" Chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra is the direct process for curing the mind of all materialistic contamination. Take to this process and be happy."
Sunday, 28 September, 1975
Ahmedabad
Prem J. Batra
Ruparel College, Sr. B.A.
Matunga, Bombay
My Dear Prem Batra:
Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated September 19, 1975 and have noted the contents.
I am very glad that you are seriously trying to understand our Krishna consciousness philosophy. It is Srila Jiva Goswami who has presented very high philosophy in his Six Sandavas.
Regarding your question about the difference between the mind and the soul, in the Bhagavad-gita it is directly said that the mind is inferior energy in a subtle form, and soul, jiva, is superior energy. So they are completely distinct. Mind is not spiritual, but mind is a subtle material form.
When the soul becomes captivated for enjoying the material world instead of rendering service to Krishna, that is the beginning of his falldown. When the living being thinks himself to be the enjoyer, that is called false ego. His constitutional position is to serve Krishna. So this false egotism degrades him to pollute the intelligence and the mind.
So mind and intelligence are already there in the soul, but in the conditional stage the same mind and intelligence become polluted as false egotism or enjoyer. The bhakti process is to purify everything. The mind is not the soul but is a venue for expressing the soul’s desire. So if the mind is purified, then things go on nicely in its original position.
If he does not go on rightly he falls down in conditional life. The whole yogic system is to convert the mind from matter to spirit. You can utilize the mind in both ways. When the mind is spiritually trained up it is the best friend of the soul, and when the mind is materially polluted, it is the worst enemy.
The Bhagavad-gita states:
bandhur atmatmanas tasya
yenatmaivatmana jitah
anatmanas tu satrutve
vartetatmaiva satru-vat
“For him who has conquered the mind, the mind is the best of friends; but for one who has failed to do so, his very mind will be the greatest enemy.” [Bg. 6.6]
For those who are grossly materialistic persons, for them the yogic system is recommended, otherwise if the mind is directly engaged engaged at the lotus feet of Krishna, the senses automatically become engaged in Krishna’s service; and that is the liberated stage. Chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra is the direct process for curing the mind of all materialistic contamination. Take to this process and be happy.
You have asked many questions, and I am glad that you are going to join our movement. I am going to South Africa tomorrow for one month, and when I return to Bombay, you can come and see me at that time.
I hope this meets you in good health.
Your ever well wisher,
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
ACBS/bs
pamho agtacbsp is true is just the mind that keep the soul to suffer in this material world by make people to think that we are the enjoyers ,is take time and sometimes lives for people who don’t chant hare krsna maha mantra to get the liberation that everyone is look in for but by the mercy of the channa avatara and the saktiavesa avatara(acbsp) we can finish our business in this material world in this same life because the mmhk is the most magnanimous incarnation of lord sri krsna that we never had before on this planet and our beloved acharya is even more mercyful then caitanya mahaprabhu by give to the whole world the chance to hear about krsna and by do that everyday gradually we come to the stage of krsna consciousness as srila prabhupada use to say when the jivatma conditioned soul realize by chanting hare krsna under srila prabhupada caksusa his original position and business in this material world he given up all the karma and jnana kanda activities by let sri guru and gauranga to steal his so called indipendence by chanting his holy name ,then any step is a dance any word is a song ,this dream can come true by keeping chanting without the duality of raga dvesha therefore the most important thing is to be steady in sravana kirtana smarana vandana etc…to look after the quality of this service not the quantity because bhakti is never enough the quantity in the daily service must be gradual otherwise the dvesha means the repulsion connect to that attachment will creating more duality in that way is good to have the desire to make spiritual advancemet but must be regolated as srila prabhupada use to says in the bhaavad gita as it is ,the main activities of the mind are thinking feeling and willing and after this she is doing sankalpa and vikalpa means accept and reject constantly because of this raga dvesha dualities about our original position with the supreme personality of godhead when we overcome this duality of raga dvesha by keeping chanting hare krsna with rapt attention we remain steady in the service of the lord in quality and in quantity by realize our real business and position connect to srila prabhupada in the eternal bliss that gauranga mahaprabhu came to give us in the form of his holy name ys seva das haribol