Śrī Śrī Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 22 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

কৃষ্ণসেবা কামার্পণে,        ক্রোধ ভক্তদ্বেষী-জনে,

লোভ সাধুসঙ্গে হরিকথা ।

মোহ ইষ্টলাভ বিনে,        মদ কৃষ্ণগুণ-গানে,

নিযুক্ত করিব যথা তথা ॥ ২২ ॥

kṛṣṇa-sebā kāmārpaṇe,        krodha bhakta-dveṣī-jane,

lobha sādhu-saṅge hari-kathā |

moha iṣṭa-lābha bine,        mada kṛṣṇa-guṇa-gāne,

niyukta kariba yathā tathā || 22 ||

     Wherever appropriate, I shall engage my passion in Kṛṣṇa’s service, my anger toward people who are inimical to devotees, my greed in listening to hari-kathā in the association of sādhus, my illusion in feeling bewildered in Kṛṣṇa’s absence and my pride in singing joyfully about Kṛṣṇa’s qualities.

Serving Kṛṣṇa with Kāma and the Other Enemies

     Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā: In this verse, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya is establishing the appropriate situations wherein kāma and so on can be engaged in Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s service. First he says, kṛṣṇa-sebā kāmārpaṇe. “I shall engage my kāma or passion in śrī-kṛṣṇa-sevā. ātmendriya-prīti icchā--tāre bali kāma, kāmera tātparya--nija sambhoga kebala (CC. Ādi 4.165, 166). By such statements it is understood that the movement of desire or passion is in the direction of one’s own happiness. If this kāma is instead utilized for Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s happiness, then it can be transformed into prema and counted as the ultimate goal of human life. kṛṣṇendriya-prīti-icchā--dhare prema nāma, kṛṣṇa-sukha-tātparya--haya prema ta prabala (CC. Ādi 4.165, 166). By this it is understood that the desire to make Kṛṣṇa happy is known as prema. When the verbal root kam is combined with the ghaṅ pratyaya, the word kāma is formed. By the application of the ka pratyaya, the verbal root prī becomes priya, and by the application of the iman pratyaya, the word prema is derived. The meaning of both the kam and prī verbal roots is ‘desire.’ Therefore, even though there is no difference in the characteristics of the words kāma and prema, there is a vast difference in their intention. Kāma is capricious and moving toward the sense objects. Prema is single-minded, like the Gaṅgā flowing toward the sea, moving without interruption toward Śrī Kṛṣṇa. After giving up the contemptible part of kāma, namely the pursuit of one’s own happiness, if one can utilize that kāma to pursue Bhagavān’s happiness, then kāma can be transformed into the ultimate goal of life or prema and be worthy of the highest praise. One can climb up and down a ladder, but one’s attention must be aimed above when climbing up and below when going down. In the same way, those whose kāma is aimed at their own happiness are bound by desires for sense enjoyment and must wander through various wombs and suffer the miseries of hell and so on. Those who take shelter of the path of bhajana employ the kāma or passion in their hearts toward Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s happiness. By the power of Bhakti Devī, that kāma gradually becomes spiritual and then finally unites with the essential nature of the hlādinī-śakti and receives the name prema. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.11.24, Śrī Bhagavān personally said to Śrī Uddhava, mad-arthe dharma-kāmārthān ācaran mad-apāśrayaḥ, labhate niścalāṁ bhaktiṁ mayy uddhava sanātane. “O Uddhava! A person who has taken shelter of me and performs acts of  righteousness, financial gain and enjoyment for my happiness is blessed with prema for me, the Eternal Supreme Being.” By performing actions related to the desire for Śrī Kṛṣṇa, all desires for mundane sense enjoyment come to an end. Śrī Bhagavān said to Śrī Nārada, mat-kāmaḥ śanakaiḥ sādhuḥ sarvān muñcati hṛcchayān (Bhāg. 1.6.23). “Those sādhus who carry a desire for me in their hearts gradually give up all other desires.” When the heart is devoid of other desires and full of desire for Śrī Kṛṣṇa, that is called prema.

