Today I have got this body, Indian; tomorrow I may get American, next birth . . . tomorrow means next birth. Next birth another, next birth another, next birth another—it is going on, going on. There is no stoppage, this transmigration of the soul. But so long you do not stop it, there is no question of being freed from sufferings.
They do not know it. They are thinking they are advancing. What advancement you have made? These sufferings are there—birth, death, old age and disease. You cannot stop it. Ā-brahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ (BG 8.16), and even you go to this moon planet or to the highest planet, these four things will follow. So therefore sense gratification must be stopped. But if you want to stop it artificially it is impossible, neither by this yoga process, neither by this jñāna process. Simply for the time being you can check.
Just like a naughty boy. By force, you can stop him acting mischievously. But as soon as he gets opportunity, again he will act so. Similarly, senses are very strong. You cannot stop them artificially. Therefore the only remedy is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. These boys in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, this is also sense gratification—eating nice prasādam, dancing, chanting, reading philosophy—but it is in connection with Kṛṣṇa. That is the significance. Nirbandhaḥ kṛṣṇa-sambandhe 'Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.255).
It is the sense gratification of Kṛṣṇa. Not directly, but because I am part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, my senses are automatically satisfied. This process should be adopted.
Artificially . . . this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is an art of living by which you will feel your senses are fully satisfied, but you are going to be free next life. This is the nice process. And artificially if you want to stop your senses, you will fail. That Kṛṣṇa says, "One who restrains the sense and organs of action but whose mind dwells on sense objects."
Just like Viśvāmitra Muni. There were many instances. He was a great king, and he wanted to be yogī. And he went to forest, gave up his kingdom, went to forest. And he was meditating very seriously, and Indra, king of heaven, he sent some society girls of heavenly planet, Menakā. And she came. She began to dance before the closed-eyes yogī, and as soon as he heard, "Oh, there is very nice female voice and dancing," and as soon as he opened, he became captivated, embraced her. So everything gone. You see?
So sense gratification, you cannot stop artificially. Nirbandhaḥ kṛṣṇa-sambandhe. Therefore we advised our students, either boys and girls, that if you have . . . of course, if you are serious in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, you forget all these nonsense sense gratification. But still if you are disturbed, all right, get yourself married. Live peacefully, husband and wife, and both be engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Gradually, you'll forget, both husband and wife. Don't try artificially. Artificially you'll never be successful.
But if you can avoid it by advance and strong Kṛṣṇa consciousness . . . just like Haridāsa Ṭhākura. But don't try to imitate Haridāsa Ṭhākura. His stage was different. We cannot imitate. We can simply follow. Anukaraṇa, anusaraṇa—there are two Sanskrit words. One is imitation, and one is following the footprints. If one tries to follow the footprints of great personalities, that is very nice, but we cannot imitate. Imitate . . . imitation is dangerous.
Just like Lord Śiva, he drank an ocean of poison and he kept it on the throat. He did not allow to go down. So therefore his name is Nīlakaṇṭha. It became bluish. His neck is blue. But if somebody imitates Lord Śiva and indulges intoxication, gāñjā, he'll go to hell. He is powerful. Somebody says: "Well, Lord Śiva is a smoker, so we can also smoke." No. You cannot imitate. You can simply follow.