Sharanagati

We should control the bad habits with some good habits. This is an easy control – you engage your senses in something better.

So if we want to control the bodily functions, it doesn’t mean we have to stop the bodily functions. Simply by stopping the functions, it will not be purified. But if we provide contact between the senses, the bodily functions and divinity, then purification will come all of a sudden.

For example we have an eye. To control the eye we do not pluck it out because sometimes it is wandering here and there and watching different objects. No, we control the eye by fixing the vision on Krishna, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu – seeing the beauty of Krishna. This is the best engagement for the eye.

You also have an ear. So it’s not necessary to block your ear. But we should use this instrument for the best purpose. I suggest, don’t listen for the news on the radio for example, because this is not a good use of your ear. They try to put all the nonsense and all the garbage into your ear. But sometimes I also check out the news. Every second year I just turn on the radio. Then I understand – still the same old news: bombed, robed, broken, died, est. And the weather is also bad. Why should we use our ears for this nonsense? Better we use our ear, our hearing capacity for listening to the good advice of the wise teachers or the message of God. This is the best use of your ear.

We have some other holes on our head. The nose for example. Nose we usually poke into different things. Better we use our nose not to interfere in different subjects, but rater we also have to spiritualize the olfactory system by smelling the incense that is offered to Krishna, or the flowers. Don’t forget that the great saints, the Kumaras, the four great children-saints, they were induced to worship personally Vishnu, Krishna, because they could smell the aroma of tulasi flowers that were offered to Vishnu’s lotus feet. The smelling capacity is very strong. Smell and olfactory system is almost directly connected to the brain.

Therefore this Bhakti process is very good in engaging the senses. When you enter the temple, immediately you feel the divine aroma of the incense. That creates a very purified atmosphere in our consciousness.

And also the final hole in our head is the mouth. And with the mouth you can do two things – speak and eat. Mostly people eat and speak nonsense. But we should control the tongue by eating and talking nice. If you have a car running on petrol, you wouldn’t put on the petrol station diesel nor gas, but petrol – that is appropriate to the engine. What is more complicated – a car or the human body? Human body is a LITTLE bit more complicated than a car; still we don’t know which is the best fuel for our body. Sometimes we put very bad fuel. And then we are astonished that it doesn’t work proper. Better we should find such energy input into the body that will very beneficially propel the body into a good direction. Therefore for yogis vegetarian diet is recommended, because this is the proper fuel for the body.

So for controlling the bodily functions we don’t give up our vision, we don’t give up our listening, we don’t give up our talking capacity or eating capacity, but we try to spiritualize them. Hear about Krishna, look at Him, talk about Him, glorify Him, eat His prasadam. By engaging the senses in this divine process we can spiritualize the senses.