     Then he says, krodha bhakta-dveṣī-jane. Anger, the great enemy and cause of harm to mankind, cannot actually be directly employed in any act of service to Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Still, if one’s anger is directed toward those who are inimical to the bhaktas, one’s bhakti becomes nourished. When a bhakta is subjected to vilification or malicious action by a person inimical to devotees, if a sādhaka does not show anger or intolerance, this demonstrates his lack of affection for Śrī Viṣṇu and the Vaiṣṇavas. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.4.17, after witnessing the defamation of Śrīman Mahādeva at Dakṣa Prajāpati’s yajña, Śrī Satī Devī angrily said,

karṇau pidhāya nirayād yad akalpa īśe

dharmāvitary asṛṇibhir nṛbhir asyamāne |

chindyāt prasahya ruśatīm asatīṁ prabhuś cej

jihvām asūn api tato visṛjet sa dharmaḥ ||

     “If one hears someone making slanderous comments about his master, who is a protector of dharma, and is unable to kill that person or to die himself, then he should cover his ears and leave that place filled with anger. If able, he should by force cut out the abusive tongue of the fault-finder and then give up his own life. This is dharma.” Because a Vaiṣṇava’s body is suitable for bhajana, it is improper for him to abandon it. Rather, he should cover his ears, remember Śrī Viṣṇu and angrily leave that place. Therefore, the general rule is understood to be that the Vaiṣṇavas nourish their bhajana by using their destructive anger or intolerance against those who are inimical to the bhaktas.

     Moreover, lobha sādhu-saṅge hari-kathā. Lobha means greed. Even though in mundane matters greed causes the jīva great harm or is the root cause of the worldly disease, by employing it in hearing hari-kathā in the association of sādhus, it spontaneously blesses the sādhaka with the gift of prema and incidentally destroys hunger, thirst, fear, illusion and so on. An example of its munificence is tam eva nityaṁ śṛṇuyād abhīkṣṇaṁ kṛṣṇe’malāṁ bhaktim abhīpsamānaḥ (Bhāg. 12.3.15). “Simply by always hearing songs that praise Śrī Kṛṣṇa from the mouths of great souls, prema-bhakti for Śrī Kṛṣṇa is attained.” Regarding the destruction of hunger, thirst and other worldly qualities, Devarṣi Nārada said to Prācīnabarhi in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.29.40,

tasmin mahan-mukharitā madhubhic-caritra-

pīyūṣa-śeṣa-saritaḥ paritaḥ sravanti |

tā ye pibanty avitṛṣo nṛpa gāḍha-karṇais

tān na spṛśanty aśana-tṛḍ-bhaya-śoka-mohāḥ ||

     “O King! Someone may think that loving devotion for the Lord will appear by him contemplating the stories of Śrī Hari without the association of sādhus, but that is extremely unlikely. Unlike other topics of discussion, this hari-kathā constantly flows like a stream of nectar in all directions from a gathering of sādhus. After settling in a place where sādhus reside, those who are sufficiently devoid of worldly engagement and who drink the nectar of hari-kathā with attentive ears cannot be touched by hunger, thirst, fear, lamentation or illusion.” Furthermore, that greed for hearing hari-kathā in the association of sādhus is the supreme goal of life. When Śrī Bhagavān wanted to give a boon to Pṛthu Mahārāja in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.20.24, Pṛthu replied,

na kāmaye nātha tad apy ahaṁ kvacin

na yatra yuṣmac-caraṇāmbujāsavaḥ |

mahattamāntar-hṛdayān mukha-cyuto

vidhatsva karṇāyutam eṣa me varaḥ ||

     “O Lord! I have no need for any kind of liberation wherein there is no nectar of your lotus feet flowing from the hearts of the great souls through their lips in the form of songs about your wonderful qualities. Please give me thousands of ears through which I can nourish my life by always hearing the stories of your virtues. This is the greatest boon for me.” By this it is understood that lobha or greed for hearing hari-kathā in the association of sādhus is the ultimate goal of life. 

