Real enjoyment
Srimad-Bhagavatam
SB Canto 3
Foolish creatures are enamored by the beauty of matter and think that the enjoyment it offers is real, but actually that is not real enjoyment.
SB 3.20.35, Purport: he difference between material and spiritual enjoyment is that material enjoyment is limited. Even if a man engages in material sex enjoyment, he cannot enjoy it for long. But when the sex enjoyment is given up, then one can enter spiritual life, which is unending. In the Bhāgavatam (5.5.1) it is stated that brahma-saukhya, spiritual happiness, is ananta, unending. Foolish creatures are enamored by the beauty of matter and think that the enjoyment it offers is real, but actually that is not real enjoyment.
SB Canto 4
Herein this word refers to real enjoyment in spiritual life.
SB 4.28.65, Purport: Bhoga. Enjoyment. Herein this word refers to real enjoyment in spiritual life.
Other Books by Srila Prabhupada
Sri Isopanisad
In our pure spiritual form, free from all material contamination, real enjoyment of the senses is possible.
Sri Isopanisad 11, Purport: Therefore the culture of vidyā, or transcendental knowledge, is essential for the human being. Sense enjoyment in the diseased material condition must be restricted as far as possible. Unrestricted sense enjoyment in this bodily condition is the path of ignorance and death. The living entities are not without spiritual senses; every living being in his original, spiritual form has all the senses, which are now materially manifested, being covered by the material body and mind. The activities of the material senses are perverted reflections of the activities of the original, spiritual senses. In his diseased condition, the spirit soul engages in material activities under the material covering. Real sense enjoyment is possible only when the disease of materialism is removed. In our pure spiritual form, free from all material contamination, real enjoyment of the senses is possible. A patient must regain his health before he can truly enjoy sense pleasure again. Thus the aim of human life should not be to enjoy perverted sense enjoyment but to cure the material disease.
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
Enjoyment, real enjoyment means that is nonstopping, nonstop.
Lecture on BG Lecture Excerpts 2.44-45, 2.58 -- New York, March 25, 1966: Our, the present life is diseased condition, so if we want to cure this disease of repeated birth and death, then we have to restrict, restrict our bodily enjoyment, because we cannot enjoy. It is simply so-called enjoyment. Actually, we cannot enjoy this diseased condition of this body. Enjoyment, real enjoyment means that is nonstopping, nonstop.
Real enjoyment is spiritual enjoyment.
Lecture on BG 4.7 -- Bombay, March 27, 1974: So when Kṛṣṇa says, yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati... [Bg. 4.7]. When people become averse to God or Kṛṣṇa, they become Godless, they think themselves as God or something like that, that is dharmasya glāniḥ. So naturally, here in this material world, every one of us, we have come to enjoy. Material life means enjoyment. Enjoyment is not real enjoyment. Real enjoyment is spiritual enjoyment. Spiritual enjoyment, that is with Kṛṣṇa. That is not in the material world. So the dharmasya glāniḥ means when there is discrepancy in the understanding of spiritual identity, that is dharmasya glāniḥ.
Without being transferred to the spiritual world we cannot have real happiness or real enjoyment.
Lecture on BG 7.16 -- Bombay, April 7, 1971: If you believe śāstra, if you have got faith in the śāstra, then you have to take this path of Kṛṣṇa consciousness in order to transfer yourself to the spiritual world. There is a spiritual world. Because we are spirit soul, without being transferred to the spiritual world we cannot have real happiness or real enjoyment. That is a fact.
Real enjoyment is with our spiritual senses.
Lecture on BG 13.1-2 -- Bombay, December 29, 1972: We should understand that we are not this body. We are not this body. Our bodily enjoyment, sense gratification, that is illusion. In another place in the Bhagavad-gītā you'll find, it is said: sukham ātyantikaṁ yat tat atīndriyaṁ grāhyam. Find out that verse. Sukham ātyantikaṁ yat tad atīndriyaṁ grāhyam. We are trying to enjoy life with these material senses, but that is illusion, that is temporary. Temporary and illusion. Real enjoyment is with our spiritual senses.
Real enjoyment, real varieties—everything is in the spiritual world.
