07.02.09

Evening Darshan 30 June 2009: Prajalpa (Nonsense talk)

Posted in Darshan, Podcasts, Sri Visnusahasranama at 1:56 pm by Nava-yauvana dāsa

We are trying to bring our students to spiritual maturity, and sometimes we have to correct them to help them see how they have strayed from the path. Nonsense talk is one of the dangerous stumbling blocks on the path of devotion. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī writes in Śrī Upadeṣāmṛta 2:

atyāhāraḥ prayāsaś ca
prajalpo niyamāgrahaḥ
jana-saṅgaś ca laulyaṁ ca
ṣaḍbhir bhaktir vinaśyati

“One’s devotional service is spoiled when he becomes too entangled in the following six activities: (1) eating more than necessary or collecting more funds than required; (2) overendeavoring for mundane things that are very difficult to obtain; (3) talking unnecessarily about mundane subject matters; (4) Practicing the scriptural rules and regulations only for the sake of following them and not for the sake of spiritual advancement, or rejecting the rules and regulations of the scriptures and working independently or whimsically; (5) associating with worldly-minded persons who are not interested in Kṛṣṇa consciousness; and (6) being greedy for mundane achievements.”

Śrīla Prabhupāda comments:

“Another impediment is prajalpa, unnecessary talking. When we mix with a few friends, we immediately begin unnecessary talking, sounding just like croaking toads. If we must talk, we should talk about the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Those outside of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement are interested in reading heaps of newspapers, magazines and novels, solving crossword puzzles and doing many other nonsensical things. In this fashion people simply waste their valuable time and energy. In the Western countries old men, retired from active life, play cards, fish, watch television and debate about useless socio-political schemes. All these and other frivolous activities are included in the prajalpa category. Intelligent persons interested in Kṛṣṇa consciousness should never take part in such activities.”

A serious disciple of the bhakti path should always strive for maturity in all actions and words. Taking responsibility, completing tasks at a high level of competence, he always tries to improve the excellence of his service out of love for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa.

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The video can be watched here on Youtube.

You can also download the original .mov file here and the extracted audio here.

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