Verse 2.59

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verse 2.59:

विषया विनिवर्तन्ते निराहारस्य देहिनः ।
रस-वर्जं रसोऽप्य् अस्य परं दृष्ट्वा निवर्तते ॥ ५९ ॥

viṣayā vinivartante nirāhārasya dehinaḥ |
rasa-varjaṃ raso'py asya paraṃ dṛṣṭvā nivartate || 59 ||

viṣayāḥ–the sense objects; vinivartante–are forcibly restrained; nirāhārasya–for who practices sense-restraint such as fasting; dehinaḥ–for an ignorant person in the bodily concept of life; rasa-varjam–devoid of taste (for sense objects); rasaḥ–(there is) a taste; api–however; asya–for such a person of fixed intelligence; param–of Paramātmā (the Supersoul); dṛṣṭvā–having seen or realized; nivartate–refrains.

He who identifies himself with his body may restrict his enjoy-ment by withdrawing the senses from their objects, but his taste for sense pleasure remains. One whose intelligence is fixed, however, has realized Paramātmā; therefore, his taste for sense objects automatically ceases.

Commentary: Sārārtha-Varṣiṇī Ṭīkā

(By Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura; the innermost intention of the commentary named ‘the shower of essential meanings’)

If one raises a doubt that even foolish or less intelligent persons may become detached from the objects of their senses by fasting or through sickness, Śrī Bhagavān answers in this verse beginning with viṣayāḥ. The word rasa-varjam implies that such persons do not become free from the desire for sense objects. Rather, their taste for sense objects persists. Yet one who is of fixed intelligence ceases to desire sense objects because he has direct realization of Paramātmā. There is no flaw in this definition. Those who are able to realize the self are perfected souls, or siddhas. They are not practitioners, or sādhakas.

Commentary: Sārārtha-Varṣiṇī Prakāśikā-vṛtti

(By Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja; the explanation that illuminates the commentary named Sārārtha-varṣiṇī)

Sometimes an ordinary per-son restricts his senses because of disease, or because he is practising haṭha-yoga and fasting. Still the desire to enjoy the sense objects remains in his heart. It is impossible to eliminate this desire without devotion to Śrī Bhagavān.

In this regard, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura writes as follows: “The practice of ceasing to indulge in the objects of the senses through the process of fasting from them is only for extremely unintelligent people. This practice is followed by those who identify the self with the body. The eightfold yoga system, known as aṣṭāṅga-yoga, also provides an opportunity for those who are less intelligent to become renounced from sense objects, by engaging in the practices of yama and niyama (regulative principles), asana (postures), prāṇāyāma (breathing exercises) and pratyāhara (sense control). This process is not acceptable for one who is sthita-prajña, fixed in the Absolute Truth. After directly seeing the beauty of the Supreme Truth Śrī Bhagavān, one who is sthita-prajña becomes attracted to Him and gives up all attachment to ordinary sense objects. There is provision for extremely unintelligent persons to withdraw their senses from sense objects by the process of fasting, yet the jīvas cannot attain their eternal auspiciousness without the process of spontaneous devotion, or rāga-mārga. When a person comes to the platform of rāga, or attachment to Kṛṣṇa, he has realization of a sense object that is superior to all others, and thus he naturally gives up inferior pleasures.”