Devotee: Sometimes I don't always make it, then I have to make up for it.
Gour Govinda Swami: Take a strong form or stand. Mind is stupid. Very stupid. If you give some leniency to the stupid mind, he'll overpower you. It becomes stronger, you'll become weaker. Don't give any leniency to the stupid mind.
Devotee: Yes.
Devotee: David Cooper at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. It's considered the heart of the Midwest. He's a college student there and he also helps us with programs.
Gour Govinda Swami: College student?
Devotee: Yeah.
Gour Govinda Swami: Student?
Devotee: He's also trying to chant 16.
Gour Govinda Swami: Are you a student?
Devotee: Yeah.
Gour Govinda Swami: Mm-hmm. What are you studying? What study?
Devotee: Computer science.
Gour Govinda Swami: Computers, yes. Chanting 16 rounds? Chanting?
Devotee: Pretty much.
Devotee: I'm also trying.
Gour Govinda Swami: Hmm. 16 rounds chanting? No?
Devotee: I'm trying, I don't always do it.
Gour Govinda Swami: Sometimes chant, sometimes don't chant? Eh?
Devotee: Well, every day you chant, right? But sometimes you don't make 16. He's chanting every day.
Gour Govinda Swami: Chant 16 rounds, minimum. You understand?
Hmm. My guru mahārāja, Prabhupāda, he is so liberal, he's very liberal, very merciful. His guru, Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Mahārāja said to chant 64 rounds, you see, daily. 64 rounds. He was so strict and he said one who doesn't chant 64 rounds, that's one lakh of names, I won't look at his face, he was so strict.
And he was saying... if someone is not chanting 64 rounds, that one lakh of names, if he offers prasāda to the Lord, Kṛṣṇa will never accept it. He said that thing. He was so strict, very strict. But my guru mahārāja was so liberal. He made it one-fourth. Made it one-fourth, 16 rounds.
Devotee: Yeah.
Gour Govinda Swami: You understand? He is so liberal and so merciful. If we can't chant 16 rounds daily, how can we get spiritual strength? Māyā is very strong. You cannot fight with māyā. You have to fight with māyā and conquer māyā. Māyā should be powerless, you should be powerful, stronger.
And by just chanting the 16 rounds of this Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra nicely. You should chant nicely, with concentrated attention without offense, then you'll get some spiritual strength. Māyā will be powerless, then you'll be able to conquer māyā. Otherwise, no question, māyā's very strong, especially in the Western world, māyā's very strong. Very strong in this Western world. Māyā is very strong. How can you conquer māyā unless you chant 16 rounds nicely without offense?
I said don't give any leniency to this wicked mind. Mind is very wicked. Very wicked mind. You give some, a little leniency, it'll become stronger. bIt'll overpower you, you'll become weaker.
Mind is a bad master but good servant. Bad master but good servant. And you are the master of the mind, you are not the servant of the mind. Mind is your servant.
Devotee: "Indriyebhyaḥ paraṁ mano manasaḥ parā buddhir yo buddheḥ paratas tu saḥ."
Gour Govinda Swami: Bhagavad-gītā says this thing. Mind is superior to all other indriyas, senses. Do you understand, Mr. Day? So it's the chief of the senses, known as the 11th sense, ekādaśendriya. Then superior to mind is intelligence, then superior to intelligence is you, ātmā, soul.
So mind is your subordinate, your enslave your servant. You are his master. So it... But you are becoming the reverse, you are becoming the slave to your wicked mind, servant to your wicked mind. Instead of becoming master, you are becoming slave to your mind, go-dāsa. That is not good, you see?
Therefore, mind is bad master but good servant, good servant. If you can make him your servant and become his very strong master... Very strong, very strict master. Hard, hard task. Put hard task on him, very strict. Then he'll be good servant. Thereby he'll take you to the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. That "man-manā bhava." Uh, than you will be able to fix your mind onto the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. That will be possible.
