Category:Becoming a Master
Theme Analysis
The core disease of the conditioned soul is the unnatural, artificial desire to become the master. According to Vedic philosophy, the constitutional position of every living entity is to be an eternal servant of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. However, upon entering the material world, the soul forgets this relationship and attempts to lord over material nature. This mastership mentality pervades every level of material existence, driving the fierce struggle for survival from the animal kingdom up to the highest echelons of human society and international politics. Everyone is working tirelessly to accumulate wealth and power, solely to establish their dominance.
The tragic irony of this endeavor is that the living entity never actually becomes the master. In their rebellious attempt to dominate, the soul simply changes masters, becoming a forced slave to the material energy (māyā) and the dictations of their own senses. Whether one is the head of a family or the president of a powerful nation, the position of master in the material world is entirely illusory. True freedom, or mukti, is achieved only when one gives up this false ambition and joyfully accepts their real identity as a subordinate servant of the Lord.
The only legitimate mastery a human being can achieve is to become a gosvāmī, a master of the senses. This cannot be accomplished through artificial yogic suppression or mental speculation, but only by engaging the senses fully in the service of Kṛṣṇa, the supreme master of the senses. In the Vaiṣṇava tradition, this humble servitorship is actively cultivated by addressing fellow devotees as "Prabhu" (master). By constantly reinforcing the mentality that "I am the servant and others are my master," the devotee kills the false ego and becomes firmly established in the eternal, blissful reality of devotional service.
- The Material Disease: The fundamental cause of suffering is the living entity's rebellion against their natural position as a servant, opting instead to try and become the master.
- The Illusion of Control: No one in the material world is truly independent; those who try to be masters simply become slaves to the illusory energy and their own physical senses.
- Mastering the Senses: True mastery (becoming a gosvāmī) is achieved only by surrendering to Kṛṣṇa, which automatically pacifies and controls the material senses.
- The Perfection of Servitorship: Real liberation means abandoning the false ego of mastership and finding eternal happiness in the humble service of the Supreme Lord and His devotees.
- Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: Becoming a Master - The Illusion of Material Existence.
Pages in category "Becoming a Master"
The following 50 pages are in this category, out of 50 total.
A
- A living entity, although servant of his senses, tries to become master of the whole universe. Hiranyakasipu was a typical example of this
- After many, many births trying to become the master, when actually he becomes jnanavan, then jnanavan mam prapadyate. This is the sign, when he surrenders to Krsna. That is real knowledge. That knowledge is not sentiment
- As soon as a devotee wants the Supreme Personality of Godhead to be his order supplier, the Lord immediately refuses to become the master of such a motivated devotee
- As soon as you become master, you will be kicked. But that is also false position. We cannot become master; we are servant. But instead of serving Krsna, we are serving maya. That is our position
- As stated in Bhagavad-gita (7.20), kamais tais tair hrta jnanah prapadyante 'nya-devatah. "Those whose minds are distorted by material desires surrender unto demigods." A demigod cannot become master, for the real master is the Supreme Personality of God
- As you become servant of Krsna, then automatically you become master of your senses, because senses cannot allure you for satisfaction of the senses, because senses are engaged
B
- Bali Maharaja, he secured the whole three worlds. He became the master of the three worlds, means the upper planetary system, down planetary system, middle planet. So, but he was a devotee also. Therefore Krsna came to him as Vamana
- Because in the material world every activity is sinful, because the main principle is how to become master. Therefore to become master everyone is prepared to do anything, never mind whether sinful or pious
E
- Either I become president or minister or head of the family, head of the community, society - whatever I may be, my position is servant, but I'm thinking that I have become master. This is called illusion
- Everyone is trying to become master. Even in the cats' and dogs' society you will find one dog is trying to predominate by barking that "I am better than you." So this is called struggle for existence
- Everyone is trying to become the master. Nobody is trying to become a servant. Ask anyone that "Why you are working so hard?" - No, I shall get so much money, I shall become very wealthy
- Everyone, individual to individual, nation to nation, society to society, religion to religion, so-called religion - everyone is trying to become the master
- Everywhere, everyone is trying to become master. It doesn't matter it is a small circle or big circle. This is material disease
H
- He has to change only; instead of becoming servant of maya, be servant of Krsna. Servant he is. Where he'll go? How he will become master
- He is given the chance, "All right, go to the material world and become a master." But that is a falldown. So he's trying struggle for existence, and everyone is trying to become master
