This path by which the living entity purifies his senses and uses them in the service of the Lord is none other than devotional service. Initially, the activities of his senses will be regulated by the spiritual master and the holy scriptures, and when he has reached the level of spiritual realization, when these same senses are purified, he will continue to act on this same path. In other words, in the beginning, the senses are used mechanically in the service of the Lord, but after the stage of spiritual realization, they are used with full knowledge.

Lord Krishna teaches that, from within, He gives to those who continually strive to serve Him with love and devotion the intelligence that enables them to progress in the path of devotional service. Thus encouraged, the holy being can never forget the Divine Personality, not even for a single moment. He always feels indebted to Him for having attained, through His grace, increased power in devotional service. Through this knowledge of the Lord, saintly beings like Sanaka, Sanatana, and Brahma were able to see the entire galaxy by His mercy. Even though a man appears to remain awake all day, until he develops spiritual vision within himself, he is in reality only sleeping. Whether he sleeps at night and performs his duties during the day does not alter the fact. Until he comes to act in full spiritual light, he is considered to be continually asleep. Therefore, a saint never forgets all that he owes to the Lord. The Lord is called “the friend of the unfortunate.” After spending countless lives in harsh austerities for knowledge, a man attains true knowledge and attains real wisdom when he surrenders to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Thus, a saintly being who has attained perfect knowledge can never forget what he owes to the Lord.

Let us awaken and resist “Maya,” the illusory energy of the Lord, which is akin to Satan.

Under the influence of material energy, beings incarnated and conditioned by matter become entangled in a thousand difficulties for the sole purpose of enjoying paltry material happiness. They engage in self-interested action without knowing the implications, effects, and consequences that will follow. Driven by the mistaken sense of being the body in which they reside, conditioned beings foolishly surround themselves with countless attachments, all illusory. They thus believe they can live perpetually in this material environment. This gross misunderstanding exerts such a hold over them that they continually suffer, life after life, prisoners of the external energy of the Lord, in its aspect of illusory energy, which thus seeks to compel beings to turn towards the Supreme Lord, so that they will eventually obey Him and do His divine will.