View source for In this age penance is not at all possible. Nobody can undergo any penance. But without penance, without sacrifice, from history, from books, from scripture, we understand nobody has attained spiritual perfection

<div id="compilation">
<div id="facts">
{{terms|"in this age penance is not at all possible. Nobody can undergo any penance. But without penance, without sacrifice, from history, from books, from scripture, we understand nobody has attained spiritual perfection"}}
{{notes|}}
{{compiler|Krsnadas}}
{{complete|ALL}}
{{first|22Aug12}}
{{last|22Aug12}}
{{totals_by_section|BG=0|SB=0|CC=0|OB=0|Lec=1|Con=0|Let=0}}
{{total|1}}
{{toc right}}
[[Category:In This Age]]
[[Category:penance]]
[[Category:It Is Not Possible]]
[[Category:Not At All]]
[[Category:Nobody Can]]
[[Category:undergo]]
[[Category:any]]
[[Category:but]]
[[Category:without]]
[[Category:sacrifice]]
[[Category:from]]
[[Category:history]]
[[Category:books]]
[[Category:scripture]]
[[Category:We Understand]]
[[Category:nobody]]
[[Category:has]]
[[Category:attain]]
[[Category:Spiritual Perfection]]
</div>
<div id="Lectures" class="section" sec_index="4" parent="compilation" text="Lectures"><h2>Lectures</h2>
</div>
<div id="Bhagavad-gita_As_It_Is_Lectures" class="sub_section" sec_index="0" parent="Lectures" text="Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures"><h3>Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures</h3>
</div>
<div id="LectureonBG25969NewYorkApril291966_0" class="quote" parent="Bhagavad-gita_As_It_Is_Lectures" book="Lec" index="113" link="Lecture on BG 2.59-69 -- New York, April 29, 1966" link_text="Lecture on BG 2.59-69 -- New York, April 29, 1966">
<div class="heading">In this age penance is not at all possible. Nobody can undergo any penance. But without penance, without sacrifice, from history, from books, from scripture, we understand nobody has attained spiritual perfection. So we require to undergo some sort of penances. That penance is that engage our senses not in the process of sense gratification but in the process of serving the Supreme Lord.
</div>
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture on BG 2.59-69 -- New York, April 29, 1966|Lecture on BG 2.59-69 -- New York, April 29, 1966]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">So the whole thing is tāni sarvāṇi saṁyamya yukta āsīta mat-paraḥ. We should always remember that, that to attain to the spiritual life, it is a great penance. It is a great penance. But although it is very difficult, although it is very difficult... Perhaps you know that in, in the Purāṇas, in the Vedic literature, we have got information that there are sages who underwent penance for so many, many years. Why in the history or the Purāṇas? You can see from the examples of Lord Buddha, Lord Jesus Christ, Lord Caitanya, Śaṅkarācārya, who were recently within the limit of our historical knowledge. They attained spiritual perfection after undergoing penances for many, many years. So spiritual perfection is not very easy thing, that simply by attending a, a, in either of the so many groups and hearing something, nice lectures from a person. No. It is practical. It is practical. If we are ac..., if we are actually serious about attaining, so we must be in a spirit of sacrifice. In this age, by the grace of Lord Caitanya, the matter has been simplified. Matter has been simplified. What is that? He prescribed that</p>
:harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam
:kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā
:([[Vanisource:CC Adi 17.21|CC Adi 17.21]])
<p>Simply by chanting the holy name of God—either this Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare, or any name of God in any language, that doesn't matter... But this is recommended because Lord Caitanya Himself chanted this holy name. Therefore it is better recommended. But it doesn't matter. But if you think, "Oh, this holy names were chanted by the Hindus, so I, I wish to chant in my own way," that is also recommended. But how the matter has been simplified, that for attainment of spiritual life people have to undergo so many years under penance and regulation, and here is only, only thing is, that you simply chant the holy name of the Lord. Then everything will come to you automatically by and by. Because in this age penance is not at all possible. Nobody can undergo any penance. But without