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Desire is One Thing That Obstructs A Person From Progressing in Spiritual Path
क्रोधाद्भवति सम्मोह: सम्मोहात्स्मृतिविभ्रम: |
स्मृतिभ्रंशाद् बुद्धिनाशो बुद्धिनाशात्प्रणश्यति || 2.63||
krodhād bhavati sammohaḥ sammohāt smṛiti-vibhramaḥ
smṛiti-bhranśhād buddhi-nāśho buddhi-nāśhāt praṇaśhyati|| 2.63||
Shloka Translation
BG – Ch. 2- Ver. 63:
Anger leads to delusion, which leads to memory loss, which leads to intellect destruction, and once the intellect is destroyed, he perishes.
Explanation
The full chain of events described in the two shlokas is. Constantly thinking about material goods leads to attachment, desire, anger, delusion, loss of memory, destruction of intellect, and the individual perishes.
This is the gita verse on anger. Desire gives birth to rage. When an external element obstructs desire, the thoughts travelling from you to the object are diverted to the blockage. Anger is the result of this redirected thinking flow. As a result, there can never be fury without an underlying desire.
From confusion of memory comes loss of intellect. The feeling rises to the point that you lose your ability to reason. This is the end of you. As a result, we gradually degrade towards self-annihilation.
The intellect must be carefully preserved, nurtured, and developed. We must recognise our vulnerability to destruction. It all begins with a single thought. We’ve gone through the entire process of absolute destruction before we realise it. We must consider the implications of our actions.
A passing idea here, a passing liking there appear innocuous, and you are unconcerned with it. ‘What can that one idea do?’ you think. If that concept becomes entrenched in your mind, it has the potential to destroy you. As a result, in spirituality, you require ‘Thought Guard.’ Every notion that enters your head must be guarded. You’ll be alright if you do that. If you don’t, controlling the force of your mind flow will be quite tough.
Thoughts enter your mind at such a rapid rate that you are frequently unaware of the type of thoughts you are contemplating. Even more harmful is the fact that you are harbouring negative notions. You must be especially vigilant to ensure that you are harbouring the proper thoughts. When you have thoughts that are harmful to your health, you should be able to stop them in their tracks.
Verse & what we can learn
From desire arises many other negative things which in turn becomes an obstruction to spiritual progress and sometimes may lead to even destruction of the person.
A single thought taken lightly can result in total deterioration of our spiritual progress.
What does Krishna say about nature of desire? What is the function of desire in the spiritual path? What Geeta says about attachment? How to deal with desire? What does the bhagavad gita say about human desires?
These are some of the many questions that arise in our mind and we have already found answers to some and will find answers for some more as we keep moving forward. The only way to control thoughts and desires is to constantly practice daily meditation with sincerity and dedication.
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, Shri Krishna describes to Arjuna about mind.
Let’s learn to live with “The Gita” via Meditation Affinity…