SIGNIFICANCE OF SENSES

SIgnificance of the Senses

Of all the creations of God, Man is the most complex creature! The soul is encased in a body with a number of organs, muscles,  bones,marrow, blood and a maze of nerves which cannot be imagined! These organs form the basis for the Senses that lead man to greater heights of jnana or knowledge or to material pleasures and downfall. Man is endowed with what we call “ jnanendriyas“ and “karmendriyas” which carry out the dictates of the mind.The function of the former is to identify  ‘sabda or sound, sparsa or touch, rupa or form, rasa, or taste and gandha or smell. “ Taste, touch and smell,hearing and seeing are not merely a means to sensation, enjoyable or otherwise but they are also a means to knowledge -- and are, indeed, your only actual means to knowledge” remarks St.,Thomas Aquinas.The positive and negative aspects of these Senses have to be considered very cautiously and utilized .

The Vedas and the Upanishads proclaim that one has to control his senses in order to realize his self and attain salvation. Atma' or soul is described as the charioteer and the body the chariot.Buddhi or intellect is the the sarathi or the driver of the chariot and manas or mind is the bridle to control the dragging senses! “ atmanam rathinam viddhi sareeram rathamevathu  Buddhim thu sarathim viddhi manah pragrahamevacha” Man has to drive through his life driven by his intellect and by controlling the Senses by his mind. The Senses are the horses that drag the chariot. If the horses are allowed a free run and not controlled they tend to go astray and lead the person to destruction. They should never be allowed to gallop lest they throw the rider down and cause irreparable damage. Eyes see good and bad things; ears hear good and bad sounds; skin can touch good and bad things; nose can smell fragrance as well as bad odour and the tongue can taste good food and bad food! God has left the choice to us, human beings. Enveloped by Maya or illusion, we are uncertain of our choice and invariably choose the wrong choice. We fail to exercise our intellect and see what is good and bad. It is Maya that deceives us and represents good as bad and bad as good.Is it possible for us to gain control over our senses? It is easier said than done. The Senses are very powerful horses that drag you away from the right path. They are attracted to every good and bad thing on the road and tempt man irresistibly.

Controlling our senses is a herculean task! But nothing is impossible to man. Association with devotees, sages,and saints and thoughts on God shall help in controlling one’s senses. Prayer is another way of mitigating the effect of senses. The mantra for suppressing the Senses is to see good, think good, say good and do good! Every organ of our Body  has to be dedicated to the service of God!  It is divine grace that enables us to keep the onslaught of the Senses under control. Kulasekhara Azwar, one of the greatest Azwars, says that the tongue should sing the glory of God; manas should worship Him; feet should Visit His temples; hands should perform puja; ears should listen to His divine sports or Leelas; nose should smell the fragrance of holy thulasi water or thirtha and finally head should bow down to his lotus feet! The inner enemies embedded in our nature, the  ‘arishadvargas' namely kama, krodha, lobha, moha, mada, matsarya-- instigate the Senses to  go astray.unfulfillment of desire or kama leads to disappointment and anger.  This leads to senseless acts and serious consequences. As Adi Sankara points out, satsang leads to non attachment and fixing the mind on God which in turn to highest goal of emancipation or mukti.

Stories galore are in our Purana's  and epics, of sages and saints and illustrious persons who have fallen victims to wiles and charms of the Senses! When sage Viswamitra performed severe penance, Indra, king of God's sent the heavenly damsel, Manama to disturb his concentration. The bewitching beauty of Manama was enough to lead the sage astray! “ Beauty provoketh thieves more than gold” says Shakespeare! Here it is the passion for ‘rupa’ form or personality that has led to  the fall of the sage! Ravana,king of Lanka is another illustration of a very great celebrity, who despite his famie and scholarship was undone by his passion and lust for Sita, wife of Rama! Motivated by the words of his sister, Surpanaka, he decided to abduct and have Sita as his spouse. He was the embodiment of arrogance and thoughts was invincible because of his valour and the boons granted by the creator Brahma! This pride, arrogance and lust brought about his downfall. Renowned sage Durvasa had to eat his humble pie and meet his humiliation! When Ambarisha, the true devotee of Lord Vishnu, waited for the sage and his disciples for long and took some water, Durvasa was infuriated! He felt Ambarisha was disrespectful. The sage created a spirit to destroy king Ambarisha and sent it after the king. But the Sudersana Chakra,given by the Lord for protection of the king, chased the sage! not even the Trinity, Brahma, Vishnu, or Siva could save him from the Chakra!! Finally the sage had to fall at the feet of Ambarisha and beg his pardon! king Dasaratha was mislead by the sound of water that was filled by Sravana. He was taking it for his parents. Dasaratha shows mad after hunting, aimed at the sound and shot a narrow that killed Sravana. his parents,knowing this, cursed that Dasaratha should die of separation fromm his son!

Thus we see the Senses playing havoc in the lives of  even the great sages and saints and celebrities! It is not too much to say that they have tremendous  effect on the ordinary man. Arrogance has been the downfall of Hitler and any a dictator.M any civilizations have vanished because of the pride and arrogance of their kings and emperors! Man should see that these dangerous senses do not gain the upper hand in their lives. A ceiling on desires is absolutely essential for man in society. He should not aspire for every mundane pleasures. Rather he should desire for good company, meditation and think of God for peace of mind and salvation!