The Lord created the senses with outgoing tendencies; therefore, man beholds the external and not the internal Self. But a rare wise one desirous of immortality, with eyes withdrawn, sees the Atman within.
Everyone is born with the senses that get attracted to the world and go outward towards the sense objects. Eyes want better sight, tongue for better tastes, so on and so forth. It is never that senses instead of going outward draw inward. Therefore, man beholds the external and not the internal Self. It appears that sense objects are made for senses and senses are designed for sense objects. There is less chance to withdraw inward, when there is a push from within you and a pull from outside objects. The fall is inevitable. Thus, spiritual downfall is being extroverted. Very first glimpses of spirituality are, you start bringing a change to the natural extroverted nature. The first spiritual sign is that you become introverted. Introvert is not that you wear the bare minimum, nor think of not having a roof above your head, etc. It is not a question of quality or quantity.
Q: How do you measure introvertedness?
A: Introvert does not mean you don’t contact the sense objects. It means you don’t fall prey to sense enjoyments. An introvert would get suffocated and be uncomfortable with too much stimuli. Less is more for an introvert, and more is less for an extrovert. Extrovert person needs constant external stimuli and is never satisfied and wants more of it. Introvert person finds great satisfaction even with very little. You do not need a flashy lifestyle to experience satisfaction.
An introvert may be in an environment of extroverts, but if given a choice, he prefers to be in solitude. If duty calls on him, he will go about doing it without complaining. In the Bhagavad Gita, 2nd chapter, the Lord compares such a person to a tortoise. He is there in the midst of sense objects, but senses are withdrawn.
But he who has not turned away from bad conduct, whose senses are not subdued, whose mind lacks concentration and is not tranquil, can never attain this Atman by knowledge.
This knowledge is coming your way; you’ve got to subdue your senses and ensure your mind is focused. Mantra says ka̱ścid is rare and dhī̍raḥ is a wise person. To come across an introverted person is a rarity. They desire immortality with senses withdrawn, seeing the Atman within. Self-control starts with physical control and then moves to mental control. Introvertedness is the control of the mind and senses. Sense-control is dama and mind control is sama.
It is easier to control the senses than the mind because the senses are gross. When people don’t control their minds but physically abstain, they are called hypocrite. The mind goes to the same sense object they are withdrawing from.
Many are not controlling the mind by physically abstaining; they put on a garb. Such people are deceiving themselves and the world.
- Materialistic people are indulging physically and mentally.
- Hypocrites are physically abstaining and mentally indulging.
- A true spiritual person controls his senses and the mind. A step further, a spiritual man may physically be in market place but mentally controlled. You restrain the mind while the body is in action.
This is captured in 3rd chapter of Bhagavad Gita:
Verse 6
कर्मेन्द्रियाणि संयम्य य आस्ते मनसा स्मरन् |
इन्द्रियार्थान्विमूढात्मा मिथ्याचार: स उच्यते ||
He who, restraining the organs of action, sits mentally revelling in the sense objects, he, of deluded understanding, is called a hypocrite.
Verse 7
यस्त्विन्द्रियाणि मनसा नियम्यारभतेऽर्जुन |
कर्मेन्द्रियै: कर्मयोगमसक्त: स विशिष्यते ||
But whosoever controlling the senses by mind, O Arjuna, engages his organs of action in yoga of action (Karma yoga) without attachment, he excels.
The children (ignorant) pursue the external pleasures, and they fall into the widespread snares of death. But the wise do not desire (anything) here (world), having understood what is eternally immortal amidst the mortal (impermanent).
The first half and the second half of the mantra give two extremes, opposites of the life of an introverted and an extroverted person. Balah – children are in plural as there are many, and dhiraah is singular, as there are very few.
Three knots of the heart, hridaya grantih, are:
- Ignorance of Self
- Desires born out of ignorance
- Extroverted actions arising from the desire
The two great obstacles are the tendency of the senses to go outward and the desire for the enjoyment of worldly objects.
These two points are captured when the Lord says ‘widespread snares of death’. The majority of people fall under this category, which is hridaya grantih and the tendency to go outward and the enjoyment of worldly objects. The majority are running behind the world until death. They do not change the course of life. People use the terms advancement, development and growth to justify their extroverted actions. They are bound by the samsara cycle of birth and death.
The wise do not desire anything, which is contrary to an extroverted person. They have known the permanent in the impermanent. They have the acute discrimination of transcendental with terrestrial nitya anitya, viveka vichara. The true definition of knowledge is the contemplation vichara on the discrimination viveka between the real nitya and unreal anitya. Such people are liberated from the snares of death. They do not perform kamya karma – desire-ridden action. You are liberated from the knots of the heart. Knowledge liberates you from desire and desire- ridden action. When you are ignorant, you are caught up in the actions that are prompted on desires.
A man of wisdom performs:
- Nishkama karma Desireless actions
- Nitya karma Regular obligatory duty
- Naimittika karma Special duties.
