Article sent from The Hindu on indiaserver.com

[Guest guest]

This article is quite appropriate to the on going GitaSatsang discussion

corresponding to this week. I hope this helps more members to participate in

GitaSatsang.

 

regards,

 

Ram Chandran

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This article is emailed to you by Ram Chandran ( rchandran )

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Source: The Hindu (http://www.the-hindu.com)

 

Man must not be a slave to passions

 

CHENNAI, FEB. 15. Almost all the sacred books constantly remind

us about the catastrophic consequences of yielding to the

influence of the senses and prescribe to us the methods by which

we can subdue them and cross this slough of delusion, attachment,

desire and anger. For this saints and sages have placed before us

instances as to how those who had conquered these internal foes

will conduct themselves. Such men of wisdom and perfection will

remain alike without likes and dislikes, free from fear, wrath

and resentment and rein in the senses.

 

Lord Krishna says in His ``Divine Song'' that just as a ship

tossed to and fro and rolled up and down by an unfavourable

strong gale is ultimately driven to wreck and ruin, so too the

unbridled mind of a person robs him of his power of

discrimination and ultimately ruins him by leading him astray

from the path of pure devotion. Other examples given in general,

are of a car whose brakes fail and the steering wheel being held

by a driver who has fainted or that of a chariot driven by

horses, each pulling in different directions.

 

But by far the best illustration is the one referring to the

havoc caused by each one of the senses. A moth, attracted by the

bright light, falls into the flames and perishes. A bee which can

make a hole in a tree, enjoys the fragrance and gets caught in

lotus when it closes in the nights, but as it cannot pierce the

soft petals, suffers from suffocation and dies. A fish in water

meets its end by its tongue (food in a bait). A deer has weakness

to sound and rushes on listening to it and is caught in the net.

 

The man of perfection will close his eyes to the objects which

worldly people pursue but will keep wide awake to those things to

which others turn blind, explained Swami Swaroopananda in a

lecture. Such a man of wisdom will be in a perpetual state of

blessedness, peace and serenity, which is the result of ever-

wakeful discipline. Desires cannot disturb the tranquillity of

mind and he cannot become a slave to his passions. A dancer of

extraordinary charm who used to present her talent only before

kings and others, decided to enable all others to enjoy her

beauty by coming out daily in the mornings to dry her hair. Once

there was a sadhu amongst the crowd and he remained there even

when others had dispersed. He explained that while admiring her

beauty he was lost in wondering how much more should be the

dazzle of the great one who created her. In his case, his mind

remained balanced and he maintained equipoise. When the mind is

agitated, one cannot gain knowledge.

 

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[Guest guest]

--- QiOui wrote:

> A few hours ago, i wrote a poem describing this. For

> the more poetic, it might

> lend some images....

>

> Dancing From Om to Oz

>-------------------

Dear QiOui,

 

Your poem is wonderfully conceived. Only,I will have

te read it more leisurely again which I will do and

then acknowledge it once again!

 

Hari Om!

 

Swaminarayan

 

 

 

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