Purifying the Instrument – Engaging Our Senses in Devotional Service to God
The human body is often compared to a complex instrument that is currently out of tune, producing the discordant notes of material attachment. Śrīla Prabhupāda teaches that the purpose of bhakti is to purify the instrument by engaging the senses in their original, constitutional function. This is not a process of negation, but of dovetailing our independence and sensory energy with the desires of the Supreme. When we move from the stage of hṛṣīka-sevanam (satisfying our own senses) to Hṛṣīkeśa-sevanam (serving the Master of the senses), we achieve the perfection of life. This article examines the definition of devotional engagement, the necessity of superior occupation for the senses, and the state of liberation achieved through active service.
Hṛṣīkeśa-sevanam: The Absolute Definition
The core of Śrīla Prabhupāda's teaching on sense engagement is found in the simple definition of bhakti: hṛṣīkeśa-sevanam. Hṛṣīka refers to the senses, and when they are used for personal gratification, it is called māyā or karma. However, when those same senses are used for the satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa, the proprietor of the senses, it is called bhakti. This is not a matter of sentimental fanaticism but a practical, scientific stage of life that exists even after liberation. By serving the Master of the senses, the living entity returns to their natural, healthy state.
- Bhakti means engaging all the senses in the service of the master of the senses, Hrsikesa.
- Hrsikesa-sevanam. Not hrsika-sevanam. Hrsika means senses. So when senses are used for sense gratification, that is maya. And when senses are used for the gratification of the master of the senses, that is called bhakti. A very simple definition.
- Bhakti is the stage after liberation. Unless one is liberated one cannot engage the senses in the service of the Lord.
- Bhakti, or devotional service, means engaging all our senses in the service of the Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the master of all the senses. When the spirit soul renders service unto the Supreme, there are two side effects.
Purification Through Superior Engagement
The senses are inherently active and cannot be controlled by artificial repression. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that the only way to control them is to provide a "better engagement." If we do not engage our senses in the transcendental service of the Lord, they will inevitably return to material activities like politics, sociology, or mundane love. Through the process of sādhana-bhakti, the unpurified senses are gradually cleansed. When the mind and senses are thus occupied twenty-four hours a day, material desires automatically diminish, and the living entity transcends the platform of material nature.
- In the Bhagavad-gita it is said that the senses can be controlled only by better engagements. Devotional service necessitates purifying the senses or engaging them in the activities of devotional service.
- One may externally control the senses by some artificial process, but unless the senses are engaged in the transcendental service of the Lord, there is every chance of a fall.
- The activities of the senses can be stopped if they are given superior engagements. The supreme engagement is engagement of the senses in the service of the Lord. That is the purpose of all yoga.
- When transcendental devotional service, by which love for Krsna is attained, is executed by the senses, it is called sadhana-bhakti, or the regulative discharge of devotional service.
Historical Examples: Ambarīṣa and Priyavrata
The practical application of sense engagement is seen in the lives of great devotees like Emperor Ambarīṣa and Prince Priyavrata. Ambarīṣa Mahārāja utilized every sense: his ears for submissively hearing Kṛṣṇa’s words and his eyes for viewing the Deities. Similarly, Prince Priyavrata practiced bhakti-yoga by constantly remembering the Lord, thus keeping all his senses engaged. Śrīla Prabhupāda notes that success is guaranteed for any devotee who fully engages even one of their senses in this way, as it effectively "pours water on the root" of one's spiritual existence.
- Emperor Ambarisa adopted all the nine items (of devotion), and he attained perfect success. It was he who engaged his ears in submissively hearing the words of Lord Sri Krsna, his eyes in viewing the Deities of the Lord.
- Prince Priyavrata, however, was continuously practicing bhakti-yoga by constantly remembering the Supreme Personality of Godhead, thus engaging all his senses in the service of the Lord.
- Success is guaranteed for a devotee who fully engages any one of his senses in the mode of devotional service.
Revelation and the Siddha-deha
The ultimate goal of sense purification is the awakening of the siddha-deha, or the original spiritual body. When a devotee engages their senses favorably, the Lord reveals Himself through His causeless mercy (svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ). By submitting everything—intelligence, mind, and senses—to Lord Nārāyaṇa, the practitioner is "imperceptibly liberated." This transcendental engagement ensures that a devotee who enters the kingdom of God will never again be attracted to the limited, contaminated surroundings of the material world.
- Sevonmukhe hi jihvadau svayam eva sphuraty adah: when a devotee engages his senses favorably in devotional service, the Lord, through His causeless mercy, reveals Himself to the devotee. This is the conclusive Vedic process.
- Spiritual body is called siddha-deha, the body by which one can render transcendental service unto Radha and Krsna. The process is that of engaging the transcendental senses in loving devotional service.
- Simply by fixing oneself in Krsna consciousness, engaging the senses in the service of the Lord, one is imperceptibly liberated. This is also confirmed in Bhagavad-gita.
- When our senses are purified by constantly being engaged in the devotional service of the Lord, we can understand Krsna's activities, names, forms, qualities, pastimes and entourage.
Conclusion
Properly engaging the senses is the bridge between material conditioning and spiritual revelation. Śrīla Prabhupāda’s instructions clarify that we do not need to abandon our sensory faculties, but rather refine their purpose. By purifying the instrument of the body through Hṛṣīkeśa-sevanam, the practitioner transcends the dualities of material life and experiences the blissful presence of the Lord. Whether through hearing, chanting, or following the systematic regulations of sādhana-bhakti, the goal remains to anchor every sense in Kṛṣṇa. This active dedication ensures that the devotee is no longer a servant of their desires, but a master of their senses, eternally situated in the transcendental loving service of the Lord.
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 Engaging Our Senses in Devotional Service to God. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.