You may similarly pursue Kaama (desire for worldly pleasures) also – to satisfy your innate urge for pleasure and enjoyment. All efforts that one makes in this direction are recognized by our Saastras as legitimate activities of life. You may go for them with a clear conscience. But unfortunately, those who take to the sensual pleasures do not know where to stop.
Senses are wild and unruly by nature. They are turbulent when they are not restrained - and it is not easy to restrain them. They take delight in enticing you by seductively dangling sensual objects in front of you. A little taste of sensual enjoyment sharpens your craving for it - and you become a slave to enjoyment. You cannot do without it; it is highly addictive. Therefore, one should not trust his senses. They invariably deceive.
When the senses go out to contact their objects, they carry the mind also with them. Senses make the contact and the mind captures - and gets corrupted. The senses are so powerful that they forcibly carry away the mind of a man of wisdom (Jnaani) also, even while he is striving diligently to restrain them. It is a mere child's play for them to carry away the mind of a self-indulgent person.
Indulgence knows no breaks. When people do not apply breaks, they plunge – they plunge dangerously down the hill. When you apply breaks, you have better control. Breaks give power - power to stop. In self-indulgence, there is no power. In self-control, there is power; it is the moral power. It is called self-control when a person makes conscious attempts to control his senses and his mind.
Thus, unrestrained senses distract and corrupt the mind. A corrupted mind is an unstable mind. The man of wisdom (Jnaani) knows the potential of the senses for mischief. He also knows that mind alone can restrain the senses, but it will not be able to do so, unless it itself gets disciplined first. Unless the mind is properly controlled, there will be no tangible success in your worldly goals – as also, in the spiritual goals for those who have spiritual ambitions.
For the control to be effective, the urge has to come from within; no one from outside can exercise control over your senses and mind. Similarly, you cannot control others; you can only control yourself. It is for this reason that the Hindu Saastras impose certain restrictions on you in respect of the two Purushaardhas, Artha and Kaama. They want you to pursue these two goals strictly within certain moral and ethical bounds – which is what the first goal, Dharma, signifies. In fact, Dharma is the very first goal – which implies that you should first embrace a life style, which emphasizes righteousness, morality and ethical behavior in all your worldly transactions. You may then strive to find fulfillment in respect of Artha and Kaama, while leading a life of Dharma.
Desires for worldly success, pleasure, enjoyment, etc mark the beginning of misery in every life. Worldly experience and wisdom tells us repeatedly that very few desires of a person get fulfilled; the majority remain unfulfilled. It is the unfulfilled desires that cause all the misery to a person. Desires, however, would continue to rule the minds of persons, no matter how much misery they cause. Such is the power of Maayaa on the minds of all mortals.
The next thought is about Purushaardhas (Continued), Part 4 - Moksha
No comments:
Post a Comment