Suppose we had a painless injury. We would go on living normally, while the wound would worsen, eventually felling us. 

We all are souls who are spiritually wounded. When the soul is indestructible, how can it be spiritually wounded? Because its capacity for spiritual awareness can be impaired. We are meant to perceive and pursue the eternal love and joy that the soul can have when its consciousness is raised to the spiritual level. However, because we are spiritually wounded, we live in material consciousness, craving worldly pleasures that bring trouble in their wake. The more we are spiritually wounded, the more we chase sensual pleasures indiscriminately, bringing suffering on ourselves. 

A question may arise, “what about people who live moderately, eschewing wanton sensual indulgences? They seem quite happy.” They are like people with painless wounds. The Bhagavad-gita (14.06) states that those who live in the mode of goodness are happy, but their very sense of happiness can bind them. How? By taking away their impetus for spiritual growth. Feeling secure in the comfortable cocoon of their present life, they become disinclined to explore life’s spiritual side. They give little thought to the reality that their cocoon will inevitably burst in future, subjecting them to disease, debility and death, and hurling them to an unknown destination. 

Thankfully, the same regulated living that fosters material contentment can also facilitate non-material growth, provided those living thus become spiritually inquisitive. Their spiritual interest can be sparked if they encounter the Gita and those living the Gita. By such encounters, they come to appreciate how spiritual growth can immensely enrich their lives with sublime meaning and fulfillment. Then, even if they are not presently hurting, they start seeking spiritual healing.

 

Think it over:

  • How can the indestructible soul be spiritually wounded?
  • How are those in the mode of goodness like those with painless wounds?
  • How can those in goodness start healing spiritually? 


***

14.06 O sinless one, the mode of goodness, being purer than the others, is illuminating, and it frees one from all sinful reactions. Those situated in that mode become conditioned by a sense of happiness and knowledge.

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