Five Tethers For The Hard Knot of Sense Gratification

“Everyone comes to this material world attracted to sense gratification, and the hard knot of sense gratification is the attraction between male and female. By this attraction, one becomes overly attached to the material world in terms of griha-kshetra-suta-apta-vitta—that is, home, land, children, friends, money and so forth. Thus one becomes entangled in the bodily conception of ‘I’ and ‘mine.’” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 4.29.85 Purport)

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1. Home

“What did I do this past weekend? I cleaned out the basement. I reorganized one section of the kitchen. I must say, the place looks brand new. People had warned me prior. The larger the house, the more stuff tends to pile up. Pretty soon, you won’t be able to get around. That was beginning to happen for us. Some of the doors would not open fully. I am trying my best to dig out, if you know what I mean.”

2. Land

“What did I do this past weekend? I mowed the lawn. I cleared the brush that had grown too long. I dug out a path to the pool in the backyard. Why does it seem that I am always engaged in such work? Well, that is the price you pay for having a large property. No one else is going to do this. I am not about to shell out a fortune to hire someone. This is my land, after all.”

3. Children

“What did I do this past weekend? I attended a birthday party. One of my kid’s friends turned five years old. Was it a good time? Well, what do you think? I managed. Yes, these are frequent occurrences, as of late. This is what parents of this generation do. My parents were mostly hands-off. They told us to play outside. Nowadays, hardly anyone plays. Kind of sad what has become of the world.”

4. Friends

“What did I do this past weekend? I travelled south, to a warmer climate. A bunch of us friends planned this weekend. Sort of like a guy’s getaway. We played golf. We ate at nice restaurants. We caught up, as we had not seen each other in a while. This is good for the spirits. It is healthy to reconnect.”

5. Money

“What did I do this past weekend? I studied. You heard right. I am trying to upskill in order to find a better job. There is an affordability crisis in the country, in case you hadn’t noticed. Everything costs more. I can’t risk being part of a layoff, either. I need to earn more money. That is the best defense against poor economic conditions.”

…

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada is consistent in the messaging. The conclusion aligns with the tradition itself, which traces its lineage to the original person, the adi-purusha. That very concept is nicely put to song within Brahma-samhita, which describes Govinda, who is the giver of pleasure to the senses, as the origin of everything. In one sense, he is both the seed and the womb. He expands to manifest both the individual living being and the field upon which that being roams.

सर्व-योनिषु कौन्तेय
मूर्तयः सम्भवन्ति याः
तासां ब्रह्म महद् योनिर्
अहं बीज-प्रदः पिता

sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya
mūrtayaḥ sambhavanti yāḥ
tāsāṁ brahma mahad yonir
ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā

“It should be understood that all species of life, O son of Kunti, are made possible by birth in this material nature, and that I am the seed-giving father.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 14.4)

The messaging says that sense gratification is bad. Just what does a teacher mean by that term, “sense gratification”? What other life is there, outside of engaging the senses? Gratification of the senses is to pursue enjoyments which lead to attachments in the categories described above. The corresponding recommendation is renunciation, which is known as vairagya in Sanskrit. The component words have a literal meaning of “lack of attachment.”

This means that in the proper condition, the senses do not necessarily get turned off. It is simply that the attachment is negated. The senses are under control. While the instruction might be foreign to us, we are certainly familiar with the concept. We see public service announcements warning of the dangers of certain narcotics. Drugs and alcohol are the path to ruin, the recovered addicts warn. This means that certain people indulge substances, while others stay away from them. It might be that the people who previously indulged now swear off of them. They often turn to some kind of spiritual life as their way to finally break the addiction.

We simply expand on that concept to break the addiction to false identification, which manifests in the concepts of “I” and “Mine.” I think that I am a man or a woman. I think that I am a patriot belonging to a certain nation. I think that I am a longstanding member of a certain occupation. I believe that these possessions are mine. The same with my body, my accomplishments, my beliefs, and my aspirations.

The accurate identification is spirit soul, part and parcel of the supreme whole, which is known as Brahman. What is actually mine is the connection to the origin of spirit. That relationship remains, forever, whether I am aware or not. As explained to the bow-warrior Arjuna, the superior entity within that relationship can remember the past perfectly. I cannot.

श्री-भगवान् उवाच
बहूनि मे व्यतीतानि
जन्मानि तव चार्जुन
तान्य् अहं वेद सर्वाणि
न त्वं वेत्थ परन्तप

śrī-bhagavān uvāca
bahūni me vyatītāni
janmāni tava cārjuna
tāny ahaṁ veda sarvāṇi
na tvaṁ vettha parantapa

“The Blessed Lord said: Many, many births both you and I have passed. I can remember all of them, but you cannot, O subduer of the enemy!” (Bhagavad-gita, 4.5)

It may appear too daunting a task to undertake. Everyone around me has the same attachments. They are tied to the same interests. If I dare to even make an attempt at rising above, at breaking the attachments through proper identification as spirit soul, I will ostracize myself. I will lose friends and family. My children might abandon me. I might have no standing left within society. And all for what? How can I be sure that this is the right decision, that I will be happy in the long-term?

विषया विनिवर्तन्ते
निराहारस्य देहिनः
रस-वर्जं रसो ऽप्य् अस्य
परं दृष्ट्वा निवर्तते

viṣayā vinivartante
nirāhārasya dehinaḥ
rasa-varjaṁ raso ‘py asya
paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate

“The embodied soul may be restricted from sense enjoyment, though the taste for sense objects remains. But, ceasing such engagements by experiencing a higher taste, he is fixed in consciousness.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 2.59)

Bhagavad-gita explains that by experiencing something better, param drishtva, proper renunciation will essentially take care of itself. This is the approach of the teachers in the line of instruction of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. They first recommend saying the holy names. They exclaim, “Haribol.” They ask us to chant the maha-mantra: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.” Work towards giving up bad association and focus on positive activities to connect with the origin of everything. Govinda can purify my senses such that I will no longer hanker for a temporary experience. Instead, I will be on the path to liberation.

In Closing:

Following what everyone to do,
My friends, family and teachers too.

Why suddenly a different way?
Where sense gratification to say.

That bad and causing harm,
To idea hesitant to warm.

But of a higher experience consider,
How pleaser of senses to deliver.