     Then he says, moha iṣṭa-lābha bine. When a person’s desire for sense enjoyment or his attachment to the body and things related to it covers his self-knowledge, making him unable to understand matters of truth, that is called moha or illusion. The wise bhakti-sādhaka, in the absence of attaining Śrī Bhagavān or his direct sevā, accepts the resultant illusion or delusion as being caused by his separation from Bhagavān and engages it in bhajana. The purport is that by hearing about, glorifying and remembering Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the sādhaka receives transcendental joy. Within this joy, it is necessary that the sādhaka always feels anxiety or sorrow about his separation from Bhagavān or lack of the direct attainment of his goal. Otherwise, a state akin to self-satisfaction appears and delays his attainment of direct sevā. Just as by the union of a man and woman a child is produced, in the same way, if utkaṇṭhā or anxiety is joined with prema, darśana of Śrī Bhagavān is possible. Even though Śrī Rūpa, Sanātana, Raghunātha and the rest of the Six Gosvāmīs were direct associates of Śrīman Mahāprabhu, in the absence of attaining their object of desire, they have expressed such transcendental feelings of separation and anxiety. This is known by studying their biographies. Their powerful feelings of separation, anxiety, illusion and delusion regarding their object of desire have stood like the summit of Mt. Sumeru as an everlasting example for the bhakti-sādhakas of the world. If the diligent sādhaka accepts this enemy moha as an infirmity related to his feelings of separation from his beloved deity, then in a short time he can be blessed with the Lord’s darśana and sevā. 

     Finally he says, mada kṛṣṇa-guṇa-gāne. The meaning of the word mada is pride or vanity. This is extremely destructive to one’s bhakti. A proud or vain person is very far from Śrī Bhagavān. ahaṅkāra-nivṛttānāṁ keśava nahi dūragaḥ, ahaṅkāra-yutānāṁ hi madhye parvata-rāśayaḥ. “Keśava is very near to one who has given up self-conceit and mountain ranges away from an arrogant person.” But the intelligent bhakti-sādhaka who hasn’t yet destroyed his pride or vanity engages it by singing songs of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s qualities in great elation. (One meaning of the word mada is mattatā: intoxication, madness, great elation, state of being beside oneself.) The purport is that when the bhakta becomes intoxicated by singing songs about Kṛṣṇa’s qualities, he is very quickly blessed with the attainment of prema. Intoxication from singing about Kṛṣṇa is also described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 8.3.20 as being an ultimate goal of life,

ekāntino yasya na kañcanārthaṁ

vāñchanti ye vai bhagavat-prapannāḥ |

atyadbhutaṁ tac-caritaṁ sumaṅgalaṁ

gāyanta ānanda-samudra-magnāḥ ||

     In the context of his prayers to Śrī Bhagavān, Śrī Gajendra said, “O Lord! Those single-minded devotees who have taken shelter of your lotus feet desire nothing. By singing of the wonderful and auspicious pastimes of Śrī Hari, they become intoxicated and drown in the ocean of joy.”

     Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya is saying, “By employing kāma and the other enemies here and there in my bhagavad-bhajana, I shall accept them as aids to my sādhana rather than great impediments.” In the previous verse, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya resolved to engage the six enemies in various situations while performing his bhajana. He has ingeniously shown in a truly novel way the situations in which desire, anger, greed, illusion and pride can be employed in bhajana. But he can find no place for one of the six enemies: mātsarya or envy. When a person sees someone else’s excellent qualities but does not appreciate them or is unable to tolerate them, or he becomes morose when thinking about them, that is mātsarya. Even though Ṭhākura Mahāśaya has resolved to ascertain places for the six enemies, he has remained silent about the occurrence of envy. By this it must be understood that if one does not destroy this enemy mātsarya, he cannot attain any kind of eligibility for doing bhajana. Only sādhus who are free from envy are qualified for bhāgavata-dharma. In the beginning of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam we see, nirmatsarāṇāṁ satām (1.1.2). If even a faint presence of envy finds a place in one’s heart, one is deprived of the eligibility for bhakti. Therefore, there is no other way for the sādhaka than to expel this mātsarya from his heart. There is only one way to drive this greed from one’s heart and that is by showing kindness and sincere affection toward all. Understanding that Kṛṣṇa is in their hearts, one should give appropriate respect to all living entities. jībe sammāna dibe jāni kṛṣṇa-adhiṣṭhāna (CC. Antya 20.25).

