Attraction of a Conditioned Soul - The Illusion of Sense Gratification
The material world operates as a vast network of allurements designed to capture the attention of the living entity. According to Vedic philosophy, the soul does not belong in this temporary realm, yet it remains bound here due to a misplaced affinity for bodily pleasures. Śrīla Prabhupāda masterfully dissect the attraction of a conditioned soul, explaining how the senses drag the mind into illusion, and revealing the supreme transcendental method Lord Kṛṣṇa uses to rescue us from this entanglement.
The Pull of the Material Senses
The constitutional nature of the soul is to experience pure bliss, but in the conditioned state, this drive is hijacked by the physical senses. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that the soul is forced by the modes of material nature to seek happiness in mundane objects. The eyes, ears, nose, and tongue constantly demand satisfaction, making it nearly impossible for the conditioned soul to restrain themselves from the pursuit of temporary sense gratification.
- Every conditioned soul is influenced by a particular mixture of the modes of material nature. The conditioned soul is attracted to certain types of activity which he is forced to perform because he is completely under the influence of material nature.
- His (the conditioned soul's) eyes are attracted to see beautiful things, his ears are attracted to hear nice music, his nose is attracted to enjoy the aroma of a nice flower, and his tongue is attracted to taste nice food.
- All his (the conditioned soul's) other senses - his hands, his legs, his belly, his genitals, his mind, etc. - are so susceptible to the attraction of the objects of enjoyment that he cannot restrain himself.
- The conditioned soul is attracted by the objects of sense gratification.
The Illusion of Bodily Relationships
Once the soul is captivated by the senses, it seeks to solidify its enjoyment by establishing permanent stakes in the material world. Śrīla Prabhupāda points out that the conditioned soul develops a deep-rooted attraction for their body, wife, home, and wealth. Blinded by this illusion, they falsely believe they are secure and happy, completely forgetting that their true self-interest lies in their eternal relationship with Lord Viṣṇu.
- Such satisfaction with one's standard of living is due to deep-rooted attraction for body, wife, home, children, animals, wealth and friends. In such association, the conditioned soul thinks himself quite perfect.
- Without knowing that one's self-interest is in Visnu (or Krsna), conditioned souls are attracted by bodily relationships, hoping to be happy in such situations. Under delusion, they forget that Krsna is also the cause of material happiness.
- Sometimes the conditioned soul is attracted by illusion personified (his wife or girl friend) and becomes eager to be embraced by a woman. Thus he loses his intelligence as well as knowledge of life's goal.
- The conditioned soul is sometimes attracted to the little happiness derived from sense gratification. Thus he has illicit sex or steals another's property. At such a time he may be arrested by the government or chastised by the woman's husband.
The Snare of Material Advancement
Modern society encourages the conditioned soul to expand their material domain through education, economic development, and fruitive planning. However, Śrīla Prabhupāda warns that these pursuits do not lead to liberation; they merely expand the influence of māyā. When materialistic plans inevitably fail, the conditioned soul is left with nothing but frustration and anger, having wasted their life chasing illusions.
- Materialistic education expands the influence of maya. Such an education induces the conditioned soul to be increasingly attracted to materialistic life and to stray further and further away from liberation from unwanted miseries.
- The three activities of religion, economic development and sense gratification are generally attractive for conditioned souls struggling for existence in the material world.
- The conditioned souls are mostly attracted by fruitive work because they want to enjoy life by the sweat of their own brows.
- Jnanis, karmis and materialistic planmakers generally attract the attention of conditioned souls, but when the materialists cannot fulfill their plans and when their devices are frustrated, they become angry.
The Supreme Lord's Transcendental Remedy
Since the conditioned soul is so fiercely attracted to material affairs, particularly sex life, the Supreme Lord uses a brilliant transcendental strategy to save them. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that Lord Kṛṣṇa descends to Vṛndāvana and displays His overwhelmingly beautiful spiritual pastimes, such as the rāsa-līlā. By exhibiting these pure, divine loving affairs, Kṛṣṇa successfully captivates the minds of the conditioned souls, redirecting their attraction back to the spiritual realm.
- In one of His forms Krsna appears on this material planet in a particular place known as Vrndavana, where He displays His original pastimes of Goloka Vrndavana in the spiritual sky in order to attract the conditioned souls back home, back to Godhead.
- When the Lord appears on different lokas, or planets, or on this planet of human beings, He displays His transcendental pastimes just to attract the conditioned souls to become His eternal servitors, friends, parents and lovers in the transcendental world.
- Krsna partially displayed the activities of His pleasure potency in His rasa-lila just to attract the conditioned souls, who are all after the phantasmagoria pleasure potency in degraded sex enjoyment.
- In order to show them special favor, Krsna exhibited this rasa-lila dance. It is to captivate the conditioned soul. Since they are very much attracted by sex, they can enjoy the same life with Krsna and thus become liberated from the material condition.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the attraction of a conditioned soul to the material world is a symptom of spiritual forgetfulness, a dangerous illusion driven by the modes of material nature. Śrīla Prabhupāda clearly demonstrates that pursuing satisfaction through mundane bodily relationships, economic planning, and physical sense gratification only deepens our entanglement in māyā. The ultimate solution is to redirect our inherent desire for loving exchanges toward the Supreme Personality of Godhead. By hearing about and meditating on Lord Kṛṣṇa's enchanting transcendental pastimes, we can easily break the shackles of material attraction and joyfully return to our eternal, spiritual home.
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 Attraction of a Conditioned Soul. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience the teachings in their direct, verbatim form.