Krishna said ‘Oh! Arjuna! The root cause for the Ajnana (ignorance) is your Moha (delusion). Again the basis for this delusion (moha) is Ajnana Ignorance. Therefore, if you want to control dukha (sorrow), moha delusion) and Ajnana (ignorance), you control your senses first. The indriyas are like the horses that will take you to your destination. It is only when you keep these horses under control, the chariot and the charioteer will be able to reach their destination safely. On the other hand, if you leave them to their free will, there may be a danger to the chariot as well as the charioteer. Therefore, if you want to reach your destination safely, keep these horses under control’. Shri Krishna has given a new name ‘mathra’ to the senses. What does it mean? That which measures, is a ‘mathra’. Therefore, indriyas, (senses) mean mathras (measuring instruments). The tongue measures and decides tastes, declaring this is sweet, this is sour, this is bitter, etc. The eye sees an object and decides its form. The ear hears a song and decides that it is melodious or otherwise. Similarly, each of the indriyas measures a particular aspect and decides. The word ‘mathra’ has another meaning, limit, which means that each of these indriyas has its own limits. How do you decide the limits of the indriyas? For example, the nose is given to you to smell the fragrance. But, supposing you feed snuff into it, then it is a misuse of the nose. It amounts to a misuse of the God-given indriyas. It also amounts to flouting the commands of God. God has given us the tongue. With this tongue, we must provide happiness to others by our sweet words. We should never: use our tongue for speaking bad words that hurt other. Our tongue must be used in partaking of pure, healthy and sacred sattvika food. It should help us to partake of nutritious food with proteins and vitamins that give strength to the body. On the other hand, if the tongue made use of in eating meat, drinking a1chohol and smoking cigarettes, bidis, cigars, etc., it amounts to misusing this most important God-given indriya. The indriyas (senses) can give us peace and happiness only when each one of them is employed for the purpose for which it was given by God. The indriyas (senses) in association with the vishaya (sensory objects) experience happiness or sorrow and heat or cold.- We do not experience happiness or sorrow merely on account of senses. It is only when they come into contact with the sensory objects, we experience happiness or sorrow. You are here at this moment. Along with you, your ear is also here. Something has happened in your village, in the meanwhile. It may be good or bad. But, since you are away from the incident, you have neither happiness nor sorrow. Suppose you receive a phone call about the incident. If the message is good, you feel happy; if it is bad, you feel sorrow. Thus, when your senses come into contact with the sensory objects, you feel either happiness or sorrow. Therefore, you must always try to keep your senses away from the objects, which are impermanent and susceptible to constant changes.
There are several living beings in this world. Each one of them is bound by some indriya or the other. A few examples to illustrate this point are kuranga (deer), mathanga (elephant), Patanga (grasshopper) meena (fish) and bhringa (buzzing bee). The deer gives itself to sound. The elephant gives itself to the touch of the she-elephant. The grasshopper, immediately on seeing the light of a flame falls into it. The fish falls for the taste of the bait. The buzzing bee is attracted by the smell of the flower. Thus, each of these beings is attracted and becomes a prey to one indriya only. But, man is bound by all the five indriyas. He is worse than the deer, elephant, grasshopper, fish and the buzzing bee. (BhaG, pp. 37-40)
After the five Indriyas (sense organs), comes the mind, the sixth one. Even though this is the sixth indriya, its position is that of a master of all indriyas. Without the mind, neither the Jnanendriyas (senses of perception) nor the Karmendriyas (organs of action) can function. In all these ten indriyas, mind flows like a pravahika satya (flowing truth). It is the under current and the inner life. (BhaG, p. 88)
Sense. (Glossary for the Vahinis)
Krishna said ‘Oh! Arjuna! The root cause for the Ajnana (ignorance) is your Moha (delusion). Again the basis for this delusion (moha) is Ajnana Ignorance. Therefore, if you want to control dukha (sorrow), moha delusion) and Ajnana (ignorance), you control your senses first. The indriyas are like the horses that will take you to your destination. It is only when you keep these horses under control, the chariot and the charioteer will be able to reach their destination safely. On the other hand, if you leave them to their free will, there may be a danger to the chariot as well as the charioteer. Therefore, if you want to reach your destination safely, keep these horses under control’. Shri Krishna has given a new name ‘mathra’ to the senses. What does it mean? That which measures, is a ‘mathra’. Therefore, indriyas, (senses) mean mathras (measuring instruments). The tongue measures and decides tastes, declaring this is sweet, this is sour, this is bitter, etc. The eye sees an object and decides its form. The ear hears a song and decides that it is melodious or otherwise. Similarly, each of the indriyas measures a particular aspect and decides. The word ‘mathra’ has another meaning, limit, which means that each of these indriyas has its own limits. How do you decide the limits of the indriyas? For example, the nose is given to you to smell the fragrance. But, supposing you feed snuff into it, then it is a misuse of the nose. It amounts to a misuse of the God-given indriyas. It also amounts to flouting the commands of God. God has given us the tongue. With this tongue, we must provide happiness to others by our sweet words. We should never: use our tongue for speaking bad words that hurt other. Our tongue must be used in partaking of pure, healthy and sacred sattvika food. It should help us to partake of nutritious food with proteins and vitamins that give strength to the body. On the other hand, if the tongue made use of in eating meat, drinking a1chohol and smoking cigarettes, bidis, cigars, etc., it amounts to misusing this most important God-given indriya. The indriyas (senses) can give us peace and happiness only when each one of them is employed for the purpose for which it was given by God. The indriyas (senses) in association with the vishaya (sensory objects) experience happiness or sorrow and heat or cold.- We do not experience happiness or sorrow merely on account of senses. It is only when they come into contact with the sensory objects, we experience happiness or sorrow. You are here at this moment. Along with you, your ear is also here. Something has happened in your village, in the meanwhile. It may be good or bad. But, since you are away from the incident, you have neither happiness nor sorrow. Suppose you receive a phone call about the incident. If the message is good, you feel happy; if it is bad, you feel sorrow. Thus, when your senses come into contact with the sensory objects, you feel either happiness or sorrow. Therefore, you must always try to keep your senses away from the objects, which are impermanent and susceptible to constant changes.
There are several living beings in this world. Each one of them is bound by some indriya or the other. A few examples to illustrate this point are kuranga (deer), mathanga (elephant), Patanga (grasshopper) meena (fish) and bhringa (buzzing bee). The deer gives itself to sound. The elephant gives itself to the touch of the she-elephant. The grasshopper, immediately on seeing the light of a flame falls into it. The fish falls for the taste of the bait. The buzzing bee is attracted by the smell of the flower. Thus, each of these beings is attracted and becomes a prey to one indriya only. But, man is bound by all the five indriyas. He is worse than the deer, elephant, grasshopper, fish and the buzzing bee. (BhaG, pp. 37-40)
After the five Indriyas (sense organs), comes the mind, the sixth one. Even though this is the sixth indriya, its position is that of a master of all indriyas. Without the mind, neither the Jnanendriyas (senses of perception) nor the Karmendriyas (organs of action) can function. In all these ten indriyas, mind flows like a pravahika satya (flowing truth). It is the under current and the inner life. (BhaG, p. 88)