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12          BRAHMACARYA IN KÅÑËA CONSCIOUSNESS

                           SENSE GRATIFICATION


              “The idea that we can achieve happiness through the
          enjoyment of our senses, especially through that prototype of all
          pleasure, sex and sexual love, is an illusion which is perhaps the
          most deeply rooted and pervasive of all human convictions. With
          the disintegration of traditional religions and the official
          establishment of secular philosophies this illusion has gained the
          force of an obsession.” 26
              Sex desire is based on the touch sensation. It is the topmost
          pleasure in, and therefore the main binding force of, the material
          world. But there are five other senses also: the senses of seeing,
          smelling, tasting, hearing, and the mind. Any one of them can carry
          away the mind even of a man of discrimination who is endeavoring
          to control them. 27  Furthermore, “each sense has many desires to
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          be fulfilled.” The pull of the senses is very strong and dangerous.
              However, there is no real enjoyment in sense gratification. On
          the contrary, there is built-in pain in material pleasure. “Happiness
          derived from a combination of the senses and the sense objects is
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          always a cause of distress.” And, “as one’s body engages in sense
          gratification, it becomes weaker and weaker daily.” 30
              Real pleasure means Kåñëa consciousness, the happiness of
          the soul. The so-called pleasure of material life is simply an illusory
          construction of the mind.
              “As for the agitations of the flickering mind, they are divided
          into two divisions. The first is called avirodha-préti, or unrestricted
          attachment, and the other is called  virodha-yukta-krodha, anger
          arising from frustration. Adherence to the philosophy of the
          Mäyävädés, belief in the fruitive results of the  karma-vädés, and
          belief in plans based on materialistic desires are called avirodha-
          préti. Jïänés, karmés, and materialistic planmakers generally attract
          the attention of conditioned souls, but when the materialists
          cannot fulfill their plans and when their devices are frustrated,
          they become angry. Frustration of material desires produces
          anger.” 31
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