sense gratification and beyond

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(A classic purport)

 

kamasya nendriya-pritir

labho jiveta yavata

jivasya tattva-jijnasa

nartho yas ceha karmabhih

SYNONYMS

kamasya -- of desires; na -- not; indriya -- senses; pritih -- satisfaction;

labhah -- gain; jiveta -- self-preservation; yavata -- so much so; jivasya

-- of the living being; tattva -- the Absolute Truth; jijnasa -- inquiries;

na -- not; arthah -- end; yah ca iha -- whatsoever else; karmabhih -- by

occupational activities.

TRANSLATION

Life's desires should never be directed toward sense gratification. One

should desire only a healthy life, or self-preservation, since a human being

is meant for inquiry about the Absolute Truth. Nothing else should be the

goal of one's works.

PURPORT

The completely bewildered material civilization is wrongly directed towards

the fulfillment of desires in sense gratification. In such civilization, in

all spheres of life, the ultimate end is sense gratification. In politics,

social service, altruism, philanthropy and ultimately in religion or even in

salvation, the very same tint of sense gratification is ever-increasingly

predominant. In the political field the leaders of men fight with one

another to fulfill their personal sense gratification. The voters adore the

so-called leaders only when they promise sense gratification. As soon as the

voters are dissatisfied in their own sense satisfaction, they dethrone the

leaders, The leaders must always disappoint the voters by not satisfying

their senses. The same is applicable in all other fields; no one is serious

about the problems of life. Even those who are on the path of salvation

desire to become one with the Absolute Truth and desire to commit spiritual

suicide for sense gratification. But the Bhagavatam says that one should not

live for sense gratification. One should satisfy the senses only insomuch as

required for self-preservation, and not for sense gratification. Because the

body is made of senses, which also require a certain amount of satisfaction,

there are regulative directions for satisfaction of such senses. But the

senses are not meant for unrestricted enjoyment. For example, marriage or

the combination of a man with a woman is necessary for progeny, but it is

not meant for sense enjoyment. In the absence of voluntary restraint, there

is propaganda for family planning, but foolish men do not know that family

planning is automatically executed as soon as there is search after the

Absolute Truth. Seekers of the Absolute Truth are never allured by

unnecessary engagements in sense gratification because the serious students

seeking the Absolute Truth are always overwhelmed with the work of

researching the Truth. In every sphere of life, therefore, the ultimate end

must be seeking after the Absolute Truth, and that sort of engagement will

make one happy because he will be less engaged in varieties of sense

gratification. And what that Absolute Truth is is explained as follows.

 

SB 1.2.10