Thursday, April 12, 2007
Story 43 - Story of Yayati - 06
Yayati continued thus:
The male goat that was very beautiful was sought by many female goats. It was during that time that he once enjoyed with a female goat. The goat who was in the well and saved by the male goat didn’t like this. The female goat thereby started to go towards her swami who was a brahmana. The male goat also started walking behind the female goat. The brahmana then broke the horn of the male goat who then started crying. Not able to withstand the cries of the goat, the brahmana again stuck the horn back to its body. The male goat then tried to be peaceful by enjoying with the female goat for many years. But there was no satisfaction whatsoever.
O Dear! This is my story. I was blinded by your delusion. Thereby I without knowing myself tried to be happy through enjoyments. There cannot be peace and satisfaction for a desire seeking person through money, fame, power, women etc.
Explanation
We have been taking births and births in this ocean of samsaara characterized by avidya-kama-karma (ignorance-desire-action). This delusion goes on and on without any end until we realize the futility of worldly pleasures thereby getting rid of the craving for worldly pleasures.
The first progress towards the goal of eternal bliss in the spiritual path is realization of the futility of the world and pleasures from the world. As long as a person hasn’t realized the futility of sensual pleasures, he will still be seeking them again and again in the world. These sensual pleasures are addictive and will never lead a person to satisfaction or contentment. This is because satisfaction and contentment is possible only from that which is permanent and ever-present. Since the sense objects of the world are temporary, the bliss achieved from them is also temporary. Such temporary bliss cannot give us satisfaction which is possible only through eternal and ever-lasting bliss. Thus as long as the seeker is seeking bliss in the sense objects, he will be deluded into more and more objects. When one object doesn’t give happiness, he will shift to another object. This is what is generally happening in terms of marital relations in the west and being steadily followed by Indians as well – if the husband is not giving happiness (which is what would ensue after a few days), then divorce the husband and seek another one. This goes on and on without any end. There will never be any peace or satisfaction as long as the wife or husband seeks bliss from the other person. All people are limited and ignorant. Such people can never give us eternal bliss – eternal bliss is possible only from the eternal reality of Lord. Unless we realize this that bliss is possible only from the non-dual reality of Lord and not from the worldly sense objects, we will be seeking one object or the other (one person or the other).
The first step to come out of the cravings for sensual pleasure is realizing the futility of sensual pleasures and knowing that they will lead to sorrow alone. We find Yayati achieving this step after many years of enjoyment. It might take even births to understand the futility of sensual pleasures thereby getting away from them and seeking the non-dual reality of Lord. But the sooner we realize this and start seeking the Lord, the better it is for us as we will not be suffering in the world due to those sense enjoyments and will be able to get eternal bliss sooner.
Bhagavatham through Yayati’s repentance and knowledge of the futility of sensual pleasures is telling each one of us to realize the temporary and sorrowful nature of the world this very moment itself. Once we realize the futility of sensual pleasures we will not seek them even as we don’t seek enjoyment from fire due to the knowledge that fire will not give happiness but only burn us.
We will continue with the story in the next day.
Yayati continued:
It is not possible to eradicate desires by enjoying sensual pleasures. Trying to do so is like trying to do so is like trying to put off fire by pouring ghee.
Explanation
We have heard this statement many times but still this is one of the most important statements for a seeker. Though we might understand the importance and import of the statement, putting it into practice is as tough as controlling the mind. Controlling the mind itself is compared by Arjuna to be as tough as controlling air.
Understanding a statement is quite different from implementing it through putting it into practice. We will be able to follow a statement fully only if we are fully convinced of the statement. The first step thus to get a practice into implementation is getting fully convinced of the thing. As long as we are not convinced of the statement that fire will burn us, we will not be able to refrain from putting our hand on fire. Once we are convinced of the fact that putting our hand on fire will burn our hand, we will never put our hand into fire. Similarly unless we know that desires cannot be removed by fulfilling them, we will not be running behind fulfillment of desires. This doesn't mean that we shouldn't have any desires in our mind; but just that we should be aware of the truth that desires cannot lead us to eternal bliss, peace, satisfaction and contentment.