- Here everyone is trying to become master, and everyone wants to avoid service. But by the nature's law, one has to become servant and render service, going on
I
- In the dual world everyone is falsely trying to become the master of the world, whereas in the absolute world the Lord is the absolute Lord, and all others are His absolute servitors
- In the material world, because we have forgotten the real master, every one of us is trying to become master. This is material disease. Not only in one life, but life after life
- Instead of becoming servant of the senses, you have to become master of the senses. That is called gosvami. If you remain servant of the senses, then you are go-dasa
- It is not our nature to become master. Even if we become master, we will not be happy, because that is artificial
- It is our constitutional position to serve someone, but when we do not serve Krsna, we serve maya. In any case, we cannot become master
O
- Once a palmist came to the house of Nanda Maharaj, and Nanda Maharaj asked him, "My dear sage, will you kindly check the hand of my child, Krsna? Tell me how many years He will live and whether He will become the master of thousands of cows"
- One does not know that this consciousness, that "I shall become the master," is the cause of his suffering. This philosophy has to be understood. Because constitutionally we are all servants
- Our mastership is relative. Under certain condition we become master, but Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is master without any condition
P
T
- The bondage is that mastership mentality. He's servant, but he's thinking falsely that he's master. Just like your President Nixon. He thought, "Now I have become master of America, I'm president." He forgot that he's servant
- The living entity can take one of two positions in this world. He may become a servant of his senses, or he may become master of them
- The Mayavadi philosopher, they sometimes say that, "We are now in maya. As soon as we are out of maya, then we become master." We do not agree to this philosophy. We remain servant even after liberation
- The Vaisnava philosophy teaches that we can remain in our natural position but act as a servant of God. That is perfect. But if the servant tries to become the master, that is artificial
- They (the people) say the Vaisnava religion is slave mentality. They say. They do not know that it is success of life to become slave of Krsna. They do not know. Who has become happy trying to become master
- This has to be purified: not to become the servant of the senses, but to become servant of the master of the senses. Then you also become master of the senses. That purificatory process is called devotional service, bhakti
- This is the material world. Everyone is trying to become master through various devices, although everyone is servant of his senses
- This material world means material senses. That's all. So if you become master of the material senses, then you become gudakesa
W
- We are acting in a certain way to become master, creating a situation, mentality, and at the time of death, when this body finishes, the mind absorbed in that mastership idea takes me to another body according to my ambition
- We are not master; still, we are trying to become master. The Mayavada philosophy, they also undergo severe type of austerities, penances, but what is the idea? The idea is that "I shall become one with God." Same mistake
- We are trying for something which we are not. We know this word, "struggle for existence," "survival of the fittest." So this is struggle. We are not master; still, we are trying to become master
- We teach our men to address his fellow man as prabhu, "You are master, I am servant." In the material world, everyone is trying to become master; nobody is trying to become servant
- We teach to address amongst the devotees, "Prabhu," "Prabhu," "Such and such Prabhu." This should not be simply spoken by the lips; it should be realized. Everyone should think other devotee as his prabhu, master, not he should try to become master
- When he forgets this relationship, that he is eternal servant of God, that means his material existence. In the material existence, nobody is prepared to become servant. Everyone is prepared to become the master
- When one thinks himself one with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, there is no question of serving Him. When there is service, there must be a master. Three things must be present for there to be service: the master, the servant and the service
- Why he (Brahma) is in this material world? Because he has got some desire that "I shall be the master of a brahmanda." Just like everyone is trying to become the master of his house or the society or the community or the country
- Why not becoming the servant of the Supreme instead of serving on the servant of the senses? You cannot become master. Actually, you become master of the senses when you are actually servant of Krsna; otherwise it is not possible
Y
- You are not master, you are servant. Cultivate this knowledge. Don't try to become a master, falsely. That will never be successful. Remain servant of Krsna, you'll be happy
- You can become master, even God you can become - this is cheating. The real spiritual master says that "You can never become master. You are always servant"
- You practice yoga just to become master of your senses. Not that officially I sit down, fifteen minutes' meditation, and next moment I am master of my senses. This is not yoga