​The cause of temptation lies inside not outside

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
Bhagavad Gita 3.40, causes, triggers are not causes. In the Bhagavad Gita 3.40 Krishna says that, इन्द्रियाणि मनो बुद्धिर् अस्याधिष्ठानमुच्छते एतैर् विमोह यतेष्य यानमावृत्य देहिनम् इन्द्रियाणि मनो बुद्धिर्, in the senses, in the mind and in the intelligence, अस्याधिष्ठानमुच्छते, अस्या is referring to selfish desire, to lust, it is situated in the senses, the mind and the intelligence, एतैर् विमोह यतेष्य, and through this, यानमावृत्य देहिनम्, the knowledge of the soul is covered. The section from 3.36 to 43 in the Bhagavad Gita talks about how lust originates and how it can be controlled.
It is significant here that while talking about the location of lust, Krishna does not say that lust is situated in the sense object. Many times when people succumb to lust, they tend to blame whoever provoked lust in them. But Krishna in this whole section places the responsibility on the individual.
Rather than saying that lust is situated in the sense object, He is saying that it is situated in the senses, in the mind and in the intelligence. And this clearly refers to the, it is the, in the process of sense gratification, there is the observer and there is the observed. So He is referring primarily here because आव् इन्द्यानिमनोऽपुद्धिरस्याधिष्टानमुच्यते एतैर् विमोह यतेष्य ज्यानमावृत्य देहिनम् He is talking about the embodied soul whose knowledge gets covered.
So He is talking about the observer, not the observed. So He is saying that lust is present in the senses, the mind and the intelligence of the observer. Now we may wonder about this because we clearly see that sometimes that when we see certain sites, when we see some images, at that time lust does get triggered in us.
Lust does become inflamed, become very powerful. So if lust is present within us, then is it not present in the sense objects at all? Is it only present in our senses, in our mind, our intelligence? Then if it is only present there and not in the sense objects, then why does the sight of the sense objects cause the lust to get activated? Here, the Bhagavad Gita focuses primarily on individual responsibility. Bhagavad Gita is a one-to-one book between Krishna and Arjuna.
And what is Arjuna’s responsibility? Krishna is talking about over here as an individual. So, yes, the sight of the sense objects can definitely provoke desires within us. And it can also work out that sometimes some people dress and act in ways in order to provoke others.
So, the sense objects are like triggers, whereas the lust within us is like the cause. In a gun, when the bullet is shot, the trigger pressing is not the cause of the wound that is inflicted, that is simply the activator. The bullet has to be present within the gun.
Similarly, say, if there is a pre-adolescent boy, in that pre-adolescent body, lust is not yet activated. And that’s why, even when there is perception of sense objects, there is no triggering of desire. At the same time, the blame is not to be passed on to the sense object for one’s own misdeeds.
It’s interesting, Krishna says, lust is present not only in the senses, not only in the mind, but he also says in the intelligence. Prabhupada Rai says in one lecture that we are meant to use our intelligence to control our enjoying mentality, but we are used to enjoying intelligently. It means we use our intelligence to plan to try to enjoy better.
Most of the technology that we have in today’s world, it is used for facilitating people’s sense gratification. And developing the technology requires a good amount of intelligence. But that is intelligence which is dominated and misdirected by lust.
So, even our intelligence is captivated by lust. And that’s why we need higher intelligence. That is the intelligence coming from Guru, Sadhu, Shastra.
With that intelligence, we can combat the lower intelligence. Or to put it another way, intelligence is a tool. And that tool can be used by Krishna and that tool can be used by Maya.
Just as with our eyes, we can see Krishna’s beautiful form and we can see sense objects. Similarly, with our intelligence also, we can connect with Krishna and we can connect with Maya. And whatever we connect with over a period of time, that will take control of our resources.
So, if we become attached to sense objects, gradually the desires for the sense objects will take control of our intelligence. We become attached to Krishna, then Krishna will take control of our intelligence. When the first initiation ceremony happened in ISKCON at that time, Sri Prabhupada told the devotees that you should not lament no matter what happens in life.
