Arjuna asked:
“O Krishna, by what symptoms can one recognize the one who has attained transcendence?”
Shri Bhagavan replied:
“He who has renounced all desire for the gratification of his own senses, which arise from the speculation of the mind, and when the mind, thus purified, finds satisfaction only in itself, can be sure that he is situated in pure transcendental consciousness.
“He who is not disturbed by the miseries of material life or rejoices or complains in situations of happiness or suffering, who is free from attachment, fear and anger, is a wise man of stable mind.
“Arjuna, attachment to the things of this world can be conquered only by tasting a higher taste, otherwise the senses, which are more impetuous and unstoppable than the wind, drag the conditioned soul back into the well of material existence.
“It is through the contemplation of the objects of the senses that a man develops attachment to them, and for this reason he loses his intelligence. But if he controls the senses using the regulating principles of liberation, he can obtain the mercy of the Lord, regain his intelligence and attain true peace. And, at the moment of death, he can enter the kingdom of God.”
Krishna continued:
“Immaculate Arjuna, at this point I am going to explain to you why I am exhorting you to fight.
“Perfection cannot be obtained by abstaining from the performance of your duties, because everyone is forced to act in accordance with the characteristics of material nature that have been imposed on him.
“As your senses withdraw from the action, the mind will stay on the sense objects, and sooner or later, however, it will return to them.
“So I tell you, you must offer your actions to Vishnu with a spirit of devotion for His satisfaction and thus these actions will not be linked to the world of phenomena nor will you be in sin.
“Even if you were to be beyond this material world, things would have to be resolved according to your actions. Because others will follow your example that would wreak havoc on the entire society.
“You must therefore harmonize these two things, learning well the difference between action in a spirit of devotion and action motivated by materialistic interests. If you offer Me everything you do without wanting anything in return and without believing that something belongs to you, you will be free from all sin. So, O Arjuna, fight. “
Arjuna asked:
“What is that energy that causes a man to sin, as if he were being forced by a higher power?”
The Supreme Personality of God replied:
“It is lust, Arjuna, the enemy that devours everything; it arises from contact with the influence of passion and then turns into anger. This lust can never be satisfied, it burns like fire and is the eternal enemy of pure consciousness of the living entity. O Arjuna, learn to control it from the beginning, regulate the senses and eliminate this killer of knowledge and spiritual self-realization. “
This is a section of the book “Maha-bharata, Vol. 2”.
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