Lecture on BG 15.1 -- Calcutta, February 26, 1974: Prabhupāda: ...here, ūrdhva-mūlam. Just like if you have to keep yourself, the legs are up and the head down, somebody keeps you like this, how long you will feel comfortable? If you, somebody takes your legs and catches you and your head down, then it is not very comfortable. So this whole material world is like that, ūrdhva-mūlam. The mūlam should have been down, but it is up. Therefore it is discomfortable. And another explanation is the, it is perverted reflection. We have got experience of the ūrdhva-mūlam. I think I have explained that, that a tree... On the bank of a river or the bank of a pond, tree is standing, but the reflection, we find that the same tree has become ūrdhva-mūlam and adhah-śākham. So by this statement, Kṛṣṇa says that this is not real. That reflection in the water, of the tree, is not real. Real tree is up. Similarly, real enjoyment, real varieties—everything is in the spiritual world. It is simply reflection. It is not fact. Therefore our enjoyment here is called māyā, or illusion. So in later ślokas Kṛṣṇa has described how to get out of this mayic reflection and go to the real tree. That has been described later on. Go on.
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
Real enjoyment is beyond these senses.
Lecture on SB 1.2.33 -- Vrndavana, November 12, 1972: Actually, the enjoyment is in my mind. That is not enjoyment. That is not enjoyment. Real enjoyment is when I am free from this embodiment of five elements, gross elements, and three subtle elements. I have entered into this, and the action and reaction of these five gross elements, three subtle elements, I am enjoying. Actually, not enjoying. This is called māyā. There is no enjoyment. It is enjoyment in the mind. The mind is also material creation. Real enjoyment is beyond these senses. Sukham ātyantikaṁ yat tad atīndriya-grāhyam [Bg. 6.21]. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā: sukham ātyantikaṁ yat tat. The real happiness is not by these gross senses. By transcendental senses, we can enjoy sukham āt..., real happiness. Therefore, because we are not in that platform of enjoying the transcendental senses, we are trying to enjoy by these gross senses, therefore we are becoming baffled and frustrated. This is the cause of frustration. Because that is not the platform of enjoyment.
Real enjoyment is permanent enjoyment.
Lecture on SB 2.1.1 -- Paris, June 9, 1974: So suffering must be there. Suffering must be there as soon as you get this material body. "Why suffering? We are enjoying." What you are enjoying? Is there any guarantee that you'll enjoy? You have got nice building, nice road, nice car. That's all right. You are enjoying. You are thinking enjoying. But is there any guarantee that you will enjoy? Any moment, you'll be finished. Any moment. So there is no guarantee. That is not enjoyment. Real enjoyment is permanent enjoyment. Just like we construct some house, making the, what is called, foundation very strong. In your country, they make very strong foundation. But what is your foundation, sir? Is it very strong? You can be taken away at any moment. So before making the foundation strong, why don't you make your foundation strong that you shall be able to live here permanently? But that intelligence they haven't got. They'll waste time, making the house foundation very strong, not for himself. His foundation tiltering at any moment, any second. This is called yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātu..., sa eva go-kharaḥ [SB 10.84.13].
Enjoy with Kṛṣṇa, that is your real enjoyment.
Lecture on SB 2.8.7 -- Los Angeles, February 10, 1975: We have got this material body. The cause was there. The cause was there that because we wanted to enjoy and did not like to serve Kṛṣṇa. This is the cause. Kṛṣṇa-bahirmukha hañā bhoga vāñchā kare. We are serving Kṛṣṇa. That is our, I mean to say, place, constitutional position, to serve Kṛṣṇa, but sometimes we desire: "Why shall I serve Kṛṣṇa? Why shall I serve the spiritual master? I shall enjoy. I shall enjoy." But that enjoyment was there by serving Kṛṣṇa, but he wanted to become enjoyer independent of Kṛṣṇa. That is the cause of falldown. With Kṛṣṇa, you can enjoy very nicely. You have seen the picture, how with Kṛṣṇa the gopīs are nicely dancing, enjoying; the cowherd boys are playing. Enjoy with Kṛṣṇa, that is your real enjoyment. But without Kṛṣṇa, when you want to enjoy, that is māyā. That is māyā.
Therefore real enjoyment is in Kṛṣṇa's company.
