Engaging in Transcendental Service to God - The Secret of Purified Senses
In the pursuit of spiritual perfection, many practitioners struggle immensely with the demands of their material senses. Often, the chosen method is artificial repression—trying to force the eyes not to see, the ears not to hear, and the mind not to desire. However, Śrīla Prabhupāda reveals the authorized Vaiṣṇava conclusion: the senses cannot be stopped; they must be given a superior, positive engagement in the transcendental service of the Supreme Lord.
Futility of Artificial Suppression
The living entity is eternally active by nature. Therefore, attempting to become completely inactive or to permanently void the mind of all desires is an impossible task. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that if the senses are not engaged in transcendental service, they will undoubtedly drag the living entity back down into the mire of material sense gratification.
- The senses cannot be forcibly curbed, but they can be given proper engagement. Purified senses, therefore, are always engaged in the transcendental service of the Lord.
- The living entity must have some activity. If he does not engage in the activity of transcendental service, he must fall down to material activity. As soon as one falls down to material activity, there is no rescue from the cycle of birth and death.
- Even great sages are not able to control the forces of the senses as effectively as those who are engaged in transcendental bliss by serving the lotus feet of the Lord, uprooting the deep grown desire for fruitive activities.
- Self-control is actually achieved not by artificially stopping the senses from material enjoyment, but by becoming factually attached to the Supreme Lord by engaging one's unalloyed senses in the transcendental service of the Lord.
Purifying the Senses Through Service
How do we actually engage the senses transcendentally? Śrīla Prabhupāda teaches that we must seek the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master. Under proper direction, when the mind, body, and words are actively used to please Kṛṣṇa—such as chanting the holy names, hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, or cleaning the temple—the senses become purified and lose their taste for lower, mundane activities.
- According to the instructions of Srila Rupa Gosvami, the first business of a devotee is to accept a bona fide spiritual master who can train him to engage his various senses in rendering transcendental service to the Lord.
- In the service of the Lord Mukunda, the senses are transcendentally engaged. Thus there is no chance of their being engaged in sense satisfaction. The senses want some engagement.
- Senses require engagements, and when the senses are engaged totally in the transcendental loving service of the Lord, they have no chance to become contaminated by material infections.
- If the mind is engaged in the transcendental service of the Lord, there is no chance of its being engaged in the lower propensities.
Curing the Disease of Illusion
When a soul identifies with the temporary material body—thinking "I am a man," "I am a demigod," or "I am an animal"—they are suffering from spiritual amnesia. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that this bodily illusion is caused solely by forgetfulness of our eternal relationship with God. As soon as one re-engages in the transcendental service of the Lord, this illusion is shattered, and the soul is reinstated in its constitutional position.
- Bodily differences arise from forgetfulness of the transcendental service of the Lord. But when one is engaged in transcendental service through Krsna consciousness, one becomes at once liberated from this illusion.
- Such bodily differences (as men, animals, demigods, etc.) arise from forgetfulness of the transcendental service of the Lord. But when one is engaged in transcendental service through Krsna Consciousness, one becomes at once liberated from this illusion.
- Unless one is reinstated in his own constitutional position, it is not possible to understand the Supreme Personality or to be fully engaged in His transcendental loving service with determination.
- This conditional life is due to his forgetfulness of his relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore, without the Lord's mercy, how can he again engage in the transcendental loving service of the Lord?
Universal Satisfaction and Liberation
The beauty of transcendental service is that it is all-encompassing. By simply serving Kṛṣṇa, a devotee automatically achieves everything else. Śrīla Prabhupāda gives the perfect analogy: just as watering the root of a tree nourishes all the leaves and branches, engaging in the service of the Supreme Lord perfectly satisfies all the demigods and living entities. Furthermore, such a devotee is considered liberated in any condition of life.
- By giving water to the root of a tree, its branches, twigs and leaves become satisfied, and, similarly, by engaging in the transcendental service of the Supreme Lord, all the demigods and all the living entities automatically become satisfied.
- By supplying food to the stomach all the senses of the body become satisfied, and, similarly, by engaging in the transcendental service of the Supreme Lord, all the demigods and all the living entities automatically become satisfied.
- One who engages in the transcendental service of the Lord in body, mind and words is to be considered liberated in all conditions of material existence. (Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu 1.2.187) The Krsna consciousness movement is based on this principle.
- As stated in Bhagavad-gita, when one is engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord, he is immediately situated on the transcendental platform of kaivalya, or Brahman.
Conclusion
Śrīla Prabhupāda teaches that the highest perfection of life is not to stop the senses, but to purify them. When we voluntarily cooperate with advanced devotees and utilize our God-given body, mind, and words in the transcendental service of the Supreme Lord, we become completely immune to material miseries and secure our eternal, blissful life in full Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
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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 Transcendental Service to God. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience his teachings in their direct, verbatim form.