4 The Nectar of Instruction

being is meant to be trained according to certain principles
to revive his original knowledge. Such a methodical life is
described as tapasya. One can be gradually elevated to the
standard of real knowledge, or Krsna consciousness, by
practicing austerity and celibacy (brahmacarya), by con-
trolling the mind, by controlling the senses, by giving up
one’s possessions in charity, by being avowedly truthful, by
keeping clean and by practicing yoga-dsanas. However, if
one is fortunate enough to get the association of a pure devo-
tee, he can easily surpass all the practices for controlling the
mind by the mystic yoga process simply by following the
regulative principles of Krsna consciousness—refraining
from illicit sex, meat-eating, intoxication and gambling—
and by engaging in the service of the Supreme Lord under
the direction of the bona fide spiritual master. This easy pro-
cess is being recommended by Srila Rapa Gosvami.

First one must control his speaking power. Every one of
us has the power of speech; as soon as we get an opportunity
we begin to speak. If we do not speak about Krsna conscious-
ness, we speak about all sorts of nonsense. A toad in a field
speaks by croaking, and similarly everyone who has a tongue
wants to speak, even if all he has to say is nonsense. The
croaking of the toad, however, simply invites the snake:
“Please come here and eat me.” Nevertheless, although it is
inviting death, the toad goes on croaking. The talking of ma-
terialistic men and impersonalist Mayavadi philosophers
may be compared to the croaking of frogs. They are always
speaking nonsense and thus inviting death to catch them.
Controlling speech, however, does not mean self-imposed
silence (the external process of mauna), as Mayavadi phi-