Bhāvanā-Sāra-Saṅgrahaḥ, Prātaḥ 41

श्यामे! स मे सखि! ददौ न कलङ्कम् एवसत्यं कलानिधिरसाविति वः प्रतीतः ।

दत्ते कदापि मम दृष्टि-चकोरिका यैर्ज्योत्स्ना-कणं यदपि तन्न पुनर्निकामम् ॥ ४१ ॥

śyāme! sa me sakhi! dadau na kalaṅkam eva

satyaṁ kalānidhir asāv iti vaḥ pratītaḥ |

datte kadāpi mama dṛṣṭi-cakorikā yair

jyotsnā-kaṇaṁ yad api tan na punar nikāmam || 41 ||

     Rādhā: “Śyāmā! O friend, he has convinced all of you that he is the moon, but this is not true. To me his so-called artwork is nothing but a stain. Even if he sometimes gives a particle of moonlight to my cakora-like eyes, that’s still not enough to satisfy me.” (Kṛṣṇa-Bhāvanāmṛtam 3.25) 

Śrī Śrī Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 21 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

কাম ক্রোধ লোভ মোহ,        মদ মাৎসর্য দম্ভ সহ,

স্থানে স্থানে নিযুক্ত করিব ।

আনন্দ করি হৃদয়,        রিপু করি পরাজয়,

অনায়াসে গোবিন্দ ভজিব ॥ ২১ ॥

kāma krodha lobha moha,        mada mātsarya dambha saha,

sthāne sthāne niyukta kariba |

ānanda kari hṛdaya,        ripu kari parājaya,

anāyāse gobinda bhajiba || 21 ||

     Here and there I shall employ my lust, anger, greed, illusion, vanity, envy and pride. My heart will fill with joy, I will conquer those six enemies and I will worship Govinda without difficulty.

The Way to Subdue the Enemies

     Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā: Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya is now establishing the best way to subdue or control kāma and the other enemies that are powerful impediments to bhajana. kāma krodha lobha moha, mada mātsarya dambha saha, sthāne sthāne niyukta kariba. The best means for controlling these enemies, antagonistic to śrī-kṛṣṇa-bhajana, is to engage specific enemies in specific matters related to Śrī Kṛṣṇa. If the jñānīs, yogīs and other sādhakas don’t destroy kāma and the other enemies, they can never attain siddhi (success) by their respective sādhanas. Therefore, they endeavor to destroy those enemies by the practice of austerities and they work rigorously to subdue their senses. But the presiding deities of the senses reside in their respective gateways and are very fond of enjoyment; they don’t like severe renunciation or sense-repression at all. Therefore, when they see a powerful storm of worldly enjoyment coming, they force open the gates to the senses. When that intense storm of sense-enjoyment enters the heart of the jñānī, it extinguishes the lamp of knowledge situated there. Then the jñānī-sādhaka has no alternative but to again suffer in the worldly condition. Śrī Hari’s māyā is very strong; other than by taking shelter of his lotus feet or by receiving his mercy, no one can cross over it. It is impossible to escape by one’s own endeavor. daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā, mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te (Gītā 7.14). Śrī Bhagavān said to Arjuna, “This māyā of mine, composed of the three guṇas, enchants the jīva and is very difficult to transcend. But those who come to me for shelter are able to go beyond this ocean of illusion.” Those bhaktas who are sheltered at Śrī Bhagavān’s lotus feet are very clever. They know that one who is fond of rasa will want to have it. If those who are fond of the abominable rasa of the senses or are attached to sense enjoyment don’t get a taste of the higher rasa, they will never be able to give up their attraction for the lower rasa. Therefore, tad eva ramyaṁ ruciraṁ navaṁ navaṁ tad eva śaśvan manaso mahotsavam. The meaning is that when bhagavat-mādhurya-rasa comes in contact with the senses and mind, it is very pleasing, fresh at every moment and gives great joy to the heart and mind. Then the mind and senses abandon forever the desire for detestable or loathsome sense enjoyment and are blessed to be eternally submerged in the ocean of bhagavat-mādhurya-rasa. 

