|| Shree Hari ||Sense Enjoyment and Unionभोग और योगAn aspirant is often faced with a dilemma that we are doing japa (Divine Name repetition), we recite the divine scriptures, we listen to lectures from holy men, we inquire into the Truth, we think about God, we contemplate on God, we meditate on Him, we visit holy places and observe fasts on holy days, then too we are not able to realize the Divinity (essential Truth, tattva), we are not able to realize our true nature, what is the reason ? Is there some barrier ? The root cause of this problem is - keen and eager desire for contact born pleasures. The keen desire for sense pleasures that come from relationship with perishable objects, the deep desire within that let me get this pleasure, let this pleasure continue on, let it increase - this is the main barrier. It is due to this that one cannot realize being situated in their true self.It is not bad for pleasures to come, but enjoyment of those pleasures and its desire is bad. For the aspirant, this desire for pleasure, is an obstacle for a very long time. Wherever he enjoys pleasures, there itself a snag appears ! The joy that is beyond the contact born pleasures in the form of equanimity and peace, these too, if the are enjoyed by the aspirant, then that fractional equanimity and peace will also not remain stable, rather it will continue to come and go. The reason being that in your spiritual practice, even the pleasures born of the mode of purity, can be binding. ‒ ‘Sukhasangena badhnaati gyaanasangena chaanadha’ (Gita 14/6) सुखसङ्गेन बध्नाति ज्ञानसङ्गेन चानध’(गीता १४ । ६) The knowledge of pleasures arising from spiritual discipline is not binding, rather it’s sense enjoyment is binding. To become pleased in your spiritual disciplines, and due to which you see yourself as being better than others, is “bhog” (sense enjoyment). It is a principle that the things that are enjoyed by the senses, those things are destroyed, and we decline; Just as by the material enjoyment of wealth, the money is used up (exhausted) and we are ruined, in other words, our habits are spoiled.In this world one gets both pleasure and pain; because it is the nature of this world - pleasure-pain, favorable-unfavorable. But we are neither to gain gratification from pleasures or experiencing suffering from pain. The reason being that even becoming pleased is binding and even becoming displeased is binding. If you want to become pleased-displeased, then even in pleasure, be pleased and even in displeasure (pain) be pleased, or even in pleasure, be displeased and even in displeasure be displeased, then it will be alright. The meaning of being pleased in pleasurable times and being pleased in distress, is that whether pleasure comes or distress comes, we have nothing to do with either of these; remain untainted (detached) from these. To be displeased in both pleasure and pain means that, on becoming pleased in pleasure, one must feel the discomfort (pain) that why did I become pleased, in other words, why was I influenced by the pleasures. And to become displeased in distress, means that we should be displeased that why did we become afflicted. It implies that, any which way, we must gain equanimity or detachment (untaintedness).In fact, it is sense enjoyments (bhog) which is a barrier to realizing God (Union, Yog). Therefore, we are neither to take pleasure in happiness nor take displeasure in pain. When we remain in equanimity, in both pleasure and pain, we will be joyful, then both, taking pleasure and displeasure, will not take place. Therefore just as joy arises in pleasure, it should come even in pain.
From book ‘Jin Khoja Tin Paayiyaa’ by Swami Ramsukhdasji
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