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Category:Becoming a Controller

Theme Analysis

The root cause of material entanglement is the false ego's desire to emulate the Supreme Lord. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that everyone in the material world—whether individually, socially, or nationally—is engaged in a futile struggle to become the supreme controller. Foolish speculators and pseudo-mystics even claim to have become God through meditation. However, Śrīla Prabhupāda points out the absurdity of this: if one is truly the supreme controller, how could they fall into a conditioned state in the first place? The reality is that the living entity can never become the supreme controller; we are constitutionally designed to be controlled. The only choice we have is whether to be controlled by Kṛṣṇa through pious activities, or to be controlled by the punishing illusion of māyā through impious activities.

While we cannot control the universe, Vedic culture demands that we become controllers of our own inner world. Śrīla Prabhupāda emphasizes that human society requires an educational department to train first-class men—brāhmaṇas—in how to control the mind and the senses. To become a gosvāmī or a dhīraḥ means to achieve this complete internal mastery, remaining entirely undisturbed by material urges. This sense control is the foundation of purity and truthfulness.

The perfection of becoming a controller is seamlessly achieved through the practice of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. By fully engaging the senses in the loving service of the Lord, the senses have no opportunity to be engaged otherwise, and the practitioner automatically becomes jitendriya (a conqueror of the senses). Furthermore, Śrīla Prabhupāda reveals a beautiful spiritual paradox: when a living entity gives up the false ambition to be the supreme controller and instead completely surrenders to satisfying the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa becomes bound by that love. Thus, the pure devotee indirectly becomes the controller of the Lord.

  • The Illusion of Supremacy: Conditioned souls futilely attempt to become the supreme controller, a position eternally reserved solely for the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
  • The Reality of Being Controlled: The living entity must accept being controlled; the choice is simply between the loving guidance of Kṛṣṇa or the harsh dictates of māyā.
  • Mastery Over the Senses: True control is internal. A brāhmaṇa or gosvāmī is trained to rigorously control the mind and senses, maintaining absolute purity.
  • The Paradox of Love: By giving up the desire to control and fully engaging in devotional service, a pure devotee captures the heart of Kṛṣṇa, indirectly becoming the controller of the Lord.

Pages in category "Becoming a Controller"

The following 19 pages are in this category, out of 19 total.