Here, at the beginning of Devahutis questionings, the word asad-indriya-tarsanat is significant. Asat means impermanent, temporary, indriya means senses, and tarsanat refers to agitation. Thus asad-indriya-tarsanat means from being agitated by the temporarily manifest senses of the material body. We are evolving through different species of material bodily existencesometimes in a human body, sometimes in an animal bodyand therefore the engagements of our material senses are also changing. Anything which changes is called temporary, or asat. We should know that beyond these temporary senses are our permanent senses, which are now covered by the material body. The permanent senses, being contaminated by matter, are not acting properly. Devotional service, therefore, involves freeing the senses from this contamination. When the contamination is completely removed and the senses act in the purity of unalloyed Krsna consciousness, we have then attained sad-indriya, or eternal sense activities. Eternal sensory activities are called devotional service, whereas temporary sensory activities are called sense gratification. Unless one becomes tired of material sense gratification, there is no opportunity to hear transcendental messages from a person like Kapila. Devahuti expressed that she was tired. Now that her husband had left home, she wanted to get relief by hearing the instructions of Lord Kapila.

The Vedic literatures describe this material world as darkness. Actually it is dark, and therefore we require sunlight, moonlight and electricity. If it were not by nature dark, why would we require so many arrangements for artificial light? The Vedas enjoin that we should not remain in darkness: tamasi ma jyotir gama. We are instructed to go to the light, and that light is the spiritual world, which is directly lighted by the effulgence, or bodily rays, of Krsna. As stated in Brahma-samhita (5.40):

Animals have no ability to know that they are in darkness, but human beings can know. Like Devahuti, an intelligent person should become disgusted with the darkness of ignorance. Na hanyate hanyamane sarire. As stated in Bhagavad-gita (2.20), there is neither birth nor death for the soul. The soul is not destroyed when the body is annihilated. The soul puts bodies on and takes them off like clothes. This simple knowledge is instructed in the beginning of Bhagavad-gita, yet there are many big scholars and leaders who still cannot understand that the body is different from the person. This is because they do not study Bhagavad-gita in the proper way. Consequently no one is fully aware or convinced that the real person is not the body. This is called darkness, and when one is disgusted with this darkness, human life begins.

One who has become disgusted with material existence needs the instructions of a guru. Tasmad gurum prapadyeta jijnasuh sreya uttamam [SB 11.3.21]. Being the wife of a great yogi, Devahuti understood her constitutional position; therefore she is placing her problem before her son, Kapiladeva, an incarnation of God. Although Kapiladeva is her son, Devahuti does not hesitate to take instructions from Him. She does not say, Oh, He is my son. What can He tell me? I am His mother, and I shall instruct Him. Instruction has to be taken from one who is in knowledge. It doesnt matter what his position is, whether he is a son, a boy, a sudra, brahmana, sannyasi or grhastha. One should simply learn from one who knows. That is Caitanya Mahaprabhus instruction. Although Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself was a brahmana and a sannyasi, He took instructions from Ramananda Raya, who was a sudra and grhastha but nonetheless, very exalted spiritually. When Caitanya Mahaprabhu saw that Ramananda Raya was hesitant to give instructions, the Lord said, Why are you hesitating? Although you are a grhastha and are born in a sudra family, I am prepared to take lessons from you.

Human society cannot be happy without Krsna consciousness. Krsna is the supreme enjoyer, and we are His servants. The master is enjoying, and the servants are helping the master enjoy. We living entities are eternal servants of God, and our duty is to help our master enjoy. Srimati Radharani is the topmost servant of Krsna, and Her business is always to keep Krsna pleased. Krsna is very fond of Radharani because She renders the best service. Her sixty-four qualifications are mentioned in the Vedic literatures. Unfortunately, in the material world we are busy trying to enjoy our material senses. As stated in Bhagavad-gita (3.42):

Living entities in this material world are very busy trying to gratify their senses. In the street we see many dogs assembled for sex. This may seem very crude, but human beings are engaged in the same business, perhaps in a more elaborate way. We should know that sense gratification is meant for animals, and that sense control is for human beings. By tapasya, penance, we can purify ourselves and regain our eternal life.

Actually our material senses are not our real senses. They are covered, just as the body is covered by clothes. Our real body is within the material body. Dehino smin yatha dehe [Bg. 2.13]. The spiritual body is within the material body. The material body is changing, going through childhood, youth, then old age, and then it vanishes. Although this is not our real body, we are engaged in sense gratification with it. However, for our own ultimate happiness, we should try to purify our senses. There is no question of destroying the senses or becoming desireless. Desire is a material activity, and becoming desireless is not possible. The senses must be purified in order for us to act through them transcendentally. Bhakti-yoga does not require us to destroy our senses, but to purify them. When the senses are purified, we can serve Krsna:

We can serve Hrsikesa, the master of the senses, through the senses. We are part and parcel of Krsna, just as the hand is part and parcel of the body. Similarly, our senses are also part and parcel of the spiritual body of Krsna. When we purify our senses, we can act in our original constitutional position and serve Krsna. When we forget our position and try to satisfy ourselves, we become conditioned materially. When we forget that our duty is to serve Krsna, we fall into the material world and become implicated in personal sense gratification. As long as we continue trying to satisfy our own senses, we have to accept another body. Krsna is so kind that if we want to become tigers, He will give us a tiger body. If we want to become devotees, He will give us the body of a devotee. This life is a preparation for the next, and if we want to enjoy our transcendental senses, we have to purify ourselves to return home, back to Godhead. For this purpose, Devahuti is submitting to her son just as a disciple submits to his master.