Commonsense About The Senses (Restraining the Senses)

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The Vedanta Kesari, p. 166-170, May 2006
We said earlier, that the senses provide knowledge of the world. What is wrong about it? Nothing, except that the senses do not provide us a complete answer to the fundamental issues of life. For that, we need some other source of knowledge. We cannot, of course, stop using the senses; as long as one lives, one has to be in one"s senses. One who cannot use his senses is practically dead. But the teachers of spirituality want us to remember that the answer to the questions related to happiness and the nature of human destiny cannot be found in sensory experience.

By their very nature, senses make us restless. They thrive on enjoyment. Things go wrong when senses begin to decline with aging, but the desires do not. Naturally, one then feels frustrated and deprived. One feels one should have had more time and energy to enjoy greater amount of objects of senses.

Srimat Bhagavatam narrates the story of king Yayati. He was a good and youthful person, but given to sensual pleasures. Like all human beings, he too one day became old and decrepit. Though his senses became weak, his desire for enjoyments did not. He felt very disappointed and frustrated. He wanted a solution, and asked one of his sons, whether he could give him his youth. The son agreed, and Yayati became young again and was soon lost in enjoyment. This borrowed youth, which had rejuvenated his senses, however, began to decline with the passage of time. This made Yayati frustrated again, but fortunately, this experience taught him a lesson and he became disillusioned with finding a lasting happiness in the senses. He summarised his experience thus: Verily, this desire for enjoyment never becomes satisfied through enjoyment. The desires go on increasing and become more and more intense as is the case of fire when clarified butter is poured into it.

To Be Continued

About the author

Swami Atmashraddananda

Swami Atmashraddhananda is a monk of the Ramakrishna Order and editor of The Vedanta Kesari from the year 2004 .