the elephant in the room

Verse 2.60: The senses are so strong and impetuous, O Arjuna, that they forcibly carry away the mind even of a man of discrimination who is endeavoring to control them.

Have you ever heard this saying before? It's an English metaphorical idiom for an obvious truth that is either being ignored or going unaddressed. This expression also applies to an obvious problem or risk no one wants to discuss (credit: Wikipedia)

Today's verse is addressing the elephant in the room. The fact that the senses are so strong and overwhelming that even the most sane and discriminatory of persons can get carried away by them. Just ask any person who has ever had to study for an exam. Even the most studious and serious of individuals have given in to the senses which demand some stimulation (as a side note, normally this ends up being some combination of eating, sleeping or commiserating with others over how tiring it is to study! :D). So why does no one do anything about this? Why isn't sense control addressed in schools? Oh no... instead of recognizing that this is an inherent problem, this very challenge that most of us face is exploited to to rake in billions upon billions of dollars daily.

Just look around. Everywhere there is something prompting you to buy something, wear something, crave something or eat something. The entire material world is one big billboard that is screaming "You can't be happy without x, y, z item, person or thing!!!"

Further discussion on the process by which we can transform our senses is yet to come...but today I'd like to ask you to contemplate this elephant in the room. After all, it's only natural that once we ignore something so consistently and constantly that we actually forget about it. Please take the time today to take note of if and when your senses take over your intelligence. It could be that extra piece of chocolate that you really don't need or that hour wasted away in front of your tv.

An important point to remember though: this is not an exercise in judgement but one in observation. After all, acceptance and acknowledgement of the challenge is the first step on the path to sense control recovery!

observation: one of the keys to having succesful relationships

Verse 2.30: O descendant of Bharata, he who dwells in the body can never be slain. Therefore you need not grieve for any living being.

Do you think that you are a keen observer? Being a huge fan of Sherlock Holmes, I always marveled as to how Holmes seemed to notice all the little things. In fact, in one story Holmes asks Watson the question, "How many times have you gone up the stairs to this apartment?." Watson replies, "Hundreds of times" and then Holmes poses a seemingly simplistic question, "How many stairs are there?" Watson can't answer and Holmes enlightens him.

The aforementioned conversation highlights an important truth that we often forget - observation is based on being intentionally attentive and conscious. It's not something that just "happens" with our eyes and ears. Only when one is focused and alert can one even hope to observe anything. In the explanation to today's verse, our exalted Gita guide and teacher, Swami Prabhupada, makes note that "The Lord now concludes the chapter of instruction on the immutable spirit soul." An excellent teacher, Prabhupada reminds the reader (who many have forgotten or gotten distracted) that for the past little while Krsna has been talking about the soul and he is now concluding his discussion on it.

This prompted me to do a little experiment of my own. For those who have read, are reading or (I hope!) will one day read the Gita, I counted how many verses Krsna has now spoken on the soul. If one counts from the first time Krsna mentions the word "soul", there are 18 including today's (starting from 2.13 and ending at 2.30). In fact, this is the first topic that Krsna talks about as soon as Arjuna asks Krsna to be his bhakti teacher.

It was an exercise that took me a grand total of 30 seconds to count how many verses there were and by doing so I learned something valuable. It's not difficult to be observant, but it takes active effort. It's a skill, which like any other, needs to be developed.

Bhakti is all about being observant. Why? Because bhakti is about relationships. In order to have successful relationships with each other, what to speak of having one with the Supreme Person, it requires that we become actively observant. Not only should we become observant of our own thoughts and actions which indirectly or directly have effects on others, but we also need to be observant of the words and actions of others. This will allow us to become more attentive to each others needs, interests and concerns.

People often helplessly say, "I don't know what you want or need!" I think that we unreasonably expect one another to communicate effectively through words. Although it would be ideal, it's hard for many persons. Living in a world that has now become saturated by communication via text, email and messaging doesn't necessarily help the matter either. We forget that non-verbal communication is just as informative. Sometimes, all we need to do is literally just look at the person really closely and observe their facial expressions, their eyes and their body posture.

The basic desire for each and every one of us is to love and be loved. So why not learn from this ancient bhakti text? The answer is simple and just requires some practice. Invest in your relationships with the Supreme and one another - strive to actively and intentionally observe. It shows that you care.