Sense Control

mauna-vrata-śruta-tapo-’dhyayana-sva-dharma

mauna-vrata-śruta-tapo-’dhyayana-sva-dharma-
vyākhyā-raho-japa-samādhaya āpavargyāḥ |
prāyaḥ paraṁ puruṣa te tv ajitendriyāṇāṁ
vārtā bhavanty uta na vātra tu dāmbhikānām ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 7.9.46; cited in Bhakti Sandarbha 168)

“O Puruṣa [i.e., O indwelling Regulator], the means to apavarga [i.e., mokṣa]—silence, rites, hearing [i.e. learning the Vedas], austerities, studying, [observing one’s] svadharma, explaining [i.e., teaching the Vedas to others], [residing in] solitude, japa, and samādhi [i.e., meditation]—generally here [i.e., in saṁsāra], however, become mere livelihoods of those of uncontrolled senses, and sometimes, however, not even that for the deceitful [since the fruitfulness of deceitfulness is uncertain].”

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ṛṣer bhagavato bhūtvā

ṛṣer bhagavato bhūtvā śiṣyo’dhītya bahūni ca |
setihāsa-purāṇāni dharma-śāstrāṇi sarvaśaḥ ||
adāntasyāvinītasya vṛthā paṇḍita-māninaḥ |
na guṇāya bhavanti sma naṭasyevājitātmanaḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.78.25–26)

“He [i.e., Romaharṣaṇa] became a disciple of the illustrious ṛṣi [i.e., the ṛṣi who is an avatāra of Bhagavān himself, Vyāsadeva] and studied numerous dharma-śāstras along with the Itihāsas and Purāṇas in full, but these [studies], like those of an actor, do not lead to [the development of] virtue for one who is unregulated, immodest, of vain conceit that one is a paṇḍita, and of uncontrolled mind [and rather function only as a means of livelihood].”

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tasmād dharma-pradhānena

tasmād dharma-pradhānena bhavitavyaṁ yatātmanā |
tathā ca sarva-bhūteṣu vartitavyaṁ yathātmani ||
(Mahābhārata: 12.161.8)

[Vidura to Yudhiṣṭhira:] “Therefore, with dharma as one’s chief object, one should be self-controlled. And one should treat all beings as oneself [i.e., one should treat others as one would treat oneself].”

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avaśendriya-cittānāṁ

avaśendriya-cittānāṁ hasti-snānam iva kriyā |
durbhagābharaṇa-prāyo jñānaṁ bhāraḥ kriyāṁ vinā ||
(Hitopadeśa: Mitra-lābha, 18)

“The practice of those who are of uncontrolled senses and mind is like the bathing of an elephant, and without practice knowledge is for the most part a burden like an ornament on an unfortunate woman [i.e., a widow].”

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tasmād vaco manaḥ prāṇān

tasmād vaco manaḥ prāṇān niyacchen mat-parāyaṇaḥ |
mad-bhakti-yuktayā buddhyā tataḥ parisamāpyate ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.16.44)

“Therefore, with the intellect fixed with bhakti [i.e., śraddhā] upon me, one whose ultimate shelter is me should control the speech, mind, and prāṇas. Then, he reaches success.”

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yo vai vāṅ-manasī samyag

yo vai vāṅ-manasī samyag asaṁyacchan dhiyā yatiḥ |
tasya vrataṁ tapo dānaṁ sravaty āma-ghaṭāmbu-vat ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.16.43)

“The rites, austerities, and charity of an ascetic who does not completely control the speech and mind with the intellect seep away like water in a raw [i.e., unfired] clay pot.”

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vācaṁ yaccha mano yaccha

vācaṁ yaccha mano yaccha prāṇān yacchendriyāṇi ca |
ātmānam ātmanā yaccha na bhūyaḥ kalpase’dhvane ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.16.42)

“Control the speech. Control the mind. Control the prāṇas and senses. Control the self [i.e., the buddhi] with the self [i.e., the the sāttvika buddhi]. You will not take to the path [i.e., resume the course of saṁsāra] again.”

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vairāgī karibe sadā nāma-saṅkīrtana

vairāgī karibe sadā nāma-saṅkīrtana |
māgiyā khāñā kare jīvana-rakṣaṇa ||
vairāgī ha-iyā yebā kare parāpekṣā |
kārya-siddhi nahe, kṛṣṇa karena upekṣā ||
vairāgī ha-iyā kare jihvāra lālasa |
paramārtha yāya tāra, haya rasera vaśa ||
vairāgīra kṛtya—sadā nāma-saṅkīrtana |
śāka-patra-phala-mūle udara-bharaṇa ||
jihvāra lālase yei iti-uti dhāya |
śiśnodara-parāyaṇa kṛṣṇa nāhi pāya ||
(Caitanya-caritāmṛta: Antya-līlā, 6.223–7)

“A vairāgyī should always engage in nāma-saṅkīrtana and maintain his life begging and eating. One who as a vairāgī depends on others has no success in his endeavor, and Kṛṣṇa neglects him. One who becomes a vairāgī but indulges in the greed of the tongue—his supreme aim [i.e., his pursuit of his ultimate goal] goes [i.e., is lost], and he becomes subjugated by tastes. The duty of a vairāgī is constant nāma-saṅkīrtana and filling the belly with greens, leaves, fruits, and roots. One who runs here and there because of the tongue’s greed becomes engrossed in the genitals and stomach, and does not attain Kṛṣṇa.”

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āpadāṁ kathitaḥ panthā

āpadāṁ kathitaḥ panthā indriyāṇām asaṁyamaḥ |
taj-jayaḥ sampadāṁ mārgo yeneṣṭaṁ tena gamyatām ||
(Mahāsubhāṣita-saṅgraha)

“Lack of control over the senses is said to be the path to misfortune. Conquering the senses is [said to be] the path to good fortune. Go by that [path] which is so desired.”

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anartham arthataḥ paśyann

anartham arthataḥ paśyann arthaṁ caivāpy anarthataḥ |
indriyaiḥ prasṛto bālaḥ suduḥkhaṁ manyate sukham ||
(Mahābhārata: 5.34.59; Vidura-nīti: 213; cited in Mahāsubhāṣita-saṅgraha)

“Seeing anartha within artha and artha within anartha [i.e., seeing nonsense within sense and even sense within nonsense, misfortune within fortune and even fortune within misfortune, evil within good and even good within evil, etc.], the fool, pulled by the senses, considers great suffering to be happiness.”

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