Pariprashnena — Q&A Archive

IMHO its an essential requirement for a devotee to make advancement...find faults in yourself before others do.

absolutely needded but it may be quite difficult for extroverts.

i also heard that it requires a totally separate endevour, an internal one.
you may be doing, your service, sadhant etc but if this internal check is not being done then there is little progress.

Introspection is vital because the senses and mind are very strong and may sidetrack us completely. "The senses are so strong and impetuous, O Arjuna, that they forcibly carry away the mind even of a man of discrimination who is endeavoring to control them." (Gita 2.60)

One who cannot introspect and control his mind becomes lost and is considered demoniac. Gita 16.9 says that nasuc0u803 tu803 u257 tmu257 no (nasu803 tu803 a '97 having lost; u257 tmu257 nahu803 '97 themselves;) demoniac people are "lost to themselves." They have no conscience.

Control of the mind will allow one to become introspective and hear the direction of the Supersoul. "The effect of controlling the mind is that one automatically follows the dictation of the Paramu257 tmu257 , or Supersoul." (Gita 6.7 purport)

Another response:

We have the greatest all-devouring sinful enemy mahuc0u257 u347 ano mahu257 -pu257 pmu257 viddhy enam iha vairinu803 am (Gita 3.37) living in our indriyu257 nu803 i mano buddhir (Gita 3.40) senses, mind and intelligence. It is an eternal enemy, nitya-vairinu803 u257 (Gita 3.39) that sometimes forces us to do sinful activities even against our will balu257 d iva niyojitahu803 (Gita 3.36). Introspection is vital to keep an eye on this enemy who has infiltrated all strategic vantage points within us. If you were sitting face to face with a known enemy, would you turn your back on him? No. A wise person would always keep on eye on him.

Another response:

If one is not introspective, according to the Caitanya Caritamrta, chanting will not make you happy but will increase unwanted desires.

"If one does not distinguish between the bhakti creeper and the other creepers, the sprinkling of water (hearing and chanting) is misused because the other creepers are nourished while the bhakti creeper is curtailed." (CC Madhya 19.160)

"Sometimes these unwanted creepers look exactly like the bhakti creeper. They appear to be of the same size and the same species when they are packed together with the bhakti creeper, but in spite of this, the creepers are called upauc0u347 u257 khu257 . A pure devotee can distinguish between the bhakti creeper and a mundane creeper, and he is very alert to distinguish them and keep them separate. (CC Madhya 19.159, purport)

Prabhupada recommends that one should be "...very alert to distinguish them..." because "....these unwanted creepers look exactly like the bhakti creeper..." It is not possible to be very alert without introspection.

and what about extroverts? they seem to have a hard time looking in themselves because by nature they are outward going.

[quote][cite] abhiram:[/cite]and what about extroverts? they seem to have a hard time looking in themselves because by nature they are outward going.[/quote]
Extrovert person usually means a person avoiding themselves.

That'b4s very interesting. It seems that they have a hard time being alone (with themselves) so they can not get introspective.

Any extroverts that disagree with this?

too much laughter is sign of insecurity, too extrovert, many times excessively needs the approval of others
too introvert is a sign of not having the necessary bridges to the outside world,
conclusion: a balance is what we need

Ive been trying to figure out where introverts and extroverts fit into the Bhagavd-gita. The best I can conclude is:

In a broad general sense, an extroverts consciousness tends outwards. An introverts consciousness tends inwards. Neither is a guarantee of success in Krishna consciousness. An extrovert may get involved too much into gross sense enjoyment while an introvert may get too mental or speculative. Both are sense gratificatory tendencies, it is just a question of degree (i.e Gita 3.38). The extrovert is characterized by unregulated gross senses and the introvert is characterized by unregulated subtle senses.

The prescription for both these categories is the same: regulate the senses by detached active engagement in Krishnas service.

For the extrovert, Krishna advises them to be taught how to work in a detached way for Krishna: "So as not to disrupt the minds of ignorant men attached to the fruitive results of prescribed duties, a learned person should not induce them to stop work. Rather, by working in the spirit of devotion, he should engage them in all sorts of activities [for the gradual development of Kruc0u803 su803 nu803 a consciousness]." (Gita 3.26)

Although the introvert might have his gross senses of action under more control than the extrovert, if his subtle senses (mind, intelligence) are not controlled, Krishna calls one with false behaviour (mithyu257 -u257 cu257 rahu803 '97 pretender: Gita 3.6). Prabhupada writes in the purport: "A sincere sweeper in the street is far better than the charlatan meditator..." Thus the advice for the introvert is - engage in active devotional service: "Merely renouncing all activities yet not engaging in the devotional service of the Lord cannot make one happy. But a thoughtful person engaged in devotional service can achieve the Supreme without delay." (Gita 5.6)

And for the self-realised person, who has no duty, Krishna advises the same path: action in Krishna consciousness: " A self-realized man has no purpose to fulfill in the discharge of his prescribed duties, nor has he any reason not to perform such work. Nor has he any need to depend on any other living being. Therefore, without being attached to the fruits of activities, one should act as a matter of duty, for by working without attachment one attains the Supreme.: (Gita 3.18-19)

Although introverts may have a slightly easier path of progress due not not being so much influenced by the gross senses, the prescription is still the same: engage in active devotional service to Lord Shri Krishna. It is the recommendation for those focused on the gross level, those focused on the subtle level and for those on the perfected level.

"The extrovert is characterized by unregulated gross senses and the introvert is characterized by unregulated subtle senses."

Or a mixture of both on each side?

Anyone can chant HK, even a child....
all living entities benefit from hearing the holy name. Its universal, so no one owns a monopoly on it.

[quote][cite] rasa108:[/cite]"The extrovert is characterized by unregulated gross senses and the introvert is characterized by unregulated subtle senses."

Or a mixture of both on each side?[/quote]

Yes. A guide to the ratios of such mixtures is outlined in Gita 3.38. i.e fire covered by smoke, a mirror covered by dust, and an embryo is covered by the womb.