(Click to enlarge photo of Srila Prabhupada rubbing his hands to illustrate a point)
Prabhupāda: The football is kicked from this party and thrown to the other party. The other party kicks and it comes. The football thinks... If the football thinks that "I am in freedom movement," so what is that freedom? Kicked from this party to that party and that... So here the same thing is said, kāma-krodhera dāsa hañā tāra lāthi khāya. Just like the football players—the football is under the kicking method of two parties—similarly, we are under the kicking method of two things, lust and anger. We are lusty, and when our lust is not fulfilled, then we become kicked by anger. Two things. Just like the football is kicked by this party and that party, similarly, our position is we are being kicked sometimes by lust and sometimes by anger. So we are going on leading our life in this way.
kāma-krodhera dāsa hañā tāra lāthi khāya
bhramite bhramite yadi sādhu-saṅga pāya
Now, in this way we are passing our life, but if by chance we get association of a saintly person...
tāṅra upadeśa-mantre piśāci palāya
kṛṣṇa-bhakti pāya, tabe kṛṣṇa-nikaṭa yāya
If by chance we get association of a pure devotee, then by his mercy this illusion becomes over. Tāṅra upadeśa, by his instructions. Sādhu-saṅga means tasmād satsu sajjeta buddhimān. Therefore it is advised that everyone should seek association of saintly persons. And by saintly person's instruction, this ghost of ignorance will be removed. Tāṅra mantre. Just like you have seen ghostly haunted persons? In India there are so many cases. So there are chanter also. What is called, enchanter or...? Those who are, if he can make treatment a ghostly...
Devotees: Magician? Medium?
Prabhupāda: Not magician.
Devotee: Medium.
Prabhupāda: Not medium. Enchanter I think you call.
Devotee: A sorcerer.
Prabhupāda: A sorcerer, yes. So they chant some hymns and the ghosts go away. Similarly, if we chant this Hare Kṛṣṇa, then the ghost of māyā by which we are being kicked from this side to that side, that will be over. Tāṅra mantre. If the instruction is received from a saintly person, sādhu, then this illusion of being kicked up from this side to that side by lust and anger under the spell of this material energy will be over. Tāṅra upadeśa-mantre piśāci palāya.
Then? What is next? Kṛṣṇa-bhakti pāya, tabe kṛṣṇa-nikaṭa yāya. Then his beginning of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is there. Kṛṣṇa consciousness begins from there. If by chance, in this way... Just like the football is being kicked. Some way or other, if he goes out of the line the kicking is stopped. Similarly, we also, if we get the shelter and association of a bona fide saintly person, then this business of being kicked by lust and anger is stopped by his instruction, by his advice. Santa chindanti asya mano-vyāsaṅgam ukti. The whole trouble is in the mind. Mind. Just like there is a knot. So knot is to be cut or it is to be opened. So this mental knot with this material attraction is cut by the instruction of saintly persons. The cutting weapon is instruction. Therefore one should take advantage of the instruction of saintly persons so that the knot of material attachment may be cut and the Kṛṣṇa consciousness may begin, so that his path of liberation is open.
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, New York, January 9, 1967)
.
