God Is The Master of the Senses - The Supreme Hrsikesa
Śrīla Prabhupāda frequently references the name Hṛṣīkeśa—the master of the senses—to explain the fundamental mechanics of spiritual life. Because the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the original creator and proprietor of our senses, our constitutional duty is to use them for His satisfaction. Understanding this single truth transforms ordinary, entangling material actions into pure, liberating devotional service.
The Supreme Hṛṣīkeśa
The name Hṛṣīkeśa reveals a profound truth about the relationship between the soul, the body, and God. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that the Supreme Lord is not a formless void; He possesses supreme spiritual senses and is the ultimate master of our own senses and mind.
- The Lord is called Hrsikesa, for He is actually the proprietor and ultimate master of the senses.
- 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 ignorant man forgets that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is known as Hrsikesa, or the master of the senses of the material body.
- My Lord, as the supreme directing Deity known as Aniruddha, You are the master of the senses and the mind. I therefore offer my obeisances unto You again and again.
The Definition of Bhakti
Devotional service (bhakti) is scientifically defined in the Vedic literatures as hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanam. Śrīla Prabhupāda emphasizes that true religion is not merely a belief system, but the active engagement of all our senses in the service of the Lord.
- Hrsikena hrsikesa-sevanam bhaktir ucyate: bhakti, devotional service, simply means engaging our senses (hrsika) in the service of the master of the senses - hrsikesa.
- Bhakti means engaging all the senses in the service of the master of the senses, Hrsikesa.
- Bhakti means when you engage your senses for the service of the master of the senses, Hrsikesa. That is called is bhakti. Bhakti is not sentiment.
- 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.
Controller vs. Controlled
In the material world, every living entity is a slave to their bodily demands. Śrīla Prabhupāda contrasts the conditioned soul's pathetic subjugation to the senses with the Supreme Lord's absolute mastery and independence.
- The Lord is the supreme master of all the senses, whereas the conditioned soul is controlled by the senses. The Lord is the greatest, whereas the living entity is the smallest.
- 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.
- My dear Lord, You are certainly the fully independent master of all the senses. Therefore all women who worship You by strictly observing vows because they wish to acquire a husband to satisfy their senses are surely under illusion.
- He is transcendental to all material afflictions because He is full with all six opulences, namely wealth, power, fame, beauty, knowledge and renunciation, and thus He is the master of the senses.
Purifying and Engaging the Senses
The path of Kṛṣṇa consciousness does not demand that we become completely inactive or destroy our senses. Instead, Śrīla Prabhupāda teaches the art of dovetailing—purifying the senses by practically applying them in the service of Hṛṣīkeśa.
- The devotees of the Lord do not try to deny the senses of the Lord, nor do they artificially stop the actions of the senses. But they do voluntarily engage the purified senses in the service of the master of the senses, as was done by Arjuna.
- Bhakti does not mean stop your work. Bhakti does not mean sentimental fanaticism. That is not bhakti. Bhakti means to engage all your senses for the satisfaction of the proprietor of the senses. That is called bhakti.
- Devotional service to the Supreme Godhead means engagement of all the senses in His service. In such service there are two important features: second, the senses should be engaged only in the service of the Supreme Godhead, the master of the senses. That is pure devotional service.
- 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.
Conclusion
A true understanding of our physical and mental faculties reveals that they are not our own independent property. Śrīla Prabhupāda concludes that the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hṛṣīkeśa, is the absolute proprietor and master of all senses. Attempting to satisfy our own senses independent of Him is the very definition of māyā and the root cause of all material bondage. However, the solution is not to artificially cease all activity. The perfection of human life is to purify the senses from material contamination and practically dovetail them in the joyful, dynamic service of the Lord. By understanding the profound science of hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanam, the sincere devotee transcends the dictates of the material body, achieves pure bhakti, and perfectly satisfies the master of the senses.
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Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category God Is The Master of the Senses. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.