"Satisfying The Senses"

73/08/15 London, Bhagavad-gita 2.9



Pradyumna (leads chanting, etc.):

sanjaya uvaca
evam uktva hrsikesam
gudakesah parantapah
na yotsya iti govindam
uktva tusnim babhuva ha
[Bg. 2.9]

Translation: "Sanjaya said: Having spoken thus, Arjuna, chastiser of enemies, told Krsna, ‘Govinda, I shall not fight,' and fell silent."

Prabhupada: In the previous verse, Arjuna said that "There is no profit in this fighting because the other side, they are all my relatives, kinsmen, and by killing them, even if I become victorious, so what is the value?" That we have explained, that such kind of renouncement sometimes takes place in ignorance. Actually, it is not very much intelligently placed. So in this way, evam uktva, "saying that, ‘So there is no profit in fighting,' " evam uktva, "saying this," hrsikesam, he is speaking to the master of the senses. And in previous verse he has said, sisyas te 'ham prapannam: [Bg. 2.7] "I am Your surrendered disciple." So Krsna becomes guru, and Arjuna becomes the disciple. Formerly they were talking as friends. But friendly talking cannot decide any serious question. When there is some serious matter, it must be spoken between authorities.

So hrsikesam, I have several times explained. Hrsika means the senses, and isa means the master. Hrsika-isa, and they join together: Hrsikesa. Similarly, Arjuna also. Gudakesa. Gudaka means darkness, and isa... Darkness means ignorance.

ajnana-timirandhasya
jnananjana-salakaya
caksur-unmilitam yena
tasmai sri-guruve namah

Guru's duty is... A sisya, a disciple, comes to the guru for enlightenment. Everyone is born foolish. Everyone. Even the human beings, because they are coming from the animal kingdom by evolution, so the birth is the same, ignorance, like animals. Therefore, even though one is human being, he requires education. The animal cannot take education, but a human being can take education. Therefore sastra says, nayam deho deha-bhajam nrloke kastan kaman arhate vid-bhujam ye [SB 5.5.1]. I have several times recited this verse, that now... In the lower than human being condition, we have to work very hard simply for four necessities of life: eating, sleeping, mating and defending. Sense gratification. Main object is sense gratification. Therefore everyone has to work very hard. But in the human form of life, Krsna gives us so much facilities, intelligence. We can make our standard of living very comfortable, but with the purpose of attaining perfection in Krsna consciousness. You live comfortably. That's all right. But don't live like animals, simply increasing sense gratification. The human effort is going on how to live comfortably, but they want to live comfortably for sense gratification. That is the mistake of the modern civilization. Yuktahara-viharas ca yogo bhavati siddhih. In the Bhagavad-gita it is said yuktahara. Yes, you must eat, you must sleep, you must satisfy your senses, you must arrange for defense -- as much as possible, not to divert attention too much. We have to eat, yuktahara. That's a fact. But not atyahara. Rupa Gosvami has advised in his Upadesamrta,

atyaharah prayasas ca
prajalpo niyamagrahah
laulyam jana-sangas ca
sadbhir bhaktir vinasyati
[NoI 2]

If you want to advance in spiritual consciousness -- because that is the only objective of life -- then you should not eat more, atyaharah, or collect more. Atyaharah prayasas ca prajalpo niyamagrahah. That is our philosophy.

The other day in Paris one press reporter came to me, the Socialist Press. So I informed him that "Our philosophy is that everything belongs to God." Krsna says bhoktaram yajna-tapasam sarva-loka-mahesvaram [Bg. 5.29]. "I am the enjoyer, bhokta." Bhokta means enjoyer. So bhoktaram yajna-tapasam. Just like this body is working. The whole body is working, everyone's, to enjoy life, but wherefrom the enjoyment begins? The enjoyment begins from the stomach. You have to give sufficient nice foodstuffs to the stomach. If there is sufficient energy, we can digest. If sufficient energy, then all other senses become strong. Then you can enjoy sense gratification. Otherwise it is not possible. If you cannot digest.... Just like we are now old man. We cannot digest. So there is no question of sense enjoyment. So sense enjoyment begins from the stomach. The luxuriant growth of the tree begins from the root, if there is sufficient water. Therefore the trees are called pada-pa. They drink water from the legs, the roots, not from the heads. Just like we eat from the head. So there are different arrangements. As we can eat from the mouth, the trees, they eat from their legs. But one must eat. Ahara-nidra-bhaya-maithuna. Eating is there, either you eat through your legs or your mouth or your hands. But so far Krsna is concerned, He can eat from anywhere. He can eat from hands, from legs, from eyes, from ears, anywhere. Because He is complete spiritual. There is no difference between His heads and legs and ears and eyes. That is stated in the Brahma-samhita,

angani yasya sakalendriya-vrttimanti
pasyanti panti kalayanti ciram jaganti
ananda-cinmaya-sadujjvala-vigrahasya
govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami
[Bs.5.32]