Otherwise, if you become servant of mind, mind becomes your master, that is a very bad master, he will drag you to hell. This is what...That will drag you to hell. But if you become, if you can make him your servant, obedient servant, then he'll take you to the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. That is what... Mm-hmm.
So don't give any leniency to this wicked mind. Very strict should be. Mind always wants a, uh, higher command, higher command. Otherwise, he will not obey. Disobedient, stubborn, very strong, this wicked mind. Hari guru caraṇa paśana astram. Higher command. Higher command means command from sādhu, guru, Kṛṣṇa. Fifth Canto, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam says that is the weapon to control this mind. Hari guru caraṇa paśana astram. Take shelter of Hari Guru. What guru says, very strictly follow. Obey. That is higher command. Then mind will be controlled. Otherwise, you cannot control your mind by your own effort.
No, mind is so stubborn, so strong, so disobedient and pagal. Mad mind. Mad. Mr. Day? Mad mind. And one should control it, otherwise you cannot go back home to Godhead.
Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, "man-manā bhava," first thing he says, "man-manā bhava," put me in your mind, think of me always, drive away all other thoughts from your mind, only thought of Kṛṣṇa, that is what he says, the most confidential instruction. Unless you control your mind, make your mind a good servant, how can you think of Kṛṣṇa? The mind is so fickle, so disobedient, stubborn, so strong. He will never obey. He will never obey you. Unless it gets some higher command. So many thoughts are coming to your mind, while you are chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa still it is wandering hither and thither, never thinking of Kṛṣṇa, isn't it?
"Hrre krsnee hree krsnee..." Then your mind is wandering hither and thither, such stupid mind. That is an offense. While you chant with the beads, you should concentrate on Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. Before the deity, before the photo, picture, you should chant and in the beginning, you cannot concentrate. Chant loudly:
Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare
Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare
And concentrate on this transcendental sound vibration. In this way practice. So when you will fix that, your chanting will be pure, offenseless, and when you start chanting, immediately the all-beautiful form of Kṛṣṇa you can see. That will appear. Because there is no difference between the Holy name of Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa Himself. Do you understand, but in the beginning you cannot. Because you have offenses and the mind is very fickle, the mind is not fixed. When the mind will be fixed, your chanting will be pure, as soon as you start chanting you will see the all-beautiful form of Lord Kṛṣṇa. That will appear within you.
Then you can understand, yes, now I am really chanting the pure name. That is some success you will achieve. Otherwise it is all offensive.
Are you reading Prabhupāda's books?
Devotee: Yes.
Gour Govinda Swami: Yes. What sort of books? Bhāgavatam, Gītā?
Devotee: [unclear]
Gour Govinda Swami: Why didn't you come yesterday? In the morning, evening, we have...
Devotee: I was here yesterday in the evening.
Gour Govinda Swami: Evening, you came... Accha Accha...
Devotee: [unclear]
Gour Govinda Swami: You heard our lecture?
Devotee: He also made a video of it.
Gour Govinda Swami: Accha Accha Accha... Alright.
Devotee: It was a very nice lecture.
Gour Govinda Swami: So do you have any question? Any question you have?
Devotee: I cannot wake up in the morning.
Gour Govinda Swami: You are a lazy fellow?
Devotee: Yeah.
Gour Govinda Swami: When do you go to bed? At what time?
Devotee: Sometimes after 10, after 11 sometimes.
Gour Govinda Swami: So, that is the reason. If you go to bed late, you cannot wake up early.
Devotee: I cannot go to bed early, if I think I still have some things to have to do.
Gour Govinda Swami: What are you doing, what are you doing? Anything you have to do, finish before nine. Go to bed early. That means at nine you go to bed, and you get up at 3. Six hours sleep is required. Out of twenty four hours, six hours sleep.
Six hours sleep, rest, 18 hours you should be awake, do your work, chanting, reading or any service to Kṛṣṇa. That engages yourself for six hours sleep. Otherwise if it's less than six, then the body, mm-hmm, will give you much trouble. Mm-hmm.