We can think that why not fulfill a small desire of getting married. But do we really think that this desire will be removed and will lead to satisfaction once we get married? No, if we think so it is wrong. We will never be able to get satisfaction out of the fulfillment of the desire to get married. Marriage will again bring more desires of begetting children. Once children are there, we will want to look after them. We will want to have children to go to school, then college and finally get married. Thus our marriage will lead to our children's marriage. Will it end there? No, this will lead to children begetting children so that we can see our grand children. JAfter this the cycle will again continue with our grandchildren's schooling, college and marriage. Most of the people don't even get such longevity to see their grand children.Thus when we are about to die, we will still have desires left in our mind to see our grandchildren and their marriage. This desire in itself will ensure that we come back to Earth at least for 10-15 births more. As the Lord mentions in Gita that whatever we think at the end of our life, that will be continued in the next birth. Since we have been cultivating desires and trying to attain perfection through enjoying them, we will still have desires left while dying. Thus our death will ensure that we are born again to fulfill those desires. This cycle of birth and death continues until we realize this truth that enjoying desires cannot lead us to satisfaction and contentment.
The moment we realize this truth, we will not be running wildly behind sensual pleasures in the idea of gratifying our desires. Trying to attain perfection by fulfilling desires is like trying to put an end to fire by pouring ghee. If we pour ghee on fire, fire will not be extinguished but it will born more vigorously. Thus fire cannot be extinguished by pouring ghee on it. Similarly desires can never be ended by fulfilling them.
If desires cannot be removed fully by fulfilling them, how is it possible to get over desires so that we don't suffer in the delusion of samsaara (delusion being caused due to more and more desires in the mind)? This is being answered by Bhagavatham through Yayati's words which we will see in the next day.
The male goat that was very beautiful was sought by many female goats. It was during that time that he once enjoyed with a female goat. The goat who was in the well and saved by the male goat didn’t like this. The female goat thereby started to go towards her swami who was a brahmana. The male goat also started walking behind the female goat. The brahmana then broke the horn of the male goat who then started crying. Not able to withstand the cries of the goat, the brahmana again stuck the horn back to its body. The male goat then tried to be peaceful by enjoying with the female goat for many years. But there was no satisfaction whatsoever.
O Dear! This is my story. I was blinded by your delusion. Thereby I without knowing myself tried to be happy through enjoyments. There cannot be peace and satisfaction for a desire seeking person through money, fame, power, women etc.
Explanation
We have been taking births and births in this ocean of samsaara characterized by avidya-kama-karma (ignorance-desire-action). This delusion goes on and on without any end until we realize the futility of worldly pleasures thereby getting rid of the craving for worldly pleasures.
The first progress towards the goal of eternal bliss in the spiritual path is realization of the futility of the world and pleasures from the world. As long as a person hasn’t realized the futility of sensual pleasures, he will still be seeking them again and again in the world. These sensual pleasures are addictive and will never lead a person to satisfaction or contentment. This is because satisfaction and contentment is possible only from that which is permanent and ever-present. Since the sense objects of the world are temporary, the bliss achieved from them is also temporary. Such temporary bliss cannot give us satisfaction which is possible only through eternal and ever-lasting bliss. Thus as long as the seeker is seeking bliss in the sense objects, he will be deluded into more and more objects. When one object doesn’t give happiness, he will shift to another object. This is what is generally happening in terms of marital relations in the west and being steadily followed by Indians as well – if the husband is not giving happiness (which is what would ensue after a few days), then divorce the husband and seek another one. This goes on and on without any end. There will never be any peace or satisfaction as long as the wife or husband seeks bliss from the other person. All people are limited and ignorant. Such people can never give us eternal bliss – eternal bliss is possible only from the eternal reality of Lord. Unless we realize this that bliss is possible only from the non-dual reality of Lord and not from the worldly sense objects, we will be seeking one object or the other (one person or the other).
