Engaging in Sense Enjoyment - The Path of Entanglement
The fundamental struggle of the living entity in the material world is the attempt to find happiness through the senses. Śrīla Prabhupāda teaches that "engaging in sense enjoyment" is the very definition of conditioned life. While the gross and subtle bodies are temporary and full of miseries, the soul, driven by a false sense of lordship, madly pursues material pleasure, thereby deepening its entanglement in the cycle of birth and death.
The Nature of the Materialistic Person
A materialistic person is characterized by a constant focus on the gratification of the senses. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that such individuals often turn to the worship of various demigods and goddesses, not out of love for God, but simply to fulfill their material desires. This engagement in temporary bodily exercises for happiness is a trap that keeps the soul within the universe, growing "luxuriously fat" on material energy while remaining spiritually starved.
- In Srimad-Bhagavatam (SB 5.5.4) it is said: A materialistic person, madly engaged in activities for sense enjoyment, does not know that he is entangling himself in repeated birth and death and that his body, although temporary, is full of miseries.
- All these (LOB 48) various planets are within the universe in which our planet is situated. Persons who are too materialistic always engage in sense enjoyment. Such persons worship the material demigods and goddesses to fulfill their material desires.
- Everyone should take lessons from Prahlada Maharaja about how we are engaged in so-called temporary happiness through bodily exercises for sense enjoyment.
- When the cosmic manifestation reappears, all the silent living beings within the womb of material nature come out and engage in sense enjoyment, thereby growing luxuriously fat.
The Kṛpaṇa and the Brāhmaṇa
Śrīla Prabhupāda makes a sharp distinction between those who use their human life for the senses and those who use it for the soul. One who engages the body for sense enjoyment is called a kṛpaṇa, or a miser, because they do not utilize their great assets for self-realization. In contrast, one who uses the body for the service of the Lord is a brāhmaṇa. He notes that so long as one remains engaged in different varieties of material enjoyment—whether sinfully or virtuously—they must remain within the material world.
- One who engages this body for sense enjoyment, he is called krpana, miser. And one who engages this body for the service of the Supreme Lord, he is called brahmana.
- So long one will be engaged in sense enjoyment in different varieties, he will have to remain within this material world.
- Everyone was engaged in material enjoyment, whether sinfully or virtuously. No one was interested in the transcendental service of the Lord, which can give total relief from the repetition of birth and death.
- A conditioned soul and a liberated soul may apparently be on the same platform, but factually they are differently engaged, and their attention is always alert, either in sense enjoyment or in self-realization, respectively.
The Danger of Materialistic Association
The association with those who are solely interested in sense gratification, known as viṣayīs, is highly discouraged in the science of devotional service. Śrīla Prabhupāda warns that rendering service to a gross materialist "opens the door to hell." A pure devotee will never encourage a foolish person to engage in further fruitive activities for material enjoyment, as such activities only increase the soul's blindness and entanglement.
- Rendering service to the materialists has the opposite effect. If anyone offers service to a gross materialist, or a person engaged only in sense enjoyment, then by association with such a person the door to hell is opened.
- A pure devotee who is fully accomplished in the science of devotional service will never instruct a foolish person to engage in fruitive activities for material enjoyment, not to speak of helping him in such activities.
- The senses can be engaged either in worldly enjoyment or in the service of the Lord. Those who are not engaged in the service of the Lord and are interested only in material sense gratification are called visayi.
- They (conditioned souls) are mostly engaged in sense enjoyment under the pretension of religiosity, knowledge or salvation. They are still more blind in the present age of quarrel, or Kali-yuga.
Sacrifice as a Means of Purification
For those who are unable to immediately abandon the desire for sense enjoyment, the Vedas prescribe certain sacrifices to mitigate the sinful reactions of fruitive work. Śrīla Prabhupāda points out that in Kali-yuga, people have become so degraded that they care very little for these sacrifices, even though they are essential for anyone still materially engaged. Without the purification of sacrifice or the awakening of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, renunciation is often temporary, leading back to the same material activities for sense enjoyment.
- Persons who are engaged in fruitive activities for sense enjoyment must perform the prescribed sacrifices because that is the only means to get free from the reaction of all sins committed by fruitive workers.
- The people of Kali-yuga will not perform any sacrifice. The mleccha population will care very little for performances of sacrifices, although performance of sacrifice is essential for persons who are materially engaged in sense enjoyment.
- As soon as he (a man) returns from the cremation grounds, he again engages in material activity for sense enjoyment. This is called smasana-vairagya, or markata-vairagya.
- The original energy inspires a devotee, and thus he engages all his bodily limbs in the service of the Lord. The same energy, as external potency, engages the ordinary nondevotees in material activities for sense enjoyment.
Conclusion
Engaging in sense enjoyment is a pursuit that promises happiness but delivers only entanglement. As Śrīla Prabhupāda emphasizes, the human form of life is meant for self-realization and the service of the Lord, not for wasting energy on temporary bodily pleasure. By understanding the miseries of contaminated consciousness and the danger of materialistic association, a sincere soul can redirect their senses toward Kṛṣṇa and achieve total relief from the cycle of birth and death.
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Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category Engaging in Sense Enjoyment. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.