the temporary embodiment of the material body, which is a production of mind at the time of death. And if the mind is purified by practice of transcendental loving service of the Lord and the same is constantly engaged in the service of the lotus feet of the Lord, there is no more chance of the mind's producing another material body after death. It will be freed from the absorption of material contamination. The pure soul will be able to return back home, back to Godhead. "

Prabhupada: So this verse describes in the manner of yogic practice. The yogic practice means controlling five kinds of air within the body: prana, apana, vyana, like that. That is breathing exercise, yoga practice.

So it appears that Maharaja Yudhisthira knew how to practice the yoga. Not only Maharaja Yudhisthira, practically any high-class man, especially the brahmanas and the ksatriyas, every one of them knew this practice, yoga practice. So at the time of death they could utilize, how to give up this body. That is perfection of yoga. The yogis, they can give up the life or give this, relinquish this body, according to his own desire, not compelled by the material condition. That is yoga system. Generally, a man dies under the obligation of material laws. But a yogi, he controls in such a way that he leaves the body...

Just like Bhismadeva. Bhismadeva especially, his father gave him the benediction that so long he would not himself like to die, he'll never die, Bhismadeva. He got this benediction from his father because his promise was very stern, severe. You know the story, that Bhismadeva's father was captivated by the young girl, Satyavati, and he wanted to marry her. A ksatriya could do that. But Satyavati's father disagreed. Although he was king, he could marry anyone he likes. But his (her) father... Still, with the permission of the parents. So the father denied, " No, no, I cannot give you my daughter to you. " " Why? " " Because you have got grown-up son, and he will be the king. Why my daughter shall be married with you just like a maid-servant? No. " So Bhismadeva could understand that " My father desires to marry this young girl, Satyavati, and there is some hindrances. " So he approached, that " Why don't you give my father your daughter? " So he said, " Because you are his eldest son. You will become king. " So he immediately promised that " No, your daughter's son will become king. I will not become king. Give my father, sir. " So he said, " No, no, still it is not possible. " " Why? " " Because you may not become king. Then your son will become king. I don't want that. " So in this way Bhismadeva said, " No, then I shall not marry. Is that all right? Still... " Then he gave his daughter, " Yes. " Satyavati.

So his father, Santanu Maharaja, saw that Bhisma is so affectionate to his father that for the father's sense gratification he has sacrificed his own. So he gave him this benediction, " My dear son, you are so stern in keeping your promise. So I give you this benediction, that you will never die unless you desire. " Therefore Bhismadeva was lying on the bed of arrows, and he left this material world when he desired. So the yogis can do that. The yogis they control the soul. The soul is floating in different airs. So they can control. That is called sat-cakrah. From the rectum to the abdomen, abdomen to the heart, heart to the collarbone, then collarbone to the palate, and then here. So one who can bring the soul here, they can get out from this hole, it is called brahma-randhra.

So they can go, the yogis, as they desire. Either he can go directly to the spiritual world, or if he likes, he can transfer himself to the higher planetary system. This is yoga practice. Anywhere he likes, he can go. It appears that Yudhisthira Maharaja knew perfectly well. Similarly, we see from many other kings' life. Or this yoga practice was done by any gentleman. Therefore they were so sober, steady and determined. Everyone was a yogi. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gita it is described, rajarsi. Imam rajarsayo viduh. Rsi. Rsi, saintly persons, they know how to practice yoga. So formerly the kings were as good as rsis. They were simply sitting on the throne as a matter of responsibility to the citizens. They were not political opportunists. No. Nowadays people are political opportunists. As soon as they get some opportunity, they capture the power. Formerly... Just like Bhismadeva. Actually, he would have been the king. But he was not opportunist. To serve his father he gave up everything. This is called rajarsi.

