When The Mind Complains About The Shortage Of Enjoyable Sense Objects Contemplate The Shortage Of E

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
When the mind complains about the shortage of enjoyable sense objects, contemplate the shortage of enjoyment in the supposedly enjoyable sense objects. Suppose we order a meal in a hotel and then find that the delicacy we wanted is too less in quantity.
We may actually start feeling unhappy. Our mind may start complaining. While some sense objects can, of course, while some meals can be plain lousy, the universal reality is that the sense objects available to us will always be far lesser than the sense objects unavailable to us.
When we look at what we don’t have, the items on our plate will always be less than the items on the menu or on the counter. Now, when this happens, our mind, which often fantasizes about how enjoyable sense objects are, it craves for what we don’t have and keeps us dissatisfied with what we do have. Now, we may try to improve some things materially so that we can be more satisfied with what we have, so that what we have can improve.
But that alone will never make us happy. We need to challenge the mind’s premise that the sense objects are so enjoyable. It’s only when we challenge that premise that we will be able to move forward and when we contemplate our experience, we have enjoyed various sense objects in our lives.
Did any sense object ever live up to its hype? Did it? The fact is that it didn’t. No sense objects are really worth the craving, the complaining. Of course, this doesn’t mean that we can never be happy.
It’s just that we can’t be as happy as we want by sensual enjoyment. The Bhagavad Gita explains that all sense objects are temporary, so the sensual pleasure is inherently finite. यही सबस्पर्शिजाभोगा दुख्यो नेवते आध्यन्तवन्तः कौन्ते अतेशुरमते बुधः They have a beginning and an end, therefore the wise do not delight in them.
What do the wise do? They redirect themselves to the spiritual level so that they can relish spiritual happiness. They seek happiness by connecting with Krishna and becoming absorbed in Him. So for such connection we need purification.
So rather than working to improve our sense objects, we can improve our mind by redirecting it, by purifying it, by redirecting it towards the source of enduring happiness, the all-attractive Supreme Krishna. Pertinently the Bhagavad Gita urges us to discipline our mind. How? Firstly by being satisfied with what we have materially and lastly by becoming purified so that we can relish spiritual happiness more and more.
वन्हप्रसादसोम्यत्तो मौनमात्मविनिग्रह भावसंशुत्ति विथ्येत तपो मानसमुच्छते So by questioning the mind, the premise underlying the mind’s complaining, you can cut short its complaining and redouble our efforts to find lasting happiness where it can actually be found in Krishna. Thank you.