View source for Origin and Misuse of Our Enjoying Spirit

The drive to enjoy is natural to the living entity. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that because the soul is part and parcel of God—who is the supreme enjoyer—it inherits the quality of seeking pleasure. This is confirmed in the ''Vedānta-sūtra'' by the phrase ''ānanda-mayo ’bhyāsāt''. However, the conditioned soul's attempt to exercise this enjoying spirit independently of Kṛṣṇa is the cause of their fall into material existence. The path of spiritual life, therefore, is not the negation of enjoyment, but the redirection of this spirit from the self to the Supreme.

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=== Source of Propensity ===

The enjoying spirit is not a foreign imposition but an original quality of the spirit soul. Śrīla Prabhupāda clarifies that Kṛṣṇa is the original sense gratifier and the supreme enjoyer. Because we exist as His minute parts, we naturally possess the propensity to enjoy. The difference, His Divine Grace notes, is in the quantity: Kṛṣṇa is the complete enjoyer, while the living entity is the subordinate enjoyer.

* [[Vaniquotes:Krsna has the propensity for sense gratification. He is the original sense gratifier. It is stated in Bhagavad-gita that Krsna is the supreme enjoyer. Our enjoying spirit exists because it exists originally in Krsna|Krsna has the propensity for sense gratification. He is the original sense gratifier. It is stated in Bhagavad-gita that Krsna is the supreme enjoyer. Our enjoying spirit exists because it exists originally in Krsna.]]
* [[Vaniquotes:Because you are part and parcel of God and God is the complete enjoyer. So you have also that spirit to enjoy|Because you are part and parcel of God and God is the complete enjoyer. So you have also that spirit to enjoy.]]
* [[Vaniquotes:Life is meant for varieties of enjoyment. The living entity is by nature full of an enjoying spirit, as stated in the Vedanta-sutra (1.1.12): ananda-mayo ’bhyasat. In devotional service the activities are variegated and full of enjoyment|Life is meant for varieties of enjoyment. The living entity is by nature full of an enjoying spirit, as stated in the Vedanta-sutra (1.1.12): ananda-mayo ’bhyasat. In devotional service the activities are variegated and full of enjoyment.]]

=== False "Puruṣa" ===

In the material world, this enjoying spirit is perverted. The living entity adopts the mentality of a ''puruṣa'' (enjoyer), trying to lord it over material nature. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that this applies to everyone, regardless of their physical body. Whether dressed as a man or a woman, the conditioned soul is driven by the spirit of "I shall enjoy," which is the definition of the ''puruṣa'' mentality.

* [[Vaniquotes:Purusa means both men and women, because everyone has got the spirit, "I shall enjoy." Therefore he is described as purusa|Purusa means both men and women, because everyone has got the spirit, "I shall enjoy." Therefore he is described as purusa.]]
* [[Vaniquotes:The soul is sometimes described as purusa because whether one is dressed as a man or a woman, one is inclined to enjoy this material world. One who has this spirit of enjoyment is described as purusa|The soul is sometimes described as purusa because whether one is dressed as a man or a woman, one is inclined to enjoy this material world. One who has this spirit of enjoyment is described as purusa.]]
* [[Vaniquotes:We are fallen conditioned souls. In this material world we have come with an enjoying spirit. Therefore we are fallen. If one keeps his position rightly, he does not fall. Otherwise he is degraded. That is fallen condition|We are fallen conditioned souls. In this material world we have come with an enjoying spirit. Therefore we are fallen. If one keeps his position rightly, he does not fall. Otherwise he is degraded. That is fallen condition.]]

=== Entanglement and Suffering ===

Although the soul wants to enjoy, the material world is not its property. Śrīla Prabhupāda warns that viewing the world with an enjoying spirit leads to severe entanglement. He describes how the soul travels through 8,400,000 species of life, driven by different modes of this enjoying spirit, ultimately finding only suffering instead of the pleasure it seeks.

* [[Vaniquotes:The living entities come to this material world in the spirit of enjoyment, but because they want to enjoy without Krsna (krsna-bahirmukha haiya bhoja-vancha kare), they suffer birth, death, old age and disease under the control of the illusory energy|The living entities come to this material world in the spirit of enjoyment, but because they want to enjoy without Krsna (krsna-bahirmukha haiya bhoja-vancha kare), they suffer birth, death, old age and disease under the control of the illusory energy.]]
* [[Vaniquotes:Together there are 8,400,000 varieties of bodies in different planets of the universe, and the living entity is traveling by so many transmigrations according to different modes of enjoying spirit within himself|Together there are 8,400,000 varieties of bodies in different planets of the universe, and the living entity is traveling by so many transmigrations according to different modes of enjoying spirit within himself.]]
* [[Vaniquotes:To see one woman is not dangerous, but to think of enjoying, that is dangerous. Similarly, to see one man is not dangerous, you cannot avoid that; you are on the street here, but to see with the spirit of enjoyment, that is dangerous|To see one woman is not dangerous, but to think of enjoying, that is dangerous. Similarly, to see one man is not dangerous, you cannot avoid that; you are on the street here, but to see with the spirit of enjoyment, that is dangerous.]]

=== False Renunciation ===

When frustrated by material nature, some people try to renounce the world. However, Śrīla Prabhupāda exposes the danger of "pseudo renunciation." He points out that the desire to become one with the Lord is actually a hidden, even greater form of the enjoying spirit—the desire to be the Supreme Enjoyer Himself.

* [[Vaniquotes:In the material world the spirit of enjoyment of the living entities by dint of their own actions gradually fades by the laws of nature, and thus the illusory energy dictates in the ears of the conditioned souls that they should become one with the Lord|In the material world the spirit of enjoyment of the living entities by dint of their own actions gradually fades by the laws of nature, and thus the illusory energy dictates in the ears of the conditioned souls that they should become one with the Lord.]]
* [[Vaniquotes:When mundaners pretend to give up the enjoying spirit, under the pressure of disappointment and frustration, they usually take shelter of pseudo renunciation, with an even greater spirit of enjoyment|When mundaners pretend to give up the enjoying spirit, under the pressure of disappointment and frustration, they usually take shelter of pseudo renunciation, with an even greater spirit of enjoyment.]]

=== Conclusion ===

The solution to the dilemma of material existence is to engage the enjoying spirit in the service of Kṛṣṇa. Śrīla Prabhupāda concludes that by giving up the false spirit of being the master and accepting the position of a servant, one becomes detached from material bondage and eligible for true, eternal enjoyment.

=== Dive Deeper into Śrīla Prabhupāda's Vani ===

Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category [[Vaniquotes:Category:Enjoying_Spirit|Enjoying Spirit]]. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.

(See our [[Vanipedia:Methodology for AI-Assisted Articles|Vanipedia:Methodology for AI-Assisted Articles]])

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