.jpg)
Sense objects are even more venomous in their tragic effects than cobra poison. Poison is fatal to one who swallows it, but the sense objects kill him who even looks at them with his eyes. (77)
At this juncture, Sankara discusses how dangerous it is for a seeker to be attached to the enjoyment of sense objects.
In order to emphasize the virulence of sense poison, Sankara gives yet another verse, which is very famous, in as much as, we often hear it being quoted from all pulpits.
Explaining the dangerous intensity of this poison, the Acharya compares it with the venom of the cobra.
Vishayaḥ dosena tivraḥa; in terms of his harming capacity; pulling down capacity; the viṣaya is tivrah; more intense; more powerful than vishadapi; even poison. That too what type of poison?
Krishna sarpa; the black cobra; Krishna here means black or dark ones; the black cobra visham; and the viṣaya is more harmful than that.
How does Sankara say so? To give a logical proof also; he gives the logical proof; what is that; visham boktharam eva hanthi;
Poison will kill only a person who consumes the poison. By hearing about or by seeing, the poison does not kill; only when it enters the system and is absorbed in the system; only then it will kill.
Therefore boktharam vishaṁ hanti; whereas what about viṣaya; cakṣuṣa drastaram hanti; even that person who sees the viṣayaḥ.
If there is some distance between a cobra and an individual, the poison in the cobra cannot affect him. Nobody is known to have died of poison because he merely saw a cobra in a zoo.
The venom can be fatal to a person only when he is bitten by a cobra. Compared with this, sense objects are more virulent because they can annihilate the individual who just looks at them.
The organ of vision mentioned in the verse, represents all the other four sense organs and indicates a similar end when all other sense organs, individually or collectively, run after their sense objects, bringing about a total annihilation.
So here what is the idea conveyed? That if a person does not have a discriminative power; then the very sight can cause attachment; and then he goes on thinking about that
In the second chapter of Bhagwad Gita, Krishna says,
While contemplating on the objects of the senses, one develops attachment to them. Attachment leads to desire, and from desire arises anger.(2-62)
Anger leads to clouding of judgment, which results in bewilderment of memory. When memory is bewildered, the intellect gets destroyed; and when the intellect is destroyed, one is ruined.(63)
Most intelligent and moral personal can drop all the ethics and morality and go to adharma and once dharma goes away, moksha is farther.
And for that viṣaya dhyānam, what is the cause? Vishaya darsanam is the cause for viṣaya dhyanam. Viṣaya dhyanam is the cause of spiritual death.
A person should be careful with regard to the external world, until he learns to manage his rāga dveshṣa; which is called samaḥ; learning to manage raga-dveṣa is sama.
once the mind is mastered, then whatever the sense organs perceived; no problem; but because he knows what is attachment and what is freedom from that.
Love