So as in this body our sense enjoyment should begin from the stomach, similarly, as the tree begins developing luxuriantly from the root, similarly, Krsna is the origin of everything, janmady asya yatah [SB 1.1.1], root. So without Krsna consciousness, without pleasing Krsna, you cannot be happy. This is the system. Therefore how Krsna will be pleased? Krsna will be pleased that... We are all Krsna's sons, God's sons. Everything Krsna's property. These are fact. Now, we can enjoy taking prasadam of Krsna, because He is the proprietor, bhokta, enjoyer. So everything should be given first to Krsna, and then you take the prasadam. That will make you happy. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gita. Bhunjate te tv agham papam ye pacanty atma-karanat: "Those who are cooking for eating themselves, they are simply eating sin." Bhunjate te tv agham papam ye pacanty atma... Yajnarthat karmano 'nyatra loko' yam karma... Everything should be done for Krsna, even your eating, anything. All sense enjoyment, you can enjoy. But after Krsna has enjoyed. Then you can eat. Therefore Krsna's name is Hrsikesa. He is the master. Master of the senses. You cannot enjoy your senses independently. Just like the servant. Servant cannot enjoy. Just like the cook cooking very, very nice foodstuffs in the kitchen, but he cannot eat in the beginning. That is not possible. Then he will be dismissed. The master first of all must take, and then they can enjoy all the nice foodstuffs.

So Krsna is the master of the senses. The whole world is struggling for sense gratification. Here is the simple philosophy, truth, that "First of all let enjoy, let Krsna enjoy. He is the master. Then we enjoy." Tena tyaktena bhunjitha. The Isopanisad says everything belongs to Krsna. Isavasyam idam sarvam: [Iso mantra 1] "Everything belongs to Krsna." This is the mistake. Everything belongs to Krsna, but we are thinking, "Everything belongs to me." This is illusion. Aham mameti [SB 5.5.8]. Aham mameti. Janasya moho 'yam aham mameti. This is illusion. Everyone is thinking, "I am this body, and everything, whatever we find in this world, that is to be enjoyed by me." This is the mistake of civilization. The knowledge is: "Everything belongs to God. I can take only whatever He gives me, kindly allows." Tena tyaktena bhunjitha. This is not Vaisnava philosophy; this is the fact. Nobody is proprietor. Isavasyam idam sarvam [Iso mantra 1]. Every... Krsna says, "I am enjoyer. I am the proprietor." Sarva-loka-mahesvaram [Bg. 5.29]. Maha-isvaram. Maha means great. We can claim isvaram, controller, but Krsna is described as maha-isvaram "controller of the controller." That is Krsna. Nobody is independently controller.

So therefore Krsna is described, Hrsikesa. Hrsikena hrsikesa-sevanam bhaktir ucyate [Cc. Madhya 19.170]. And bhakti means to serve Hrsikesa by the hrsika. Hrsika means senses. Krsna is the master of the senses, and therefore, whatever senses I have got, the master is Krsna, proprietor is Krsna. So when our senses are engaged in the satisfaction of the master of the senses, that is called bhakti. This is the definition of bhakti, devotional service. And when the senses are engaged for sense gratification, not for the master, that is called kama. Kama and prema. Prema means to love Krsna and do everything for satisfaction of Krsna. That is prema, love. And kama means everything done for the satisfaction of my senses. This is the difference. The sense is the medium. Either you do it, satisfy your senses, or you satisfy Krsna's senses. But when you satisfy Krsna's senses, you become perfect, and when you satisfy your senses, you become imperfect, illusioned. Because you cannot satisfy your senses. That is not possible without Krsna. Hrsikena hrsikesa-sevanam bhaktir ucyate [Cc. Madhya 19.170].

