Bhagavad Gita - Daily - II 2:67 II

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|| Shree Hari ||Ram Ram

Link: — In this verse, Lord Krsna explains why the intellect of a person who had not controlled his mind and senses, cannot be determinate.

indriyaanaam hi charataam yanmano'nu vidheeyate

tadasya harati prajnaam vaayurnaavami vaambhasi || 67 ||

Just as the wind carries away the ship on water, the mind that yields to one of the wandering senses, carries away the discrimination of man || 67 ||

Comment: —

[Man has attained this human birth only for attain Paramatma. So I must only attain God-realization, come what may - such should be man's firm aim and resolve. When this resolve is firm, importance of pleasures moves away from the sadhak's ego and when the importance of pleasures is moved away, the intellect becomes determinate. But what happens until the intellect does not become determinate, what is his state - that has been described here.]

'Indriyaanaam hi charataam yanmano'nu vidheeyate' —Senses are involuntarily drawn to the sense-objects in man's daily associations and activities. Mind that follows anyone of the senses, is naturally led astray by it. The mind begins to get pleasure from that worldly enjoyment. In other words - desire for enjoyment, desire for pleasure manifests within; and the relish of that enjoyment colors the mind, and it's significance gets deeply rooted. For example, while relishing a delicious dish, the sense of taste gets attached to it, and then it draws the mind towards it, and thus the mind gets happiness and pleasure by those tastes.

'Tadasya harati prajnaam'—When the importance of particular senses becomes rooted in the mind, then that mind itself captivates the man's intellect, thus the sadhak instead of being devoted to his duty, begins to dwell in sense pleasures. Due to desire for sense pleasures, the determinate intellect that says -I want to only realize Paramatma, is lost. Getting misdirected like this takes no time what so ever. In other words wherever the senses made the mind it's follower, thoughts of sense pleasures arise in the mind, and at that very moment the determinate intellect is lost.

'Vaayurnavamivaambhasi'—A ship without a rudder is at the mercy of a strong winds. As a rudderless ship does not reach its destination, a misdirected mind takes away man's discrimination.

A strong wind carries away the ship in the wrong direction, similarly the mind carries away the intellect. But a skilful sailor, manages the ship in such a way, that the wind instead of pushing it away from its course, helps it in sailing and reaching its destination. Similarly, the misdirected mind misguides discrimination, in two ways—It leads it astray from the path of God-realization and engages it in sense-pleasures or it ruins him by entangling it in prohibited pleasures. But one whose mind and senses are in control, his intellect is not led astray by the mind, rather it helps one in realizing God (2/64-65).

Appendix—(not included)

 

From "The Bhagavadgita - Sadhak Sanjivani" in English, page 224 - 225 and in Hindi pg 132 by Swami Ramsukhdasji

To read online in hindi - please visit :

http://www.swamiramsukhdasji.org/swamijibooks/pustak/pustak1/html/SadhakSanjeevni/main.html

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|| Shree Hari ||

Ram Ram

 

indriyaanaam hi charataam yanmano'nu vidheeyate

tadasya harati prajnaam vaayurnaavami vaambhasi || 67 ||

 

" The reason is that (as the senses moving about among their respective sense

objects), the mind that yields to even one of the senses, can take away the

discrimination of man just as the wind carries away a boat on the waters. " ||

67 ||

 

Comment:

 

As long as intellect of an aspirant is not determinate on a one-pointed goal,

what then to speak of all the senses? Even one sense steals the mind away and

the mind then takes the intellect to indulge in sense pleasures.

 

From " Gita Prabodhani " in Hindi pg 62 by Swami Ramsukhdasji

-------------------------

 

|| 2:67 ||

 

Chapter 2, Verse 67 is as follows;

 

IndriyaaNaam = of senses

Hi = for

Charataam = wandering

Yat = which

ManaH = mind

Anu-Vidheeyate = follows

Tat = that

Asya = his

Harati = carries away

Pradnyaam = intellect

VaayuH = wind

Naavam = boat

Iva = like

Ambhasi = in water

 

English translation:-

 

When the mind runs after the roving sense objects, even under the influence of

any one of the five sensory organs, it emotionally carries away the otherwise

rational intellect; just like a ship in water drifts away from its well

chartered course due to random wind.

 

Comment:

 

A ship without a rudder is at the mercy of randomly blowing wind. Such a ship is

unable to charter its well defined course to its initially planned destination.

Similarly, without the rudder of the determinate intellect, the fickle mind

under the influence of sensory organs and drags a Saadhaka away from the path of

the spiritual progress.

 

In a vast ocean a ship without a captain (the intellect) or a guiding compass

(the scriptures, the techniques) is entirely at the mercy of the random reckless

waves and fierce winds. As a neglected ship perishes in the ocean, a careless

person perishes in this mortal world, when his intellect (Viveka-BuddhiH) is

lost.

 

In the simile employed in this verse, Budhi or the faculty of discrimination

(intellect) has been compared to a boat; the sense to which the mind is joined

has been likened to the wind; the world has been compared to the ocean (Bhava

Sagar) and the various objects of the senses, i.e., sound, touch, color, taste

and smell are compared to the waters of the ocean. A strong wind may react on a

boat proceeding towards its destination in two ways. The boat may be diverted

away from its proper course to be tossed about in the high seas, or it may sink.

But if an expert sailor can manipulate the sails such that to make the wind

favorable to him, the boat can no longer be driven away from its course; on the

contrary, the wind will help it to reach its goal. Similarly, if a man whose

mind and senses are not disciplined, endeavors to fix his intellect on God, his

senses dragging the mind along with them react on his intellect in two ways.

Drawing it away from God, they may employ it sway to acquire various objects of

enjoyment, or they may lead it to sinful pursuits and bring about its

degradation.

 

However, the unshakable resolve of the determinate intellect to attain

Self-realisation by a Saadhaka, removes his attachment to the worldly pleasures

and it evaporates his natural tendency of aggrandisement of material and

sensuous objects. This makes his intellect sharper and more powerful such that

it is no longer swayed by the impetuous mind running helter skelter after the

roving sense objects, even under the influence of a singular sensory organ.

 

" Sense-pleasures are like itching eczema. There is pleasure in violently

scratching it; but the disease gets aggravated thereby. By yielding to

sense-pleasures, the mind gets more entangled in them. " ……… Shri Ramakrishna

Paramahansa

 

The wick that comes in contact with a flame gets lit; similarly the well

harmonised physical body, the calm mind and steady intellect that commune with

the Aatman get illuminated.

 

Lord Krishna does not encourage Arjuna to run away from the world. It is the

most unintelligent way of self-restraint, even if it were possible. Lord Krishna

encourages Arjuna to sincerely, silently and nonviolently change his mental

attitude towards the external world and effect sublimation of his basic, innate

and unblemished nature.

 

A `Yukta' person views the world from the point of union with the Supreme

Reality. His inner values are radically different from the values of a worldly

common man. He is not carried away by emotions and sentiments, desires and

cravings.

 

It reminds me of a simile in Kathopanishada. A physical human body is just like

a chariot. The sensory organs are like the horses yoked to the chariot. The mind

is like a whip. The intellect is like a charioteer and the Aatman is like the

traveller, who is comfortably seated in the chariot. The journey is made

pleasurable and enjoyable if all the participants act in unison. A `Yukta'

person indeed experiences the bliss of such a divine journey.

 

Thanks & Best Regards,

Shrikant Joshi.

 

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|| Shree Hari ||

Ram Ram

 

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