Gita 02.44 – Prevent attachment from abducting consciousness by intelligence and taste
bhogaiśvarya-prasaktānāṁ
tayāpahṛta-cetasām
vyavasāyātmikā buddhiḥ
samādhau na vidhīyate (Bg 2.44)
Word-for-word:
bhoga — to material enjoyment; aiśvarya — and opulence; prasaktānām — for those who are attached; tayā — by such things; apahṛta-cetasām — bewildered in mind; vyavasāya-ātmikā — fixed in determination; buddhiḥ — devotional service to the Lord; samādhau — in the controlled mind; na — never; vidhīyate — does take place.
Translation:
In the minds of those who are too attached to sense enjoyment and material opulence, and who are bewildered by such things, the resolute determination for devotional service to the Supreme Lord does not take place.
Explanation:
bhogaiśvarya-prasaktānāṁ: Those who are strongly attached to sense enjoyment and material opulence,
tayāpahṛta-cetasām: whose consciousness is abducted by such attachment,
vyavasāyātmikā buddhiḥ: one-pointed intelligence
samādhau na vidhīyate: does not develop in divine absorption or realization of the Supreme Spiritual Truth.
Kṛṣṇa emphasizes here that if you want to pursue the transcendental path, you must give up attachment to bhoga and aiśvarya—sensual indulgence and material opulence.
Why does He say this? Because in this world, there are two major sources of pleasure—or at least what are considered to be great sources of pleasure. One is wealth, and the other is sex.
Hiraṇyakaśipu—his very name embodies both of these. Hiraṇya means gold, a timeless symbol of wealth, and kaśipu refers to a bed, representing sensual pleasure. Hiraṇyakaśipu was someone who delighted in wealth and sensual enjoyment—bhoga and aiśvarya. Bhoga corresponds to kaśipu, and aiśvarya to hiraṇya. These two—wealth and sensual pleasure—promise enjoyment but ultimately ensnare and trap our consciousness at the material level.
Sense gratification primarily revolves around sex, although there are other forms as well. However, sex remains the central focus. When one is attached to it, the consciousness becomes trapped at the material level, making it difficult to rise to a higher state of awareness. Such attachment prevents one from thinking beyond immediate pleasures and aspiring for something higher.
It is like a person sitting in a room where a movie is playing. If they become engrossed in the movie, they remain unaware of everything else in the room, even though other things are present. In a movie theater, once the film begins, the surrounding lights dim, the screen lights up, and the person becomes completely absorbed—lost in the illusion of the movie, oblivious to everything else.
Likewise, our consciousness is abducted (tayāpahṛta-cetasām) when we become attached to the romance, violence, adventure, history, or whatever unfolds in the movie. This attachment makes us oblivious to everything else because our awareness gets lost or trapped within the movie.
Similarly, when we remain engrossed in worldly opulence and sensual indulgence, our consciousness becomes confined to the body, dragged along with its desires and experiences. As a result, vyavasāyātmikā buddhiḥ—one-pointed intelligence—does not arise.
As sādhakas, we all have desires, and we cannot simply wish them away. However, we can choose not to desire those desires. Later in this chapter (2.70), Kṛṣṇa uses the term kāma-kāmī to describe one who longs for desires.
Here, the abduction of our consciousness (tayāpahṛta-cetasām) occurs when we open the door for these attachments to enter. Those attachments always exist. Whenever we become attached to something, the corresponding desires or cravings linger nearby, just outside the door of our consciousness. The moment we become idle and start longing for the promises of pleasure, these desires rush in, making them almost irresistible. They take over our consciousness, pulling us toward them and keeping us bound.
The key is not to open our consciousness to them. We acknowledge their presence, but we also recognize that indulging in them is undesirable. Therefore, we choose not to act on them. Once we make this resolve and sincerely strive to uphold it, we realize that temptations may come and go, but we remain steady—we do not get carried away.
This does not mean that we become physically motionless. While the struggle with temptation may initially leave us in a weakened or wounded state, we must remember that Kṛṣṇa is stronger than any temptation, any conditioning, and any illusion. No matter what happens, He is always there for us.
Having faith in Kṛṣṇa’s omnipotence doesn’t just mean believing that He is all-powerful and can do anything. Often, we think of His omnipotence in terms of extraordinary feats—like lifting Govardhana Hill. But it also means that He can lift away the burdens we cannot remove on our own. He can free us from attachments and obstacles that feel insurmountable.
Attachments can be very difficult to overcome, but Kṛṣṇa helps us in two ways—first by giving us intelligence, and then by giving us higher taste. Intelligence comes through careful scriptural study. The scriptures themselves are a gift from Kṛṣṇa, and the understanding we gain when we study them in the association of guru and sādhu is also His gift. Through this understanding, we begin to see the futility of material enjoyment and the glory of spiritual fulfillment.
The more we intellectually grasp this, the more it weakens our impulse to chase sense objects and strengthens our desire to pursue Kṛṣṇa and bhakti.
Furthermore, as we steadily practice bhakti, we begin to develop a higher taste. We start relishing devotional activities and gradually realize—through experience—that the fulfillment derived from them far surpasses even the highest pleasures of the senses.
We also realize that Kṛṣṇa is our ultimate source of pleasure. No longer do we allow our consciousness to be abducted by our attachments. The objects that once enticed us may still be present, but we recognize that our consciousness is a treasure—not something to be scattered or squandered on fleeting pleasures. Instead, when we conscientiously offer our consciousness to Kṛṣṇa, it brings us true fulfillment—the greatest happiness.
Just as a mother protects her child and does not allow them to wander into danger where they might be abducted, she also trains the child to recognize and avoid such risks. Similarly, our intelligence is like the mother, and our mind is like the child.
When our intelligence becomes strong, it guides the mind: Do not go in these directions. Do not be drawn toward bhoga and aiśvarya. With this firm guidance, the mind gradually learns to stay on the right path.
This does not mean that we must completely reject enjoyment or opulence, but rather that we do not allow them to entangle us. We use them as necessary for our existence in this world and for our service to Kṛṣṇa. However, beyond that, we do not harbor the illusion that they will bring us true happiness. We know that nothing except Kṛṣṇa can truly make us happy.
A child may initially be tempted by a chocolate offered by a stranger, but as he grows, he realizes: ‘This stranger is not my well-wisher; he intends to harm me and take me away from my loved ones under the pretense of giving me a treat.’ Understanding this danger, the child refuses the chocolate.
Similarly, as our spiritual understanding deepens, we recognize that worldly pleasures, though tempting, can entrap us and distance us from Kṛṣṇa. With this awareness, we no longer fall for their illusion.
Likewise, when we realize that these temptations pull us away from our greatest loved one—Kṛṣṇa—we learn to resist them.
By cultivating both intelligence and higher taste, we can overcome our attachments and safeguard our consciousness, keeping it dedicated to Kṛṣṇa’s service.
Thank you.
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