"I Want" is Sense Gratification

Jagat-guru Swami: One time while Prabhupada was in Mayapur, a disciple of his came from Africa with the intention of performing extreme austerities in the holy dhama. Instead of living in the residential building, the devotee stayed in a small hut near a field of banana trees. Reportedly, he was chanting 120 rounds of japa a day, sleeping two hours a day, and only taking a small bit of prasadam. Srila Prabhupada knew of the boy's presence in the dhama, but at first he said nothing publicly. Then one morning while Prabhupada was walking around the pond, one of the devotees mentioned the latest austere practices of the devotee from Africa. Some of the devotees had been impressed, since they knew how difficult it was to chant so many rounds and to sleep and eat so little. "Srila Prabhupada," said one of the devotees, "he is now increasing his chanting and he's not associating with anyone so that he won't engage in any idle talk." "Yes," said Prabhupada noncommittally, "he wanted to live on the river." "Srila Prabhupada, now he wants to live in a tree." Then Prabhupada revealed his mind. "All nonsense," he said. And he waved his hand, dismissing the whole endeavor. "As soon as you say, I want,' it is all sense gratification, all nonsense."