74 THE PATH OF PERFECTION Determination and Steadiness in Yoga 75
The nature of the mind is flickering and unsteady. But a self- vaco vegam manasah krodha-vegam
realized yogi has to control the mind; the mind should not control jihva-vegam udaropastha-vegam
him. At the present moment, the mind is controlling us (go-dasa). etan vegan yo visaheta dhirah
The mind is telling us, ‘‘Please, why not look at that beautiful sarvam apimam prthivim sa sisyat
girl?’’ and so we look. It says, ‘‘Why not drink that nice liquor?”
and we say, ‘*Yes.”’ It says, “‘Why not smoke this cigarette?” ‘*A sober person who can tolerate the urge to speak, the mind’s
‘*Yes,”’ we say. ‘‘Why not go to this restaurant for such palatable demands, the actions of anger, and the urges of the tongue, belly,
food? Why not do this? Why not do that?” In this way, the mind and genitals is qualified to make disciples all over the world.”’ In
is dictating, and we are following. Material life means being con- this verse Ripa Gosvami mentions six ‘‘pushings”’ (vegam). This
trolled by the senses, or the mind, which is the center of all the pushing is a kind of impetus. For instance, when nature calls, we
senses. Being controlled by the mind means being controlled by have to go to the toilet, and we cannot check this urge. So this
the senses, because the senses are the mind’s assistants. The urge is called vegam, a kind of pushing. According to Rupa
master mind dictates, ‘tGo see that,” and the eyes, following the Gosvami, there are six vegams. Vaco vegam is the urge to talk un-
directions of the mind, look at the sense object. The mind tells us necessarily. That is a kind of pushing of the tongue. Then there is
to go to acertain place, and the legs, under the mind’s directions, krodha-vegam, the urge to become angry. When we are pushed to
carry us there. Thus, being under the direction of the mind means anger, we cannot check ourselves, and sometimes men become so
coming under the control of the senses. If we can control the angry that they commit murder. Similarly, the mind is pushing,
mind, we will not be under the control of the senses. One who is dictating, ‘‘You must go there at once,” and we immediately go ,
under the control of the senses is known as go-ddsa. The word go where we are told. The word jihva-vegam refers to the tongue’s
means “‘senses,”” and ddsa means ‘servant.’ One who is master being urged to taste palatable foods. Udara-vegam refers to the
of the senses is called gosvami, because svami means ‘‘master.”” urges of the belly. Although the belly is full, it still wants more
_ Therefore, one who has the title gosvami is one who has mastered food, and that is a kind of pushing of the belly. And when we yield
_ the senses. As long as one is servant of the senses, he cannot be to the pushings of the tongue and the belly, the urges of the
called a gosvami or svami. Unless one masters the senses, his ac- genitals become very strong, and sex is required. If one does not {
ceptance of the title svami or gosvami is just a form of cheating. It control his mind or his tongue, how can he control his genitals? In
was Ripa Gosvami who thus defined the meaning of the word this way, there are so many pushings, so much so that the body is i
gosvami. Originally, Sanatana Gosvami and Ripa Gosvami were a kind of pushing machine. Ripa Gosvami therefore tells us that
not gosvamis but were government ministers. It was only when One can become a spiritual master only when he can control all
they became disciples of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu that they be- these urges.
came gosvamis. So gosvamiis not a hereditary title but a qualifica- Etdn vegan yo visaheta dhirah sarvam apimam prthivim sa Sisyat:
tion. One becomes so qualified under the directions of a bona fide *“One who can control the pushings and remain steady can make
spiritual master. Only when one has attained perfection in sense disciples all over the world.” The word dhira means ‘‘steady,
control can he be called a gosvamiand become a spiritual master in sober.”” Only one who is a dhira is qualified to make disciples. This
his turn. Unless one can master the senses, he will simply be a all depends on one’s training. Indeed, yoga means training the
bogus spiritual master. mind and the senses to be fixed on the Self. This is not possible by
This is explained by Rapa Gosvami in his Upadesamrta (1): meditating only fifteen minutes a day and then going out and
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