A person who blindly follows one’s senses, without having any checking mechanism, any restraint, would sink and be destroyed. Without a patrolling of the mind one would have to face the consequences of the free run of the mind. Then, what should one do? The Gita offers the solution: ‘Therefore, O mighty-armed, one whose senses are withdrawn from their objects in all their varieties becomes established in steady intelligence’ (Bhagavad Gita 2.68).
According to Sri Krishna, if a person shows one’s mastery over the senses that person gets steady wisdom. There are many events in the Olympics. One of them is an event involving a horse, where the rider and the horse have to be in perfect synchronisation. It is called the equestrian event. It is great to watch because it shows the perfect mastery of the relationship between the human being and an animal. This event is almost on a par with gymnastics. There is music and dance and there is perfect coordination of movements. We too need such synchronisation of the intellect, the mind, and the senses.
What we should do is very clear before us. All of us know what is right, but we are perplexed while trying to do that. How one follows the right path, the challenges in following the right path, and how one copes with those challenges are the real crises. One has to have mastery over one’s senses, much like the riders in the equestrian events of Olympics, who actually ask their horses to lift the toe a little or to walk, to trot diagonally, to dance with the music, and so on. Similarly, we should have that kind of control over our mind.
Should we not enjoy music? Of course, we should enjoy music. Should we not watch movies? Of course, we should watch movies. But, we should also know when to stop. We should have a policing mechanism in our mind. The Gita says: ‘One, who after rejecting all desires, moves about free from hankering, without the idea of “me” and “mine”, and devoid of pride, attains peace’ (2.71).