Devanagari
इन्द्रियस्येन्द्रियस्यार्थे रागद्वेषौ व्यवस्थितौ ।
तयोर्न वशमागच्छेत्तौ ह्यस्य परिपन्थिनौ ॥ ३४ ॥
Verse text
indriyasyendriyasyārthe
rāga-dveṣau vyavasthitau
tayor na vaśam āgacchet
tau hy asya paripanthinau
Synonyms
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.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
34. Attachment and repulsion are firmly fixed in each of the sense objects. One should not come under control of attachment and repulsion. They are the two obstacles.
Translation (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)
34. Attachment and repulsion are firmly fixed in each of the sense objects. Therefore one should not come under control of attachment and repulsion. They are the two obstacles.
Purport
Those who are in Kṛṣṇa consciousness are naturally reluctant to engage in material sense gratification. But those who are not in such consciousness should follow the rules and regulations of the revealed scriptures. Unrestricted sense enjoyment is the cause of material encagement, but one who follows the rules and regulations of the revealed scriptures does not become entangled by the sense objects. For example, sex enjoyment is a necessity for the conditioned soul, and sex enjoyment is allowed under the license of marriage ties. According to scriptural injunctions, one is forbidden to engage in sex relationships with any women other than one’s wife. All other women are to be considered as one’s mother. But in spite of such injunctions, a man is still inclined to have sex relationships with other women. These propensities are to be curbed; otherwise they will be stumbling blocks on the path of self-realization. As long as the material body is there, the necessities of the material body are allowed, but under rules and regulations. And yet, we should not rely upon the control of such allowances. One has to follow those rules and regulations, unattached to them, because practice of sense gratification under regulations may also lead one to go astray – as much as there is always the chance of an accident, even on the royal roads. Although they may be very carefully maintained, no one can guarantee that there will be no danger even on the safest road. The sense enjoyment spirit has been current a very long, long time, owing to material association. Therefore, in spite of regulated sense enjoyment, there is every chance of falling down; therefore any attachment for regulated sense enjoyment must also be avoided by all means. But attachment to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, or acting always in the loving service of Kṛṣṇa, detaches one from all kinds of sensory activities. Therefore, no one should try to be detached from Kṛṣṇa consciousness at any stage of life. The whole purpose of detachment from all kinds of sense attachment is ultimately to become situated on the platform of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Since the rules and restrictions of scripture do not have effect upon those of evil nature, one should limit the senses, if one is not under the influence of sinful nature arising from past sinful habits. That is described in this verse.
The word indriya is repeated to indicate each of the sense objects of each of the senses. Attachment (rāga) for what is forbidden by scripture, such as giving gifts to other’s wives, or seeing or touching their bodies; or repulsion (dveṣa) for what is prescribed by scripture, such as distributing gifts to, serving, seeing and touching the guru, the brāhmaṇa, the holy places and visitors, are firmly fixed (viśeṣena avasthitau) in all the sense objects (form, smell, taste, touch and sound). One should not be under the control (vaśam) of attachment and repulsion.
Another meaning is this. Attachment means seeing a woman (object of the eye) and hatred for those that obstruct that enjoyment. Therefore, the mind is attracted to what helps one attain one’s goals. The mind is attracted to tasty, tender rice as it is favorable for one’s goals, and the mind has dislike of tasteless hard rice, as it is against one’s goals. One has attachment to hearing and seeing one’s own sons, but dislikes seeing or hearing the sons of one’s enemies. One should not fall under the control of such attachment and repulsion.
Purport (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)
“If the actions of men were under the control of their sinful natures, then the positive and negative injunctions of scripture would be useless.”
Repetition of the word indriyasya (of the sense) indicates all the senses—the knowledge senses such as the ear, and its sense object sound, and the action senses such as the voice and its sense object, words. Attraction and hatred (raga dveṣau) pleasure or discomfort to the individual, are fixed firmly (vyavasthitau), not in an unsettled way, in all these sense objects (indriyasya arthe). Even if they are prescribed by scripture, such things as talking to saintly persons, serving them or going to holy places, becomes the object of hatred, seen as unfavorable or disagreeable to the individual. But even though living entities have the tendency to follow these feelings of desire and hatred, the person desiring the highest good should not fall under the control of desire and hatred (tayoh), since (hi) they cause obstacles on his path (paripanthinau). They are like thieves standing in front of (pari) the traveler on the road (panthin).
What is stated is this. Impressions (vāsanā) which have operated since beginningless time, give rise to such things as desire to speak to others’ wives, even though it is forbidden in the scriptures. Accompanying the desire arises knowledge of the positive features of doing so, and absence of knowledge of anything negative in doing so. This desire makes men act. In a similar way, hatred may develop concerning speaking to saintly persons, which is prescribed in the scriptures. This hatred manifests along with knowledge that speaking to saintly persons is undesirable, and lack of knowledge anything desirable in it. Thus he will avoid that situation.
The scriptures, which direct one to associate with the saintly persons, will turn one away from, and make one detest what is forbidden, even though it is pleasurable to the mind, by making one understand the undesirable consequences of the forbidden act. And they will also make one have attraction for and engage in acts prescribed by scripture by making one understand their favorable results, even though these may be unpleasant for the mind. Thus the positive and negative injunctions of scripture are not useless. [Note: Vāsanās or saṁskāras, impressions are means by which experiences of previous lives stay with the jīva life after life. Under certain conditions, the impressions activate, creating memory of previous like or dislike. Desires appear, and thus the jīva acts. Though vāsanās or impressions are powerful to instigate the jīva to action, they do not make the jīva powerless to make his choices. Free will of the jīva exists along with his experience of vāsanās. This enables the jīva to choose the advice of scripture over his material desires.]
Surrender Unto Me
In other words, people according to their modes, they tend to do what their minds demand. And the mind is surrendered to the senses so whatever one is attached to one does and whatever one is aversed to he doesn't do. But Krsna explains here that there are principles to regulate our attachments and aversions. We shouldn't surrender to this and why? Because they are stumbling blocks on the path of self‑realization. And sel‑realization has to be accept as the purpose of life.
So, what should we be controlled by? Not by our attachments or aversions but by sastra, by duty. And this faith and obedience this controls one's attachments and aversions.