Devotee: But more than six is also bad...
Gour Govinda Swami: More than six is bad. Then tamo-guṇa will develop. You cannot elevate yourself to sattva-guṇa... You understand? Goodness.
Devotee: Goodness.
Gour Govinda Swami: Mm-hmm. Ignorance and passion will, mm-hmm, get to you. So six hours sleep is recommended and that is required. But those children like that, small children, diseased persons, for them, eight hours. Old men, very, very old men, for them. But not for others. Six hours. Now, go to bed early. That means at 9:00 you go to bed, then at 3:00, wake up.
Devotee: Sure.
Gour Govinda Swami: You have alarm, timepiece? You set alarm.
Devotee: Sure.
Gour Govinda Swami: So that will wake you up.
Devotee: Yeah.
Gour Govinda Swami: And that is why I'm saying, "Early to bed and early to rise makes one healthy, wealthy and wise." That one saying is there. "Early to bed and early to rise makes one healthy, wealthy and wise."
Devotee: Benjamin Franklin.
Gour Govinda Swami: And you get it, you become very serious, "I must get up at this time." And mind, I said, mind is a big... very good servant, and that will wake you up. Your servant will wake you up.
Devotee: My mind is my master when I'm…
Gour Govinda Swami: That is I s- I said that thing, "Don't make your mind your master."
Devotee: Yeah, but I have, I, I have some dream that I don't have to get up. In my dream I... there's some reason in my dream that I don't have to wake up.
Gour Govinda Swami: Dream means this is the stupid mind's activity. There, uh, there are many recorded things in the mind for many, many lives. We understand that, not for one life, many, many, lots of lives. So, many are recorded there in the stupid mind. Because mind is one of the constituents of your subtle body. You understand? Mana, buddhi, ahaṅkāra. Mind, intelligence and ego, they are the constituents of subtle body. Subtle body never dies. Only gross body dies. One after another you are getting one gross body. You understand? When you enter into spiritual kingdom, cross...
Devotee: Mm-hmm
Gour Govinda Swami: ...Virajaḥ river, then the subtle body will die. Otherwise it will never die. The soul moves with the subtle body. So mind is there. So all the current things are there. That comes in the dream. That comes in dream. But when you can control your mind and fix your mind with Kṛṣṇa, those dreams will never come, only Kṛṣṇa will come. Yes, that is what is needed. Control mind.
Devotee: Mm-hmm.
Gour Govinda Swami: Wicked mind needs beating. You should beat that wicked mind. Before going to bed, 100 times you beat this wicked mind. That means chant 100 times these 100 names, you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Yes. Then that will... Nice. So when you wake up early in the morning, again beat with your shoes, with your br- shoes, 100 times. That is-
Devotee: Who?
Gour Govinda Swami: Uh, that means chanting, this chanting, Bhakti Siddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī says, "Uh, early in the morning you get up and beat your wicked mind 100 times with broomstick." So before going to bed, again beat your wicked mind 100 times with your shoes. That means at least 100, uh, times you chant. Mm-hmm. 100 names at least. Then wicked mind will be controlled. Th- that is beat- beating. That is, that's what Bhakti Siddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Mahārāja said. It's a name.
Finish all your whole work by 9:00. So by 9:00 you go to bed. 9:00 to 9:30 go to bed. Then, and be serious. Just take... keep it in your mind, "I must get up." And take... have an alarm timepiece, so you get up. Set alarm at 3:00 or 3:30. That will make you wake up. And another thing, you drink some more water, then you'll feel pressure of passing urine, so you'll get up.
Devotee: Uh-huh.
Gour Govinda Swami: Then you say, what you say, "Oh, it is 3:00 now." So no more sleeping. The wicked mind will prompt you, "Oh, 15 minutes sleeping let-" No, no, no, no. Don't hear his prompting, wicked mind. "Oh, let us sleep. Let me sleep 15 minutes, then wake up." No, no, no. Very strict. Then in this way practice, then it will be easy for you. Yes. Otherwise-
Devotee: Thank you.
