Prabhupāda: Yes. This is very important thing. Yoga indriya-saṁyamya. Yoga, the definition of yoga means sense control, controlling the sense. So here Kṛṣṇa says that you cannot control your senses artificially. It is not possible. Those who are trying . . . just like some of the yogīs, they close their eyes: "Oh, I'll not see beautiful woman."
That is another practice. But that does not mean that he can control his senses. No. You cannot curb down the natural force of sense. This is the secret. People do not know. And if you let the senses go on in its own way, that is also dangerous. Then you are going to hell. Adānta-gobhir viśatāṁ tamisram. If your senses are not controlled, then your senses will drag you to the darkest region of hell. That is another problem.
Generally, in the material world, adānta—adānta means uncontrolled; go—go means senses. Adānta-gobhir viśatāṁ tamisraṁ punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām (SB 7.5.30). Simply repeating, chewing the chewed. The whole history of the world, you just study, is a history of sense gratification. Just take, for example, some twenty years ago one Mr. Adolf Hitler came in the scene, and there was great upheaval as war in Europe and America. From 1933 to 1947 or something like that, the whole world was in trouble. But he is gone, finished. And what did he do? Sense gratification, that's all. He wanted that this way government should be, according to his own sense.
Another person, just like Mr. Churchill or your President Roosevelt, they said: "No. The sense gratification should not be like that. The sense gratification should be like this." (laughter) So it is the war of sense gratification. That's all. One leader is presenting a program of sense gratification, another leader is presenting another program of sense gratification, there is clash. This is going on. This is the history of the world.
And another class, they are thinking, "Oh, there are so much trouble simply for sense gratification. Let us control our senses." Brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā, just like Māyāvādī philosopher, Śaṅkarācārya. They say this world is useless. "This world is useless. Only Brahman, the Supreme Brahman, impersonal Brahman, that is truth." That is also another sense gratification.
That is bigger sense gratification. Why? These Māyāvādī philosophers, they want to merge into the existence of the Supreme One. That means by becoming Hitler, Churchill or Roosevelt, their senses were not very much satisfied. "Now," they say: "this world is false. Now let me become the Supreme." That is another sense gratification.
So this world, without Kṛṣṇa consciousness, is simply sense gratification. That's all. One may present in one way, another may present in another way, but it is sense gratification. Therefore the so-called yogīs, fifteen minutes' meditation or, say, fifteen hours' meditation or fifteen months' meditation, but as soon as meditation finished—sense gratification. That's all.
So this sense gratification program is very strong. How . . . and so long you will indulge in sense gratification, the repetition of birth and death will go on. The repetition of birth. This body . . . Bhāgavata says that these people are working for sense gratification. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ (SB 5.5.4). Pramattaḥ means mad after sense gratification. Kurute vikarma. And for sense gratification, they are acting so abominably that it is not to be uttered. Kurute vikarma yad indriya-prītaya āpṛṇoti. They have engaged their life in sense gratification. Na sādhu manye, oh, this is not good. This is not good.
Why? Yata, because, ātmanaḥ, the spirit soul, ātmano 'yam . . . asann api kleśada āsa dehaḥ. This body is temporary, but so long this body is there, you'll have to suffer. What is that suffering? The sum total of suffering is birth, death, old age and disease. This is due to this body. Therefore the problem is how to stop this material body, repetition.
Today I have got this body, Indian; tomorrow I may get American, next birth . . . tomorrow means next birth. Next birth another, next birth another, next birth another—it is going on, going on. There is no stoppage, this transmigration of the soul. But so long you do not stop it, there is no question of being freed from sufferings.
They do not know it. They are thinking they are advancing. What advancement you have made? These sufferings are there—birth, death, old age and disease. You cannot stop it. Ā-brahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ (BG 8.16), and even you go to this moon planet or to the highest planet, these four things will follow. So therefore sense gratification must be stopped. But if you want to stop it artificially it is impossible, neither by this yoga process, neither by this jñāna process. Simply for the time being you can check.
Just like a naughty boy. By force, you can stop him acting mischievously. But as soon as he gets opportunity, again he will act so. Similarly, senses are very strong. You cannot stop them artificially. Therefore the only remedy is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. These boys in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, this is also sense gratification—eating nice prasādam, dancing, chanting, reading philosophy—but it is in connection with Kṛṣṇa. That is the significance. Nirbandhaḥ kṛṣṇa-sambandhe (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.255).
It is the sense gratification of Kṛṣṇa. Not directly, but because I am part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, my senses are automatically satisfied. This process should be adopted.
Artificially . . . this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is an art of living by which you will feel your senses are fully satisfied, but you are going to be free next life. This is the nice process. And artificially if you want to stop your senses, you will fail. That Kṛṣṇa says, "One who restrains the sense and organs of action but whose mind dwells on sense objects."
Just like Viśvāmitra Muni. There were many instances. He was a great king, and he wanted to be yogī. And he went to forest, gave up his kingdom, went to forest. And he was meditating very seriously, and Indra, king of heaven, he sent some society girls of heavenly planet, Menakā. And she came. She began to dance before the closed-eyes yogī, and as soon as he heard, "Oh, there is very nice female voice and dancing," and as soon as he opened, he became captivated, embraced her. So everything gone. You see?
So sense gratification, you cannot stop artificially. Nirbandhaḥ kṛṣṇa-sambandhe. Therefore we advised our students, either boys and girls, that if you have . . . of course, if you are serious in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, you forget all these nonsense sense gratification. But still if you are disturbed, all right, get yourself married. Live peacefully, husband and wife, and both be engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Gradually, you'll forget, both husband and wife. Don't try artificially. Artificially you'll never be successful.
But if you can avoid it by advance and strong Kṛṣṇa consciousness . . . just like Haridāsa Ṭhākura. But don't try to imitate Haridāsa Ṭhākura. His stage was different. We cannot imitate. We can simply follow. Anukaraṇa, anusaraṇa—there are two Sanskrit words. One is imitation, and one is following the footprints. If one tries to follow the footprints of great personalities, that is very nice, but we cannot imitate. Imitate . . . imitation is dangerous.
Just like Lord Śiva, he drank an ocean of poison and he kept it on the throat. He did not allow to go down. So therefore his name is Nīlakaṇṭha. It became bluish. His neck is blue. But if somebody imitates Lord Śiva and indulges intoxication, gāñjā, he'll go to hell. He is powerful. Somebody says: "Well, Lord Śiva is a smoker, so we can also smoke." No. You cannot imitate. You can simply follow.