Eternal bliss is the state of a person who is established in Brahman, who is Stithpragya ― and this is the only Truth. This state seems like a very uphill task for many of us ― but strive we must to reach this, if not in this lifetime, then in subsequent lifetimes that God blesses us with, says NITA AGARWAL, in the tenth and concluding article in her series on chapter 2 of the Bhagavad Gita
We need to control our senses to prevent a constant inflow of desires that cloud our mind and heart and weaken our intellect, advises Bhagwan Shri Krishna. Our senses are, in fact, senseless and keep desires burning in our bosom till they are fulfilled.
But therein lies the danger. For, when desires are fulfilled, what follows are new desires, then newer desires and so it goes on, ad infinitum. By now, you might have guessed ― desires are insatiable. As desires can never be satisfied, the result is frustration and anger that clouds our mind and intellect, leading to loss of wisdom and the ability to judge between right and wrong.
The answer to this dilemma lies not in suppression, but in control of our senses that spark desires. This may not be possible all by ourselves, but with the Grace of God and focusing our mind on the Divinity within all of us, we can reach a stage where our mind is not swayed by our senses all the time, thus enabling us to overcome strong likes and dislikes and, slowly but surely, experience peace within.
When we reach this stage of spiritual evolution, the world’s material attractions do not cause any ripples in the mind, which is not agitated by desires and feels no suffering and is always in bliss.
When our senses are not in control, we are like a boat in the open seas that gets tossed around by the wind and peace and contentment elude us. Given the misery that we are in for, it’s very important to keep our senses in control to be established in the Self.
But we must understand that we cannot be established in the Self by suppression of desires but by understanding the futility of running mindlessly after desires that never cease to lure.
When man is rooted merely in the mind and the body, he perceives the world as limited and finite and is tossed around by emotions that arise due to a limited perception, based on sense objects.
When senses control the mind, the result is loss in vision to distinguish or discriminate between what is good and bad, healthy and unhealthy, spiritual and material. When discrimination is lost, one experiences attachment, anger and one constantly feels dissatisfied and miserable with life.
On the other hand, a steady mind rooted in real wisdom does not experience such emotions and sees the world as it is. For the wise one, the world experienced by the mind and body only, is unreal. The unwise or ignorant mind, believes the world experienced by it, through the body and intellect, is the real and only one.
Those whose mind is attuned to the Ultimate Reality ― the mind of the wise one ― is like an ocean that experiences no change even when the water of many rivers flow into its infinite vastness. All the water gets immersed in the ocean as its own, without any change being experienced by the ocean. There will be gigantic waves lashing around, and high tides, but soon they submerge into the vast expanse ― and lo and behold! there is a majestic calmness in the sea.
One who is wise and has a steady mind does not experience any change due to desires that the senses constantly feed the mind and body with. Such a person remains in perpetual bliss, without ego-centric desires or attachment towards anything or any being.
One who has renounced all desires by detachment and is beyond I-ness and My-ness, without needing even the bare necessities for existence in this world, with no pride in Self-knowledge, is truly established in Brahman/The Self. Such a person is called Stithpragya ― the man or woman of Perfection.
Eternal bliss is the state of a person who is established in Brahman, who is Stithpragya ― and this is the only Truth. This state seems like a very uphill task for many of us ― but strive we must, to reach this, if not in this lifetime, then in subsequent lifetimes that God blesses us with.
Note from the author: These articles are based on a commentary on the Holy Geeta by Swami Chinmayananda and discussions during study classes run by Swamiji’s followers that I attended.
Nita Agarwal is an ex-Table Tennis State player, qualified teacher, self-taught budding painter and a successful blogger, who writes about her observations of life and people; most importantly, she describes herself as a working housewife.
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