(Image Courtesy Mahanidhiswami)

Material Attractions & Desires Divert One From the Path of God Realization

भोगैश्वर्यप्रसक्तानां तयापहृतचेतसाम् |
व्यवसायात्मिका बुद्धि: समाधौ न विधीयते || 2.44||

bhogaiśwvarya-prasaktānāṁ tayāpahṛita-chetasām
vyavasāyātmikā buddhiḥ samādhau na vidhīyate|| 2.44||

Shloka Translation
BG – Ch. 2- Ver. 44:

Those who are fond of pleasure and power, who are drawn to these, on the other hand, lack a determined mind and will never attain Samadhi.

Explanation

People whose thoughts are oriented to sensuous pleasure are concerned with Bhog (gratification), and Aishwarya (satisfaction) (luxury). They apply their minds to increasing their income and pondering how to expand their material goods and increase their enjoyment. They are unable to cultivate the firm resolution required to traverse the path to God-realization because they are confused in this way.

At the period of the Mahabharata, like now, people had forgotten the philosophy and were performing elaborate rites for worldly motives. The objective of the rituals is to lift the mind to the thought of Reality and not get you further enmeshed in the world. Vyasa wrote the Bhagavad Gita, which is based on the Upanishads, and compiled the Vedas. He is now condemning blind belief and adherence to empty rituals.

Any ritual must be supported by knowledge and carried out with Bhavana, or feeling. Action on its own is meaningless. The intention behind it is what gives it its power.

The foolish take pleasure in the letter of the scriptures while ignoring the message. They get obsessed because they are unable to imagine anything else. Their passions grow stronger, resulting in rebirth as a result of their actions. The ultimate goal for them is heaven or tremendous pleasure. They get captivated with pleasure and power but lack the steadfast intelligence required to lead them to Realization. Because they have no objective or purpose, they are easily deceived.

The sensitive mind or conscience is what keeps you on the correct path. This must be developed by questioning and reflecting on your beliefs. Then you can see things from a different perspective.

Verse & what we can learn

If God-realization is the goal then one should have strong determination to realize it and should keep his mind & heart focused and engaged in that while performing duties in his remembrance/higher consciousness, leaving everything to him.

We find people who say “Krishnarpanam” after everything they do the thought process behind it that we are offering the results/fruits of the action that we are doing to Lord Krishna.

Practicing daily meditation helps us to stay focused on the goal and also helps us in evolving ourselves to a higher level of consciousness. This in turn results in a balanced mind, actions and the state of Samadhi with time.
There are various types of meditation like Buddhist meditation, heartfulness meditation, mindfulness meditation, meditation for stress, and each meditation benefits are countless. There are also numerous meditation techniques for beginners which help in practicing daily meditation so go ahead and start your journey towards a peaceful and balanced life.

In the next verse, Lord Shri Krishna tells Arjuna the three modes of material nature.

Let’s learn to live with “The Gita” via Meditation Affinity…