Intoxication of the Senses

The belief that Shiva is all about indulging and intoxicating your senses is a misconception, says YOGI ASHWINI

 

The month of Phalguna is usually marked by a plethora of spiritual events organised for Shivaratri and Holi, two major Hindu festivals. The highlight of most of these events is bhang, the herb that intoxicates. It is consumed by many as a prasad of Shiva, as a token of Shakti.

 

Gyan And Drink Don’t Mix

 

Interestingly, I, too, have done this in the past, but when I entered yoga, I started realising that among the people who come to me, the ones who consume alcohol are unable to comprehend the subject. The inebriated neither get the gyan or knowledge, nor the experience. In time, either they leave the spiritual path, or alcohol leaves them. It is clear that intoxication with external substances and agents that stimulate the senses, and the path of spirituality cannot go hand-in-hand.

 

This intoxication is not just limited to alcohol; it could also be intoxication of money, power, fame, beauty, body or relationship, all of which are intoxication of the senses. These senses and their excitement keep one tied to maya, so these ‘seekers’ leave the path that leads to reality and live in an unreal world. The pleasures of the senses are temporary. They have to come to end one day.

 

Tied to the five senses, one is unable to understand and interact with the higher energies or get closer to or access higher knowledge. For example, if you are looking at a very beautiful picture and are engrossed in it, your sense of sight is active. At that time, you will not be able to hear the sounds around you. Similarly, when you are stuck on a sensory object, you are unable to hear or understand anything beyond that. So, to go to the subtler dimensions and experience the subtler worlds that are beyond the five elements, one has to first get liberated from the five senses. Liberation here does not mean to suppress the senses or not feel their sensations, but to accept them and gain mastery over them.

 

My Experience

 

If you look around, you will not find a single person who is truly happy and satisfied, including yourself. The reason being that everyone wants to hold on to the physical which is slipping away from their grasp every second, like dry sand that escapes from your grip... This is my practical experience. You can try it out. Those who are away from all kinds of physical intoxication are close to the spiritual path. And the ones who are intoxicated with physical pleasure and power, are far away from the path just as unreality is far removed from reality.

 

Follow Yogi Ashwini at speakingtree.in