Inner Dialogue

Inner dialogue of the mind is one of the main enemies of concentrated Japa. Even if you are in peaceful surroundings or in a temple, at the right time, and all the other external things are conducive for good chanting, prajalpa within your mind can create trouble for you.
Inner dialogue is very much connected to our false-ego, ego defends our false bodily identity and pride. Ego gets us into useless talks and quarrels and within our mind we recall or plan our external quarrels. Someone chastises us and in our mind we plan how to defend ourselves.
Ego is very hard and subtle but through attentive chanting one can gradually have some understanding how much we are controlled by it.
When we are strongly controlled by the lower modes of nature, we easily get into debates and start to quarrel with devotees due to some useless reason. Especially in the early morning in your Japa time, one should be very careful not to get into any unneccessary discussions or commenting on anything that can wait for later.
Instead one can pray to the Holy name, that one��s consicousness can rise above the bodily platform and that our diamond-like ego can be melted. One can try to follow a vow "For today, I am not going defend myself if
corrected, I will not get into any useless talks or comment other doings unnesserarily."
Recently I happened to look at a non-Krishna conscious esoteric book. Philosophically nothing important but there were some good points concerning the ego. The main character was trained towards spiritual elevation by smashing his pride repeatedly. There was a lesson, that one should try to keep his mind controlled even if ridiculed or chastised without reason.
It reminds me from a statement of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Maharaja: "Those who critisize me are my friends, those who flatter me are my enemies." Often we think the opposite.

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Mrd

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