Therefore one has to purify the senses. At the present moment, everyone is trying to satisfy his senses. Aham mameti. Janasya moho 'yam [SB 5.5.8]. Pumsah striya maithuni-bhavam etat. The whole material world is that... There are two living entities, male and female. The male is trying also, satisfy his senses, and the female is also trying to satisfy her senses. Here the so-called love means... There is no love. It cannot be love. Because the man and woman, nobody is trying to satisfy the other party's senses. Everyone is trying to satisfy his or her senses. A woman is loving a man for satisfying her senses, and the man is loving a woman for satisfying. Therefore, as soon as there is some little disturbance in the sense gratification, divorce. "I don't want it." Because the central point is personal sense gratification. But we can make a picture, show-bottle, "Oh, I love you so much. I love you so much." There is no love. It is all kama, lust. In the material world, there cannot be possibility of love. It is not possible. The so-called is cheating, cheating only. "I love you. I love you because you are beautiful. It will satisfy my senses. Because you are young, it will satisfy my senses." This is the world. Material world means this. Pumsah striya maithuni-bhavam etat. The whole basic principle of this material world is sense gratification. Yan maithunadi-grhamedhi-sukham hi tuccham kanduyanena karayor iva duhkha-duhkham [SB 7.9.45].

This material world, so-called love, society, frienship and love -- everything is depending on that sense gratification, maithunadi, beginning from sex. Yan maithunadi grhamedhi-sukham hi tuccham. So when one becomes free from this maithunadi-sukham, he is liberated, he is liberated, svami, gosvami. So long one is attached to this maithunadi, sex impulse, he is neither svami nor gosvami. Svami means when one becomes master of the senses. As Krsna is the master of senses, so when one becomes Krsna conscious, he becomes master of the senses. It is not that senses should be stopped. No. It should be controlled. "When I require, I shall use it; otherwise not." That is master of senses. "I shall not act impelled by the senses. Senses should act under my direction." That is svami.

Therefore Arjuna is called Gudakesa. He is master of... He is also, when he likes. He is not a coward, but he is compassionate because he is devotee. Because he is devotee of Krsna... Anyone who becomes a devotee of Krsna, all the good qualities manifest in his body. Yasyasti bhaktir bhagavaty akincana sarvair gunais tatra samasate surah. All godly qualities. So Arjuna, he is also... Otherwise how he can become intimate friend of Krsna unless of the same position? Friendship becomes very strong when both the friends (are) on equal level: same age, same education, same prestige, same beauty. The more similarity of position, then the friendship is there, strong. So Arjuna is also on the same level of Krsna. Just like if somebody becomes friend of the president, friend of the king or queen. So he is not ordinary man. He must be of the same position. Just like the Gosvamis. The Gosvamis, when they gave up their family life... It is described by Srinivasa Acarya, tyaktva turnam asesa-mandala-pati-srenim sada tucchavat. Mandala-pati, big, big leaders, mandala-pati. Big, big leaders, zamindars, big, big, big men. He was minister. Who can become his friend unless he is also a very big man? So Rupa Gosvami gave up their company. As soon as Rupa Gosvami and Sanatana Gosvami became acquainted with Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, immediately they decided that "We shall retire from this ministership and join Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to help Him." To serve Him, not to help Him. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu doesn't require anyone's help. But if we try to associate and try to serve Him, then our life becomes successful. Just like Krsna says... Krsna came to preach Bhagavad-gita. Sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66]. That was His mission, that "These rascals have become servant of so many things: society, friendship, love, religion, this, that, so many things, nationality, community. So these rascals should stop all this nonsense business." Sarva-dharman parityajya: "Give up all this nonsense. Simply just become surrendered unto Me." This is religion. Otherwise, how Krsna is advising that sarva-dharman parityajya, [Bg. 18.66] "You give up all religious system?" He came -- dharma-samsthapanarthaya. He came to reestablish the principles of religion. Now He says, sarva-dharman parityajya: "Give up all." That means anything without Krsna consciousness, without God consciousness, they are all cheating religion. They are not religion. Religion means dharmam tu saksat bhagavat-pranitam, the order of the Supreme Lord. If we do not know who is the Supreme Lord, if we do not know what is the order of the Supreme Lord, then where is religion? That is not religion. That may go on in the name of religion, but that is cheating. So the Bhagavad-gita ends: sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66]. And Bhagavata begins from that point.