     The devotees who have taken shelter at Śrī Hari’s lotus feet ingeniously turn kāma, krodha and the other enemies into eager helpers for attaining Śrī Bhagavān. The enemies then give up their natural hostility toward Bhagavān, and by the mercy of the inconceivably powerful goddess of devotion, like iron being transformed into gold by the touch of the philosopher’s stone, they are spiritualized and become great helpers or best friends of the bhakta on the path of bhajana. If some adversary gives up his animosity and behaves like a great friend due to the nature of the recipient, time and place, does any intelligent person want to destroy that adversary? By the quality of the bhakta who is sheltered at the lotus feet of Śrī Bhagavān or by the quality of the bhakti in his heart,  the nature of these powerful enemies is also transformed. arer mitraṁ viṣaṁ pathyam adharmo dharmatāṁ vrajet, suprasanne hṛṣīkeśe viparīte viparyayaḥ. “When Śrī Hari is pleased with someone, that person’s enemies become his friends, poison becomes like nectar to him and gives him immortality, and unrighteousness becomes righteousness for him. Everything is reversed and all his actions become sevā.”

     Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya is therefore saying that we are bhaktas who have taken shelter of the lotus feet of Śrī Hari. Unlike the jñānīs and yogīs, we do not try to destroy desire, anger, greed, illusion, vanity, envy, pride and so on. Instead, we employ them in appropriate situations during service to Śrī Govinda; meaning, we shall utilize them in those situations where it is useful for śrī-hari-bhajana. In this way, if we can employ them in the proper circumstances, then we can truly defeat them. Through high-mindedness, we achieve real victory over these dangerous enemies.

     In ancient times, one powerful and wicked king heard of the good qualities of the ruler of a comparatively smaller neighboring kingdom. He was a righteous monarch and gave delight to his citizens. Out of envy, the wicked king defeated him and took possession of his kingdom. Because of this, the citizens became extremely agitated toward the wicked king and began to sing of the wonderful qualities of their deposed ruler. When the wicked king heard this, he became so disturbed that, burned by the fire of envy, he proclaimed that he would give a 100,000 coin reward to anyone who could cut off the head of the escaped king and bring it to him. When the escaped king heard this proclamation, he entered the forest and for his own protection disguised himself as an ascetic with beard, matted hair and so on to conceal his identity. 

     One day, a brāhmaṇa, who bore the responsibility to get his daughter married, went searching all around for the good king. He entered the forest and, as fate would have it, he asked the king, who was dressed as an ascetic, for news about the escaped king. The disguised king replied, “O brāhmaṇa! In hopes of obtaining some benefit, you are searching for that unfortunate king, but he is now a beggar who has given up his kingdom. How can he give you anything of value?” The brāhmaṇa said, “O great soul! If you have any information about him, please tell me. I have strong faith that no matter what circumstance he may be in, if I can meet with a most generous person like him, my need shall surely be removed.” Then the disguised king consoled the brāhmaṇa and took him to the royal court of the wicked king. He said to the king, “O Mahārāja! You have proclaimed that you will give a 100,000 coin reward to whomever brings you the head of a certain king. I am that king. Please cut off my head and give the reward to my companion, this poor brāhmaṇa. He must find a husband for his daughter.” Seeing the good king’s amazing virtue and extraordinary generosity, the wicked king became speechless. His heart was completely transformed. He knelt down before the good king and begged forgiveness for his own unjust behavior. He returned his kingdom to him and bound him forever with the rope of friendship. This is called true defeat of the wicked. 

     In this way, kāma and the other vices behave like dangerous enemies of the sādhaka. If the sādhaka engages them in śrī-kṛṣṇa-bhajana and blesses them with a taste of the nectar of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s sweetness, they will see the sādhaka’s amazing virtue and extraordinary generosity. They will be stunned, speechless in wonder, give up their animosity toward the sādhaka and behave like his great friend. Therefore, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya is saying that he will engage kāma and the other enemies in appropriate situations during śrī-kṛṣṇa-bhajana and ānanda kari hṛdaya, ripu kari parājaya, anāyāse gobinda bhajiba. When the enemies admit defeat and behave like great friends, the sādhaka experiences joy in his heart and mind and he easily attains success in śrī-kṛṣṇa-bhajana. The meaning is that just as materialistic actions are performed easily or in a natural way by a person attached to worldly pleasures, śrī-kṛṣṇa-bhajana will be easily and naturally performed by the sādhaka.

