Purify senses, mind and false ego by engaging them in Krishna Consciousness.

An old man was hospitalized, he was bedridden, many tubes were inside his body. When people asked him, “How he is?” He said, “I am fine.”  Srila Prabhupada would say, “How can someone be fine in such a deplorable condition?”

In Bangalore one person got massive heart attack and died in the night around 9:30 pm. His wife called her parents. The parents said that by the time they will come, it will be morning. Wife was fearful to stay with her husband now with whom she had spent so many years because the husband was now dead.

When a person is dead, even when he is kicked, he does not react. Only when the soul is inside the body, body has value.

Understanding difference between body and soul

We have to understand the difference between body and soul.

An intelligent person never becomes proud of anything.  He knows that body is temporary – a child grows and becomes young then old and finally dies.

So, do not be proud of your wealth, your youth, today it is there tomorrow it won’t be there.

In NCC, we were given horseshoes, while walking it made sound.  We felt proud that we are young, but how long youth will remain.

When we become 50-60 years old, we know how the body is. We do not have to become old to understand this. In youth only we can understand this truth.

We see that in the morning flower blossoms and by the end of day it dwindles.

Vigyan is not bookish knowledge. We get realization when we apply the knowledge.

Some may sit and say aham brahmasmi again and again. But realization does not come by this.  Srila Prabhupada says by saying aham brahmasmi one will not get realization. It’s like a computer engineer saying “I am computer engineer” again and again. By this he won’t get understanding.

For realized knowledge, one has to serve with the senses – hrisikesa hrikesena.

We should absorb our mind in Harinam sankirtan.

Before coming to Krishna Consciousness, we might have attraction for some movie actors but after coming to Krishna Consciousness, our actors become Sri Sri Radha Govinda.

Negation does not help. We have to replace it. Like earlier we sang movie songs, now we sing Krishna conscious songs. People would go to discotheque but now they dance in the kirtan.  

Flood your mind with Harinam

By engaging senses in Krishna Consciousness, senses become pure, just as iron rod in fire becomes fiery.

Our body may be material but will start acting as spiritual. Devotees’ taste, thought, character, and activities become totally different.

To purify senses, mind and false ego, engage them in Krishna Consciousness.

Giving up false ego is very difficult. But when our ego is Jivera Svarup Hoye Krishnera Nitya Das, then our false ego gets purified.

When Hanuman was asked by Ravana, “Who are you?” then Hanuman did not say that “I am Anjani putra or vayu putra.” He did not talk about his glories, that he is so powerful that he had once devoured the sun.  Hanuman said, “Daso aham kaushalay putra, I am servant of Lord Rama.”  If you are insulting me then it is insult of Lord Rama. Hanuman have sense of belonging in relation to Lord Rama.

When we think we are in the Parampara of great acharya like Srila Prabhupada, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura, Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakura then our ego is purified.

Mind engaged in Lord’s name is purified. In Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna says, “You will rise when you focus your mind on me.” Flood your mind with Harinam.

All senses are servants of mind. They give input to mind. When ears listen to beautiful songs, then it gives input to mind. When tongue tastes nice prasadam, it gives input to mind.

If mind is impure, senses go towards impurities. If mind is pure then senses go towards purity.

When it became easy for the prince to control his senses

There was a King. His son did not have control over his senses. He was engaged in wanton enjoyment. The king was worried. So, he sent his son to a sage and requested him to train his child. The sage lived in a hut. His life was simple; he ate simple food and was always engaged in chanting and reading. The prince was not ready to live such a simple life. 

He called his servants and got a nice bungalow built; he got a cook who prepared palatable dishes for him. In this way 3-4 months passed. Once when king came, he asked the sage, “How is his son doing?” The sage said, “There is no change in his son.” The sage said that he is living a luxurious life and busy eating nice food.

King immediately called the cook and asked him to stop preparing food for the prince. The king told the prince that he would have to leave his luxurious bungalow and live with the sage in the hut and eat whatever the sage eats. Prince began living like the sage, ate like him, chanted mantras, read books. Then the prince slowly began learning good things. And his life began changing.

When king asked, sage said it is same who he was earlier. He lives lavish life, he is not controlled in eating and living. King asked cook not to cook food and prince should eat what sage eats. Asked him to live in hut. Prince lived in hut, like him, ate like him, chanted names. Then prince began learning good things. He realized now I m learning good things.

In this story, the king is the soul, prince is the mind, prince’s servants are the senses, sage is intelligence.

Lesson to learn from the story

Many times, mind even does not listen to intelligence. It takes our senses for enjoyment.

Earlier prince was not listening to sage. But later king told him to listen to sage.

So, we say – guru mukha padma vakya..

If we accept a guru with seriousness, then our life will change.

Right now, on sat indriya there is covering of asat indriya. For example, if we put red paper on bulb then the colour which comes out of the bulb will be red.

Impure mind is like prince. If we have to come from bhoga to seva, we hv to follow the advice of the sage. For that to happen, senses should not be the servant of the mind. Above senses is mind, above mind is intelligence and above intelligence is soul.

Senses should be engaged in the service of Krishna – hrisikesa hriskena

Mind should be engaged in chanting the names of Krishna.

There are two types of intelligence – kubudhi (kaikeyi, karna) and subudhi. For eg. Kaikeyi because of association with Manthra and karna because of association with Duryodhana developed Kubudhi.

When we read Srila Prabhupada books, hear his lecture, our intelligence is nourished.

A truck driver may laugh at luna driver thinking his vehicle is so small. But if we make luna driver, truck driver and even a pilot stand in same line then we will find that all three drivers are people although they are driving different vehicles.

Similarly, a soul may be in an insect body, an elephant body but they are same The same paramatma is there in all living beings.  So, we should respect them all. When we misbehave with other living beings then we should remember that Lord will be displeased.

When we see souls with paramatma, our respect increases for jiva.

First Regulate the senses

We should read sastra and give up sense gratification.

When body dies, it is death, when subtle body dies then it is moksha.

As body is burnt one day, similarly the subtle body gets burnt one day.

Till the time we have material desires we need subtle body. For e.g. we need warm clothes in winter and not in summer.

Karna had daivi pravrtti and also asuric pravrtti. Since he chose to associate with  Duryodhana, his asuric bhav increased.

Choice of association decides direction and direction will be your destination.

Vibhishan gave good advice to Ravana but Ravana kicked him out.  Vibhishan did not know if Rama will accept him or not. But he was fully convinced that he would choose right path.

For example, a devotee student will not resort to cheating even if others are cheating. We should not intentionally indulge in sinful activities.

Monkey is hyperactive, but Hanuman was not hyperactive because he chants the name of Lord Rama always.

It is easier to engage our senses in the service or Krishna than mind. When one comes to take darshan of the Lord, mind takes him somewhere else, but senses are in the temple.

If we regulate our activities, then senses are regulated and if senses are regulated then it is easy to control the mind. So, we should sleep at right time, wake up at right time, eat at right time. We should being with regulating the senses.

Above article is based on Srimad Bhagavatam Class given by HG Radheshyam Prabhu at Iskcon Kolkata on 17^th April 2026.  Prabhuji was speaking SB 11.19.6-7.