Only a sense slave finds it torture to eat moderately, to control the sex urges, to abstain from intoxicants. Even a well-balanced worldly man, not to mention a saint, knows from practical experience how necessary for well-being is a discipline of the senses. The sense slave eats to satisfy his palate and ultimately finds himself the victim of disease. The soul urges man to discipline the palate; after a short period of demonstrations of outraged dignity, the palate gives no further trouble! Like a good servant, the sense of taste learns to be satisfied with the wholesome decisions of its master, the soul.
The senses disregard the bliss of the soul and try to be happy by making the soul miserable. The soul, on the other hand does not seek to torture the senses, but to relegate them to their true station of man's servant, not master.
-Paramahansa Yogananda
God Talks with Arjuna: The Bhagavad Gita
No comments:
Post a Comment