So vacamsi. If you can control your mind, then you can control your words. There are kaya, mana, vakya. Three things are... We have got this body, and we have got our mind, and we have got to talk. Talking is very important. You can talk nonsense all day and night, and you can talk about Krsna and chant Hare Krsna mantra, and the same thing, vibration. So if you talk nonsense, then you can go to hell. And if you talk about Krsna and the Hare Krsna mantra, chant, then you go back to home, back to Godhead. Just see how much this talking is important. Simply by talking. Vacamsi vaikuntha-gunanuvarnane. So it is a matter of control. This is con... Yoga means indriya-samyama, controlling the senses. That is called yoga, real purpose of yoga. Because our senses are just like venomous serpents. So many people, they fall down on account of these senses. They become victims of the senses.

So yoga practice means the controlling the senses. This is the real purpose of yoga. There is certain mechanical process, that is called yoga practice. Therefore yoga practice is meant for a person who is too much in bodily concept of life. Otherwise, one who is convinced that " I am not this body, " then where is the necessity of exercising the body? But it is meant for a person who is too much absorbed in bodily concept of life. For him, this yogic practice is recommended, that by mechanical practice of the different parts of the body, the air within the body, one can control the senses. And unless the senses are controlled... The whole thing is sense. Therefore consciousness, it depends on the senses, purifying the senses. Spirit soul is eternal, so his senses are eternal. You cannot stop the activities of his senses. That is not possible. Just like others. They think that " If we stop... " Just like Visvamitra Muni. He was a great yogi. He stopped the senses. He wanted to stop. He closed the eyes, " I'll not see a beautiful woman. " But he failed as soon as he heard the tinkling sound of the bangles of the apsara, Menaka.

So our senses are so strong. If you stop this sense, the other sense is prepared to kill you. Because they are called enemies, they are manah sasthanindriyani prakrti-sthani karsati [bg. 15.7]. We are struggling for existence with the mind and the senses. Otherwise it is explained in the Bhagavad-gita, " These living entities, they are My part and parcel. " That means " They are as good as I am. " Why they are rotting in this material world? Because on account of the mind and the senses. So yoga practice you have to control first of all the mind, and then you have to control the senses. That is perfection of yoga. So Ambarisa Maharaja, a great devotee, he controlled his mind, senses, in this way. The first thing is to... Sa vai manah krsna-padaravindayoh. This yoga practice... Bhakti-yoga means this, not to try artificially to control the mind the senses. That will be failure. In most cases they are failure. In some cases they are perfect or successful, but in most cases they are failure, especially in this age, when people have no training, no..., simply extravagant, doing everywhere what he likes, no brahmacari system. Nothing is taught. Formerly (in) the Vedic civilization, the boys should be sent to Gurukula for practicing brahmacarya. There is no such question now. So the so-called practice of yoga is simply useless waste of time. They cannot do anything. It is not possible.

Therefore bhakti-yoga system is to engage the senses and the mind in Krsna's service. If your mind is engaged in Krsna's service, then there is very little scope for the mind being diverted from it. It diverts, but if you practice, then Krsna will help you.

srnvatam sva-kathah krsnahpunya-sravana-kirtanahhrdy antah-stho hy abhadranividhunoti suhrt satam [sB 1.2.17]

Krsna is within yourself, and if you are sincerely trying to purify yourself, your mind, body, words, these three...

So the beginning is to hear about Krsna. Anything about Krsna. But first thing we want to hear... If we want to know Krsna, naturally we are inclined, " What is Krsna? What is Krsna? " Just like our Krsna book is now selling. Because the Krsna consciousness movement is there, so people are, I mean to say, eager to know, " What this Krsna is? " Naturally they want to purchase some Krsna books. Actually, that is the first business. Just like we are speaking about, " In God We Trust, " this slogan of the American people or American government. So naturally, people should be inquisitive to know actually what is God, scientifically. We say, " In God We Trust, " but we do not know what is God. Then where is the question of trust? Suppose if you, if somebody, friends, say that " You can trust the Bank of America. " But if he does not know what is Bank of America, then how he can trust? How he can deposit his money? So that is the difficulty. This is simply slogan. Otherwise, everyone should have been inquisitive, " What this government has made this slogan, 'In God We Trust'? " What is God? Nobody knows. Then where is the question of trust? Therefore it has become everything humbug.

