HOW TO OVERCOME TEMPTATIONS - 4

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HOW TO OVERCOME TEMPTATIONS - 4

"There are two sorts of things viz., the Good and the Pleasant; the former deals

with spiritual affairs, and the latter with mundane matters. Both these approach

man for acceptance. He has to think and choose one of them. The wise man prefers

the Good to the Pleasant; but the unwise, through greed and attachment, chooses

the Pleasant" –Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch. XVI, XVII.

There is a Bengali proverb which tells us: "The heron is a saint when there are

no fish in sight." And there is an amusing little story told to us concerning a

young woman who trained her cat to hold a candle stick in his paws while she ate

dinner. This the cat did, night after night, and when the young woman felt

satisfied with the cat’s performance, she invited her friends to dinner, so

that they could see what she had trained her cat to do. The cat jumped on the

table, got hold of the candlestick and sat there quietly. One of the friends

spread the food on the floor, thinking that the cat would be driven to it, but

was surprised to find that the cat sat motionless, holding the candlestick in

his paws. Another friend held a piece of meat close to the nose but even that

did not affect the cat. However, when someone who had brought a mouse in a box,

opened the box and let the mouse go, the cat immediately dropped the candlestick

and ran after the mouse.

We are like that. We seem to be safe in virtue, but as soon as we see some

pleasure, we run after it, forgetting everything else, forgetting even our

reputation, our family, honour, and prestige.

The question has been considered in the Gita. Arjuna asks Sri Krishna: "Master!

why does a man commit sin against his will? What is the force that drags him,

irresistibly to pathways of evil?" Many of us have had a similar experience. We

think we do not wish to fall into. In our saner moment, we wish to avoid sin.

Then suddenly, there wakes up within us a storm, and we are led ashtray. What

is the force that drags us to pathways of evil?

In answer, the Master says to Arjuna: "You say that man is dragged to the path

of sin. That is not so! For man is not a machine. Man is endowed with

willpower, - the power of determination, the power to make his own choice. Man

can never commit sin against his will. Man’s will consents, gives the green

signal, before man falls into sin. And, Arjuna, you ask me what is the force

that makes a man commit sin. The force is kama, desire, lust. It is the enemy

of man! It is man’s deadly foe! Beware of it! And, never forget, that desire is

insatiable!"

Significant are the words of the great law-giver, Manu: "Desire is never

satisfied by the enjoyment of the objects of desire. It grows from more to more

as does the fire to which fuel is added." And the Yoga Vashista tells us: "We

think it is we who enjoy pleasure. But, in truth, it is pleasures that enjoy

us. For a while pleasure always remains young and vital, it is we who keep

growing old and get consumed in the fire of pleasure."

(To be continued ; Author: Sri. J.P. Vaswani)

Tamaso Ma Jyotirgamaya......

The cure of all ills – physical, mental, spiritual, is contact with God. From

time to time, detach yourself from your surroundings and enter within yourself:

and in silence wait upon God, conscious of His presence. From time to time,

engage yourself in loving converse with God. Offer all your work to Him: Call

out to Him for help before beginning any work: and give gratitude to him when

it is over.

Accept whatever comes to you. Do not seek the "pleasant": do not shun the

"unpleasant". But rejoice in everything that happens. All that has happened,

all that is happening and is yet to happen, all, all is for the best! Turn out

all thoughts of fear and doubt and anxiety. Close the windows and doors of your

minds against them as you would against plague germs. Face each trial and

tribulation with love and laugher. Meet every situation in life with prayer.

 

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