Bhagavatgita a detailed study-chapter2

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59.vishyaa vinivartahnthe niraahaarasya dhehinaH

rasavarjam raso api asya param dhrshtva nivarthathwe

 

The sense objects cease to bother him whose senses are not in contact with them. But the aptitude for the sense experience stays till he has the perception of the supreme self.

 

The sense objects do not tempt him who is not attracted towards them but still the propensity to enjoy the sensual pleasures remains , though not encouraged , until the final consummation with the Supreme.

 

The first stage of withdrawing the indhriyas, senses from the indhriyaarThas , sense objects, is what is referred to here. When the senses are controlled as in the case of the sick or one undergoing a religious discipline etc., the sense objects like prohibited food are not temptations for him. But the desire for them is not gone but only suppressed. So when the condition for prohibition is removed the sense objects may attract the person again. This is what is meant by rasvarjam, the taste remains, meaning the taste for the sense experience.

 

niraahaara- not fed. The senses are not getting their food in the form of sense objects and thus enriched in their experience. So they become emaciated like the body of a starving man, niraahaarasya dhehinah, only to get nourishment again if the sense control is not permanent. The aspirant of spiritual progress will be able to attain permanent control of Indhriyas only when the desire for the sense objects are absent so that he does not feel elated or depressed by pleasant or unpleasant effects of sense contacts. This come only when he reaches the last state of sThithaprajan which means he had had the experience of the Supreme self , the bliss experienced by which makes all the other worldly joys appear trivial. This state of the experience of the absolute bliss is denoted by paramdhrshtvaa..

 

vishayaa vinivarthanthe means that the sense objects, vishyaaH, turn away The sense objects come only to him who desires them. That is, only those who desire them go and get them. This is implied by the word vinivarthanthe, they turn away.

 

rasah api nivarthathe- even the desire goes away when the aspirant has become a sThithaprajna afer experiencing the supreme self, param dhrshtvaa.

 

The reason for this is given in the next sloka .

 

60. yathatho hi api kountheya purushasya vipaSchithaH

indhriyaaNi pramaaTheeni haranthi prasaBham manaH

 

The senses of an aspirant till he reaches the final stage remain strong and carry his mind unaware even if he is striving, yathatahH api, to control them.

 

The mind due to the accumulated propensities through several births has become the slave of the senses and to control and withdraw it from the attraction of the senses is not at all easy. This aspect Krishna mentions again in the sixth chapter and advises Arjuna how to control the mind. Here Krishna cautions against the force of indhriyas, pramaaTheeni, which have the power to carry the mind off, haranthi prasabham manaH if one is not vigilant. The risk of falling back into the trap of the senses is great till one reaches the ultimate state mentioned in the previous sloka as param dhrshtvaa.

 

61. thaani sarvaaNi samyamya yuktha aaseetha mathparaH

vase hi yasya indhriyaaNi thasya prajnaa prathishTithaa

 

Having controlled all the indhruyas one should be engrossed in Me . The one whose senses have become fully controlled he is the sthithprajna, a man of firm wisdom.

 

As explained in the sloka 58, Krishna indicates the sure way of sense control namely, contemplating on the divine. When the mind is engrossed in the higher joy of the divine experience the lower sensual pleasures have no attraction. Controlling the senses by sheer will is not the yoga advised by Krishna. It is by directing the mind above, the lower desires are eradicated once for all. This has been explained in the sloka 58 in detail.

 

If one is not aware of the power of the indhriyas and follow the steps outlined above what will be the outcome, is explained in the next two slokas, which describe the descent ofman.