Bhagavad Geeta Chapter 2, Verses 62-63

Bhagavad Geeta Chapter 2, Verses 62-63

‘Brooding on the objects of the senses, man develops attachment to them; from attachment comes desire; from desire (unfulfilled), anger sprouts forth. From anger proceeds delusion; from delusion, confused memory – the loss of reason; and due to the loss of reason, he perishes.’  (Bhagavad Geeta 2:62-3).

These two verses are of great importance. The gradual process of Self-destruction is traced here. The contemplation of sense objects is the first step in the downward process. Not that sense-objects are bad or unnecessary in life, but the constant and prolonged thought over them is the problem. The enemy enters the house in the guise of a friend, and gradually occupies the whole house, and pushes the owner out.

Desire, greed, anger, etc. are considered in the Vedic scriptures as maanasa roga – diseases of the mind. They have a chain reaction. We are all aware of the diseases of the body – even a single bodily ailment has the power to make one’s whole day miserable, but we do not realize that we are being continuously tormented by multiple mental ailments. And since we do not recognize desire, greed, anger, etc. as mental diseases, we do not try to cure them.

Now attachment seems quite harmless by itself. But the problem is that from attachment comes desire. If one is attached to drinks, the desire for drinks comes repeatedly to the mind. If one is attached to cigarettes, then thoughts of the pleasure of smoking repeatedly flow in the mind, creating a craving for them. In this way, attachment leads to desire.

Once desire develops, it gives birth to two more problems – greed and anger. Greed comes from the fulfillment of desire.

On the flip side, what happens if the fulfillment of desire is obstructed? (You do not get what you want). It gives rise to anger. Sri Krishna continues the chain further down, and explains the consequences of anger.

When the intellect is clouded, it leads to loss or confusion of memory. The person then forgets what is right and what is wrong, and flows along with the surge of emotions. The downward descent continues from there, and loss of reason results in destruction of the intellect. And since the intellect is the internal guide, when it gets destroyed, one is ruined. In this manner, the path of descent from divinity to impiety has been described, beginning with contemplation on the sense objects to the destruction of the intellect.

Desires may prove to be as resistless as the most powerful external forces. They may lift us into glory or hurl us into disgrace. One who is not God-conscious is subjected to material desires while contemplating the objects of the senses. The senses require real engagements, and if they are not engaged in spiritual related activities, they will certainly seek engagements in materialism.

When a person is reduced to this state, it becomes easy for him to give up the path of duty and follow the forbidden path. Such a man will exhibit bitterness, harshness, even violence, vindictiveness, wretchedness, silliness and many other evil traits in his behavior. This is how loss of reason brings about a person’s ruin.

What is called for is not forced isolation from the world or destruction of sense life, but an inward withdrawal. To hate the senses is as wrong as to love them.

A minute peepal seed gets into a crack in a wall, sprouts, grows and rends the wall asunder. Similarly, an evil thought germinates in the mind, develops in its own way and wrecks the man ultimately. Thought can make or mar a man. Good thought mends and makes man, while evil thought ends him.

(Pandit Ramdial Balbadar is a prominent Aachaarya (Teacher) of Hinduism in Guyana. He is the compiler and author of many titles and has over 30 years experience in Pandits’ Training across Guyana. He is currently the President of the Sanatan Vaidic Dharma Pandits’ Sabha, Region 3).