By Hansadutta das
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Text 19
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One may delight in the execution
of yoga, or he may delight in the fulfillment of sense
gratification. One may delight in the company of others or in solitude.
In any case, he whose mind delights in the Absolute Truth really
enjoys. Indeed, he alone enjoys.
Four things are mentioned in this verse: 1) yoga
practice, 2) sense gratification, 3) society, friendship and love and
4) solitude. All of them are actually different types of sense
gratification or material enjoyment. Although yoga practice
aims at the spiritual platform through control of the senses, knowledge
and mystic powers, the basic purpose of this type of yoga
practice is to satisfy one's
personal desires. The yogis are trying to get out of the
material world by dint of their own power of austerity, renunciation
and mystic
power. Therefore yoga practice without devotional
service ultimately leaves one stranded in the material world. Of
course,
one may attain wonderful mystic powers, but mystic powers cannot really
satisfy our eternal hankering for spiritual life. Spiritual life is
complete
only when we are reinstated in our constitutional position as eternal
servants
of Krishna. Spiritual life is actually established when we give up all
kinds of material desires. The desire for liberation is also a kind of
desire for sense gratification, and of course, the desire to enjoy
mystic
powers is certainly sense gratification. Anything less than complete
surrender
to the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, is a
desire for sense gratification.
Yoga has to be accompanied by devotional service;
then it is perfect.
Sense gratification is certainly condemned, because all
kinds of sense gratification invariably bring us misery. Although a
person may be promoted to the higher planets where the level of sense
gratification is inconceivable to us here on earth, still Krishna says,
"Even if one
goes to the highest planet or to the lowest planet in this material
universe, all planets are places of misery, wherein repeated birth and
death take
place." (Bhagavad-gita 8.16) Generally, everyone in the
material
atmosphere is working for sense gratification. Everyone is trying to
improve
his standard of eating, sleeping, defending and sex enjoyment. Everyone
is after wealth, woman and prestige. These are the three allurements of
sense gratification.
Sense gratification is attained by performing religious
or pious activities (dharma). Dharma brings us artha
(economic development). We find that all the religions of the world,
except the Vaishnava religion, are practicing religion or performing
pious deeds with the aim of improving their economic condition. In
Bhagavad-gita (7.16) Krishna says, "Four types of men come to
Me: those who are in distress, those who are in need of money, those
who are curious and those who are searching after knowledge of the
Absolute." Generally, everyone is approaching God only when they are in
distress or only when they need money. Very rarely someone is curious.
Most rare of all is that person in search of the Absolute Truth. Such
practice of religion is not really religion; it is another kind of
material activity. It is materialistic religion.
Progressively, there is dharma (religiosity), artha
(economic development), kama (sense gratification) and moksha
(liberation). After practicing dharma and thereby achieving artha,
we enjoy kama. Finally, being frustrated
in our attempts to enjoy sense gratification in this material world, we
want "out," we want freedom, liberation. That is called moksha.
Those
persons who seek liberation are usually Mayavadis, impersonalists or yogis.
Hardly, we will find one person who is a devotee.
manushyanam sahasreshu
kaschid yatati siddhaye
yatatam api siddhanam
kaschin mam vetti tattvatah
Out of many, many thousands of men, one man is
interested in the perfection of life. Out of many such persons who are
interested in the perfection of life, hardly one will become perfect,
and out of many such persons, hardly one will know Krishna. (
Bhagavad-gita 7.3)
We take pleasure in the company of others. Everyone
likes to be surrounded by friends, relatives and countrymen. Everyone
likes to be popular. That is called prestige. Everyone wants prestige
or position amongst his friends, relatives and countrymen. That is
another kind of enjoyment. If one becomes frustrated in the company of
friends, relatives, and countrymen, he then wants solitude. He wants to
renounce and go to the forest or jungle, but the aim is still the
same--he is still trying to enjoy himself.
Because one is in ignorance, he thinks of the self as
this body, mind or intelligence. All attempts at enjoyment fail,
because we are not this body, and we are not the mind. Shankaracharya
says, "In any case, he whose mind delights in the Absolute Truth really
enjoys. Indeed, he alone enjoys." Therefore none of these four men
actually enjoys. Although they may rise up to the heights of yoga,
unless they accept devotional service, they will again fall down. One
may become a big political leader or a famous star, but still he cannot
enjoy, because all this fame and fortune is in connection with this
body, which is temporary and has nothing to
do with the eternal soul.
man-mana bhava mad-bhakto
mad-yaji mam namaskuru
Krishna says, "Always think of Me, bow down to Me, worship Me, give
your love to Me, surely you will come to Me. I promise you this because
you are My dear friend." (
Bhagavad-gita 9.34)
Shravanam kirtanam vishnoh smaranam pada-sevanam.
Devotional service means to be absorbed completely with body, mind and
words in the service of the Absolute Truth, the Supreme Personality of
Godhead. Thus one can actually be happy. Outside of that there is no
happiness; it is just hope against hope, trying to satisfy our senses
under various headings of religion, economic development, sense
gratification, yoga or liberation. None of these programs can
bring us any kind of satisfaction.
Happiness begins when we surrender, when we give up the
desire for sense gratification. Krishna says, "No one can become a yogi,
unless he gives up the desire for sense gratification." (
Bhagavad-gita 6.2 ) We have to give up that desire. We have to
give up hope of material comfort, material prosperity and material
prestige. Everything material should be abandoned in favor
of devotional service, and then we can be happy. Hare Krishna.
