Category:Attracted to Sense Gratification
Theme Analysis
The fundamental problem of material existence is that the conditioned soul is inherently attracted to sense gratification. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that this attraction is born from a deep-seated forgetfulness of the soul's eternal relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Having turned away from the Lord, the living entity enters the material world specifically to enjoy, and this desire manifests most strongly in the hard knot of attraction between male and female. The senses, like restless thieves, constantly drag the mind in different directions—the eyes are drawn to beautiful scenes, the ears to mundane songs, and the belly to overeating—leaving the conditioned soul completely embarrassed and entangled.
According to Śrīla Prabhupāda, this obsession with bodily pleasure completely destroys a person's intelligence. The Vedic scriptures use the term kāma-mūḍha to describe those who have lost their senses due to infatuation with lust. Such individuals become so absorbed in extracting temporary happiness that they willingly engage in illicit activities, blinding themselves to the inevitable karmic consequences and the ultimate punishment awaiting them at death. Modern civilization is largely built upon this illusion, prioritizing economic development and technological invention solely for the purpose of expanding the scope of sense gratification. Śrīla Prabhupāda points out that this atheistic, rākṣasa mentality reduces human society to the level of dogs and monkeys.
However, the path of Kṛṣṇa consciousness offers a perfect solution. Śrīla Prabhupāda concludes by explaining that a pure devotee is never attracted by material sense gratification because their sole aim is to satisfy the senses of the Lord. Once a person tastes the superior, nectarean pleasure of devotional service, all desires for mundane food, shelter, defense, and even the ultimate salvation of merging into the Brahman effulgence become completely insignificant. If one still possesses some residual attraction to material things, the practical remedy is to simply offer the fruits of those activities to Kṛṣṇa, thereby purifying the desires and advancing toward ultimate liberation.
- The Root of Entanglement: From time immemorial, the living entity's forgetfulness of Kṛṣṇa has manifested as a consuming attraction to the objects of the material senses.
- The Loss of Intelligence: Those who are overly absorbed in bodily pleasures become kāma-mūḍha (infatuated by lust), losing all spiritual insight and forgetting the severe karmic consequences of their actions.
- The Illusion of Modern Society: A civilization that rejects spiritual understanding in favor of producing endless gadgets for temporary enjoyment is operating on a demonic, animalistic platform.
- The Devotee's Transcendental Position: By actively engaging in satisfying the senses of the Supreme Lord, a pure devotee experiences spiritual pleasure that entirely eclipses any attraction to material sense gratification.
- Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: Attracted to Sense Gratification - The Disease of the Conditioned Soul.
Pages in category "Attracted to Sense Gratification"
The following 25 pages are in this category, out of 25 total.
A
- A devotee says, "I am always swimming in the nectarean ocean of the pastimes of the SPG & I have no more attraction for religious rituals, economic development, sense gratification, or even the ultimate salvation of merging into the existence of Brahman"
- A pure devotee is never attracted by sense gratification, and he is liberated. In material life a person engages in sense gratification for his own personal satisfaction, but in the devotional or liberated life one aims to satisfy the senses of the Lord
I
- If there is still some attraction for sense gratifying activities, then the result of such activities should be offered to Krsna. This is also called engagement in the service of the Lord, with the Lord as the master and the worker as the servant
- In Bhagavad-gita (BG 7.20) it is said that persons who worship demigods have lost their intelligence: kamais tais tair hrta jnanah. They are much attracted to sense gratification, and therefore they worship the demigods
M
- Most people are attracted by such (religion, economic development and sense gratification) activities
- My attraction for family is not for their benefit. By my sense gratification the family members help me, therefore I am attracted. The wife gives me pleasure; therefore I like wife. The wife also likes husband because husband gives pleasure
O
- One is bereft of all intelligence when he is too attracted by sense gratification, and he forgets that he has to suffer the consequences also. Here the chance for recounting his activities of sense gratification is given by the dogs engaged by Yamaraja
- One who has them (spiritual food, shelter, defense & spiritual sense gratification) cannot be attracted by the so-called food, shelter, defense & sense gratification of the material world, even if they are relished by the denizens of the heavenly planets
P
- People are attracted to temporary happiness and sense gratification, culminating in bottomless, topless passion. There is no profit in such activities; one must engage himself in the Krsna consciousness movement
- Prthu Maharaja did not beget his children out of lust, nor was he attracted to his wife for sense gratificatory purposes. He begot the children as a grhastha for the future administration of his government all over the world
T
- The attraction is for sense gratification under different names only
- The belly, although filled, still wants to eat more & the ear, not attempting to hear about You, is generally attracted to cinema songs. The sense of smell is attracted to yet another side, the restless eyes are attracted to scenes of sense gratification
- The conditioned soul is attracted by the objects of sense gratification
- The conditioned soul is sometimes attracted to the little happiness derived from sense gratification. Thus he has illicit sex or steals another's property. At such a time he may be arrested by the government or chastised by the woman's husband
- The gate on the western side of the city was known as Asuri because it was especially meant for the asuras. The word asura refers to those who are interested in sense gratification, specifically in sex life, to which they are overly attracted
- The living being is in the state of forgetfulness of his relation with God due to his being overly attracted to material sense gratification from time immemorial
- The sense of smell is attracted to yet another side, the restless eyes are attracted to scenes of sense gratification, and the active senses are attracted elsewhere. In this way I (Prahlada Maharaja) am certainly embarrassed
- The three activities of religion, economic development and sense gratification are generally attractive for conditioned souls struggling for existence in the material world
- Their mission is, "What is this nonsense, spiritual understanding? Simply some sentiment, waste of time. Produce. Enjoy. Invent so many things for sense gratification" - Western civilization. And this is very attractive to the raksasa class
- Thus they will be more attracted to economic development for sense gratification, and as a result there will be an unwanted population on the level of dogs and monkeys