16
Beyond Birth and Death
Actually material enjoyment is not enjoyment at all. Real enjoyment does not cease. In the  Mahā-bhārata  there is a verse— ramante yogino 'nante —to the effect that the  yogīs  ( yoginaḥ ), those who are endeavoring to elevate themselves to the spiritual platform, are actually enjoying ( ramante ), but their enjoyment is  anante —endless. This is because their enjoyment is in relation to the Supreme Enjoyer (Rāma), Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the real Enjoyer, and  Bhagavad-gītā  confirms this.
bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ jñātvā māṁ śāntim ṛcchati
“The sages, knowing Me as the ultimate enjoyer of all sacrifices and austerities, the Supreme Lord of all planets and demigods and the benefactor and well-wisher of all living entities, attain peace from the pangs of material miseries.” (Bg. 5.29)
Bhoga  means enjoyment, and our enjoyment comes from understanding our position as the enjoyed. The real enjoyer is the Supreme Lord, and we are enjoyed by Him. An example of this relationship can be found in the material world between the husband and the wife; the husband is the enjoyer ( puruṣa ), and the wife is the enjoyed ( prakṛti ). The word  pri  means woman.  Puruṣa , or spirit, is the subject, and  prakṛti , or nature, is the object. The enjoyment, however, is participated in both by the husband and the wife. When actual enjoyment is there,