Sense Pleasures

 

Maha-Vishnu extends his hand to the human to give him moksha and release him from this cycle of Misery of rebirth... But the human is so engrossed in the dripping honey /nectar that he fails to see the extended hand of Maha-Vishnu...

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Enjoying Sense pleasures is like putting the Ghee (clarified butter) in the fire of desires, it increases the desires but never decreases. A worldly person's (Bhogi) life is filled with sense pleasures yet unhappy but whereas the Yogi controls the senses and enjoys unlimited happiness or joy. Don't be a Bhogi  but be a Yogi.!!!

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A Yogi is greater than the ascetic, greater than the empiricist, and greater than the fruitive worker. Therefore, O Arjuna, in all circumstances, be a yogi.

~ Bhagavad-Gita  6 - 46

Sense pleasure is an integral aspect of human life. However, Hinduism distinguishes between legitimate and illegitimate sense pleasures. For example, for grihasthis, that is, married people are allowed to indulge in sense pleasures but it is not allowed to brahmacharis, vanprasthis and sannyasins. Brahmacharis are students who have to exert self control and discipline their senses with a view to focus their attention to the goal of education alone. Vanprasthis are forest dwellers who have retired from active family life and who do not seek any material acquisition and who are in preparation to enter the stage of sannyasa. Sannyasins are those who are completely detached from family life and whose sole aim is spiritual attainment or moksha. According to the vedic system only householders are allowed to indulge in sense enjoyment because they are at such a stage where sense pleasures are legitimate for them by virtue of the vivaha samskara (marriage ceremony). In this stage they have the right to enjoy sense pleasures. They have the responsibility of carrying further the family line and procreation.

A moderate amount of SATTVIC sense pleasure is NECESSARY for healthy physical, mental, emotional and spiritual life. Sattvic sense pleasures are all those pleasures that do not violate the fundamental principles of dharma (natural eternal universal ethics) such as truthfulness, compassion, hygiene and self-control.

That man who practises the religion of universal compassion achieves his highest good. .. He who, from motives of his own happiness, slays other harmless creatures with the rod of chastisement, never attains to happiness, in the next world. That man who regards all creatures as his own self, and behaves towards them as towards his own self, laying aside the rod of chastisement and completely subjugating his wrath, succeeds in attaining to happiness. The very deities, who are desirous of a fixed abode, become stupefied in ascertaining the track of that person who constitutes himself the soul of all creatures and looks upon them all as his own self, for such a person leaves no track behind. One should never do that to another which one regards as injurious to one's own self. This, in brief, is the rule of Righteousness.

The ultimate goal of Hindu spiritual practice is to become aware of the Divine’s presence everywhere at all times in oneself, in every other human being, and in the whole of creation. Achieving this goal requires a mind that is exceptionally clear and calm. Hindu scriptures offer a variety of practices that help the seeker purify the mind and expand his/her consciousness. While the final goal of these practices is moksha, liberation, there are also immediate benefits of great practical value. Such a person rises above sorrows and spreads peace and joy to others.

The core of Hindu spiritual practice is to recognize that our true identity is not the mortal body but the immortal, blissful Atman. Hindu scriptures offer detailed guidance on how to replace this misidentification with an understanding of our essential inner Divinity. When the physical body dies, our minds live on and carry to our next life the level of understanding that we attained in this life. Each life as a human being is an opportunity to improve our spiritual understanding.

The primary impediment to spiritual evolution is the deep reservoir of habits and misconceptions in our minds that prevent us from realizing the truth about our own blissful nature and seeing Divine glory in the world around us. These misconceptions are the cause of endless agitation as we vainly seek to find happiness is the wrong places. Jerked about by our likes and dislikes we fail to enjoy the peace of mind we crave for. Replacing false understanding with a realization of the inherent joy in the universe is necessarily a long and arduous process that might take several lifetimes. Hindu scriptures describe this process in depth and offer many suggestions on how to transform our minds and speed our progress on the spiritual path.

As long as our minds are preoccupied with seeking fleeting pleasures in gratifying our senses, accumulating possessions and nursing relationships, we are only reinforcing mental habits that consistently fail to bring lasting happiness and spiritual growth. Disciplining these habits by cultivating non-attachment frees our minds to pursue spiritual goals and connect with the Divine within us. Such discipline requires sustained and well-designed practice.

A seeker who practices rituals to focus on Vishnu all the time, will be free sense pleasures and sees true SELF.