Category:Engaging Our Senses in God's Service
Theme Analysis
The transition from material bondage to spiritual freedom is not achieved by stopping the senses, but by changing their master. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that the soul is inherently active, and therefore the senses must be given a superior engagement to prevent them from wandering toward material infection. By serving Hṛṣīkeśa, the master of the senses, with one's own senses, the practitioner is immediately situated on the transcendental platform. This analysis explores how this process, known as bhakti, removes the poisonous fangs of material desire and restores the living entity to a normal, healthy condition. Whether through the systematic practice of arcana (Deity worship) or the simple act of tasting Kṛṣṇa-prasādam, engaging the senses in God's service provides a secure and immediate path to liberation that surpasses the difficult and often unsuccessful methods of artificial sensory repression.
- The Definition of Perfect Life: Bhakti is defined as the process of rendering favorable service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead with one's senses, effectively moving from being a servant of the senses (godāsa) to a master of the senses (gosvāmī).
- Immediate Liberation: Engagement in the Lord's service is not a preliminary step but the very evidence of liberation; as soon as the senses are employed for Kṛṣṇa, the actions and reactions of the gross and subtle bodies cease.
- Snakes with Broken Fangs: While the senses are as dangerous as poisonous snakes in the material condition, they become harmless when engaged in service, as they no longer have the capacity to inject the venom of material attachment.
- The Revelation of the Divine: Because God cannot be perceived by blunt material senses, the process of sensory engagement acts as the necessary purification that allows the Lord to reveal Himself and His kingdom to the devotee.
- Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: The Immediate Path to Liberation – Engaging Our Senses in God's Service.
Pages in category "Engaging Our Senses in God's Service"
The following 70 pages are in this category, out of 70 total.
A
- A gosvami knows the standard of sense happiness. In transcendental sense happiness, the senses are engaged in the service of Hrsikesa or the supreme owner of the senses-Krsna. Serving Krsna with purified senses is called Krsna consciousness. BG 1972 pur
- A KC person being always situated in the transcendental loving service of God, automatically becomes the controller of the senses. His senses, being always engaged in the service of Krsna, have no chance of becoming otherwise engaged. BG 1972 purports
- Actually the whole world is serving the senses, servant of the senses. Godasa. But if we engage the senses in the service of Krsna, then we shall no longer remain the servant of the senses. We shall be the master of the senses
- All his (Dhrtarastra's) senses were being engaged in the service of the Lord. This process directly helps the devotee to get freedom from the contaminations of the three material modes of nature
- All the activities of their senses are engaged in the service of God. Because of such devotion, the Lord gives Himself to His devotees as if they could use Him for any purpose they might desire. Of course, devotees have no purpose other than to serve
- Anyone who has got his senses under control, he, he is spiritually perfect. So how senses under control? Just engage the senses under the control or under the direction of the Supreme. Then you become perfectly spiritual
- As mentioned in the life of Maharaja Ambarisa, all of the senses must be engaged in Krsna consciousness, for that is the correct technique for controlling the mind. BG 1972 purports
- As soon as we employ ourselves in the service of the Lord, we are liberated immediately. There is no need to pass through some preliminary process. This very act of engaging one's senses in the service of the Lord is evidence that one is liberated
B
- Because his (a Krsna conscious person's) mind is always fixed on Krsna, there is no chance of his being deviated from Krsna. Nor is there a chance that he will engage his senses in matters other than the service of the Lord. BG 1972 purports
- Because your senses are engaged in the service of the Hrsikesa, the senses have no other opportunity to be engaged. Locked up
- Brahma indicates that instead of going to the forest with uncontrolled senses, it is better and more secure to engage the senses in the service of the Lord
D
- Devotional service means engaging the spiritual body and spiritual senses in the service of the Lord. When we are engaged in such activities, the actions and reactions of the gross and subtle bodies cease
- Devotional service to the SG means engagement of all the senses in His service. In such service there are two important features: 2nd, the senses should be engaged only in the service of the SG, the master of the senses. That is pure devotional service
- Devotional service to the Supreme Lord means engagement of all the senses in His service. In such service there are two important features: First, one must be purified of all designations
E
