Prisoner

This morning I went to listen to a reading of the Chaitanya Bhagavat, which consists of pastimes of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, written by Srila Vrndavan Das Thakur. Nyskinchan Maharaj, who is oneo f the leaders of the Kolkatta temple was reading in Bengali and then translating. He was talking about how we are prisoners. We are prisoners of the five Indriyas, (the five senses) the five karma Indriyas, (the working senses: legs, voice, arms, anus, genitals) and the mind. Then there is the false ego, which can be compared to a knot of matter and spirit, or a “black-box” for the body; a collection of all past experiences and impressions and therefore, who you identify yourself to be. He was describing these elements and how when we have separate interest were are put in these bodies. We want to enjoy as masters, rather than as servants of the Lord. We want to be superior but we will never be superior to the Lord so we must enjoy a lower type of energy which is this material world. We rule here but only to suffer for that later down the line. If we can enjoy spiritually, for the pleasure of his Divine Grace, if we can learn to find happiness in service, or selfless action, we will find everything we need and it is purifying if offered to a bonafide spiritual master who is connected with the transcendental plane. Otherwise, we are prisoners of our anger, lust, greed, and these things take us towards a lower form of enjoyment and a lower more temporary form of happiness.