দেহে বৈসে রিপুগণ, যতেক ইন্দ্রিয়গণ,
কেহ কার বাধ্য নাহি হয় ।
শুনিলে না শুনে কাণ, জানিলে না জানে প্রাণ,
দঢ়াইতে না পারে নিশ্চয় ॥ ২০ ॥
dehe baise ripu-gaṇa, yateka indriya-gaṇa,
keha kāra bādhya nāhi haya |
śunile nā śune kāṇa, jānile nā jāne prāṇa,
daḍhāite nā pāre niścaya || 20 ||
In the body reside six enemies, as many as the senses. No one can resist them. Even though hearing, the ear hears not. Even though knowing, the mind knows not. They are unable to have firm conviction.
Impediments to Bhajana
Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā: In this verse, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya mentions the primary impediments to bhakti for a person eager to perform bhajana. Because of these impediments, people are unable to advance with firm steps on the path of bhakti, despite the fact that they understand the efficacy of bhajana and are aware of its true benefit to the self. For this reason, although having heard and understood everything, like fools they remain attached to the body and other sense objects, wasting their lives in a rare human body that is ideal for bhajana. These obstacles are now being discussed: dehe baise ripu-gaṇa, yateka indriya-gaṇa, keha kāra bādhya nāhi haya. Six enemies always dwell in the body: kāma (lust), krodha (anger), lobha (greed), moha (illusion), mada (vanity) and mātsarya (envy). People who have fallen into the ocean of worldly life are constantly being devoured by powerful sharks and crocodiles in the form of these six enemies. They are very forceful and extremely impetuous. When they pull a person’s senses toward the worldly forms, flavors and so on, the knowledge of the learned and the intelligence of the intelligent are completely paralyzed. People are unable to protect themselves with their own strength when being seized by these enemies. Śrī Arjuna asked Śrī Kṛṣṇa, atha kena prayukto’yaṁ pāpaṁ carati pūruṣaḥ, anicchann api vārṣṇeya balād iva niyojitaḥ (Gītā 3.36). “O Kṛṣṇa! By what in this world is one engaged in sinful acts, as though by force and against one’s will?” Śrī Kṛṣṇa replied, kāma eṣa krodha eṣa rajoguṇa-samudbhavaḥ, mahāśano mahāpāpmā viddhy enam iha vairiṇam (Gītā 3.37). “O Arjuna! It is desire and anger, born from the quality of rajas, which produces great activity in men. It is very difficult to be satisfied and extremely strong. It should be known as one’s enemy in this material world.” Some people understand the word kāma to mean the mutual desire of a woman and man to unite. No doubt, such a narrow meaning is also applied to the word kāma, but a more comprehensive meaning is desire or yearning for worldly pleasures. If this kāma is obstructed, it is converted into krodha, anger. Therefore, kāma and krodha are one and the same. Thus, in the śloka above, though the names of both are mentioned, the singular number has been used (enam). Not only krodha, but the other four enemies--lobha, moha, mada and mātsarya--are also transformations of kāma. If this desire becomes extremely attracted to the most enjoyable things or great wealth and power, it is called lobha or greed. Moreover, when this desire or yearning for sense objects causes a person to become attached to transitory or perishable things, he is not given the perception of his svarūpa or true nature; or in other words, his self-knowledge remains covered. This is called moha or illusion. When moha assumes the form of egotism wherein one thinks, “I am wealthy, I am honorable,” that is called mada or vanity. When one sees that others have more wealth and influence than he does, this egotism causes him to feel the pride in his own wealth, honor and so on to be diminished and a kind of agitation or intolerance arises in his mind. This is called mātsarya or envy, and is an extremely repugnant or detestable propensity of the heart and the greatest obstacle to bhakti or bhajana. A detailed explanation of this will come later.
In this way, the six enemies, which are powerful obstacles to sādhana-bhajana and self-knowledge, or the perception of the jīva’s own svarūpa as eternal servant of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, reside in this human body. They are situated within the jñānendriyas (organs of knowledge) and karmendriyas (organs of action). Service to Hṛṣīkeśa with these sense-organs is called bhakti. A clear explanation of this has been given in the commentary on the previous verse. Due to a person’s beginningless aversion to Śrī Kṛṣṇa, these sense-organs are by nature oriented toward the sense-objects. The eyes are engrossed in seeing the beautiful forms of the world; the ears are eager to hear the best worldly music, village gossip and so on; the tongue is greedy to taste the most delicious flavors; the nose is curious to smell the most pleasant aromas; the skin yearns for soft and pleasing contact. Like the jñānendriyas, the karmendriyas are similarly absorbed in enjoying their respective sense-objects. The speech is engaged in gossip or other such topics; the hands and feet are expert in performing worldly actions and the genitals are occupied with sexual intercourse. From beginningless time, the current of the senses of the jīva averse to Śrī Kṛṣṇa has been flowing in this way toward the sense objects. Moreover, the force of the jīva’s punishment by kāma and the other enemies in the body is extremely powerful. Because of the pummeling by those enemies, when one’s mind is attracted into the field of sense objects, even a discriminating person cannot resist the overpowering attraction. As a result, keha kāra bādhya nāhi haya. Kāma and the other enemies are irresistible to the senses, the senses are irresistible to the discriminating mind, and the mind is irresistible to the intellect. Like this, from time immemorial, these obstinate and willful enemies have continued a frenzied dance with the senses in the mind of the jīva.
In the Gītā, Śrī Bhagavān said to Śrī Arjuna, indriyāṇi parāṇy āhur indriyebhyaḥ paraṁ manaḥ, manasas tu parā buddhir buddher yaḥ paratas tu saḥ. evaṁ buddheḥ paraṁ buddhvā saṁstabhyātmānam ātmanā, jahi śatruṁ mahābāho kāma-rūpaṁ durāsadam (3.42-43). “O Arjuna! It is said that the senses are superior to the body, the mind is superior to the senses, the intellect is superior to the mind and the ātmā is superior to the intellect. O powerful one! Knowing that the jīvātmā is greater than the intellect, use the self to free the self from doubt. In other words, by realizing one’s innate nature as eternal servant of Śrī Kṛṣṇa or understanding the body and senses to be mere illusory limitations, defeat this kāma, which is so difficult to overcome.” According to such words of the śāstras and the mahājanas, the jīva is the eternal servant of Śrī Kṛṣṇa and his sevā is one’s only duty. The body and all related to it are the temporary gifts of māyā; there is no connection between them and the jīva’s true nature. The establishment of egotism in the body and things related to it is the cause of bondage. By giving up such egotism, one is liberated though living. Even though hearing countless such instructions, it is as though the ear hears not; meaning that it runs instead toward news and so on about things other than Śrī Kṛṣṇa. In various ways, the mind accepts and rejects the mundane sense objects. Even after hearing and understanding all of these instructions, none of them vibrate in the heart. People with an unfocused mind and heart are unable to ascertain or realize with conviction the one supreme truth, Śrī Bhagavān, and bhakti, the one means to attain him. śunile nā śune kāṇa, jānile nā jāne prāṇa, daḍhāite nā pāre niścaya.
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