Bhaja Govindam - Post 4

Verse 3

नारीस्तनभरनाभीदेशं दृष्ट्वा मा गा मोहावेशम् ।

एतन्मांसवसादिविकारं मनसि विचिन्तय वारं वारम् ॥३॥

Nārīstanabhara nābhīdeśaṁ dṛṣṭvā māgāmohāveśam,

etanmāśaṁsāvasādi vikāraṁ manasi vicintaya vāraṁ vāram.

(Seeing the weighty bosoms of young maidens, and their navel, do not fall a prey to maddening delusion. These are but modifications of flesh and fat. Reflect well in your mind again and again.)

To preserve the human species, nature has endowed men and women with a biological urge and attraction towards the opposite sex.

But as moth is eaten by the fire when it rushes towards it, so also does a man burn himself in passion and lust.

One is compelled to ask: What, after all, is attracting in the physical body? The physical centers of attraction are mentioned in the verse. But are they attractive in themselves?

Maa (A)gaa: “Do not fall a prey”.

This sums up the advice being given on this subject. It is not directed to man or to woman; nor is it against man or against woman. Lust is present in man and woman. The truth is that it arises from the power of delusion which is rooted in ignorance.

Both the individual and society are drifting towards more greed and more lust for we are more incomplete. We act to complete ourselves. And so, when we act we expect a fruit. Our actions are not pure and so the fruit we want (Infinite Joy) is not pure either.

Thus, we succumb to a limited fruit, specifically that which is tangible. Wealth is the most tangible fruit. Sexuality is no different. And these never satisfy us so we endlessly pursue different combinations and permutations of these fruits only to grow more incomplete.

Manasi Vichintaya: “Reflect well”.

The hint is very strong that the unseen mind is the culprit that promotes lust in a person. Lust has never found a safer refuge and supporter than the human mind; that makes lust a purely mental phenomenon, inflamed by thoughts and musings of desire. Any remedy to cure one of it has to deal with the mind, not the body. Thus, “think well thus in your mind”.

There have been sincere aspirants who have abandoned themselves to life in a desert, with barely enough food to eat, and were yet victims of pangs of passion. This proves that lust is a desire, and the home of desire is the mind.

Agony, suffering and misery grip such a person who loses his self-control for moments of such fleeting happiness.

Man has been endowed with an extras sense than the animals and by using this common sense, he should exercise self-control, self-restraint and substitute lust by love and channelize it to something noble and divine.

In his spiritual sessions on “Karma", author often and invariably takes the example of a lion and a man, in terms of their physical urge.

A lion has not been endowed with extra sense and the power of discrimination and hence, it cannot differentiate between its spouse/companion or any other lioness. Since God has not given the lion the power of discrimination, God also has no power to punish it for mating with any lioness in the jungle when it feels the urge.

Whereas, God has endowed only Man / Human species with the power of discrimination which He did not gift to any other species in his 8.4 million species creation.

So, having been granted this power of discrimination / Viveka, if man wanders here and there, lures any woman for intimacy when he feels the urge, losing the viveka that it is immoral to go to any other woman other than his spouse, God can tell that man, ‘Moodhamate, I gave you the power of discrimination and you did not use it. So, you deserve to be punished for this act of yours. These acts will add to your karma for which you are bound to suffer in future”

Pratipaksha bhavana

Pratipaksha bhavana is 'seeing' the full picture. Whenever we see the Universe, our experience is colored by our attractions and aversions. Hence though we see, we are not seeing what is actually present. We are attracted to the aversive side. With this vision we grow independent of articles, beings and circumstances. This process of reflection has to become as natural as attraction / aversion.

In the context of physical urge / lust, this means that man reflects deeper into the urge and understands that the beauty is only skin deep, at outer level, with the physical body of a woman having some elevations and depressions and deep underneath this apparent attraction, it is all only flesh and bone etc.

In the early stages of spiritual practice, it is not easy to overcome this powerful urge and a spiritual aspirant is apt to slip unless he brings to his mind “the pratipaksha bhavana time and again.

Control or channelize?

While  self-restraint, self control, Pratipaksha Bhavana are all at mental level which a man has to deliberate using his mind / intellect, mind being mind, it may fail him at any moment. Even a spiritual aspirant, almost standing at the gate way of liberation, may lose his self control at the sight of an apsara.

We have stories of Viswamitra & menaka and about how Lord Hari took the form of Mohini etc., only to teach us that our mind may fail us when the physical urge / passion takes over.

So, is there a more sound, fool proof solution to this problem of lust / passion??

All the solutions to all the problems in this world lies in the title of this beautiful work of Sankara, “BHAJA GOVINDAM”!!

Train and channelize the mind to be at the lotus feet of the Lord and more precisely, as we all learnt together in the Oct talk at Sai Sadan Muscat, hold Lord’s hand always, in all desa, places, at all kala, all times!!!

Swami has said, “Your heart is not a sofa cum bed. It is a single chair. So, you cannot keep the world and me at the same time in your heart. It can be either me or world. Choose between the two”

So, O mind, “Sadaa nirantara Hari Gun gao…….” and.... end with “Jivan naiya paar lagao”!!!

Love.

PS. Even if 100 times this topic of passion for woman is taken up, the author cannot stop quoting an incident that Chinmaya has written in one of his commentaries.

  

"Seeing  the most handsome Buddha, a woman falls for his

charm and she walks to his camp at mid night, most sensuously dressed, with milk and fruits in her  hand, with lust in her mind to attain buddha that night.

The very sight of that sensuous woman can make any man on earth slip at that very moment.

Buddha, (A renunciant monk by then) opens the door and on seeing that woman, prostrates  at her feet and asks "what can I do for you, O Mother"

It is said that that woman later on went to become one of the important disciple of  Bhagawan Buddha and spread His message / teachings wherever she went".

So, if Hari (Lord) is in one's mind 24/7, then no sight / no words / no acts can disturb such person who has given himself to Hari. He can only see Hari / God in everyone / in everything he sees, as Buddha saw in that beautiful woman.

Love.