Because you have now handed over the reins of your chariot to Krishna. That means that, just as Krishna became the charioteer of Arjuna like that, a devotee who dedicates to Krishna’s service, instead of in the chariot body analogy that is there, the intelligence is the charioteer. And Krishna was the charioteer of Arjuna and his chariot also.
So, when we become devoted to Krishna at that time, we ask Krishna to become the charioteer of our life’s chariot. And Krishna takes charge. No matter what difficulties come, Krishna will lead us to safety eventually.
So, rather than relying on our own intelligence, we study scripture carefully and we try to internalize the intelligence which comes from Guru, Sadhu, Shastra. Then we will be able to combat selfish desire. एवं बुद्धे परं बुद्ध्वा संस्थब्यात्मानमात्मना जहिषत्रुम् महाभाहु कामरूपं दुरासदम् Krishna says, with your intelligence understand that you are transcendental.
This is the last verse of 3rd chapter 3.43. संस्थब्यात्मानमात्मना Situate yourself on the spiritual platform and then जहिषत्रुम् महाभाहु कामरूपं दुरासदम् जहिषत्रुम् Conquer this enemy of lust. So, from our perspective, we should not blame others if we are succumbing to selfish desires. We should know that the cause is within us.
At the same time, if we know that certain situations, certain sides, certain circumstances are triggers for us, we need to avoid those triggers. Or at least we need to minimize our exposure to those triggers if we can’t avoid them. Because once… If there is a gun in a… If there is a bullet in a gun, but if there is no trigger to that gun, it will not shoot out.
Suppose somebody takes a bullet out of the gun and tries to throw the bullet at someone, that will not hurt anyone much. The trigger has the mechanism by which it propels the bullet out with great force. So like that, we all have particular triggers in our lives.
And those triggers we can minimize, then exposure to the triggers we can minimize. And although selfish desire may be present within us, it cannot… It will not trouble us as much as it would if the triggers are there. So avoiding triggers is different from blaming the triggers.
When we avoid, that means we understand it is we who are vulnerable and we have to be careful. Blaming means we… We basically pass the responsibility on to others in the form of blaming others. That is wrong.
Another way to understand the difference between the cause and the trigger is, say, if we consider arson. When somebody comes and sets fire to somebody else’s house or property, whenever a fire is set, there are three things. There is the inflammable material which is set fire to.
There is the fuel which sets the fire. And there is the arsonist who gets the… who lights the inflammable material with the fuel. So at one level, if there is repeatedly fires occurring in the city and fire control squad, they will get overworked.
And they may try to catch arsonists and punish them severely. But still, if you find that fires are occurring repeatedly, then the government may also investigate whether is it that the material itself is prone to fire. Because ultimately, the arsonists, they are coming and setting fire.
And the arsonists can be controlled to some extent. But if the basic material of the of the buildings or whatever is very inflammable, then even a slight trigger may cause a little flame, a little spark can cause a big fire. So, that means there are both ways the arsonists have to be controlled.
And similarly, the inflammable material, if it has been used for constructing houses, then that inflammable material has to be avoided. In the Mahabharat, when the Kauravas arranged to have the Pandavas go to Varnavar, they arranged that they made the house of lac. It’s a very inflammable material.
And then they covered it with material which didn’t… which seemed like ordinary material. But Bhima was very shrewd. As soon as he… and Duryodhana told him that… Duryodhana said that all of you can go and stay here.
And at that time itself, Bhima’s radar had gone up. Because Bhima had already once been poisoned by Duryodhana. And so, he was suspicious of whatever Duryodhana was doing.
And as soon as they came to the palace, Bhima immediately went into the palace and actually with his hands himself, he ripped open the wall. And then he showed his brothers. See, below the surface, this is all made of lac.
It’s very inflammable. And that’s how the Pandavas immediately got down to work to dig a tunnel. So that eventually they could escape from there.
The point is, if the material is inflammable, then we ourselves need to be cautious. Because then an inflammable material makes the arsonist’s work much easier. And once the arsonist gets to work, the damage control becomes much more difficult if the material is itself inflammable.
So, the inflammable material is like the lust in our consciousness. And the arsonist is the people who trigger lust. So, here we are taking a different angle here.
That the sense objects are not to be blamed, but there are also situations when people get a sense of pleasure and power in agitating others. According to a western sexologist, they say the male and female psychology is that man desires woman and woman desires the desire of man. Man desires a woman so that he can enjoy the woman.