Gour Govinda Swami: All right.
Devotee: What's that?
Devotee: Yeah.
Gour Govinda Swami: What's that?
Devotee: ... we'll take it.
Devotee: Thank you very much, Mahārāja.
Devotee: Yeah.
Devotee: Yeah.
Devotee: I thank you very much for coming to our little town hall.
Gour Govinda Swami: Anyhow, a nice place.
Devotee: You have so much to offer the way of ... Lakṣmī Sahib.
Gour Govinda Swami: Anyhow, your hospitality is nice. A nice place. Mm-hmm.
Devotee: We're enchanted too.
Gour Govinda Swami: Yes, whenever I come to America, I may come here. Come here. Mm-hmm. Yes?
Devotee: Guru Mahārāja, you were saying before, maybe I misunderstood, that the spiritual master is always coming from the eternal realm.
Gour Govinda Swami: Good.
Devotee: That, that indicates that the spiritual master is always nitya-siddha. But can the spiritual master also be a sādhana-siddha?
Gour Govinda Swami: Huh?
Devotee: Can the spiritual master sometimes be of the sādhana-siddha category?
Gour Govinda Swami: Well, what is that? All right. Maybe. What is that? Whatever you siddha, sādhana-siddha or kṛpā-siddha or nitya-siddha, whatever it may be, anyhow he's siddha, he's perfect.
Devotee: He must be siddha.
Gour Govinda Swami: He must be siddha. Whatever siddha he may be. He may be kṛpā-siddha, he may be sādhana-siddha, or he may be nitya-siddha, what is that? Uh, not that. He'll be perfect some day.
Devotee: ... his guru.
Gour Govinda Swami: Uh, what are you there? Hmm?
Devotee: So can we say that somebody who is achieving perfection, even when he is born in low family or he's doing...
Devotee: That, that, that, that never affects-
Devotee: ... sādhana like this, it's his līlā, is it?
Devotee: It's his līlā, is it? It's pastime?
Gour Govinda Swami: What is that? That never happens. Birth never affects. You are soul, you are not body. Body is born, but soul is not born. Soul has, soul has no birth, no death. The body has. You understand?... who that, that doesn't affect. And most of the time, I'm not body, I'm soul. And who asks, "Above the bodily consciousness, conception of life, all will affect." That doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. No.
Devotee: We might see them. In other words, and it's through this question that, uh, when the, um, um, eh, when a soul comes down, they maybe take bir- birth in a low family.
Gour Govinda Swami: Yeah.
Devotee: Do you call that pastimes? Like pastimes, like, yeah.
Gour Govinda Swami: Uh, he... That's why he can teach as, um- um- um- Haridāsa Ṭhākura, who was born in...
Devotee: Yeah.
Gour Govinda Swami: ... a yavana family. He's a great devotee, a dear devotee. Mahāprabhu made him nāmācārya.
Devotee: No, he's asking, is it līlā to take birth in such family?
Gour Govinda Swami: Why thinking of līlā? He's teaching, he's teaching that it doesn't affect. Birth doesn't affect. This is teaching.
Devotee: Uh-huh.
Gour Govinda Swami: He teaches that. And also, mm, if you are born in the low family, that is, that will be an advantage also, because that will make you humble, humble. Uh, "janmaiśvarya-śruta-śrī-bhir edhamāno madaḥ pumān naivarhaty abhidhātuṁ vai tvām akiñcana-gocaram." Kuntīdevī's prayer. All these things make you puffed up, proud. If you are born in very high family, aristocratic family. Brāhmaṇa family like that, naturally pride. Natural pride is there. "Oh, I am born in such high family."
Aiśvarya, if you are more opulent materially, naturally one may be very puffed up, proud. Śruta, one who has achieved, uh, material education, material degrees, MA, PhD, doctorates. He's a scholar, so many, so many. Like RCS, like this. Yeah. He's very puffed up. It's of course, very... Understand? Janmaiśvarya-śruta-śrī. If someone looks very handsome, beautiful, he is very puffed up. Then that will never make you dīna, humble. You understand?
