Prabhupada Analogies

Experience through examples
Srila Prabhupada brings us the knowledge of the Vedic literatures with his hard hitting analogies.

Analogies - Brahmana’s business

Brahmana is meant for doing the brain work. He will give advice. Just like we, Krishna consciousness movement, we are not meant for the Kshatriya's or Vaishya's business, the devotees, but if required they can take. But real business is Brahmana's business.

Analogies - Asuras

Asuras are powerful, but they are atheists too. Similarly, in the modern world there are many powerful, materially advanced men. But because they are godless - they have no sense of God - they are called asuras.

Analogies - Asuric tendency

Asuric tendency means to refute the Supreme Personality of Godhead. All the asuras did that. Ravana is described as an asura or rakshasa because he did not care for Lord Rama.

Analogies - Conservation and cessation

When a lamp is broken or the oil is finished, we see that the flame of the lamp goes out. But according to scientific understanding, the flame is not extinguished; it is conserved. This is conservation of energy. Similarly, when the mind stops functioning on the material platform, it is conserved in the activities of the Supreme Lord. The Mayavadi philosophers' conception of cessation of the functions of the mind is explained here: cessation of the mental functions means cessation of activities conducted under the influence of the three modes of material nature.

Analogies - Brahma-bandhu

Ashvatthama was born of a brahmana father, but his work is that of butcher. He is called brahma-bandhu. (By birth one does not become a Brahmana)

Analogies - Reason of suffering

At the present moment our existence is not purified. It is impure. Therefore we are suffering. Just like when somebody is psychologically weak, he very often suffers from fever and other symptoms of disease.

Analogies - Contaminated consciousness

Our consciousness is pure, but at the present moment the consciousness is materially contaminated just like the purest rain water becomes muddy as soon as it comes in touch with the earth.

Analogies - First control the mind

The mind is cancala, flickering, and it changes very strongly. Therefore Arjuna admitted that controlling the mind is not at all possible; this would be as difficult as controlling the wind. For example, if one were in a boat moving according to the wind on a river or the sea, and the wind were uncontrollable, the tilting boat would be very much disturbed and extremely difficult to control. It might even capsize. Therefore, in the bhava-samudra, the ocean of mental speculation and transmigration to different types of bodies, one must first control the mind.

Analogies - Finish this body

At the time of death there is a great distress as one has to leave this body. It is like when the distress becomes too intolerable, one commits suicide. He cannot tolerate: "Finish this body".

Analogies - Avyaktam

Avyaktam means the total material substance. Just like when you construct a house there are heaps of materials - some stone, some cement, some woods, some iron - and you combine together.