Post by Amritha Varshini on Aug 9, 2013 6:41:01 GMT 5.5
A hunter knows the weakness of deer for music and he plays songs to attract the deer. Captivated by the sound of music, the deer turns towards the direction of music and falls prey to the trap laid by the hunter. In the mating season, elephants are attracted to the sense of touching and they go forward by rubbing each other and fall into the pit laid by men. The moth is attracted to the brilliance of the flame, rushes towards it and gets burned. The fish, hungry always, goes towards the bait, swallows it and get caught. Honeybee collects honey from flowers; store it only to be taken away by men.
In Viveka Choodamani, Adi Sankara lists various such attractions. He says: "When a creature gets caught for one particular attachment, think of the plight of man who falls victim to all the senses!"
The desire for sense gratification is the root cause for our problems. Sense objects might look attractive and illuminating but they are all illusions. They are obstacles in our path towards spiritual perfection. They are distractions in pursuing the path of devotion. It is the mind that turns our attention towards sense objects and ultimately imprisons us and causes our downfall.
Driven by desires, people go after the mirage of worldly enjoyments unaware of the fact that these are mere momentary flashes and what gives us ever lasting happiness is when we experience the presence of God in our heart.
How can we experience the presence of God in our heart? Saint Narada gives us the most effective prescription; pure and unbounded devotion. Let us kindle the light of devotion in our heart. Let us use the senses to express our devotion towards God. Let us use the speech power to sing the God's glory. Let us use our hands to fold before God and to do service for all. Let us use the mind to think of Krishna always. Let us use the ears to listen to the Vedic discourses done by Pundits. Let us use the head to bow before God. Let us use the eyes to see God in all the objects of the world.
Sri V. S. Krishnan (vsk1940@gmail.com)
In Viveka Choodamani, Adi Sankara lists various such attractions. He says: "When a creature gets caught for one particular attachment, think of the plight of man who falls victim to all the senses!"
The desire for sense gratification is the root cause for our problems. Sense objects might look attractive and illuminating but they are all illusions. They are obstacles in our path towards spiritual perfection. They are distractions in pursuing the path of devotion. It is the mind that turns our attention towards sense objects and ultimately imprisons us and causes our downfall.
Driven by desires, people go after the mirage of worldly enjoyments unaware of the fact that these are mere momentary flashes and what gives us ever lasting happiness is when we experience the presence of God in our heart.
How can we experience the presence of God in our heart? Saint Narada gives us the most effective prescription; pure and unbounded devotion. Let us kindle the light of devotion in our heart. Let us use the senses to express our devotion towards God. Let us use the speech power to sing the God's glory. Let us use our hands to fold before God and to do service for all. Let us use the mind to think of Krishna always. Let us use the ears to listen to the Vedic discourses done by Pundits. Let us use the head to bow before God. Let us use the eyes to see God in all the objects of the world.
Sri V. S. Krishnan (vsk1940@gmail.com)
