Conduct of the Senses

Meaning: According to the Atharvaved 19/9/5 — our mind is molded according to the conduct of the senses. It is within man's power either to make good use of the senses. Therefore one must always try to save himself form the excitement of the senses.

Message: God has prepared this human body with deep thought and consideration. No living being possesses a body so perfect and with so many attributes as men. The sense-organs have been placed in such a special way that through them man gets not only happiness, satisfaction and joy but he can also achieve personal development.

But the ignorant man invites self-destruction by getting trapped in the indulgence of senses. It is within his own power to keep the rein of the mind under control and by putting his senses to good use, achieve spiritual bliss. But man considers it as acts of bravery to use the senses for bad purposes. On the contrary, our mind goes into a spin with the unquenchable thirst of our desires. First of all they tempt the mind towards wicked tendencies. After that the mind starts imagining and feeling happy at the thought of action. Then the thought of happiness of action sways the mind, and after some struggle, man surrenders himself and starts wandering behind the temptations of the senses. Gradually the downfall of the mind occurs. Bad thoughts and bad tendencies overwhelm it and man gets trapped more and more in the temptations of the senses.

Man can save himself permanently from the excitement and sway of the senses by abnegation and practice. Our mind can be free from the power of the senses if they are put to proper use by control and discipline. That itself is the right meaning of a pure life. Do not have a sense of possessiveness or attachment for anybody. The only dear one for us is God Supreme. Some people, specially the youth, are doubtful about the subtle authority of God. But the truth is that the one and only reality is GOD. God is within us but we are not awakened about him. To be awakened about God is a great gift to humanity. \the more the man becomes pure, the more he will be able to see the image of God within himself.

The easiest solution for protecting the mind from the temptations of the senses is to keep it engrossed in the worship of God. Man should go on doing the life's deeds without attachment of the mind, which should be protected from them and diverted for acts of public welfare. That is the real devotion to God. Once Swami Dayananda Saraswati was asked. "You too have the body of does and flesh; do the sexual desires not trouble you?" The Swamiji replied, "I have never had the time to think of sex throughout my life. Well similarly join the mind in God's work in such a way that the thoughts of desires of the senses are not able to enter the mind at all.

We can achieve such a beautiful result by strong spiritual power.