Therefore Bhagavad-gita is the preliminary study of Srimad-Bhagavatam. Bhagavata begins, dharmah projjhita-kaitavah atra: "Now, in this Srimad-Bhagavatam, all cheating type of religions are rejected, projjhita." So there is link. Real religion means to love God. That is real religion. Therefore Bhagavata says, sa vai pumsam paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhoksaje: [SB 1.2.6] "That is first-class religion." It doesn't mean that you follow this religion or that religion. You may follow any religion. It doesn't matter, either Hindu religion or Christian religion or Mohammedan religion, anything you like. But we have to test. Just like a student who has passed M.A. examination. Nobody inquires, "From which college you have passed your examination? You have passed M.A. examination? That's all right." And we are concerned, whether you are graduate, postgraduate. That's all. Nobody inquires, "From which college, from which country, from which religion, you have passed your M.A. examination?" No. Similarly, nobody should inquire, "To which religion you belong?" One must see whether he has learned this art, how to love God. That's all. That is religion. Because here is the religion: sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66]. This is religion. Bhagavata says. Dharmah projjhita-kaitavah atra: "All cheating type of religion is kicked out from this Bhagavatam." Only nirmatsaranam, those who are not envious of God... "Why shall I love God? Why shall I worship God? Why shall I accept God?" They are all demons. For them only, Srimad-Bhagavatam, for them only those who are actually serious to love. Ahaituki apratihata yenatma samprasidati.

So real success of life is that when you learned how to love God. Then your heart will be satisfied. Yam labdhva caparam labham manyate nadhikam tatah. If you get Krsna or God... Krsna means God. If you have got another name of God, that is also accepted. But God, the Supreme Lord, the Supreme Person. When you have got this... Because we are loving somebody. The loving propensity is there. In everyone. But it is misdirected. Therefore Krsna says, "Kick out all these loving objects. Try to love Me." Sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam [Bg. 18.66]. In this way your loving will never be able to satisfy you. Yenatma samprasidati. If you want real satisfaction, then you must love Krsna, or God. That is the whole philosophy of..., Vedic philosophy. Or any philosophy you take. Because after all, you want satisfaction of yourself, full satisfaction of your mind. That can be only achieved when you love God. Therefore that religion is first-class which teaches, which trains the candidate how to love God. That is first-class religion. Sa vai pumsam paro dharmo yato bhaktih... [SB 1.2.6]. And that love not with a motive. Just like here in this material world, "I love you; you love me." Background is some motive. Ahaituky apratihata. Ahaituki, no motive. Anyabhilasita-sunyam [Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu 1.1.11]. All other desires making zero. Zero. That will be taught in the Bhagavad-gita. Anyabhilasita-sunyam jnana-karmady-anavrtam [Cc. Madhya 19.167]. People are working... Somebody is working for knowledge and somebody is working for sense gratification. This is the material world. This is the material world. Somebody is trying to become very big scholar, knowledge, "What is this? What is this? What is this?" Not for understanding God, but for having some superfluous knowledge. So this is called jnana. And karma means working day and night for sense gratification. So bhakti is transcendental. Anyabhilasita-sunyam jnana-karmady-anavrtam [Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu 1.1.11]. Not tinted by all these contamination, jnana and karma. Therefore Narottama dasa Thakura says, jnana-kanda, karma-kanda, sakali visera bhanda. Either you are engaged in the activities of karma or either you are engaged in the activities of speculative knowledge or acquiring knowledge, this is jnana-kanda and karma-kanda. So Narottama dasa Thakura says that "Both these, jnana-kanda and karma-kanda, are pots of poison. Either you drink this or that, it doesn't matter." Karma-kanda -- according to karma you'll get a different body. Jnana-kanda also. If you actually become very much advanced in knowledge, you can get a body in a brahmana family, in a very educated family. But I'll have to go through the transmigration of the soul, repetition of birth and death. There is risk. I do not know what I am going to get. It is not guaranteed. Little mistake. Little mistake... Just like Bharata Maharaja, little mistake. At the time of..., he was thinking of a deer. Next life he got the life of a deer. Little mistake. Yam yam vapi smaran loke tyajanty ante kalevaram. Because nature is so perfect, at the time of your death, what is the mental condition, you will get a similar body, next life. Karmana daiva-netrena [SB 3.31.1]. Because daiva, Krsna is with you. Krsna will see, "Now he is thinking of become a king. Now he is thinking to become a dog." So Krsna immediately gives you. You take the body of a dog. You take the body of a lion. You take the body of a king. Take the body. Similarly, if you are thinking of Krsna, take the body of a Krsna, immediately. Tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti kaunteya [Bg. 4.9]. This is Krsna consciousness, how to train the mind to die thinking of Krsna. Then your life is successful. Therefore we have to chant Hare Krsna, always think of Krsna. Man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru [Bg. 18.65]. Then your life is perfect.

Thank you very much. (end)

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Bhagavad-gita 2.9 -- London, August 15, 1973