If you want to control the senses, you have to control the tongue first of all. Then you will be able to control other senses very easily. So you give tongue the engagement of chanting Hare Krishna, and for tasting Krishna prasadam you'll find that your other senses are already controlled.

To Eat or Not to Eat

Controlling the senses - not exactly by restraining but by re-training

PRABHUPADA: Our position is, we are constituted of this body. Body means the senses and the controller of the senses or the, what is called, driver, driver of the senses, is the mind. And mind is conducted, thinking, feeling, and willing, the psychology, the science of psychology, that is being conducted under intelligence. And above the intelligence, I am sitting. I am a spirit soul. So how we become victim of this maya, that is described here, that from anger, delusion arises, and from delusion, bewilderment of memory. Bewilderment memory. I have forgotten completely that I am not this body, I am spirit soul, aham brahmasmi; I am part and parcel of the Supreme Brahman, spirit, absolute whole. That I have forgotten. And when memory is bewildered, and as soon as I forget that I am spirit soul, I identify myself with this material world, illusion. Intelligence is lost. I should have used my intelligence to conduct the activities of the mind – thinking, feeling and willing – and because my mind is not controlled, my senses are not controlled, therefore I am fallen. This is the analysis of the whole bodily construction. [To student:] Go on.

TAMAL KRSNA: [Reads:]

Text 64: "One who can control his senses by regulative principles and who is free from attachment and aversion can attain the mercy of God."

PRABHUPADA: Yes. We have fallen down. How we have fallen down? Fallen down to the platform of sense enjoyment. Therefore you have to begin rising up from the senses, controlling of the senses. That is the way of self-realization. Either you practice yoga or practice bhakti, devotional service, the beginning is to control the senses. So the yogis and other methods, they are trying to control the senses by force. "I shall go to the Himalayas. I shall not see any more beautiful woman. I shall close down my eyes." These are forceful. You cannot control your senses. There are many instances. You don't require to go to Himalaya. You just remain in Los Angeles city and engage your eyes to see Krishna, you are more than a person who has gone to Himalayas. You'll forget all other things. This is our process. You don't require to change your position. You engage your ears for hearing Bhagavad-gita As It Is, you'll forget all nonsense. You engage your eyes to see the beauty of the Deity, Krishna. You engage your tongue for tasting Krishna prasadam. You engage your legs to come to this temple. You engage your hands to work for Krishna. You engage your nose to smell the flowers offered to Krishna. Then where your senses will go? He's captivated all round. The perfection is sure. You don't require to control your senses forcibly, don't see, don't do it, don't do it. No. You have to change the engagement, the status. That will help you. Go on.

TAMAL KRSNA: [Reads:]

Purport: "It is already explained that one may externally control the senses by some artificial process, but unless the senses are engaged in the transcendental service of the Lord there is every chance of a fall. Although a person in full Krishna consciousness may apparently be on the sensual plane, actually, because of his being Krishna conscious, he has no attachment to or detachment from such sensual activities. The Krishna conscious person is concerned only with the satisfaction of Krishna and nothing else. Therefore he is transcendental to all attachment or detachment. If Krishna wants, the devotee can do anything which is ordinarily undesirable, and if Krishna does not want, he will not do anything which he would have ordinarily done for his own satisfaction. Therefore to act or not to act is within his control because he acts only under the dictation of Krishna. This consciousness is the causeless mercy of the Lord which the devotee can achieve in spite of his being attached to the sensual platform."

Text 65: "For one who is so situated, the threefold miseries of material life exist no longer. In such a happy state one's intelligence is steady."

Text 66: "One who is not in transcendental consciousness can have neither a controlled mind nor steady intelligence, without which there is no possibility of peace, and how can there be any happiness without peace?"

PRABHUPADA: Everyone in this material world, they are after peace, but they don't want to control the senses. It is not possible. Just like you are diseased, and doctor says that "You take this medicine, you take this diet," but you cannot control. You are taking anything you like, against the instruction of the physician. Then how you can be cured? Similarly, we want cure of the chaotic condition of this material world, we want peace and prosperity, but we are not ready to control the senses. We do not know how to control the senses. We do not know the real yogic principle of controlling the senses. So there is no possibility of peace. Kutah shantir ayuktasya. The exact word is there in the Bhagavad-gita. If you are not engaged in Krishna consciousness, there is no possibility of peace. Artificially, you may try for it. It is not possible. Go on.

TAMAL KRSNA: [Reads:]

Text 67: "As a boat on the water is swept away by a strong wind, even so, one of the senses in which the mind becomes fixed can carry away a man's intelligence."

PRABHUPADA: Yes. If you... Suppose on the Pacific Ocean you are on a boat or on a nice seat, but if you have no controlling capacity, one wave of that Pacific Ocean can immediately bring you to the bottom of the sea. So this is required. We are in the midst of the Pacific Ocean of this mayika [illusory] world. Samsara-samudra. It is called samudra. So at any moment our boat can be topsy-turvied if we have no controlling power. Yes.

TAMAL KRSNA: [Reads:]

Text 68: "Therefore, O mighty armed, one whose senses are restrained from their object is certainly of steady intelligence."

PRABHUPADA: Yes. Now, one whose sense are restrained... This human life is meant for restraining the senses. Tapah. This is called tapasya, penance. Suppose I am habituated to some type of sense gratification. Now, I take to Krishna consciousness. My spiritual master or the scripture says, "Don't do this." So in the beginning, I may feel some inconvenience, but if you can tolerate that, that is tapasya. That is tapasya. Tapasya means I am feeling some inconvenience, bodily, but I am tolerating. That is called tapasya. And this human form of life is meant for that tapasya. Not that because my senses are demanding this satisfaction, I shall immediately offer. No. I shall train myself in such a way that my senses may demand, "My dear sir, give me this facility," I will say, "No. You cannot have." This is called gosvami or svami. At the present moment, everyone, we are, we have made our svami, or master, the senses, and when you actually become the master of the senses, then you are svami or gosvami. That is the significance of svami and gosvami. It is not the dress. One who has controlling power, one who is not dictated by the senses, one who is not servant of the senses. My tongue is dictating, "Please take me to that restaurant and eat sticks." What is that sticks?

DEVOTEE: Steak.

PRABHUPADA: Steak? What is that spelling?

DEVOTEE: S-t-e-a-k.

PRABHUPADA: So anyway... Or that fried chicken. Yes. So tongue is dictating me. But if you can control your tongue, "No. I'll give you sweetballs. Don't go there." Then you'll become master of the senses. You see? The others are trying that "Don't go there," only. That is impossible. The tongue must have something beautiful. Otherwise it is not possible. That is artificial. If the tongue, you give him something more beautiful than this fried chick or stick or this or that, it will stop. That is the policy. Our policy is that. We can give that, what is called, casein [fresh cheese] fried with rice. How nice it is. He'll forget meat-eating. So this is the policy, Krishna consciousness. All the senses should be supplied something. Not artificially stop it. That is not possible. That is not possible. Others, they are simply trying artificially to stop the function of the senses. No. That is not possible. Our policy is tat-paratvena nirmalam [Chaitanya-charitamrita Madhya 19.170]. You can purify the activities of the senses, being engaged in Krishna consciousness. Then senses will not disturb you. If you want to control the senses, you have to control the tongue first of all. Then you will be able to control other senses very easily. So you give tongue the engagement of chanting Hare Krishna, and for tasting Krishna prasadam you'll find that your other senses are already controlled. This is the key of controlling our senses, the tongue. And if you give privilege and indulgence to the tongue, you'll never be able to control other senses. This is the secret of controlling senses.