PHRASES IN THE GITA - 13

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PHRASES IN THE GITA - 13

कर्मेन्द्रियाणि संयम्य य आस्ते मनसा समरन ....(अध्याय ३ - श्लोक ६)
கர்மேந்த்ரியாணி ஸம்யம்ய ய ஆஸ்தே மனஸா ஸ்மரந் ... (அத்யாயம் 3 - ஸ்லோகம் 6)
KARMENDRIYAANI SAMYAMYA YA AASTE MANASAA SMARAN ... (CHAPTER 3 - SHLOKA 6)

MEANING :  Disciplining the senses outwardly and allowing the mind to think over the sensual experience......

Manas or mind is more powerful than the senses.  It is the mind that commands the sense organs to go out, contact the objects and bring back the experience.  It is the Manas or mind that experiences, enjoys 'pleasure' or 'displeasure' born out of the contact between the sense and its object.  If the mind is absent or fixed somewhere else, the experience is never registered at all.  In a cricket stadium, the mind sits behind the eyes and enjoys the happenings there.  The skin is in contact with heat of direct Sun.  It is a 'displeasing' experience.  In other situation, at other times, mind definitely would not welcome such an experience.  But, now the mind has no time for experience of the skin. It is not concerned.  If the match drags on, it becomes uninteresting, skin will then draw attention of mind and then the heat of Sun will become 'unbearable'.  In a class room, the voice of teacher carrying the subject being taught, is not registered, if the mind is roaming around the playground, enjoying the memories of past experiences there or enjoying the dream of a prospective future experience.  The ears, not deaf otherwise, become deaf to the talk of the teacher.

When we realize that we are being distracted and disturbed in our work by the obsession of a sense-organ with its object, we normally tend to put restrictions on it.  If the eyes disturb, we try to close them.  If the ears disturb, we try to plug and close those.  These steps are ineffective.  The mind has to find interest in a subject to dwell in it.  The more intense the interest, the deeper the mind dwells in it.  In the absence of such an interest, no amount of external restrictions, seemingly powerful, work.  Parents, anxious about the study of their ward, impose restrictions on TV viewing by hiding the remote control, or by disconnecting the satellite connection.  The wife, anxious about the sugar level of her husband, imposes restrictions on his tongue by hiding the rasa-gulla / Gulab-Jamun tin container.  Such an effort (of imposing outward restrictions) has one effect for sure.  Man becomes a Hypocrite.  Hypocrisy has many facets.  I list a few of those.  Outwardly simple and austere but mind wanting more;  outwardly humble but an arrogant mind;  outwardly kind and sweet mouthed but a contemptuous mind;  outwardly assisting or helping, but a conspiring mind;  outwardly smiling but a fuming mind;  outwardly generous but a cursing mind;  outwardly Religious but a selfish mind;  outwardly Celibate but a lustful mind;  outward calmness but a chaotic mind... etc. etc.

There is a story.  A youth wanted to meditate.  He selected a site, away from the alluring and hence disturbing city, in a quiet surrounding.  He sat for meditation, when a young girl walked by.  He saw her and found her attractive.  Meditation was disturbed.  The next day, he tied a piece of cloth to close his eyes and tried to meditate.  The girl came.  He knew it through the sounds of her anklets.  Meditation was disturbed again.  Now, he plugged two balls of cotton in the ears and stat for meditation again.  The girl came.  His eyes and ears were restricted and could not disturb his meditation.  But, the nose was alive.  Fragrance of the flowers she wore were caught by the nose and again his meditation was disturbed. He plugged cotton balls in the nasal openings too and tried to pursue with his efforts to meditate.  The eyes, ears and the nose, restricted, were unable to convey the message of girl's arrival.  But, never mind.  The mind was active.  It wandered out, started picturing the girl.  His efforts at meditation was again disturbed.  Out ward restrictions do not work.

There is one more story.  A Guru and his Shishya were walking along a river.  The Guru was a ripe old man and the Shishya, a youth.  The Guru had lived a rigorous life and had practiced celibacy, Brahmacharya.  He was narrating his own experiences and was trying to explain the secrets of Celibacy.  That is when a scream rang in the air.  'Help!', 'Help!', 'Help!' ...  The two looked around to find a girl drowning.  The Guru instantly jumped into the river, swam towards the drowning girl, held her and brought her to the shore.  He laid her on the ground and gave her appropriate first aid.  She soon regained consciousness and was on her feet.  Having done his duty, the Guru started walking again.  The Shishya was watching all these.  He had many questions, but preferred to remain silent.  After a long while, the Shishya asked, "Oh Reverred Guru!  You have remained a strict Brahmachari all your life.  How is it, then, that you touched a girl, held her close to your chest, pressed her on her bosom and even kissed her on her lips?"  "I only saved a drowning girl and brought her back to consciousness through first aid.  But, I left her there on the river bank long ago.  Do you still carry her?" asked the Guru in reply.  The Guru was outwardly in action, but mind was not involved.  It remained aloof.  The Shishya was seen to be not in action but was in hectic action at mind level.

This phrase can be seen from a positive angle too.  Restriction imposed from exterior may be of two kinds, one to stop the sense-organs from doing an act or to force those to do an act.  Self imposed restriction may be effective to a minimum extent.  Restrictions from an external source never work.  The experience during Shrimathi Indira Gandhi's dictatorial rule during the emergency (25th of June 1975 to 21st of March 1977) and the Iron-gripped rule by the communists in Russia and eastern European countries for almost 60 years confirm this truth.  There was gagging of Press.  There were restrictions in arranging Lecture meetings.  There were arrests galore.  Thousands were in prison.  There were mysterious deaths and hundreds of missing persons.  There were restrictions on foreign tours.  Political system was a farce with all the opposition leaders arrested and imprisoned without trial.  The courts too were restricted.  There was subversion in all directions, but only at obvious visible plane.  The minds could not be subverted.  It thirsted for Freedom.  It worked at a different plane and exploded the physically powerful regime.

That is why they say, "Never lose your mind"....  All the external support systems may crumble.  Mind, properly nourished and strengthened mind, will do the miracle alone.  It will achieve that which seemed "Impossible"...