penance, without sacrifice, from history, from books, from scripture, we understand nobody has attained spiritual perfection. So we require to undergo some sort of penances. That penance is that engage our senses not in the process of sense gratification but in the process of serving the Supreme Lord, dovetailing, dovetailing our independence, our consciousness, to the supreme consciousness. Just like the example... Bhagavad-gītā. Arjuna is very nice example, that he dovetailed, he dovetailed his consciousness with Kṛṣṇa. He did not want to fight, but after hearing Bhagavad-gītā he dovetailed his senses. One has to fight with senses. Non-sense cannot fight. The senses must be there. So he, what did he do? He applied his senses to the senses of the Supreme Lord. That's all.</p>
<p>Now here it is said, tāni sarvāṇi saṁyamya. You can control your senses only when you engage that senses into the service of the Lord. Tāni sarvāṇi saṁyamya yukta āsīta mat-paraḥ. Mat. Mat-paraḥ means "unto Me, unto Me, in relationship with Me." That's all right. And in the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu also, you'll find that nirbandhaḥ kṛṣṇa-sambandhe yuktaṁ vairāgyam ucyate. You haven't got to restrain yourself completely, but if you dovetail yourself, nirbandhaḥ, when it is in relation with Kṛṣṇa, then your vairāgya, your detachment, is approved. Only thing is that don't do it for your sense gratification, but do it for the satisfaction of the Supreme. That's all. That should be the motto of our life, that "I shall not do anything for my sense satisfaction, but I shall do everything for the satisfaction of the Supreme." That penance, that sacrifice, will make me perfect spiritualized and perfectly on the spiritual platform and my life becomes perfect. Vaśe hi yasyendriyāṇi tasya prajñā pratiṣṭhitā. In this way one has control. The simple thing is control. Vaśe. Vaśe means under control. Vaśe hi yasyendriyāṇi. Anyone who has got his senses under control, he, he is spiritually perfect. So how senses under control? Just engage the senses under the control or under the direction of the Supreme. Then you become perfectly spiritual. Vaśe hi yasyendriyāṇi tasya prajñā pratiṣṭhitā, pratiṣṭhitā.</p>
:dhyāyato viṣayān puṁsaḥ
:saṅgas teṣūpajāyate
:saṅgāt sañjāyate kāmaḥ
:kāmāt krodho 'bhijāyate
:([[Vanisource:BG 2.62|BG 2.62]])
<p>Now, viṣayā... If we do not control our senses in that way, dovetail with the supreme will, then what will happen? Now, dhyāyato viṣayān, because our mind is always engaged in either of these things—eating, sleeping, and defending, and mating, especially mating—so dhyāyato viṣayān, dhyāyato viṣayān puṁsaḥ, when we think of, even by thinking, the next stage is saṅgas teṣu upajāyate: we become attached to that. We become attached to that. Just like we are reading some sex novel. Now, sex novel. Now, there is thinking of that. So thinking, thinking—then I become attached to it. I want practically. So dhyāyato viṣayān puṁsaḥ saṅgas teṣūpajāyate, saṅgāt sañjāyate kāmaḥ. And by attachment, then my lust becomes developed. Kāmāt krodho 'bhijāyate. And when my lust is not satisfied, then I become angry. One after another, it is coming. Krodhād bhavati saṁmohaḥ. And when I am angry, then I, I mean, I am out of my control of the equilibrium of mind. Krodhād saṁmohaḥ, saṁmohe, saṁmohāt smṛti-vibhramaḥ. Then, even when I have control of the equilibrium of mind... I have seen that two brothers quarreling, and it, it, I mean to say, rose to such an extent, the quarreling, that one brother killed his another brother. We have seen. Two brother quarreling—one brother was killed by one brother, and he was arrested, and he was ordered to be hanged. Then his father appealed to the court that "My two sons... One is already lost. So this may... He may be spared of his life." This I have actually seen. So by the request of the father, he was sentenced to life, and his hanging was excused by the court. That I have seen. So just see. Krodha. One after another, it becomes so intensified that nothing is impossible. Nothing is impossible. Then smṛti-vibhramaḥ. Smṛti-bhraṁśād buddhi-nāśaḥ. Buddhi-nāśaḥ. Buddhi-nāśaḥ means he lost his intelligence. He forgot that "Whom I am going to kill." Buddhi-nāśaḥ. Buddhi-nāśaḥ. Buddhi-nāśāt praṇaśyati: "And as soon as one loses his intelligence, then he's going to hell."</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>