material responsibilities

One word used here is very significant-avicalendriyaḥ, which means that neither was he disturbed by the agitation of the senses nor was his sense power diminished, although in years he was a very old man. Since he ruled over the world for 36,000 years, naturally one may conclude that he became very, very old, but factually his senses were very young-and yet he was not interested in sense gratification. In other words, he remained self-controlled. He performed his duties perfectly according to the materialistic way. That is the way of behavior of great devotees. Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, one of the direct disciples of Lord Caitanya, was the son of a very rich man. Although he had no interest in enjoying material happiness, when he was entrusted to do something in managing the state, he did it perfectly. Srila Gaurasundara advised him, "From within, keep yourself and your mind completely aloof, but externally execute the material duties just as they need to be done." This transcendental position can be achieved by devotees only, as described in the Bhagavad-gita: while others, such as yogis, try to control their senses by force, devotees, even though possessing full sensory powers, do not use them because they engage in higher transcendental activities.    (More...)