But if you are serious to know about God, there is science, there is teacher, everything is there. God Himself is there within your heart. Isvarah sarva-bhutanam hrd-dese 'rjuna tisthati [bg. 18.61]. So actually, if you are serious to know God, so God is within himself. He can understand, " Now this living entity is serious to know about Me. " So He will help you, immediately. That is stated in Bhagavad-gita,

tesam satata-yuktanambhajatam priti-purvakamdadami buddhi-yogam tamyena mam upayanti te [bg. 10.10]

Tesam, " such persons, " satata-yuktanam, " always very much anxious to know about God... " So God can understand. God is omnipotent. He can understand that " This living entity is now serious. He wants to hear about God. " So this inquisitiveness is very good. My Guru Maharaja accepted me as a disciple because he saw in the beginning I was very inquisitive to hear him. So in the beginning, when many gentleman... I was one of them, was introduced to my Guru Maharaja, that " They are to be initiated. They want to be initiated, to become your disciple. " So when my turn came, he immediately said, " Yes, I will accept this boy as disciple because he is very inquisitive to hear. " That was my recommendation. And actually, I was very inquisitive. I could not follow what Guru Maharaja was speaking, but still, I was asking others, that " When Guru Maharaja will speak? I will hear. " I could not follow. He was speaking in a very high philosophical term. So at that time I had no capacity to under... Still, I wanted to hear him, I understand or not understand.

So this is very good qualification. So those who are coming here to listen about God, they are very fortunate. Krsna will help them. Sravanam. The beginning of bhakti-yoga is started from the practice of sravanam, aural reception, ear. Therefore the mantra is given through the ear, initiation mantra. Then kirtanam.

sravanam kirtanam visnohsmaranam pada-sevanamarcanam vandanam dasyamsakhyam atma-nivedanam [sB 7.5.23]

There are nine different processes. The most important process is hearing. And as soon as you want to hear, that means you have to concentrate your mind. So naturally, the mind becomes, I mean to say, locked. Sravanam kirtanam. But if we sleep, that is another thing, that " Let the lectures go on. Let me have some rest. " That is another thing. But if you hear, if you are anxious to hear, then mind has to be engaged. Without attention, you cannot hear. If your mind is something doing, you are thinking of marketing something, or sometimes..., so you can hear, make a show of hearing, but you are not hearing. Therefore mind is the first thing. Sa vai manah krsna-padaravindayor vacamsi vaikuntha-gunanuvarnane. If you engage your mind in hearing, then you can describe the things in the Vaikuntha, in the spiritual world. Vacamsi vaikuntha-gunanu...

So we have to practice. This is bhakti-yoga. First of all we have to engage the mind. Mind. And as soon as you engage the mind in hearing about Krsna, Krsna will help you in cleansing the mind. That is the opinion given by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Ceto-darpana-marjanam [Cc. Antya 20.12]. Because everything... We cannot understand about God, or we cannot see God, or we do not know what is God, because there are so many dirty things on the mind. Otherwise, as soon as the mind is clear, devoid of all dirty things, you can see. You can understand what is God; you can see God every moment. Premanjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santah sadaiva hrdayesu vilo... [bs. 5.38]. So there is no difficulty. God is here, Krsna. But one's mind is not clear. He cannot see God. He sees a statue of stone. He sees a statue of stone. And whose mind is clear, like Caitanya Mahaprabhu, as soon as He sees Jagannatha, immediately fainted. Here is Krsna. Actually, that is the fact. Here is Krsna. Krsna is omnipresent. That is God's qualification: omnipresent, He is present everywhere. So why not present in the temple? He is present here. But we have no eyes to see. Because our mind is not clean.