- Engagement of the purified senses in the service of the Lord is called bhakti. Hrsikena hrsikesa-sevanam bhaktir ucyate. One may enjoy the senses for many thousands of years, but unless one purifies the senses, one cannot be happy
- Everywhere means in every part of the creation of the Lord. The Lord can be served by all the senses, or even simply by the mind. The South Indian brahmana who served the Lord simply on the strength of his mind also factually realized the Lord
F
- For a devotee, there is no danger from the senses, because his senses are engaged in the service of the Lord. So he is the greatest yogi
- For those who are materially engaged, control of the senses is required, but a devotee's senses are all engaged in the service of the Lord, which means that they are already controlled
H
- He engaged his eyes in seeing the Deity of Krsna, Krsna's temples and Krsna's places like Mathura and Vrndavana, he engaged his sense of touch in touching the bodies of the Lord's devotees
- Hrsikena hrsikesa-sevanam bhaktir ucyate (CC Madhya 19.170). By serving the Lord, one’s senses are gradually purified. The engagement of one’s purified senses in the service of Lord Hrsikesa is called bhakti
- 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
I
- If he (the transcendental living entity) simply withdraws from activities of sense gratification and applies his senses in the service of the Lord, all the problems of material existence will immediately diminish
- If one is absent-minded, he cannot work nicely because mind is absent or not in order. Therefore our method of controlling the senses is to engage the senses in the service of the Lord
- If one is engaged in worshiping the Deity, cleansing the temple, decorating the Deity, cooking for the Deity, and so on, one's senses are already engaged in the service of the Absolute Truth, so where is the chance of their being diverted
- If the intelligence and the mind are always engaged in the thought of the Supreme Lord, naturally the senses are also engaged in His service. at least, the activities of the senses remain the same, but the consciousness is changed. BG 1972 Introduction
- If the mind is directly engaged in the service of the Lord constantly, then there is no chance of the senses becoming engaged in other ways. This mental attitude has already been explained. BG 1972 purports
- If the mind is engaged at the lotus feet of Lord Krsna (sa vai manah krsna-padaravindayoh (SB 9.4.18)), the senses are automatically engaged in the Lord's service
- If the soul is directly engaged with the Supreme, naturally all other subordinates, namely, the intelligence, mind and the senses, will be automatically engaged. BG 1972 purports
- If you want to force your senses to stop work, it is very difficult. But if you engage your senses for transcendental loving service of the Supreme Lord, it will be automatically stopped
- Illusioned by the glaring reflection of the external energy, the living entities worship the senses instead of engaging them properly in fulfilling the desires of the Supreme
- In the devotional service of the Lord, therefore, these prescribed activities (fixing mind on the lotus feet of the Lord by constant remembrance) are called arcana, or engaging all the senses in the service of the Lord. BG 1972 purports
- In the material condition, the senses are as strong as poisonous snakes. But when the senses are engaged in the Lord’s service, they are like poisonous snakes with their fangs removed, and so they are no longer dangerous
- In the Narada-pancaratra it is said, hrsikena hrsikesa-sevanam bhaktir ucyate: (CC Madhya 19.170) the process of rendering favorable service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead with one's senses is called bhakti, or devotional service
K
- Keeping the senses always in the service of the Lord is the example set by the analogy of the tortoise, who keeps the senses within. BG 1972 purports
- Krsna consciousness is very sublime. We should try to understand it from Srimad-Bhagavatam and Bhagavad-gita and try to engage our senses for the service of the master of the senses (hrsikena hrsikesa-sevanam). Then we shall actually be happy
- Krsna's name, form, qualities and pastimes are all divya, divine. Our present material senses have to be purified by engagement in the Lord's service, and our first engagement begins with the tongue
O
- One cannot stop the activities of the senses by artificial means, but if one purifies the senses by engaging in the service of the Lord
- One has to become free from all designation or false egotism and thus become purified. When we engage our senses in the service of the Lord, the desires or the inclinations of the senses can be perfectly fulfilled
- One has to become freed from such designative (material) activities (sarvopadhi-vinirmuktam (CC Madhya 19.170)) and become pure in order to serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead through purified senses
- One should be free from all material designations and cleansed of all material contamination. He should be restored to his pure identity, in which he engages his senses in the service of the proprietor of the senses
- Originally the senses of the living entity were awarded to engage them in the transcendental loving service of the Lord or that of His devotees, but the conditioned souls, illusioned by the material energy, became captivated by sense enjoyment
