Question 1: Should sense-gratification and renunciation both be abandoned?
Answer: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has instructed us to abandon both sense-gratification (bhoga) and renunciation (tyāga). To take in the material sensations of form, taste, scent, sound, and touch through one’s eyes, tongue, nose, ears and skin constitutes sense-gratification. Although, at first, sense-gratification may seem to be temporarily pleasing, the distress one subsequently experiences on account of it greatly outweighs the initial happiness it may provide.
This is why renunciation is more adored than sense-gratification. Renunciation is very good, but those who have adopted the process of total renunciation and have exhaustively engaged in declaring “not this, not this”, have even renounced the Supreme Lord. That kind of renunciation is in fact nothing more than another way of seeking sense-gratification.
Those who consider this world to be false and as insignificant as the stool of a crow are completely mistaken. Why? This mentality leads one to reject the existence of the creation potency of the omnipotent Supreme Lord. The material world exists in truth, but every object within it is perishable. For those who are well-versed in Vedānta, this is the only authentic philosophy.
Sense-gratification does not allow one to see the Supreme Lord’s connection to, nor His presence in, the objects of this world. Instead, by supplying an enjoyer (bhogī) with the objects for his sense-gratification dresses him up as the enjoyer (bhokta) in place of the Supreme Lord. In the same way, renunciation does not give one the chance to perceive all objects as instruments for serving the Supreme Lord. Rather, it invites one to disregard things that are related to Bhagavān.
The aggregate of all the objects of this material world comprise its opulence. The sense-objects like form, taste and so on are the predetermined objectives of the sense-organs like the eyes and so on. Therefore the senses can never be disinclined to accept their respective objects.
Hence, even when some supposedly renounced persons dress as renunciants because they have briefly controlled their senses, still, through the window of the sense of mind – which is the king of the senses – the mind can secretly remain absorbed in enjoying sense objects. And, in an attempt to attain total renunciation, if someone tries to destroy their senses, which are the very pathways to sense gratification, then before they attain true renunciation, the pain of losing their senses will inevitably fill them with great distress.
Contrastingly, a devotee neither considers material objects to be worthy of enjoying nor worthy of renouncing. Rather, they consider every object to be an instrument for serving
the Supreme Lord and so they engage it in His service. The devotee is not attached to material objects, but accepts them according to his requirements in the mood of a servant who is perpetually engaged in serving the Supreme Lord.
Neither selfish enjoyment nor renunciation is an innate tendency of the soul. Rather, service is the factual, eternal occupation of the soul. The liberated soul is joyfully absorbed in serving his master in Vaikuṇṭha. And those conditioned souls who have become fortunate use neither their senses nor the objects of this material world for their own enjoyment or pleasure, nor do they selfishly renounce them. In order to be purified and delivered from their conditioned state, they engage both of these – which have been given by the Supreme Lord – in service, by accepting only those things that are favourable for service and abandoning those that are not.
Replies
Genious! How fortunate we are to have spiritual giants to teach us about eternal Absolute Truth? We're really insiginificant like ants, but we're standing on the shoulders of giants. Lately, I find myself thinking very often of our spiritual grandfather. It seems like he's been following me in all my actions and thoughts and my endeavours, as this article is the voice of him, who teaches me and confirms what Supersoul teaches me from within. This subject matter was in my focus last night, and I was trying to sort it out with surgical precision in my mind. And today, here is the voice of merciful spiritual master who is eager to teach his little children and take them home by the hand. Thank you for being his servant, Tamohara prabhu.
Krsna, that is such a nice comment ! Thank you ! for encouraging me to think of our spiritual masters.