Mm, Kuntīdevī says, "tvām akiñcana-gocaram edhamāna-madaḥ." If all this will develop, it will increase mada, increase pride. You understand? One cannot become dīna. Oh, but you are, oh, akiñcana-gocaram, O Lord, you are akiñcana-vittāya, the next verse says, can go through a lot. Yeah,
Devotee: I'm not going to now with the idea.
Gour Govinda Swami: Next verse says, for the akiñcana means we've devoid of everything material. There's nothing material. You understand? It's akiñcana. Isn't it? No material wealth or opulence. No material education. No material birth, aristocratic birth. All these things is deprived of everything. He's akiñcana. Isn't it?
Devotee: Meaning without attachment. He may have, but he's not attached.
Gour Govinda Swami: He's akiñcana. You understand? And he- you are...
Devotee: Yeah.
Gour Govinda Swami: He is akiñcana, you are akiñcana-gocaram. Only such a person can see you or approach you. Otherwise, cannot approach you. The next verse, "namo akiñcana-vittāya." You are the vitta, asset of akiñcana. Because he has no material asset here. He's devoid of everything material here. Devoid of all assets. Is it?
Devotee: You're going to think about them.
Gour Govinda Swami: Oh. If you cannot stand it. We must take. Mm-hmm. That is akiñcana, so Kṛṣṇa is his asset. Namo akiñcana-vittāya. He has no asset here in the material world. He is deprived of all assets, everything. So who is his asset? Namo akiñcana-vittāya, You are his asset, and that akiñcana is your asset also. Kṛṣṇa's asset also. You see, such a person. Take the example of Gosvāmīs. Sanātana Gosvāmī and Rūpa Gosvāmī, they had all these things. They were born in very high aristocratic family. "Aśeṣa-maṇḍala-patiśrīnām." There are kings, ministers, chief ministers, revenue ministers, materially very opulent. They had aiśvarya, material opulence, literal knowledge. And they were paṇḍitas, scholars, Sanskrit, Arabic, Persian, many languages. Śruta. Janmaiśvarya-śruta-śrī. Nice looking persons also. Everything they had.
Devotee: Take that. Turn them to each other.
Gour Govinda Swami: "Tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śrīnāṁ cakāra tucchanvat bhūtvā dīna-gaṇeśakau kaupīna-kantāśritau." isn't it? They gave up all these things. Tuccha, nasty, insignificant. Kicked all these things. Tyaktvā tucchanvat. Bhūtvā dīna-gaṇeśakau. Because they were so dīna. Only kaupīna and kantī. Nothing else. Only kantī.
"Nasty," as insignificant kicked up all this tuccha, nasty, insignificant, they gave up all these things. Lived in the jungle of Vṛndāvana. "Eka eka rātri eka eka vṛkṣasya śayanam," isn't it? Not a fixed tree. This night spending under this tree. Next night there's another tree. "Śuṣka-rotī channa-śimbādi."
Devotee: Dry chapati.
Gour Govinda Swami: Dry bread, channa. This is their food, madhukārī. Such life they are leading.
Devotee: Dal and chickpeas.
Gour Govinda Swami: Yes.
Devotee: You understand? That's what they gave to the people in the prison camps and Auschwitz.
Gour Govinda Swami: Yeah. Then how they, they had been so thin. But what they have got?
Devotee: No one knew.
Gour Govinda Swami: Madana-gopāla came to Sanātana Gosvāmī. "Bābā, I'll stay with you." They say, "Why you stay with me? What will you eat? What you are eating? No, no. Your father, your mother giving you so much nice food. My own mission. Very nice dishes. What you eat here? No, I say. No, no, no. Go, go, go. Let's just..."
Sanātana Gosvāmī was just denying, denying, denying. But still, Madana-gopāla has come because he is the asset of dīna akiñcana.