Lecture on SB 3.25.33-34 -- Bombay, December 3, 1974: Because our original constitutional position is... Kṛṣṇa, or God, created us to enjoy the company. Just like we are sitting together; we are enjoying. Suppose you had..., none of you would have come here, so what I would have enjoyed alone? So variety is the mother of enjoyment. Therefore real enjoyment is in Kṛṣṇa's company.
This is not real enjoyment.
Lecture on SB 3.25.38 -- Bombay, December 7, 1974: Our life means we are enjoying some rasa, some relationship. I enjoy in the family with my children. There is some rasa. They are calling me "father." I am enjoying. Or somebody is calling me as "son." I am enjoying. Some woman is calling me "husband." I am enjoying. Some woman I am calling, "wife." Some person I am calling "servant," and he is calling me... These relationship we enjoy. But this enjoyment is shadow. This is not real enjoyment. We have no information. This enjoyment can be achieved in the similar way with Kṛṣṇa.
Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means to give them idea of real enjoyment.
Lecture on SB 6.1.25 -- Chicago, July 9, 1975: So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means to give them idea of real enjoyment. If... So real enjoyment means that when you are uncontaminated with this material body. Spiritual enjoyment. Now we are trying to enjoy with this body. The body is senses. Indriyāṇi parāṇy āhuḥ. Bodily enjoy means the sense enjoyment. Indriyāṇi parāṇy āhur indriyebhyaḥ paraṁ manaḥ, manasas tu parā buddhiḥ [Bg. 3.42]. In this way we have to understand that this body is false; therefore the bodily enjoyment is also false. That they cannot understand. This is their misfortune. Therefore one who does not understand in the beginning of spiritual life that "I am not this body. I am different from body..." Then his spiritual life begins. Otherwise, cats and dogs and everyone is engaged with this bodily enjoyment. So long we shall be captivated by this bodily enjoyment, we are in the groups of animals. That's all.
- yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke
- sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu bhauma ijya-dhīḥ
- yat-tīrtha-buddhiḥ salile na karhicij
- janeṣv abhijñeṣu sa eva go-kharaḥ
- [SB 10.84.13]
Nectar of Devotion Lectures
So this bodily enjoyment is false, real enjoyment (is) of the spirit.
The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, January 10, 1973: So this bodily enjoyment is false, real enjoyment (is) of the spirit. Therefore it is said, ramante yoginaḥ anante. They want to enjoy life with Ananta, Kṛṣṇa. They want to become friend of Kṛṣṇa. They want to become lover of Kṛṣṇa. They want to become servant of Kṛṣṇa. They want to become father of Kṛṣṇa. They want to become māyā of Kṛṣṇa. The same thing, as we are pervertedly enjoying in this material, the same thing is there (in) spiritual life. That is Kṛṣṇa exhibiting. When He appears on this earth, He practically shows how you can enjoy also with Him. That is Vṛndāvana līlā. Practical manifestation. But we are not taking to that. We are taking this Vṛndāvana līlā of Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa is māyā, Vṛndāvana is laya.
Real enjoyment is devotion.
The Nectar of Devotion -- Calcutta, January 29, 1973:Yes. Three kinds of happinesses, bhoga, tyāga, and bhakti, sevā. Bhoga tyāga sevā. The karmīs, they are after bhoga, sense enjoyment. And the jñānīs, they are after another side of negation of sense enjoyment. When one is fed up with sense enjoyment... Just like in your country, the young boys, they are practically fed up with the way of sense enjoyment as their fathers and grandfathers had done. So in the name of tyāga, renunciation, they have taken another kind of sense enjoyment—intoxication, unrestricted sex. So this is also another sense enjoyment. Bhoga and tyāga. Real enjoyment is devotion. There is a very practical example. Just like if you get all of a sudden a certain amount of money, say, one hundred rupees note lying on the street, if you get... Or lying here. So if you take it, your conscience will beat, because that does not belong to you. You have picked up. You'll always think, "Oh, I am taking somebody's money. Whose money it was? I'm doing some sinful." In this way, your mind will disturb. So that is the taking. And similarly, if you don't take, if you leave it there, then you'll also be disturbed. You'll think, "Somebody has left this money here. So I did not collect it. Somebody will collect it, and he'll take it away. This is not nice." The best thing is that you pick it up and, if you deliver to the person who has lost the money or who has left that money. Three things. The one thing is bhoga, if you take yourself. And if you don't take, that is tyāga. And if you pick it up and deliver to the right person, that is devotion.
