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Offline JR

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THE SCIENCE OF RELIGION
« on: February 19, 2007, 07:40:07 AM »
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  • —By Swami  Chinmayananda

    MAN OF PERFECTION 

    (d) THE TRAGEDY IF NO SELF-CONTROL

    In this elaborate description of the Man-of-Perfection, the poet, to succeed in his word-painting, has to see that his canvas, which is the mind of the listener, is steady and whole. When any serious doubt arises in a mind that mind is soon shaken and unsettled. Therefore 'when Krishna had made a strong case for the need for self-control in man, and has even given a technique to those who are seekers, he feels that a negative mind may seek yet one more confirmation. There¬fore here he indicates how a man falls and decays when he has no self-control. The ladder-of-fall is indicated in the following two verses. Even modern psychologists must nod their heads in agree¬ment when the verses are fully understood.
    (11-62 & 63) "From continuous "thinking" of objects "attach¬ment" to them is formed. From "attachments" arises "longing" and from longing" anger", from anger" comes delusion", and from delusion", loss-of-memory." From loss-of-memory" comes the ruin of-discrimination" and from ruin-of-discrimination" he perishes." A master psychologist cannot even now improve upon this biographical pattern of fall in a man who has no control over his own thinking equipments.

    Thoughts have a knack of constantly repeating themselves in the mind from where they have stemmed forth. A sensuous thought, running out to embrace an object, soon multiplies itself, and the thin rivulet of "similar thoughts" runs through the mind —which is indi¬cated here as Dhyan : "continuous thoughts of the same species’ (Sajaateeya vrutti pravaahaa).

    When the thought-flow towards a given object or being becomes continuous it becomes "attachment" (samgah). All our attach¬ments to the world are forged with our own continuous thoughts. When this "attachment" increases, in its force of flow, it begets the feeling of "longing" (or desire) to posses the object  of-attachment.

    This desire (longing) for objects is common in all hearts, and as desirable objects are few, and the desirers are many, it is but certain that 99 % of them must get disappointed. Only one can get the object desired; many cannot.

    When desire (kama), which is attachment (samga), which in its turn is nothing but thoughts, flowing powerfully towards an object of enjoyment (Dhyana), when that desire is thwarted, the very desire-thoughts putrifies to give out the foul stink of 'anger' (krodhah).

    This "anger" gathers in dark chunks which role themselves into a dreary shroud and the reason shrouded thus enters into a state of sheer "delusion" (moha), meaning, seeing things that are not; hear¬ing things which have no existence. When you get really angry with me, you start seeing me as a horned devil morally abhorant, ethically fallen, devilishly plotting your destruction ! The angry man has his own hallucinations and self-deluding dreams; he cannot see things as they are. In his upset mind his perceptions become false, his estimates vague, his judgments wrong, and naturally his actions wild and uncontrolled.

    From this delusion of mind (moha) froths out "loss-of-memory" (smrti bhramshah). We may carefully study this term as used in the Hindu Psychology. Every experience subjective and objective leaves its record in us as memories. The total-memory of our direct and indirect experiences together is our present wisdom. One is a great doctor, a mighty scientist, a brilliant scholar. But all these are but the memories of the individuals.

    Thus "memory" here means "knowledge and wisdom the in¬dividual has gained from his direct experiences in life."

    When you got really angry thereafter your actions are not guided by your knowledge. Even against your own father or teacher you would readily lift your hand. Wisdom, the total accumulated ex¬periences in us, preserved as "memories'' gets lost (smrti bhramshah).

    When this wisdom is lost, with the "loss-of-memory" (Smrti bhramshah) the individual "power-of-discrimination" (buddhi) also is lost. Intellect is the instrument by which rational beings dis¬criminate, right from wrong, good from bad etc. This discrimina¬tion is possible only with reference to the wisdom we have already in us. For example, we discriminate and judge a cup of coffee as good or bad only with reference to an ideal cup-of-coffee that we have had before and preserved as a memory. Only with reference to that past memory can we judge the present experience. When there is a "loss-of-memory" the standard-of-reference is lost, and so the func¬tion of discrimination called 'buddhi" is also lost.

    Man is great only because of his faculty of discrimination. In all matters he is just an animal. His evolution, and therefore’ his superiority over the animals is because of his discriminative power, his buddhi. When this is not functioning such a man is fallen low-"he perishes" (pranashyati). For a man minus his intellect is worse than an animal. An animal can survive : it has physical resistance, and mental impulses to guide it. The poor man has nothing in him for survival if he has not the intellect to guide him, to fulfil his dreams and to attain his visions.

    Thus what started as a simple stream of idle sensuous thoughts (Dhyan), became "attachment" (samgah) to the object. This attach¬ment grew to be "desire" (kama), which when thwarted became "anger" (krodhah). This "anger" mounts up to bring "delusions" ("moha"), which destroys all "memory" (smrtibhramshah). This knocks out from us our wisdom and makes us incompetent to dis¬criminate. When this rare "power of discrimination" is lost man has lost every thing—he perishes, (pranashyati).

    Remember the fall down the ladder of devolution to utter dis¬aster is caused by a slip in self-control. When wrong thoughts were buzzing through us we were not alert enough to control their traffic. They slowly broadened out into an irresistible flood, sweeping life's entire beauty and strength, meaning and purpose in its mighty march to devastation. Self-control is the secret by which a young man can avoid such a suicidal annihilation of his entire future and life's glory.
    सबका मालिक एक - Sabka Malik Ek

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