A balanced comprehension of our soul, intelligence, mind and senses can build utopia around us. We will then know what happiness truly is
lord Krishna states, “Beyond the senses, there is unlimited bliss, which can be experienced through the intelligence.” The Bhagavad Gita also mentions, “Always linking the self this way to God, free from sins, a yogi easily experiences unlimited bliss of Brahman realisation.” Quotes such as these make utopia a believable and possible phenomenon and I seek to experience that phase of infinite bliss.
I have been reading the above verses for the last 20 years or so, but always with a pinch of cynicism. However, it dawned upon me that it is only human beings who can undertake spiritual epiphany and a constructive insight should be realised before it is too late. Realising it, I began to meditate on this possibility and reached the following conclusion.
Our individuality pertains to be of optimal significance, within which we can be categorised in four units — soul, intelligence, mind and senses. We must realise that the essence of soul precedes that of the body in our formation. Our society, however, conditions us to identify ourselves with our anatomical details but it is only the abstract soul that can transport us from a space of material consciousness to divine realisations. Of course, the journey will be turbulent. We would need assistance from God’s forces which can be attained through the development of a well-built attachment with Him. While renouncing our immediate indulgence of desires, it is also mandatory for us to seek the proximity with the divine in full awareness. Our expectations have to be based on solid foundation which is free from sins from within.
As for intelligence, it is superior to both the mind and the senses. Our intellect can be polished spiritually, or for instance, through a close reading of the Bhagavad Gita. We need to be aware of the inevitability of birth, old age, pain, diseases and eventually death. We will have to justify the present and acknowledge that a swift and immediate state of enlightenment will take some time to materialise.
The mind comes next. It must be controlled in order to channelise peace in our lives. We need to abandon all attachments, including those with our own bodies, relatives, material acquisitions, and so on. We don’t enjoy the privileges of misplaced emotions. Compassion can be comprehended, but to be fidgeted by any sense of suffering, which in any case is temporary, is unacceptable.
Finally, our senses need to be addressed. They must be regulated. lustful enjoyment even in the mode of passion are unacceptable. living must be austere and health must be maintained. We have done whatever we could to reduce/eliminate our sufferings. The threshold of pain is high, and we need not pick up imaginary distress signals from the body or from elsewhere.
The writer is a spiritual writer