Choose The Best

Swami Chinmayananda

oi-Staff

By Staff

Monday, August 31, 2009, 17:11

Vedanta shows to us always the higher (nay the highest) possibilities in all situations where we have to exercise 'choice'. We can live at a gross level foolishly; just catering to our senses (indriyas). Creature comforts like food, sleep, sex and some other sense-ticklings can dominate our mind and alas, these pleasures entail much sorrow, fear and gnawing disappointments.

"Pleasures born of (sense) contacts lead to sorrow only! They are finite, the wise one does not relish them!" says Sri Krishna (Gita V.22). He diagnoses man's ailment of servility to his own sense-organs . No doubt, the senses have strong attraction towards the sense objects: but, one should not come under their sway (111.34). Vedanta thus gives us some 'dietetic rules' just as a physician would advise a patient of blood pressure to avoid salt! Salt by itself is not bad, but a man of B.P. should avoid it. Likewise a man of high V.P. (vasana pressure) should keep distance from sense objects!

Again, as there are medicines to ' treat an ailment, there are 'contemplative prescriptions' to cure a man of his lower urges born of ignorance. First know the hierarchy, then choose the higher, rejecting firmly all that is lower. Swami Vivekananda roars, "All that weakens you - physically, mentally or spiritually: reject it as poison!". The Lord teaches us, 'The sense organs are subtle, mind is even superior; the intellect is further powerful and THAT which is higher than the intellect is indeed the 'Ultimate Reality' "(111.42). He adds that one can conquer one's 'desire' (which enervates one and causes one's repeated feeling of dissatisfaction) by 'knowing' That which is beyond the intellect. (111.43). Thus we are to become aware of the higher and establish ourselves there.

Choose the Best. If only a man has some knowledge of the scriptures, he knows that the best is God. "Hold onto God with one hand while the other is at work', says Sri Ramakrishna, and, when the work is over, hold Him with both your hands!". Sri Anandmayima used to say, 'Hart Katha hi katha, baki sab vrtha vyatha' (Talking about anything other than God is wasteful strain). Lord Krishna puts it in unmistakable terms when He says, "Fix your mind in ME alone...' (XII.8). All time is Sadhana time and vigilance is required for a seeker to really keep the gradient of his inner progress.

Swami Chinmayananda

Swami Chinmayananda the great master's lectures were an outpour of wisdom. He introduced the Geetha Gnana Yagna. He wrote a lot of books on spirituality, commentaries to Vedantic texts, children books etc. He then started spreading His teachings globally.....