Bhāvanā-Sāra-Saṅgrahaḥ, Prātaḥ 40

राधे! कलानिधिरयं विधिनोपनीतस्त्वां सन्ततामृतमयैरधिनोत् कराग्रैः ।

यत्तत्कलाः स्वयमहो कुचयोर्विभर्षि विद्युन्निभत्व-परिवादमथापि दत्से ॥ ४० ॥

rādhe! kalā-nidhir ayaṁ vidhinopanītas

tvāṁ santatāmṛtamayair adhinot karāgraiḥ |

yat tat-kalāḥ svayam aho kucayor vibharṣi

vidyun-nibhatva-parivādam athāpi datse || 40 ||

     Śyāmalā replied, “Rādhā! That which you have criticized as being like lightning is actually a bright moon placed before you by Providence. The continuous falling of his ambrosial rays upon you makes you very happy. Indeed, you bear some of his crescent-shaped artwork upon your breasts right now!” (Kṛṣṇa-Bhāvanāmṛtam 3.24) 

Śrī Śrī Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 20 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

দেহে বৈসে রিপুগণ,        যতেক ইন্দ্রিয়গণ,

কেহ কার বাধ্য নাহি হয় ।

শুনিলে না শুনে কাণ,        জানিলে না জানে প্রাণ,

দঢ়াইতে না পারে নিশ্চয় ॥ ২০ ॥

dehe baise ripu-gaṇa,        yateka indriya-gaṇa,

keha kāra bādhya nāhi haya |

śunile nā śune kāṇa,        jānile nā jāne prāṇa,

daḍhāite nā pāre niścaya || 20 ||

  In the body reside six enemies, as many as the senses. No one can resist them. Even though hearing, the ear hears not. Even though knowing, the mind knows not. They are unable to have firm conviction.

Impediments to Bhajana

     Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā: In this verse, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya mentions the primary impediments to bhakti for a person eager to perform bhajana. Because of these impediments, people are unable to advance with firm steps on the path of bhakti, despite the fact that they understand the efficacy of bhajana and are aware of its true benefit to the self. For this reason, although having heard and understood everything, like fools they remain attached to the body and other sense objects, wasting their lives in a rare human body that is ideal for bhajana. These obstacles are now being discussed: dehe baise ripu-gaṇa, yateka indriya-gaṇa, keha kāra bādhya nāhi haya. Six enemies always dwell in the body: kāma (lust), krodha (anger), lobha (greed), moha (illusion), mada (vanity) and mātsarya (envy). People who have fallen into the ocean of worldly life are constantly being devoured by powerful sharks and crocodiles in the form of these six enemies. They are very forceful and extremely impetuous. When they pull a person’s senses toward the worldly forms, flavors and so on, the knowledge of the learned and the intelligence of the intelligent are completely paralyzed. People are unable to protect themselves with their own strength when being seized by these enemies. Śrī Arjuna asked Śrī Kṛṣṇa, atha kena prayukto’yaṁ pāpaṁ carati pūruṣaḥ, anicchann api vārṣṇeya balād iva niyojitaḥ (Gītā 3.36). “O Kṛṣṇa! By what in this world is one engaged in sinful acts, as though by force and against one’s will?” Śrī Kṛṣṇa replied, kāma eṣa krodha eṣa rajoguṇa-samudbhavaḥ, mahāśano mahāpāpmā viddhy enam iha vairiṇam (Gītā 3.37). “O Arjuna! It is desire and anger, born from the quality of rajas, which produces great activity in men. It is very difficult to be satisfied and extremely strong. It should be known as one’s enemy in this material world.” Some people understand the word kāma to mean the mutual desire of a woman and man to unite. No doubt, such a narrow meaning is also applied to the word kāma, but a more comprehensive meaning is desire or yearning for worldly pleasures. If this kāma is obstructed, it is converted into krodha, anger. Therefore, kāma and krodha are one and the same. Thus, in the śloka above, though the names of both are mentioned, the singular number has been used (enam). Not only krodha, but the other four enemies--lobha, moha, mada and mātsarya--are also transformations of kāma. If this desire becomes extremely attracted to the most enjoyable things or great wealth and power, it is called lobha or greed. Moreover, when this desire or yearning for sense objects causes a person to become attached to transitory or perishable things, he is not given the perception of his svarūpa or true nature; or in other words, his self-knowledge remains covered. This is called moha or illusion. When moha assumes the form of egotism wherein one thinks, “I am wealthy, I am honorable,” that is called mada or vanity. When one sees that others have more wealth and influence than he does, this egotism causes him to feel the pride in his own wealth, honor and so on to be diminished and a kind of agitation or intolerance arises in his mind. This is called mātsarya or envy, and is an extremely repugnant or detestable propensity of the heart and the greatest obstacle to bhakti or bhajana. A detailed explanation of this will come later. 