So we cannot use the senses to see God. That is the defect. Therefore premanjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena [bs. 5.38]. By the bhakti process, by devotional service, you cleanse your mind, you cleanse your senses. As soon as your mind is cleansed, then senses are also clean. That is helped by Krsna Himself, as He says in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, srnvatam sva-kathah. As soon as Krsna sees that you are eager to hear about Him... Srnvatam sva-kathah krsnah punya-sravana-kirtanah [sB 1.2.17]. By the first hearing you may not understand about Krsna, but if you simply hear with little attention, although you do not understand, still, you will be pious. Because the dirty things means covered with impious activities. So if you hear about Krsna, then gradually you will become pious, simply by hearing. Simply... Just like if there is injection, anti-some disease, vaccine. You understand or not understand, it will act. Suppose if you take poison, if you do not understand what is poison, it will act. Similarly, krsna-katha is so powerful that if you simply hear, even if you do not understand, then you will become pious. And by becoming pious... Because without becoming pious, nobody can understand Krsna. It is said in the Bhagavad-gita, yesam anta-gatam papam jananam punya-karmanam: " Those who are twenty-four hours engaged in pious activities... "

Therefore we engage our students in the bhakti-yoga practice, twenty-four hours routine work, because it is pious activities. So he will be purified. He will be purified. We have got so many times offering arati, offering prasadam, cleansing the temple, dressing the Deity, talking about him, twenty-four hours must be. Kirtaniyah sada harih [Cc. adi 17.31]. Kirtaniyah or sevaniyah sada harih, twenty-four hours. In this way we become purified. Ceto-darpana-marjanam bhava-maha... [Cc. Antya 20.12]. As soon as your mind is cleansed of all dirty things, then you become fit for going back to home, back to Godhead.

So any yoga practice... But other yoga practice -- hatha-yoga practice, dhyana-yoga practice, karma-yoga practice, jnana-yoga practice -- these are very difficult in this age. But if you take to bhakti-yoga practice... It is recommended, sravanam kirtanam. Kalau tad dhari-kirtanat. In this age, Kali-yuga, this hari-kirtana is bhakti-yoga. Krte yad dhyayato visnum tretayam yajato makhaih. In different ages, because the people are different, so different methods are prescribed in the sastra. In the Satya-yuga the meditation method was possible. In other yuga it is not possible. In Treta-yuga, by sacrificing big, big yajna, performing yajna; in Dvapara-yuga by temple worship; and kalau tad dhari-kirtanat, and in this Kali-yuga, simply by hari-kirtana, by chanting the holy name of the Lord, you can get the same result. Therefore our process is kirtana always. Kirtaniyah sada harih [Cc. adi 17.31].

So by bhakti-yoga practice you become perfect in all yogic practices and ultimately you realize God very easily and directly, and that will help you to go back to home, back to Godhead. That is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita,

janma karma me divyamyo janati tattvatahtyaktva deham punar janmanaiti mam eti kaunteya [bg. 4.9]

Anyone who understands Krsna in truth... Janma karma me divyam yo janati tattvatah. Tattvatah means in truth, not superficially. If you understand Krsna in truth, as He is... And He is speaking Himself about Himself. There is no difficulty. If you simply accept Krsna, what He says, if you follow, then you become perfect and you become fit for going back to home, back to Godhead.

Thank you very much. (end)

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.15.41 -- Los Angeles, December 19, 1973

-- ChantHare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare II Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare II --is the sublime method for reviving our Krsna consciousness. As living spiritual souls we are all originally Krsna conscious entities, but due to our asociation with matter since time immemorial, our consciousness is now poluted by material atmosphere. In this polluted concept of life, we are all trying to exploit the resources of material nature, but actually we are becoming more and more entangled in our complexities. This illusion is called Maya, or hard struggle for existence over the stringent laws of material nature. This illusory struggle against the material nature can at once be stopped by revival of our Krsna consciousness.

And Be Happy