- Our material calculation is all nonsense. Our material calculation of our activities, they are all nonsense. They are all causes of our bondage. And when the same senses, they are engaged in the service of the Supreme, that is our freedom
T
- The devotee doesn’t have to control his senses, for his senses are already engaged in the Lord’s service. Consequently there is no possibility that the senses will act like serpents
- The devotees do not stop the material senses from acting, but they engage their transcendental senses in the service of the Transcendence, the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- The devotees in the Krsna consciousness movement move within this material world, but because their senses are fully engaged in the service of the Lord, they are always aloof from the material world. They are always living in a transcendental position
- The question who is better-one who is engaged in the path of impersonal Brahman or one who is engaged in the personal service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead-was raised by Arjuna. BG 1972 purports
- The senses are impossible to control unless purified and engaged in the service of the Lord. Thus even though a saintly person vows to control his senses, the senses are still sometimes perturbed by sense objects
- The senses can be engaged either in worldly enjoyment or in the service of the Lord. Those who are not engaged in the service of the Lord and are interested only in material sense gratification are called visayi
- The senses not only can be controlled from rubbish engagement, but can be engaged in the Lord's transcendental service, as aspired to by the four sages Sanaka, Sanatana, Sanandana and Sanat-kumara
- The sixty-four items of devotional service include all the activities of the body, mind and senses. Thus the sixty-four items engage one in devotional service in all respects
- The specific qualification of all the Pandava brothers was that they always engaged their senses in the Lord's service
- The Supreme Lord is also known as Hrsikesa, master of the senses, which indicates that our senses and sense objects are formed by the Supreme Lord. He can control our senses and out of His mercy engage them in the service of the master of the senses
- The whole process of God consciousness is meant to rectify the conditional activities of the senses and to re-engage them in the direct service of the Lord
- There are five senses by which we gather knowledge and five senses with which we work. These ten senses and the mind should be fully engaged in the Lord's service. Without engaging them in this way, one cannot get out of the clutches of maya
- These material senses cannot be engaged in the service of the Lord; therefore one has to become free from all designations. Sarvopadhi-vinirmuktam tatparatvena nirmalam - CC Madhya 19.170
- This (attaining the Lord's mercy) is actually possible when one fully engages in Krsna consciousness. A person whose senses and mind are always engaged in the transcendental service of the Lord has no possibility of engaging in material activities
- This forgetfulness (of bodily existence) is actually possible when we engage our senses in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. In the conditional state, one engages his senses as a member of a family or as a member of a society or country
U
- Unless all of the senses are engaged in the service of the Lord, even one of them engaged in sense gratification can deviate the devotee from the path of transcendental advancement. BG 1972 purports
- Unless one is purified, the transcendental senses are not manifest; therefore to purify the senses one must take to Krsna consciousness and engage the senses in the service of the Lord. Then there will be real happiness and liberation
W
- We have various senses - the powers of seeing, tasting, smelling, touching, etc. - and all the propensities of our senses can be satisfied when the senses are engaged in the service of the Lord
- We work not with our body, actually, but with our mind and intelligence. So if the intelligence and the mind are always engaged in the thought of the Supreme Lord, then naturally the senses are also engaged in His service. BG 1972 Introduction
- When all the senses engage in relationship with the Personality of Godhead, one's perfection is technically called bhakti-yoga, which entails detaching the senses from material indulgence and attaching them to the service of the Lord
- When he (the living entity) is not thus engaged (in devotional service), he is in a diseased condition, but as soon as he engages all his senses in the transcendental loving service of the Lord, he is in his normal, healthy condition
- When one comes to the understanding that he is not this body but a spiritual soul, part and parcel of God, he knows that his spiritual senses should be engaged in the service of the supreme spiritual being. Thus one attains liberation - mukti
- With our blunt eyes and other senses we cannot perceive the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but if we engage our senses in the service of the Lord according to the instructions of the authorities, it will be possible to see Him