     In this way, the six enemies, which are powerful obstacles to sādhana-bhajana and self-knowledge, or the perception of the jīva’s own svarūpa as eternal servant of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, reside in this human body. They are situated within the jñānendriyas (organs of knowledge) and karmendriyas (organs of action). Service to Hṛṣīkeśa with these sense-organs is called bhakti. A clear explanation of this has been given in the commentary on the previous verse. Due to a person’s beginningless aversion to Śrī Kṛṣṇa, these sense-organs are by nature oriented toward the sense-objects. The eyes are engrossed in seeing the beautiful forms of the world; the ears are eager to hear the best worldly music, village gossip and so on; the tongue is greedy to taste the most delicious flavors; the nose is curious to smell the most pleasant aromas; the skin yearns for soft and pleasing contact. Like the jñānendriyas, the karmendriyas are similarly absorbed in enjoying their respective sense-objects. The speech is engaged in gossip or other such topics; the hands and feet are expert in performing worldly actions and the genitals are occupied with sexual intercourse. From beginningless time, the current of the senses of the jīva averse to Śrī Kṛṣṇa has been flowing in this way toward the sense objects. Moreover, the force of the jīva’s punishment by kāma and the other enemies in the body is extremely powerful. Because of the pummeling by those enemies, when one’s mind is attracted into the field of sense objects, even a discriminating person cannot resist the overpowering attraction. As a result, keha kāra bādhya nāhi haya. Kāma and the other enemies are irresistible to the senses, the senses are irresistible to the discriminating mind, and the mind is irresistible to the intellect. Like this, from time immemorial, these obstinate and willful enemies have continued a frenzied dance with the senses in the mind of the jīva.

     In the Gītā, Śrī Bhagavān said to Śrī Arjuna, indriyāṇi parāṇy āhur indriyebhyaḥ paraṁ manaḥ, manasas tu parā buddhir buddher yaḥ paratas tu saḥ. evaṁ buddheḥ paraṁ buddhvā saṁstabhyātmānam ātmanā, jahi śatruṁ mahābāho kāma-rūpaṁ durāsadam (3.42-43). “O Arjuna! It is said that the senses are superior to the body, the mind is superior to the senses, the intellect is superior to the mind and the ātmā is superior to the intellect. O powerful one! Knowing that the jīvātmā is greater than the intellect, use the self to free the self from doubt. In other words, by realizing one’s innate nature as eternal servant of Śrī Kṛṣṇa or understanding the body and senses to be mere illusory limitations, defeat this kāma, which is so difficult to overcome.” According to such words of the śāstras and the mahājanas, the jīva is the eternal servant of Śrī Kṛṣṇa and his sevā is one’s only duty. The body and all related to it are the temporary gifts of māyā; there is no connection between them and the jīva’s true nature. The establishment of egotism in the body and things related to it is the cause of bondage. By giving up such egotism, one is liberated though living. Even though hearing countless such instructions, it is as though the ear hears not; meaning that it runs instead toward news and so on about things other than Śrī Kṛṣṇa. In various ways, the mind accepts and rejects the mundane sense objects. Even after hearing and understanding all of these instructions, none of them vibrate in the heart. People with an unfocused mind and heart are unable to ascertain or realize with conviction the one supreme truth, Śrī Bhagavān, and bhakti, the one means to attain him. śunile nā śune kāṇa, jānile nā jāne prāṇa, daḍhāite nā pāre niścaya.