But a woman gets a sense of power and she says, how strong a desire I can evoke in a man. So, sometimes, in some situations, if some women are not brought up in a proper culture, then they become like intentional or unintentional arsonists. Where they delight in triggering the lower desires in people.
In the prayers of Pingala, in the 11th canto of Srimad Bhagavatam, she says, She says that, I was engaged in this terrible profession. And Bhakti Swami Thakur explains in his commentary over there, that Vigarya Bhartaya refers to that. Because Pingala was a prostitute, so she was expert in the art of arousing people’s desires.
And now she is saying that, My dear Lord, I was trying to arouse desires in men, hoping that they will give me some pleasure. But if instead I had tried to arouse my own desire for You, and I had evoked my attraction for You, I would have got so much more. These men, they can just give me a little pleasure.
But You, O Lord, if I had related with You, You could have given me unlimited pleasure. नूनं मे भगवान पीतो विश्णो के नापि कर्मणा निर्वेदो यंदुराशाया जन्मे जातः सुखावः So she says, Somehow, my dear Lord, although I never cared for You, You never stopped caring for me. And somehow You have become pleased with me now.
नूनं मे भगवान पीतो Lord, You have become pleased with me. विश्णो के नापि कर्मणा Probably because of some karma that I have done in the past. And what is the result of that? निर्वेदो यंदुराशाया That because of that, Instead of… Because of that, the frustration has led to renunciation.
When we pursue worldly desires, all of us sooner or later face frustration. But, that frustration only causes anger and that frustration often leads to again the illusion that in future I’ll get this desire and I’ll become happy. So the journey from frustration to renunciation is not a linear journey.
It’s like a leap one has to take where frustration means I can’t get it. Renunciation means I don’t want it. The two are very different things.
In frustration, still I want it but somehow I’m not able to get it. That’s why I’m frustrated. In renunciation, I don’t want it.
Now, of course, sometimes I don’t want it can come out of a sore grapes philosophy. Whereas the fox doesn’t get the grapes because they are too high on this tree and he says that I don’t want these grapes. They are sore.
But that is not the case with Pingala. He says that निर्वेदो यंदुराशाया Because of your Lord, निर्वेदा I have developed attachment and what is the result of attachment? निर्वेदो यंदुराशाया इन्मे जातः सुखावः I’m feeling great happiness. So actually, for a devotee who is trying to fix the mind on Krishna, at that time, temptation is actually an irritation.
For materialistic people, temptation is a source of pleasure. But for a devotee, temptation is an irritation. Temptation is actually distracting the devotee from the pleasure of absorption in Krishna.
And if the temptation goes away, then one can delight in the pleasure of Krishna Consciousness without any distraction. And that’s why she is thanking your Lord Vishnu that from that frustration, now renunciation has come in me. And that renunciation is bringing me great happiness, the happiness of absorption in you.
So, when we are trying to practice bhakti, externally, we try to minimize the triggers and internally, we try to eradicate the causes by absorption in Krishna. And over a period of time, we don’t, instead of blaming the triggers, we focus on trying to purify ourselves and keep a safe distance from the triggers and eventually, इन्मे जातः सुखावः As we become absorbed in Krishna, rather than we blaming only triggers for our entanglement, we will become triggered in our remembrance of Krishna. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, you would see any forest and you would think this is Vrindavan, any river and you would think of this as Yamuna.
So, you will be triggered. And Rupa Goswami says that when one is convinced that real happiness is in Krishna, not in worldly things, then even worldly triggers can actually trigger transcendental desire. So, he says in a beautiful prayer, he says that He says that just as a boy is attracted to a girl and just as a girl is attracted to a boy, let my heart be attracted to your Lord.
That means here he is seeing the force of attraction between the male and female. He is acknowledging this power but rather than thinking, oh, they must be getting so much pleasure, let me also enjoy their things. Just the way they are attracted, let me become attracted to Krishna.
So, this is a situation where one sees the worldly triggers but rather than triggering worldly desires, the worldly triggers, because one is convinced that real happiness is transcendental, even worldly triggers can actually trigger transcendental desire in a devotee. Prabhupada, thank you.