Festival Lectures
So we are seeking pleasure within this material world. That is imitation. That is not real enjoyment.
Varaha-dvadasi, Lord Varaha's Appearance Day Lecture -- Bhuvanesvara, January 31, 1977: So Kṛṣṇa comes therefore, personally appears and exhibits His enjoying love in Vṛndāvana. He brings His friends, His girl-friends, boy-friends, everything, His father, His mother, and shows that "The enjoyment which you are seeking, that is there in the spiritual world with Me. See how I am enjoying." Just so that we may have our brain cleared that if we enjoy with Kṛṣṇa, we can enjoy the dance, the paternal love, the conjugal love, the friendly playing with boys, with animals, who is in the garden, in the forest, in the water-same thing is there. Everything is there, all the sporting, but spiritual. So this is Kṛṣṇa's līlā. Ānanda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhāvitābhis [Bs. 5.37]. So we are seeking pleasure within this material world. That is imitation. That is not real enjoyment. But the basic principle of enjoyment is there. Here there is imitation enjoyment, love between young boy young girl. So wherefrom it comes? It is there in Kṛṣṇa. Otherwise how it can come? It is not possible. Janmādy asya yataḥ [SB 1.1.1]. This loving exchange between young boy, young girl is there. Kṛṣṇa is also enjoying there. The gopīs, the young girls, Kṛṣṇa is young... The exchange of love between father and son, mother and son; the exchange of love between friend and friend, the exchange of love between animal and man...
Conversations and Morning Walks
1975 Conversations and Morning Walks
Enjoyment is our aim also—but real enjoyment.
Morning Walk -- October 2, 1975, Mauritius:
Prabhupāda: Enjoy, but where is your enjoyment? Come to the practical point. Where is your enjoyment? You are simply suffering. That is their rascaldom. They are suffering; still, they say, "I am enjoying." This is called illusion, māyā. Enjoy. That we also say, that we are trying to take you to a certain place, kingdom of God or back..., where you will enjoy. Enjoy... Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). That enjoy is our aim. But where is your enjoyment here? That is your rascaldom. There is no enjoyment; still, you say, "We shall enjoy."
Cyavana: Their propaganda leads people to think that they can enjoy... That it's possible here.
Prabhupāda: They're misleading. That is misleading. We have to check that. That is our Kṛṣṇa consciousness move..., that... They are not enjoying, and these rascals misleading them that they are enjoying. [break] Enjoyment is our aim also—but real enjoyment. Ramante yogino 'nante satyānande. Satyānanda. Not this ānanda, temporary ānanda.The real enjoyment in this material world is sex.
Conversation on Roof -- December 26, 1975, Sanand:
Prabhupāda: Not prophylactic. Technical name. So, but that was not enjoyable. So then they discovered pills. So covered enjoyment is not enjoyment. It is not complete enjoyment. The same.... The real enjoyment in this material world is sex. Now if we want to enjoy sex, covered with coats and pants, is that enjoyment is pleasing?
1976 Conversations and Morning Walks
If you remain in your spiritual body, that is real enjoyment.
Room Conversation -- June 10, 1976, Los Angeles:
Prabhupāda: No, we are not irresponsible to the death. Death, although we have to meet death, we are making provision that after death we become happy. Happy, of course, for us, even in living condition or dead condition, there is happiness, but it will take time to understand. But taking superficially, death is not very pleasing, so after death, that is mentioned in the Bha.... Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma [Bg. 4.9], we do not get again a material body. This is final. The material body is the cause of pains and pleasure. So if you don't get the material body, if you remain in your spiritual body, that is real enjoyment.
That is enjoyment, real enjoyment.
Garden Conversation -- June 14, 1976, Detroit:
Prabhupāda: Panwanna(?), puṣpānna, kijeranna(?), so many things. What is that? If you kill the cow you get the meat only one time. But if you allow the cow to live and take milk, and from milk you can make hundreds and thousands of preparations. That is enjoyment, real enjoyment.