“Of all the living entities who have accepted material bodies in this world, one who has been awarded this human form should not work hard day and night simply for sense gratification, which is available for the dogs and hogs that eat stool. One should engage in penance and austerity to attain the divine position of devotional service. By such activity, one’s heart is purified, and when one attains this position, he attains eternal, blissful life, which is transcendental to material happiness and which continues forever.” (SB 5.5.1)
Human life is meant for self-realization. Self-realization can be developed only from the platform of detachment from everything material. Shrila Prabhupada describes detachment as one of the characteristics of ecstatic love:
“The senses are always desiring sense enjoyment, but when a devotee develops transcendental love for Krishna, his senses are no longer attracted by material desires. This state of mind is called detachment. There is a nice example of this detachment in connection with the character of King Bharata. In the Fifth Canto, Fourteenth Chapter, Verse 43, of Shrimad-Bhagavatam it is stated, ‘Emperor Bharata was so attracted by the beauty of the lotus feet of Krishna that even in his youthful life he gave up all kinds of attachments to family, children, friends, kingdom, etc., as though they were untouchable stools.’
“Emperor Bharata provides a typical example of detachment. He had everything enjoyable in the world, but he left it. This means that detachment does not mean artificially keeping oneself aloof and apart from the allurements of attachment. Even in the presence of such allurements, if one can remain unattracted by material attachments, he is called detached. In the beginning, of course, a neophyte devotee must try to keep himself apart from all kinds of alluring attachments, but the real position of a mature devotee is that even in the presence of all allurements, he is not at all attracted. This is the actual criterion of detachment.” (NOD, Ch. 18)
To develop detachment, tapasya (austerity) and knowledge are necessary. “Tapasya (denial of material activities) is the first principle of spiritual life.” (SB 6.4.46) “If we purify our existence by tapasya, we can also do wonderful things by the grace of the Lord. Indeed, nothing is possible without tapasya. The more we engage in austerity the more we become powerful by the grace of the Lord.” (SB 6.4.50) “Tapasya means voluntary austerities performed for spiritual perfection.” (SB 3.12.4) “No one can become an advanced devotee without developing detachment, and to develop detachment, training in austerity is required. Voluntarily we have to accept things which may not be very comfortable for the body, but are conducive for self-realization. The smriti-shastra defines tapasya as ‘complete control of the mind and senses for their complete concentration on one kind of activity.’” (SB 6.1.13-14)
In civilized human life, three ashramas are meant purely for tapasya. Only in the grihastha-ashrama is a little sense enjoyment allowed. However, in Kali-yuga people cannot perform severe austerities as were practiced in bygone ages. Therefore Lord Chaitanya has mercifully introduced His sankirtana movement, which is transcendentally pleasing from the very beginning. Indeed, in Kali-yuga, if one overly stresses austerity without taking to sankirtana, his heart simply becomes hard and dry, like that of a Mayavadi. On the other hand, sense gratification must be given up. If one tries to enjoy transcendental bliss without a service mood, without discipline, and without giving up sense gratification, he becomes a sahajiya—an impostor devotee.
Detachment is automatically acquired by performing devotional service. (SB 1.2.7) So why are discipline and austerity necessary? The reason is that in the neophyte stage we are not fixed. Sometimes we feel like performing our devotional duties and sometimes we don’t. But sadhana-bhakti means that we must follow. For instance, we may not feel like rising for mangala-arati. But the stricture is there: we must get up. In this way the irrational mind is conquered. By submitting to the disciplinary process we are forced to do what is good for us, even if we don’t feel like doing it.
Advanced devotees are spontaneously fixed in pure devotional service and don’t need to accept austerity or discipline—although they usually do so anyway. But the vast majority of us are far below that level and should not foolishly think that we are free from maya’s attack. As soon as we think that we are safe, maya will smash us. So better to be as strict as possible in performing devotional service.
After all, austerity cannot be avoided. The karmis also have to undertake so many difficulties to maintain their standard of sense gratification. And the little austerity we do accept is insignificant compared to that of transcendentalists in previous ages, or even compared to many sadhus in India today. So if we find the austerities in devotional service difficult, we need not become disturbed. After all, the very meaning of austerity is “difficult.”
Shrila Prabhupada: “There is undoubtedly trouble in executing penance. But the trouble accepted in executing bhakti-yoga is transcendental happiness from the very beginning, whereas the trouble of penance in other processes of self-realization (jnana-yoga, dhyana-yoga, etc.) without any Vaikuntha realization, ends in trouble only and nothing more.” (SB 2.9.9)
Basic austerities for brahmacaris are: following all the rules and regulations of devotional life (rising early, taking only krishna-prasada, etc.); dedicating all our time and energy to work hard in Krishna’s service; (SB 9.4.26) living simply, accepting whatever living conditions are available without making elaborate arrangements for our comfort; living without sex and family life; and submitting to the order of the guru in all respects. Our whole life is austere: hard work, long hours, no pay, no privacy, no prestige, no sense gratification, and no holidays—pure bliss.
On top of this, we should try to minimize eating and sleeping. However, it is not our process to mortify the body as the yogis do. Artificial penances and austerities will not help. Sometimes devotees become enthusiastic to follow rigid observances for radically reducing eating and sleeping, but Shrila Prabhupada was more interested that his disciples accept the austerities involved in preaching than those of full Ekadashi fasting, rigid Caturmasya observance, or concocted austerities. Sometimes devotees embark on a program of drastic reduction of eating and sleeping, but such endeavors usually end in a massive meal and a long sleep. Better to be regulated, steady, sensible, and patient. Attainment of perfection in Krishna consciousness requires a sustained haul, not a passionate fling.
Austerities that do not help us to develop an attraction for Krishna are simply a waste of time, no matter how painstakingly performed. Shrama eva hi kevalam. (SB 1.2.8) Although the observance of certain austerities are required for those desiring success in devotional life, our movement is not puritanical. We stress the positive bliss of Krishna consciousness more than the apparently negative aspect of having to undertake many difficulties.
“We are trying to give as much happiness to our students as possible. Otherwise, unless one is happy, it is a little difficult, unless one is very advanced in Krishna consciousness. Therefore our policy is ‘yogo bhavati siddhi.’ ‘Yuktahara-viharasya yogo bhavati siddhi.’ We are yogis, but we are not that kind of yogi, unnecessarily giving trouble to the body. No. Yuktahara. You require to eat, and you eat. Don’t starve. Don’t unnecessarily fast. But don’t eat voraciously. That is bad. That is not yukta. You eat, but don’t eat voraciously. ‘Because there is something very palatable, let me eat voraciously.’ And then fall sick. And if you cannot digest, then you will sleep. You will sleep only. Therefore don’t eat more, but eat whatever is necessary.” (Lecture, 25/11/73)
Devotional service under the direction of a bona fide spiritual master is the only method of satisfying Krishna; there is no mechanical means of attaining Krishna consciousness. Although great advanced devotees like the six Gosvamis almost completely gave up eating and sleeping, we should not attempt to imitate them. After all, they were experiencing the highest transcendental bliss and were almost oblivious of their bodily condition. Shrila Prabhupada: “If we immediately try to become like Raghunatha dasa Gosvami by imitating him, we are sure to fail, and whatever progress we have made will be defeated.” (Path of Perfection, Chapter 4)
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