Gita 03.34 – Don’t let sensory urges steal dharmic credits

Audio Link: https://www.thespiritualscientist.com/gita-03-34-dont-let-sensory-urges-steal-dharmic-credits/

indriyasyendriyasyārthe
rāga-dveṣau vyavasthitau
tayor na vaśam āgacchet
tau hy asya paripanthinau (Bg 3.34)

Word-for-word:
indriyasya — of the senses; indriyasya arthe — in the sense objects; rāga — attachment; dveṣau — also detachment; vyavasthitau — put under regulations; tayoḥ — of them; na — never; vaśam — control; āgacchet — one should come; tau — those; hi — certainly; asya — his; paripanthinau — stumbling blocks.

Translation:
There are principles to regulate attachment and aversion pertaining to the senses and their objects. One should not come under the control of such attachment and aversion, because they are stumbling blocks on the path of self-realization.

Explanation:
indriyasyendriyasyārthe: The senses and their respective sense objects, which they consider meaningful
rāga-dveṣau vyavasthitau: Attachment and aversion are properly situated there.
tayor na vaśam āgacchet: One should not come under their influence,
tau hy asya paripanthinau: for they are the obstacles on the path of self-realization.
In this verse, Kṛṣṇa affirms that rāga (attachment) and dveṣa (aversion) are like road robbers—paripanthinau—who hinder progress on the path of self-realization.

Kṛṣṇa here offers a counterbalance to what He stated in verse 3.33, where He said, nigrahaḥ kiṁ kariṣyati – what is the use of repression?

Does this imply that one should simply indulge in whatever one desires? No. When Kṛṣṇa said that living beings act according to their nature (prakṛtiṁ yānti bhūtāni), He meant that we cannot completely suppress our inherent varṇic nature. At the same time, Kṛṣṇa advises here not to come under the sway of rāga (attachment) and dveṣa (aversion).

However, rāga and dveṣa arise from prakṛti itself. Kṛṣṇa says that they are situated in the senses and their respective sense objects—indriyasya indriyasyārthe. The previous verse states that we cannot fight our nature, while this verse advises us not to come under the control of that nature. These two instructions may seem contradictory at first. However, Kṛṣṇa explains that although we cannot entirely reject our nature, we do not have to become completely consumed by it when we act according to it.

For example, if a soul is in a vaiśya body with a vaiśya mentality, then naturally he has an attachment to earning more and more money. He may also have an aversion to studying śāstra very deeply—not because he dislikes śāstra, but simply because it is not what comes naturally to him.

Even within a particular varṇa, if a person has a strong desire to earn money, this creates rāga (attachment) for wealth and dveṣa (aversion) for charity. Dharma provides us with principles of regulation so that we do not fall completely under the control of our nature. If we allow ourselves to be entirely swept away by rāga and dveṣa, the result will be that we become lost. We will become completely materialistic and fail to remain within the safe boundaries of dharma.

When we talk about varṇāśrama dharma, the kṣatriya has his dharma, the vaiśya has his dharma, and similarly, each varṇa has its own duties. What matters is acting according to the dharma suited to one’s nature. A vaiśya cannot act according to kṣatriya dharma. Hence, Kṛṣṇa says that if one tries to suppress one’s vaiśya dharma and act according to kṣatriya dharma, it will not succeed. This is the context of “nigrahaḥ kiṁ kariṣyati.”

However, when one acts according to one’s vaiśya dharma, one should not succumb to rāga and dveṣa. One must not, out of greed for money, become immoral, cruel, insensitive to others, or exploit them. The attachment to money may be present, but it should be kept within the safe boundaries of dharma. One can earn money, but only by honest and honorable means. As for dveṣa—“Oh, my hard-earned money, why should I give in charity to anyone?”—no, charity is a duty and must be performed.

The principle of charity serves as a safeguard against greed in a vaiśya. Typically, a businessperson wants to invest money in an enterprise that is profitable. If an enterprise does not generate any profit, the businessperson will naturally want to withdraw the investment and reallocate those funds elsewhere in their portfolio.

However, if a vaiśya takes care of cows, he should continue protecting them even in their old age, when they no longer give milk. Cows are productive in many ways—for example, their gomutra (cow urine) and gobar (cow dung) are valuable. Yet, if there comes a time when abundant gomutra and gobar are available from other cows, and one thinks, “This old cow—why should I maintain her? She is no longer giving milk,” the vaiśya should still continue to care for her.

The dveṣa—“I don’t want to spend money on this cow now”—should be overcome. Dharma is gorakṣa (cow protection). Because gorakṣa is dharma, the vaiśya will perform this duty regardless of his rāga and dveṣa. In this sense, rāga and dveṣa do exist, situated in the senses and sense objects, but one is not meant to succumb to them.

Kṛṣṇa, in the previous verse, was not referring to “indriyasya indriyasyārthe.” Rather, He was primarily speaking about prakṛti and svabhāva, which becomes clearer in the next verse, 3.35, where He discusses acting according to one’s svabhāva. Here, Kṛṣṇa differentiates between basic nature and sensory urges. The term “indriyasya indriyasyārthe” clearly refers to the senses and their objects.

A kṣatriya has power, and by virtue of that power, he is permitted to have multiple wives—but this is within the bounds of dharma. A kṣatriya is not meant to exploit or abuse women simply out of desire. Although a kṣatriya may have many wives, he should not cast evil eyes on other men’s wives. When Rāvaṇa did so, Lord Rāma punished him, leading to his destruction.

This means one cannot repress one’s nature. A kṣatriya cannot live like a vaiśya or a śūdra. At the same time, a kṣatriya has power and desire for wealth, and, influenced by the mode of passion, there is also lust. However, these tendencies must remain within the precincts of dharma. Due to the attachment present in indriyasya indriyasyārthe—the senses and their objects—if one abuses one’s power and position to pursue adharmic sense gratification, that person becomes further karmically bound. These attachments are obstacles—paripanthinau—they are thieves on the path of self-realization.

By living according to dharma, we acquire dharmic merit. But if we succumb to rāga and dveṣa, we lose that merit. We commit pāpa (sin), and inevitably face its consequences, becoming adharmic.

Therefore, Kṛṣṇa first advises not to suppress one’s nature, but this does not mean surrendering to every bodily urge. Rather, one should regulate bodily urges according to dharma and not come under the control of rāga and dveṣa. This is the essential message of the verse.

Thank you.