God Is Lord Hṛṣīkeśa - The Master of the Senses
Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is celebrated in the Vedic literatures as Lord Hṛṣīkeśa. Understanding this divine name is essential for spiritual advancement, as it reveals that God is the ultimate proprietor of our senses, and the perfection of life is to engage those senses in His loving service.
The Meaning of Hṛṣīkeśa
To comprehend the nature of the Supreme Lord, one must analyze His names. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains the exact Sanskrit etymology: the word hṛṣīka means the senses, and īśa means the master, making Lord Hṛṣīkeśa the supreme master of all senses.
- The body consists of the senses. The Supreme Lord is Hrsikesa, which means controller of the senses.
- The senses are called hrsika, and the Supreme Personality of Godhead is called Hrsikesa.
- We should try to understand what is the meaning of Hrsikesa. Hrsika means indriya, and isa means Lord.
- The Supreme Lord, being the supreme possessor of spiritual senses, is the master of the senses, Hrsikesa. Hrsika means the senses, and isa means the master. The Lord is not the servant of the senses.
The Proprietor and Controller
The living entities falsely believe they own the bodies they inhabit. However, Śrīla Prabhupāda clarifies that Lord Hṛṣīkeśa is the actual conductor and proprietor; without His empowering energy, our senses would be completely inactive.
- The Lord is called Hrsikesa, for He is actually the proprietor and ultimate master of the senses.
- The Supreme Lord is called Hrsikesa; He is the only conductor of the senses. Unless empowered by His energy, our senses cannot act. In other words, He is the only seer, the only worker, the only listener, and the only active principle or supreme controller.
- Two words used in this verse (BG 18.1) to address the Supreme Lord-Hrsikesa and Kesinisudana-are significant.
- The Supersoul is called Hrsikesa, and the individual soul is advised by the direction of the Supersoul to surrender to Him and thus be happy.
Bhakti - Engaging the Senses
Acknowledging Lord Hṛṣīkeśa is the foundational principle of bhakti, or devotional service. Śrīla Prabhupāda emphasizes that a true sādhu (saintly person) purifies their material senses simply by utilizing them for the satisfaction of the supreme master.
- Bhakti means engaging all the senses in the service of the master of the senses, Hrsikesa.
- Hrsikena hrsikesa-sevanam bhaktir ucyate: (CC Madhya 19.170) bhakti, devotional service, simply means engaging our senses (hrsika) in the service of the master of the senses - hrsikesa.
- There are eleven senses: five senses gathering knowledge and five senses working, and mind is the center. So mind is also accepted as sense. When your purified senses are applied in the service of the master of the senses, Hrsikesa, that is called bhakti.
- The words sadhunam hrsikesanuvartinam are very significant. Sadhu means "a saintly person." But who is a saintly person? A saintly person is he who follows the path of rendering service unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hrsikesa.
The Source of True Happiness
By dedicating one's life to the supreme controller, the soul achieves eternal perfection. Śrīla Prabhupāda concludes that surrendering the mind and senses to Lord Hṛṣīkeśa completely eradicates material concoctions and fills the entire world with joyful spiritual attachment.
- One should not imagine so-called happiness through mental concoction. Rather, the best course is to engage the mind in the service of the Lord, Hrsikesa, and thus feel real blissful life.
- Hrsikesa, the world becomes joyful upon hearing Your name and thus everyone becomes attached to You. Although the perfected beings offer You their respectful homage, the demons are afraid, and they flee here and there. All this is rightly done.
- Without sleep, fully controlling their minds, and living on only their breath, the predominating deities of the various planets began worshiping Hrsikesa with this meditation.
- Sri Sukadeva Gosvami continued: After giving this instruction, the Lord, who is known as Hrsikesa, bugled with His Pancajanya conchshell, in this way pleasing all the demigods, headed by Lord Brahma. Then He mounted the back of His carrier, Garuda.
Conclusion
To achieve true spiritual perfection, one must give up the illusion of independent proprietorship. Śrīla Prabhupāda teaches that by acknowledging the Supreme Personality of Godhead as Lord Hṛṣīkeśa, the ultimate owner of all faculties, a conditioned soul can properly direct their activities. Through the authorized process of bhakti, practically engaging the purified senses in the service of the master of the senses, one effortlessly returns to their original, blissful constitutional position.
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 God Is Lord Hrsikesa. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.