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by Jayaram V
The sense organas or indriyas are eleven in number. Of them five
are jnanendriyas and five karmendriyas. The jnanedriyas are senses of perception,
responsible for our empirical knowledge or the knowledge of the sensory world.
The karmendiryas are sense organs of action, responsible for our movements and
activities. The five jnanedriyas or organs of perception are the eyes, the ears, the nose, the
skin, the tongue and the mouth. The five karmendriyas or organs of action are
the hands, the feet, the anus and the genitals. Together they constitute the ten physical senses (13.5). Then there is the mind,
or the manas, which is also likened to a sense in the
Bhagavadgita:"manahsasthani'indriyani" (15.7). It is the controller of
the senses, because the senses act according to its instructions and intentions.
In symbolic terms it is likened to Indra, the ruler of the heavens, while the
gods are likened to the five senses.
The senses are responsible for our awareness and knowledge of the objective
world with which we interact. They are not perfect instruments of knowledge and
not very reliable in discering the truth. They do not let un know the truth
clearly concerning the world in which we live and the true nature of our very
existence. In fact they are responsible for our illusion and our mistaken belief
that we are mere physical and mortal beings and that death is the end of all. By
constantly keeping us in contact with the sense objects, they cloud our
consciousness, creating the illusory notion that we are unique individuals
different and separate from the rest of creation and that we are responsible for
our actions and are the actual doers. They do not let us see the unity
underlying the diversity. They limit our experience and our awareness to the
objective world. The mind and the senses keep each other busy and in the process
bind us to the sense objects. They cause a multitude of desires for the material
objects. Desire for them leads to attachment and from attachment arises
conflicting emotions as ripples in our consciousness, such as anger, fear,
anxiety, greed, envy and pride, resulting in bondage and suffering.
We do not need to conduct elaborate scientific experiments to know the
unreliability of our senses. The sense are reliable up to a point. But it is not
a wise decision to rely upon them entirely. Even the scientists know it and so
they use various methods, other than direct observation to corroborate their
conclusions. The Bhagavadgita is wary of the limitations of our sense organs and
the role they play in creating our suffering, our mistaken identity and our
bondage to the cycle of births and deaths. It warns people to be aware of the
role played by the senses in our suffering and the need to control them in order
to experience equanimity and discern the Truth hidden in ourselves. It declares
that heat and cold, pleasure and pain are transitory and arise out of mere sensory perceptions.
One should learn to tolerate them (2.14) and also wise enough not to indulge in them (5.22). The senses are responsible for aversion and attachment, the two stumbling blocks on the path of a yogi, who should not come under their influence at all (3.34).
In the second chapter of the Bhagavadgita, Lord Krishna explains how suffering
arises through the activty of the senses.
By constantly thinking of sense objects, a mortal being becomes attached to them. Attached thus he develops various desires, from which in turn ensues anger. From anger comes delusion, and from delusion arises confusion of memory. From confusion of memory arises loss of intelligence and when intelligence is lost the breath of life is also lost (2.60-63)
The Bhagavadgita emphasizes the importance of withdrawing the senses from the
sense objects and transcending them through self-control to experience inner
peace and supreme happiness. Since the senses are responsible for the instability of the mind and thereby
the delusion, they need to be actively disengaged from the sense objects to
which they go habitually so that the mind can be fully concentrated upon the
inner Self. By withdrawing his senses completely from the sense objects the way a tortoise withdraws its limbs,
a yogi gains mastery over his senses (2.58). Freeing himself from passion and dispassion, keeping the senses that are acting on the sense objects under firm control, and by following the dictates of the inner soul , he can gain the mercy of God. (2.64). Just as the winds blow away a boat floating on the waters, the senses also drive away the intelligence of a person whose mind is constantly engaged with the sense objects (2.67). Therefore,
says the Bhagavadgita, a yogi should firmly establish his intelligence by controlling his senses from all directions (2.68)
Thus, in the words of the Bhagavadgita, a correct understanding of the true nature of the senses and their activities is the first step towards self-discipline and Self-realization. Without this awareness
a seeker of truth cannot overcome the delusion of his mind and become free from the bondage to
his physical and mental existence. By controlling his senses dutifully, he can become detached from the sense objects, and
regain his freedom from the compulsion to act according to his desires. What
happens when a person engages in such a spiritual effort? The Bhagavadgita says
that with the elimination of desires, he achieves equanimity of the mind, inner peace, freedom from fear, lust, egoism, anger and such other
ungodly qualities. Firmly established on the path of self-realization (6.24-29), he becomes stable like the ocean that remains undisturbed although waters enter into it from all directions through various rivers(2.70).
If our senses are barriers to self-realization, they can also
be the means by which one can transcend oneself. The senses
provide us with an opportunity to engage in spiritual action
every moment of our lives. They can help us immensely to develop
detachment and witness consciousness. They can become the
starting points in our meditation as objects of our
concentration and dispassionate observation so that we can
gradually withdraw from our surface minds and experience the
deeper awareness that exists within ourselves. By observing how
the senses act and react and how the desires and various mental
disturbances arise in response to their activities, we can learn
to deal with our habitual and emotional responses, we can
experience reflective awareness, peace and detachment. In
meditation we can consciously learn to withdraw each of our
senses one by one, till we become perfectly immersed in our
meditation and experience Samadhi or deeper tranquility in which
our minds and senses remain in a state of complete rest, while
we are fully awake and deeply conscious of what is going on.
Suggested Further Reading
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