714 THE PATH OF PERFECTION

The nature of the mind is flickering and unsteady. But a self-
realized yogi has to control the mind; the mind should not control
him. At the present moment, the mind is controlling us (go-ddsa).
The mind is telling us, ‘‘Please, why not look at that beautiful
girl?’’ and so we look. It says, ‘‘Why not drink that nice liquor?”
and we say, ‘‘Yes.”” It says, ‘‘Why not smoke this cigarette?”
‘*Yes,”” we say. ‘Why not go to this restaurant for such palatable
food? Why not do this? Why not do that?”’ In this way, the mind
is dictating, and we are following. Material life means being con-
trolled by the senses, or the mind, which is the center of all the
senses. Being controlled by the mind means being controlled by
the senses, because the senses are the mind’s assistants. The
master mind dictates, ‘‘Go see that,’’ and the eyes, following the
directions of the mind, look at the sense object. The mind tells us
to go to a certain place, and the legs, under the mind’s directions,
carry us there. Thus, being under the direction of the mind means
coming under the control of the senses. If we can control the
mind, we will not be under the control of the senses. One who is
under the control of the senses is known as go-dasa. The word go
means ‘‘senses,’’ and ddsa means ‘‘servant.’’ One who is master
of the senses is called gosvami, because svami means ‘‘master.”

_ Therefore, one who has the title gosvami is one who has mastered

_ the senses. As long as one is servant of the senses, he cannot be
called a gosvami or svami. Unless one masters the senses, his ac-
ceptance of the title svami or gosvami is just a form of cheating. It
was Ripa Gosvami who thus defined the meaning of the word
gosvami. Originally, Sandtana Gosvami and Rapa Gosvami were
not gosvamis but were government ministers. It was only when
they became disciples of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu that they be-
came gosvamis. So gosvamiis not a hereditary title but a qualifica-
tion. One becomes so qualified under the directions of a bona fide
Spiritual master. Only when one has attained perfection in sense
control can he be called a gosvamiand become a spiritual master in
his turn. Unless one can master the senses, he will simply be a
bogus spiritual master.

This is explained by Ripa Gosvami in his Upadesamrta (1):

Determination and Steadiness in Yoga 75

vaco vegam manasah krodha-vegam
jihva-vegam udaropastha-vegam

etan vegan yo visaheta dhirah
sarvam apimam prthivim sa Sisyat

‘*A sober person who can tolerate the urge to speak, the mind’s

demands, the actions of anger, and the urges of the tongue, belly,

and genitals is qualified to make disciples all over the world.”’ In

this verse Ripa Gosvami mentions six ‘“‘pushings’’ (vegam). This

pushing is a kind of impetus. For instance, when nature calls, we

have to go to the toilet, and we cannot check this urge. So this

urge is called vegam, a kind of pushing. According to Ripa
Gosvami, there are six vegams. Vaco vegam is the urge to talk un-
necessarily. That is a kind of pushing of the tongue. Then there is
krodha-vegam, the urge to become angry. When we are pushed to
anger, we cannotcheck ourselves, and sometimes men become so
angry that they commit murder. Similarly, the mind is pushing,
dictating, ‘‘You must go there at once,”’ and we immediately go
where we are told. The word jihva-vegam refers to the tongue’s
being urged to taste palatable foods. Udara-vegam refers to the
urges of the belly. Although the belly is full, it still wants more
food, and that is a kind of pushing of the belly. And when we yield
to the pushings of the tongue and the belly, the urges of the
genitals become very strong, and sex is required. If one does not
control his mind or his tongue, how can he control his genitals? In
this way, there are so many pushings, so much so that the body is
a kind of pushing machine. Ripa Gosvami therefore tells us that
one can become a spiritual master only when he can control all
these urges.

Etan vegan yo visaheta dhirah sarvam apimam prthivim sa Sisyat:
‘*One who can control the pushings and remain steady can make
disciples all over the world.’’ The word dhira means ‘‘steady,
sober.”’ Only one who is a dhira is qualified to make disciples. This
all depends on one’s training. Indeed, yoga means training the
mind and the senses to be fixed on the Self. This is not possible by
meditating only fifteen minutes a day and then going out and

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