Allow one bondage, and you allow a hundred

“One who after withdrawing the organs of action, sits mentally recollecting the objects of senses, that one, of deluded mind, is called a hypocrite.”

~ Shrimad Bhagavad Gita, Chapter-3, Verse-6

Following is an excerpt from a samvaad (dialogue) session with Acharya Prashant

Questioner: Shri Krishna is saying that a man who abstains from action yet keeps on thinking about the objects of the senses, is a hypocrite. Whereas to me, the mental contemplation of the desired object is more pleasure giving than actually enjoying that object via. gross senses. If we, then, focus our desire only on one mental object or image, won’t the desire for the world lessen considerably? Won’t such an approach be beneficial in reducing attachment to the world? Once our mind is considerably or fully attached to that one mental object or image. Will it not eventually lead to the dissolution of the ego and elimination of attachment for that one mental image as well? Even the goal of all spiritual action is the dissolution of ego. So, is this particular approach or method valid or am I misguided?

Acharya Prashant: We are not probably quite clear about the constitution of this world and its various objects. And the relationship between the world and any or all of its objects. First of all, let’s understand the particular approach that the questioner is interested in.

Now, Shri Krishna is saying in this verse that a person who outwardly shuns objects and desires but inwardly keeps thinking and fascinating about them is indeed a hypocrite. But the questioner here is doubting this. He says, what if I focus all my attention on one particular image or object and in being concentrated on one image or object, I ignore the rest of the world. Won’t such an approach be useful? After all, I’m indeed ignoring so much. Millions of objects are there and I’m totally discarding all of them. Not giving them any value or attention. My mind is fully concentrated on just one thing, object or image. I’m totally invested in that one thing. He says, won’t it lead to the dissolution of the ego? And he says and once the rest of the world has fallen away from my mind, won’t…