An intoxicated person with a million dollar check may squander it on something trivial, like a hundred bottles of booze. Naturally, a well-wishing friend will try to restrain the alcoholic from such tragic profligacy.
Scripture is like that well-wishing friend for all of us who are intoxicated by fantasies of worldly pleasures. We have free will that is our most precious asset, akin to a million dollar check. Being indestructible souls, we are meant for eternal happiness in a life of love with Krishna. If we use our free will properly to practice devotional service, we learn to love Krishna and thereby attain eternal life. But due to our worldly inebriations, we tend to squander our precious free will on trivialities. We use our time and energy to seek worldly things that provide fleeting pleasure.
The Bhagavad-gita (18.63) acknowledges our right to our free will (yathecchasi tatha kuru) and urges us to use it prudently by deliberating deeply (vimrishaytad asheshena) on spiritual wisdom. Such conscious deliberation acts as a counter to our default inebriation that goads us to act impulsively and chase after worldly trinkets. When we deliberate on the Gita’s message, we comprehend our potential for attaining everlasting bliss and recognize how our impulsive inebriation deprives us of this supreme attainment.
Unfortunately, our current culture glamorizes the pursuit of trivialities as freedom and demonizes scriptural guidance as deprivation of freedom. Actually, what deprives us is our tragic misunderstanding about the whole issue.
Scripture doesn’t deprive us of freedom; it acknowledges our freedom, urges us to use it judiciously and explains what comprises its best useBBy thus protecting us from depriving ourselves in the name of freedom, scripture frees us from worldly intoxication and frees us for eternal happiness.
Bhagavad Gita Chapter 18 Text 63
"Thus I have explained to you knowledge still more confidential. Deliberate on this fully, and then do what you wish to do."
Hare Krishna
“Default inebriation”- I think this in itself is very big topic for discussion to comprehend it.
if we understand this then automatically above mentioned issue will be taken care.
Thank you Prabhuji.
prabhuji if my questions can reach you, Please explain to my below query in detail and simple language.
“How to Understand the Three Modes of material nature? What are they? In BG everthing is explained in context of these three modes of nature. Esp. in 18th chapter to understand Constituents of work and Impetus to work ,is very difficult to understand.
Thank you,
Answered here:
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/2012/08/what-are-the-three-modes-of-material-nature/
ys
ccdas
thank you pr ji for this explanaion of lifting ourselves from the mode of ignorance directly to mode of pure goodness ( shudhha tattva ). we will follow your this valuable advice. thank you for sharing the most confidential knowledge , also called the open secret. hare krsna.