The result of transcendental knowledge. A strong passage from the Gītā
In the fifth chapter of the Bhagavad-gītā, Kṛṣṇa gives us a strong verse.
In the fifth chapter of the Bhagavad-gītā, Kṛṣṇa gives us a strong verse:
ye hi saṁsparśa-jā bhogā, duḥkha-yonaya eva te
ādy-antavantaḥ kaunteya, na teṣu ramate budhaḥ“An intelligent person does not take part in the sources of misery, which are due to contact with the material senses. O son of Kuntī, such pleasures have a beginning and an end, and so the wise man does not delight in them.”
The whole chapter five is strong because it deals with the results of obtaining transcendental knowledge, the main topic discussed in chapter four. When a devotee realizes transcendental knowledge, one becomes firmly situated on the platform of devotional service to Kṛṣṇa, and this brings detachment from the sense of ownership and ego that motivates materially driven people. Another effect of this maturity in devotional service is becoming free from the desire for sense gratification. This is the context in which this verse is spoken.
Let’s go deeper into what it means.
The three original characteristics of the soul are sat, cit, and ānanda: eternity, knowledge, and spiritual bliss. These original characteristics are covered by contact with matter. This forces us to look for substitutes, seeking satisfaction in the material senses, looking for immortality in trying to somehow extend the longevity of the body, and so on. These material endeavors, however, ultimately result in misery. A self-realized person has superior knowledge; he understands perfectly that real happiness is found on the spiritual platform and thus avoids material happiness, which obscures it.
In the verse, Kṛṣṇa defines material enjoyment as duḥkha-yonaya. This is a very strong statement. Yoni means “womb” in the sense of source, the place where something is nourished. Duḥkha means “distress” or “suffering.” In material life, we see material happiness as the solution for material suffering, but Kṛṣṇa explains that the material happiness itself is the source of future suffering. It is thus just like taking a loan to pay off another loan. It may bring some momentary relief, but in the long term, the debt only increases. Similarly, in the process of searching for material happiness, we accumulate so many attachments and karmic reactions that will bring even more suffering later.
Imagine, for example, a young man desiring to get married, with the idea of finding happiness. To attract a good wife, he has to accumulate many resources, like a house, a car, money, etc., forcing him to work hard. When he eventually finds his bride, he has to arrange the marriage and all other functions, which also demand work. The relationship, of course, establishes attachment that gradually grows, as they get their children, circle of friends, grow in social position, etc. All of these come together with certain expectations that will not necessarily be fulfilled. We create many plans, but they do not necessarily work.
After all this effort and anxiety, one may feel happy for some time, but gradually things deteriorate. Things may not go well on the financial side, or there may be other problems; the children may not be obedient, there may be divorce, etc. Even if everything works perfectly, suffering will come later in life, as old age, disease, and eventually death set in. Apart from that, he has to work very hard to maintain his family, and not all these activities may be perfectly honest and religious. This also brings inevitable karmic reactions that he will have to suffer in his next life. We can thus see that a short period of material happiness can only be achieved with great effort, and even then, it inevitably leads to a long period of acute material suffering.
Analyzing this process, we can easily understand the trap of materialistic life. Material suffering makes us look for material happiness, which forces us to work hard in this world to secure the resources we need for that. This inevitably forces us to accumulate so many karmic reactions. Material happiness in itself comes together with material attachment, and both karma and attachment come back in the form of loss and suffering. This acute suffering led us to seek material happiness again, restarting the cycle.
What is the solution, then? Kṛṣṇa explains that the intelligent, budhaḥ, does not delight in these temporary material pleasures (na teṣu ramate). As already explained, this does not mean he stops all kinds of activities, but he renounces the sense of proprietorship, acting only for Kṛṣṇa. With this, he gives up attachment and instead performs actions out of duty, as an offering to Kṛṣṇa. This, in turn, frees him from karmic reactions. We can see thus that the process of detached work that Kṛṣṇa explains in chapters two, three, four, and five of the Gītā is the real solution for the problem of material suffering, and, at the same time, it brings us to real happiness with Kṛṣṇa in the transcendental platform.
The difficulty is that when we try to follow the spiritual path, the mind and senses push us back. Although there is plenty of sensory enjoyment in spiritual practice, including chanting, dancing, and prasāda, we have to abstain from many gross sensory pleasures that are contradictory to our practice. What is the solution then? Kṛṣṇa gives us the path: some restriction is necessary. On the one hand, as we advance in spiritual life, the knowledge and spiritual realization make us less prone to sense enjoyment, but at the same time, voluntary restriction is also necessary, so our progress is not blocked. These are thus two tracks on the same railway.
Kṛṣṇa thus gives us the path to follow: “Before giving up this present body, if one is able to tolerate the urges of the material senses and check the force of desire and anger, he is well situated and is happy in this world.”
The successful transcendentalist follows this path of sense control, and we should also follow it to attain the same result. This, however, should be taken in the context of the previous instructions. It is not about abandoning our duties or mere repression. To tolerate the urges of the senses means to patiently follow the whole spiritual process He describes, under the guidance of the bona fide spiritual master.
Kṛṣṇa then continues to describe the results of transcendental knowledge: “One whose happiness is within, who is active and rejoices within, and whose aim is inward is actually the perfect mystic. He is liberated in the Supreme, and ultimately he attains the Supreme.”
A self-realized devotee enjoys, but his happiness is not due to contact with the sense objects. It comes from within. Even if technically living in a material body, he is already liberated and, in due time, assumes a spiritual form to serve the Lord in the spiritual world.
In general, a materialist depends on many external objects to be happy. One depends on his house, his car, his family, friends, hobbies, pets, etc. If he or she is separated from these at some point, one cannot feel happy. We can see that when people organize vacations, they have to bring many people and objects with them: their spouses and children, personal objects, close friends, often even their pets. Without these, one cannot enjoy the vacation. Their happiness is thus very unstable, because it depends on all these external objects. If the spouse decides to divorce, the children become rebellious, the best friend betrays them, or their financial position deteriorates, they immediately feel anxiety.
How is it possible for a self-realized person to feel happy anywhere, regardless of the material situation? The point is that the self-realized bases his happiness on his relationship with Kṛṣṇa. Because this happiness comes from within, the self-realized carry it everywhere, and therefore, their happiness does not depend on anything else. Because he carries Kṛṣṇa inside his heart, all he needs to be happy goes with him, and therefore, he does not need anything else. This stage is called brahma-bhūta, the liberated stage. As mentioned in text 18.54, brahma-bhūta is the platform that precedes devotional perfection.
A self-realized soul can sit anywhere in silence, or he can travel anywhere with just a stick and a water pot, or, conversely, he may live in a palace, surrounded by fully surrendered disciples. In any situation, he is equipoised because, feeling happiness from within, he is not affected by the presence or absence of external material objects of the senses. All of these are simply engaged in Kṛṣṇa’s service. If a materialist receives a mansion, he or she will think about how to live there comfortably, while a pure devotee will think about how to use it for Kṛṣṇa.
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