Poison in Sanskrit is called Visha. A kindred word is Vishaya, which means, the sensory objects, which poison the mind of man with lust, anger, greed, craving, pride and hate. Because of its poison, the snake is destroyed whenever seen: Man’s slavery to Vishaya is the cause of his downfall, but the situation is not without some hope.

The serpent can be tamed and its poisonous fangs removed when music from the nagaswaram pipe is played and when it is fascinated by that sweet melody. The poison that Vishaya exerts on the human mind can also be eliminated and countermanded when man is fascinated by the sweet melodies of Namasmarana or Sankirtan - that is to say, by the repetitive chanting of the meaningful Names of the Lord. The poison in both can thus be transmuted into pure nectar. (SSS Vol.9, p. 144)

Holding nectar within his grasp; man is drinking the poison of sensual pleasure. Neglecting the joy of the contemplation of the fundamental Atmic Reality of the universe, he is entangling himself in the external trappings of this objective world of appearances. (DhyV, p. 17)