One frequent misunderstanding about spiritual life is to think that to walk through the spiritual path means to completely deny one’s senses and emotions: to stop eating palatable foods, to not travel anywhere, to suppress one’s feelings, and so on. We can see this idea permeating Buddhism and Christianity for example.
However, not only this is a very difficult process, but also one could question the practical result. To not eat, not feel, and not move seems more like the existence of a lifeless stone than of a Krsna’s associate.
If we study the Bhagavad-Gita, this process of mechanical sense control is described in the sixth chapter as part of the teachings about Ashtanga-yoga. We can see that Arjuna flatly rejects this process, arguing that it would be easier to stop the wind. Krsna then describes the bhakti process, which is not based on artificially denying one’s mind and senses but on engaging them in Krsna Conscious activities.
That’s exactly the main difference between the process of Bhakti Yoga and different processes of impersonal self-realization. Currently, we have two problems: the first is that we have a material body, that includes both the gross body and the subtle mind and intelligence. Because we identify with it, we are forced to continuously transmigrate between different material bodies, life after life. The second problem is that we currently have forgotten about our eternal relationship with Krsna. Prabhupada comments that we have a spiritual body even now, but due to our current situation, this spiritual body is undeveloped and covered by the material body.
Just denying one’s senses, desires and emotions can help one to become free from the material body, but it is a negative process that doesn’t help us to regain our eternal position as associates of Krsna. It can help to solve the first problem, but it does little to solve the second. Only when we apply the positive process of Krsna Consciousness can we solve both problems simultaneously and finally attain our eternal position as associates of Krsna.
The Bhakti process is not so much based on stopping one’s activities, but on connecting them with Krsna. In the Bhagavad-Gita, Arjuna is not encouraged to change his occupation, but instead to apply his natural tendencies in the service of Krsna. This is what makes the Bhagavad-Gita such an inclusive book: if Arjuna could advance spiritually even while fighting in a war, we can surely advance in any other circumstance.
In the bhakti process, one doesn’t have to stop eating palatable foods: he just needs to offer it to Krsna. He doesn’t have to stop working: he just needs to work for Krsna. One doesn’t have to leave his family, he just needs to connect his family life with Krsna. Once one acquires this devotional attitude and starts following the rules and regulations of the Bhakti process, all undesirable habits and activities automatically stop.
One may be attached to eating untouchable things like meat and eggs, but as soon as he understands that these things can’t be offered to Krsna, he may be able to easily stop and instead start using more sattvic ingredients.
People do eat palatable food in the spiritual world, the only difference is that food there is spiritual. If one eats prasadam, which is spiritualized food while living on this plane, what’s the difference? His eating is already perfect. Similarly, if one wants to travel and see different places and different people, he may travel to all holy places and meet all the saintly people who live there. In this way, he can satisfy his desire to travel and at the same time progress in the spiritual path.
Even one’s sexual desire can be used in Krsna’s service, by starting a family and begetting a few children who can be educated to be devotees of Krsna.
Of course, there is always a danger that one may start to just unrestrictedly enjoy his senses, cynically avoiding the rules and regulations, but as long as one is sincere the process works.
Often we may think that to be a devotee means to follow a specific culture and specific codes of dress and behavior. While there are indeed habits and codes of behavior that are more favorable to our practice, these are secondary. The process of Bhakti is not something limited to a specific culture but is a universal process that can be easily applied to all cultures and ways of life.