Bhakti Vrisksha - Bhagavad Gita 2.58 and 2.59-11/18/2016

Hare Krishna everyone, we had our 56th Bhakti Vriksha class last Friday on 11/18/2016 conducted by HG Gadadhar Pandit Prabhuji at Amit Prabhu and Ekta Mataji home and below are the points related to Verse 2.58 and 2.59 we discussed in the class.

 In Verse 2.58 the supreme personality of Godhead said; One who is able to withdraw his senses from sense objects, as the tortoise draws its limbs within the shell, is firmly fixed in perfect consciousness.

In Verse 2.59 the supreme personality of Godhead said; Though the embodied soul may be restricted from sense enjoyment, the taste for sense objects remains. But ceasing such engagements by experiencing a higher taste, he is fixed in consciousness.

Firstly, Prabhuji spoke about kids growing up in India verses kids growing up in US.

• Most of the parents have grown up in India but their kids are growing up in US.
• The relationship of parents with their parents would have been way different then their relationship with their kids.
• Things change when they travel across continents.
• Kids growing up in US is kind of mixing water with many kinds of juices. The kids in school comes from different communities like Hispanics, Asia , African, American etc. Also we don’t know what the kid in school is seeing at his/her home, they may have seen domestic abuse, divorce, fight between their parents, alcohol use at their home etc. But if we keep good atmosphere at home then that would help a lot.
• Your just being strict will not work for your children, you have to maintain a friendly relationship with your children so that they would open up to you and share any difficulties faced by them.

Below are points from Bhagvad Gita discussion:-

• In verse 2.58 it is mentioned that one who controls the sense just like a tortoise who is able to withdraw its limb within the shell is perfectly conscious.
• There are Yoga classes across the New York city but no one teaches the real yoga, the real yoga is to control our sense, instead they teach opposite of it, there are yogas to enjoy the senses more.
• The world is designed to pull our sense out; e.g. in New York when you walk on street there are so many options to buy, so many options to eat junk food, so many places to drink.
• The advertising companies are doing a great job in convincing us why we need their product to operation better.
• When it comes to our senses and mind we don’t act like grownups that much, we act as kids and are not able to distinguish between a want and a need.
• The is a challenge to control our mind and senses, this verse is telling us to swim upstream; which is not easy.
• Senses make us miserable ; e.g. when you go to a super market to buy one product but you see 10 different product you end up buying more then you need. We can let our mind and sense loose and buy everything but mind can never be satisfied.
• If we don’t get pulled by unwanted things then we can be content, less selfish and peaceful
• Verse 2.59 talks about how do we actually manage our sense.
• We need a higher taste to replace material desires, if we are not in association like this then we will be sucked into the paradigm of senses and mind.
• Developing a spiritual life will help us in getting away from material desires.
• If we have something kept in refrigerator and we are hungry then we may eat the stale food, but if someone offers freshly cooked food then we do not need the stale food in refrigerator.
• Developing the spiritual practice in life is equal to freshly cooked food; spiritual practice in life will take you get rid of your old material desires which are bad for your soul and body.
• Krishna conscious process will help you develop higher taste.
• We have to be like a snake charmer and engage our sense in Krishna conscious activities mentioned below.
• Offering food to God and then eating it.
• Having Kirtans.
• Regular chanting.
• Following the 4 principles(no meat, no  alcohol , no gambling and no illicit sex)

Below is from Question answer session

Question -  We are in good association when we come for class but for rest of the week how to keep the momentum of spirituality going?

Answer – Hearing more lectures which are available online on iskcon desire tree (http://www.iskcondesiretree.com/).

Chanting daily, offering food and water to God daily.

Question – If we are attached to material things then how to overcome that?

Answer – Taking Prasadam which is served to Krishna and cooking for Krishna., basically developing a higher taste by Chanting and being in association is the only way out there is no other way to get rid of material desires.

Thanks all for coming!!

Thanks to all matajis for sumptuous prasadam.

Hare Krishna