The sense contacts, O Arjuna, give rise to heat and cold, pleasure and pain; they come and go and do not last?

Question

The sense contacts, O Arjuna, give rise to heat and cold, pleasure and pain; they come and go and do not last, endure them, O Bharata.

Man does not know this, because he is a slave to the senses. His mind is attracted by the senses and so he becomes deluded. When the senses perceive an object, and experience pleasure and pain, his mind becomes attached to the sense-objects. The senses lack definite relationship with their objects, and so they sometimes feel pleasure, sometimes pain. Now censure and praise belong to the sphere of the word, which, when heard, gives rise respectively to hatred and fondness. Soft and hard are the two qualities of touch; and its contact with the body produces joy and sorrow (11l-l 15). Likewise ugly and beautiful are the two qualities of form, which produce through sight pleasant and unpleasant sensations. So also fragrance and stink are the two forms of smell, and their contact with the nose gives rise to pleasure and pain.

So also fragrance and stink are the two forms of smell, and their contact with the nose gives rise to pleasure and pa1n. Likewise taste is also of two kinds according as it produces liking and nausea. Attachment to the sense objects corrupts a person. Those who depend upon the senses suffer heat and cold and are bound by pleasure and pain. The senses And delight only in the sense-objects and nothing else; this is the peculiar nature of the senses (116-120). What then is the nature of the sense-objects? They are like the mirage. or like the elephants seen in a dream, so never become attached to them; ignore them, O Arjuna.

Source :- http://www.saibaba.us/texts/jnaneshwari/chpt02.html

Any additions or versions from ur side ?

Note :- Its not my aim ... but ...http://athmavidya.250free.com/epilogue.htm

Answer 1

Slave to his senses (perceptions) as they are the primary formative factor in developing belief. Perception (senses) are not truly necessary in developing belief, though. People should free themselves from their enslaving senses -- to do so would require a person to form belief from their own thoughts. You could make your reality anything you wish, heaven or hell (or purgatory if you like).

People think; they do not know how to do otherwise. In thinking is the continual revision of senses' perceptions. As perceptions change, so does belief. So the senses, as belief and as reality, constantly changes.

Belief is what defines our reality. To perceive hot and cold, hunger and satedness is to pressure the believe that they exist. To believe they exist is to grant them existence in your reality. But if one is strong-willed enough, they could withstand the perception's pressures and refuse to acknowledge the senses and, thusly, refuse to grant existence to the senses' pleasantness or unpleasantness. What you believe defines what is. Use your mind to define reality rather than letting perception build your world for you.

But don't define the senses' perceptions in such a black-and-white manner; ugly or beautiful, hot or cold, pleasure or pain. I've found life is rarely so contrasted. Mostly, life is a lot of grey-areas.

Stay mellow...

Answer 2

The motion of the mind of man has evidenced itself in the creation of the machine as ever self super ceding nature. Such is nature generally. Attachment to pain and pleasure in sense-objects is nostalgia, but nostalgia is a rejection of the here-now. Once the mind is healed, it is on to the next experience here-now, and no longer attaches to single values but is glad to live on. Whatever the trouble, it is different, so there is no one clear answer.

Answer 3

I'm not real familiar with Indian cultural / religious traditions but this sounds like Krishna talking in the Bhagavad Gita. If asked, i would have to say my favorite part is when Arjuna says on the eve of this big war that he KNOWS is going to come, I don't want to fight, and Krishna says, that's not your choice, it's going to happen -- your choice is whether you let it affect you, and how... or words to that effect.

The Gita's a great book. Thanks for sharing.