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TEXT 35 sri-bhagavan uvaca
SYNONYMS  sri-bhagavan
uvaca--the Personality of Godhead said; asamsayam--undoubtedly;
maha-baho--O mighty-armed one; manah--mind; durnigraham--difficult
to curb; calam--flickering; abhyasena--by practice; tu--but;
kaunteya--O son of Kunti; vairagyena--by detachment; ca--also;
grhyate--can be so controlled.
TRANSLATION The Blessed
Lord said: O mighty-armed son of Kunti, it is undoubtedly very difficult
to curb the restless mind, but it is possible by constant practice and
by detachment.
PURPORT The difficulty
of controlling the obstinate mind, as expressed by Arjuna, is accepted
by the Personality of Godhead. But at the same time He suggests that by
practice and detachment it is possible. What is that practice? In the present
age no one can observe strict rules and regulations, such as placing oneself
in a sacred place, focusing the mind on the Supersoul, restraining the
senses and mind, observing celibacy, remaining alone, etc. By the practice
of Krsna consciousness, however, one engages in nine types of devotional
service to the Lord. The first and foremost of such devotional engagements
is hearing about Krsna. This is a very powerful transcendental method for
purging the mind of all misgivings. The more one hears about Krsna, the
more one becomes enlightened and detached from everything that draws the
mind away from Krsna. By detaching the mind from activities not devoted
to the Lord, one can very easily learn vairagya. Vairagya
means detachment from matter and engagement of the mind in spirit. Impersonal
spiritual detachment is more difficult than attaching the mind to the activities
of Krsna. This is practical because by hearing about Krsna one becomes
automatically attached to the Supreme Spirit. This attachment is called
paresanubhuti, spiritual satisfaction. It is just like the feeling
of satisfaction a hungry man has for every morsel of food he eats. Similarly,
by discharge of devotional service one feels transcendental satisfaction
as the mind becomes detached from material objectives. It is something
like curing a disease by expert treatment and appropriate diet. Hearing
of the transcendental activities of Lord Krsna is therefore expert treatment
for the mad mind, and eating the foodstuff offered to Krsna is the appropriate
diet for the suffering patient. This treatment is the process of Krsna
consciousness.
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