The first step to come out of the cravings for sensual pleasure is realizing the futility of sensual pleasures and knowing that they will lead to sorrow alone. We find Yayati achieving this step after many years of enjoyment. It might take even births to understand the futility of sensual pleasures thereby getting away from them and seeking the non-dual reality of Lord. But the sooner we realize this and start seeking the Lord, the better it is for us as we will not be suffering in the world due to those sense enjoyments and will be able to get eternal bliss sooner.
Bhagavatham through Yayati’s repentance and knowledge of the futility of sensual pleasures is telling each one of us to realize the temporary and sorrowful nature of the world this very moment itself. Once we realize the futility of sensual pleasures we will not seek them even as we don’t seek enjoyment from fire due to the knowledge that fire will not give happiness but only burn us.
We will continue with the story in the next day.
Yayati continued:
It is not possible to eradicate desires by enjoying sensual pleasures. Trying to do so is like trying to do so is like trying to put off fire by pouring ghee.
Explanation
We have heard this statement many times but still this is one of the most important statements for a seeker. Though we might understand the importance and import of the statement, putting it into practice is as tough as controlling the mind. Controlling the mind itself is compared by Arjuna to be as tough as controlling air.
Understanding a statement is quite different from implementing it through putting it into practice. We will be able to follow a statement fully only if we are fully convinced of the statement. The first step thus to get a practice into implementation is getting fully convinced of the thing. As long as we are not convinced of the statement that fire will burn us, we will not be able to refrain from putting our hand on fire. Once we are convinced of the fact that putting our hand on fire will burn our hand, we will never put our hand into fire. Similarly unless we know that desires cannot be removed by fulfilling them, we will not be running behind fulfillment of desires. This doesn't mean that we shouldn't have any desires in our mind; but just that we should be aware of the truth that desires cannot lead us to eternal bliss, peace, satisfaction and contentment.
We can think that why not fulfill a small desire of getting married. But do we really think that this desire will be removed and will lead to satisfaction once we get married? No, if we think so it is wrong. We will never be able to get satisfaction out of the fulfillment of the desire to get married. Marriage will again bring more desires of begetting children. Once children are there, we will want to look after them. We will want to have children to go to school, then college and finally get married. Thus our marriage will lead to our children's marriage. Will it end there? No, this will lead to children begetting children so that we can see our grand children. JAfter this the cycle will again continue with our grandchildren's schooling, college and marriage. Most of the people don't even get such longevity to see their grand children.Thus when we are about to die, we will still have desires left in our mind to see our grandchildren and their marriage. This desire in itself will ensure that we come back to Earth at least for 10-15 births more. As the Lord mentions in Gita that whatever we think at the end of our life, that will be continued in the next birth. Since we have been cultivating desires and trying to attain perfection through enjoying them, we will still have desires left while dying. Thus our death will ensure that we are born again to fulfill those desires. This cycle of birth and death continues until we realize this truth that enjoying desires cannot lead us to satisfaction and contentment.
The moment we realize this truth, we will not be running wildly behind sensual pleasures in the idea of gratifying our desires. Trying to attain perfection by fulfilling desires is like trying to put an end to fire by pouring ghee. If we pour ghee on fire, fire will not be extinguished but it will born more vigorously. Thus fire cannot be extinguished by pouring ghee on it. Similarly desires can never be ended by fulfilling them.
If desires cannot be removed fully by fulfilling them, how is it possible to get over desires so that we don't suffer in the delusion of samsaara (delusion being caused due to more and more desires in the mind)? This is being answered by Bhagavatham through Yayati's words which we will see in the next day.
# posted by vedanta : 8:23 PM
