Senses play havoc in the life of man!

Senses play havoc. The bee, trying to drink the nectar in a flower, become motionless and the petals surround and enclose it. Some insects got attracted to the flame of light and reach the flame to get burnt. The deer is caught by sound. The elephants are got by touch of the female elephant. Birds perish when they try to eat the grains spread on the net. We have seen from the above, the animals, birds and even the fish meet their doom through one of its senses. It is either the desire to eat or enjoy the sound or the touch, they become prey to death. But what about man? He has six dangerous senses as trap to enslave him. He cannot escape from the clutches of the senses. Actually man becomes slave to one or two senses only. That is enough to entangle him lifelong in the mundane existence.

Hence the saints point out about the poisonous pangs of the senses and warn man that he should never become a slave to the senses but the senses should be made to obey his intellect. The mind is easily enslaved by the sensual attractions. Man hankers after tasty food and sweet drinks. He wants to inhale perfumes of scents and hear melodious songs to cater for the nose and ear. He wants to wear silk since it gives a smooth feeling. He wants to look at beautiful creations on earth. Most of us have weakness for something or other. At least they cannot escape from the taste buds. Everyone is fond of some special food items. Some wants to drink coffee or tea or any other drinks. The burgeoning of coffee and tea estates in the world is a clear proof for this.

Next comes the liquor addiction. Millions of rupees are wasted in liquor consumption. Many families have lost the hard earned money due to the habits of drunken members of the family. It has spoiled the peace and harmony of many families. It is most common in the poor families of third world countries. To forget their problems, people start to drink. Once habituated, the quantity of drink is slowly increased to get the booze. First man consumes liquor. Then the liquor consumes more and he becomes a slave to drinking. This is the case with all bad habits including gambling and horse racing. For the sake of somebody’s earning, many gamblers bet their hard earned money. Horse race makes a few millionaires and lot of bankrupts. Apart from the sensual attractions, the desire for luxurious living makes man to seek some short cuts like lotteries, gambling, casinos and horse races.

Hence human life is subjected to many unwanted distractions which entrap the human soul. Here, we are imprisoned by our own greed and desires.

Contentment is opposed to greed. If you are content, then you can remain in peace. A greedy man never knows what happiness is or peace is. The world offers many attractions to cater for the sensuous man. Many people in the world thrive using the desires of man. If every man becomes content, then there won’t be any thriving business. All the gadgets we use are due to exploitation of human desires by the manufacturers and sellers. If you have no intention to watch a cinema, cine business will come down. Now we have to recollect those days when there were no TV, mobile or internet. Still people lived and passed their leisure time visiting temples, reading illuminating books, visiting libraries, and spending time in Yoga or meditation or any such activities.

Watch the present day youth. They are either engrossed in their mobiles or laptops, playing games, chitchatting and watching obscene contents through the net. How can we expect them to become responsible citizens of the world? Hence the parents and teachers should guide the children towards moral path or moral ways of living. They should be taught the great traditions and cultures of their own motherland and contribute their mite for the uplift of their mother land. They should learn to respect nature, have compassion towards the poor and weak. They should help one another in the duties; learn co-operation and the benefits of hard work. Children should be taught about the importance of money and how it should be preserved and also how it should be shared with the poor ones. If parents drink in front of their children, they cannot prevent their children from drinking during later years.

Children easily copy and imbibe the behavior of their parents. If the parents are god fearing and compassionate, there is every chance that the children will also follow suit. Hence teach them good habits and behavior from early days so that they will become responsible citizens of the country.