In next verse He says but this alone is not enough.
BG 2.59
SYNONYMS
vishayah — objects for sense enjoyment; vinivartante — are practiced to be refrained from; niraharasya — by negative restrictions; dehinah — for the embodied; rasa–varjam — giving up the taste; rasah — sense of enjoyment; api — although there is; asya — his; param — far superior things; drishtva — by experiencing; nivartate — he ceases from.
TRANSLATION
The embodied soul may be restricted from sense enjoyment, though the taste for sense objects remains. But, ceasing such engagements by experiencing a higher taste, he is fixed in consciousness.
Vishaya vinivartante, vishaya, sense object, vinivartante, to draw away from, to stay from, niraharasya dehinah. So generally, we use the word “ahar” for food, but for the conditioned soul, these sense objects are like food. And when one doesn’t get the sense object, one feels as if I am not getting any “ahar,” I am not getting any food at all. So if we are fasting, we feel agitated, “I want food, I want food.” So like that, the eyes are hungry, “I want to see something”; ears are hungry, “I want to hear something”; like that, all the senses are hungry. It is like “ahar” for them, but this “ahar” is not actually an essential “ahar.” Many times we mistake the irresistible to be essential, but irresistible is not necessarily essential. What is the difference between the two? An alcoholic thinks that alcohol is irresistible. Yes, for the addict, at that particular time, alcohol may seem irresistible. But just because something is irresistible doesn’t make it essential. Essential is that without which we cannot survive. So food, water, sleep, these are things without which we can’t survive. We need all these for our survival, but nobody needs alcohol for survival, although one may subjectively feel that one may need it.
So there is a difference between the subjective feeling of necessity and the objective fact of necessity. Most of the time, we fail with our struggle of sense object because we mistake the subjective feeling of necessity to be the objective fact of necessity. So when a person is overwhelmed by lust, that time he feels that “I need this,” but actually one doesn’t need it. So as long as an alcoholic is in the need of addiction, the alcoholic thinks that “I need alcohol.” But when the same alcoholic undergoes therapy and gets cured, that time he understands that he doesn’t need alcohol. Similarly, what seemed irresistible to us when we are in the mode of passion and ignorance, as we come to the mode of goodness and move towards transcendence, we realize that “I don’t need this.” That is how we become purified from that craving, from that feeling of necessity. However, here Krishna is talking about a person who is feeling it is niraharasya, no, I cannot live without this, niraharasya dehinah, rasa-varjam. One has stopped indulging in it, but still raso ‘py asya, one feels it, “I need, I cannot live without this.” And what is the solution to that? Param drishtva nivartate. Only when a person gets a higher taste. This is a very interesting concept because Srila Prabhupada’s standard translation is ‘higher taste,’ but if we see what Krishna is using the word here, it is drishtva.
So Param is transcendental or higher or spiritual. Now, “drishtva” is with respect to vision; it is not with respect to taste. “Drishti” means sight, and “drishtva” means vision. So, “param drishtva nivartate” – the verse started with “vinivartante” – one gives it up, but one still wants it. However, “nivartate” means one gives it up but no longer wants it. So, “param drishtva” has a literal meaning as higher vision, a higher perception. So why has Srila Prabhupada translated it as higher taste? Actually, the experience of spiritual happiness is “Ati-Indriyam.” It is described in the Samadhi verse in the 6th chapter (6.20 to 6.23) that actually the happiness is “sukham ātyantikaṁ yat tad, buddhi-grāhyam atīndriyam” – it is perceived through consciousness, through intelligence, and it is beyond the senses. So, the happiness of Krishna consciousness is actually beyond the senses; it is a transcendental happiness. So that transcendental happiness is perceived through the senses. Yes, the senses can be gateways. We may take prasadam, we may take darshan of Deities, we may sing the holy names. So, the senses may be the gateways for pleasure/happiness, but the senses are not the primary source. The source of happiness is ultimately Krishna, and the experience of Krishna is not just sensory; it is trans-sensory. It is actually a spiritual experience. The experience may be initiated by the chanting of the holy names, but the experience culminates with the contact of the soul with Krishna. So Srila Prabhupada is giving the pointer towards this trans-sensory aspect of the higher taste of remembrance of Krishna when he says higher taste. So we understand that when he says higher taste, it is not something which we taste with our tongue. And this higher “param drishtva” is not something which we perceive with our eyes; it is actually experiential. We may experience it with our eyes, we may experience it with our tongue, or we may experience it in the core of our heart without using these senses also. Either way, it is the experience of the heart; it is a higher, richer experience. Krishna in this verse does not explicitly tell what that experience is. He will tell as the BG flows; He will give one hint of that in 2.61. But here, He tells the general principle that only when we experience a higher happiness can we become peaceful. Otherwise, if we try to restrain ourselves, it will just be self-torture. No matter how much we try, we will simply feel as if we are torturing ourselves. So many people feel that giving up material pleasure is deprivation. In fact, there are some people, especially in modern times but always, who consider that celibacy is extremely unnatural because they say that it is natural for a person to enjoy the senses, and to deprive oneself is unnatural and undesirable. But that all comes because people don’t experience a higher happiness.
Now, it is true that if a person is deprived of pleasure, they can experience some psychosis or mental problems. However, we also observe that there are many people who indulge in pleasure and still face problems. In fact, there is a whole field of sexology dedicated to giving advice on sex and relationships and promoting better sexual experiences, yet many people still experience depression despite engaging in these activities. Whether a person indulges in pleasure or denies themselves, there are inherent problems at the material level. Ultimately, one needs to elevate their consciousness to a spiritual level.
Of course, if one chooses restraint over indulgence, they will likely have fewer problems. However, if this restraint is devoid of a higher taste or purpose, it is best to constantly struggle with self-repression. Otherwise, these repressed desires can manifest in unhealthy ways later on. The important point is that restraint is just the beginning; it should not be the end. We can say ‘no’ to the negative aspects of life so that we can say ‘yes’ to the positive. If we are only saying ‘no’ to the negative without experiencing any positive, it can become a form of self-torture.
In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna emphasizes the importance of sense control in one verse and immediately follows it by stating that if we want stability, we must also cultivate positive experiences. This same message is conveyed in the next verse, where Krishna warns that one is in great danger if they lack the positive.
In summary, pleasure deprivation can lead to mental problems, but indulgence in pleasure also comes with its own set of issues. Whether one chooses indulgence or denial, there are material level problems. Ultimately, raising one’s consciousness to a spiritual level is crucial. Restraint is important, but it should be accompanied by a higher taste or purpose. Saying no to the negative is necessary, but we must also say yes to the positive to achieve stability and avoid self-torture.
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