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Bhagavad Gita - March 13, 2009 Chapter 3, Verses: 39-42 Swami Yogatmananda Vedanta Society of Providence     Please click the 'Play' button to start. It may take a minute.   Launch in external player   To download the lecture, please right-click here and then click "Save Target As..."     III.39: O Son of Kunti, Knowledge is covered by this constant enemy of the wise in the form of desire, which is insatiable fire. III.40: The organs. mind, and the intellect are said to be its abode. Thsi one diveresely deludes the embodied being by veling Knowledge with the help of these. III.41: Therefore, O scion of the Bharata dynasty, after first controlling the organs, renounce this one which is sinful and a destroyer of learning and wisdom. III.42: They say that the organs are superior (to the gross body); the mind is superior to the organs; but the intellect is superior to the mind. However, the one who is superior to the intellect is He.   The above image is from Gita Darshan by courtesy of Sri Ramakrishna Math, Hyderabad.   To Order Audio/Video CDs : bookstore@vedantaprov.org   List of Audio/Video CDs, DVDs

Summary of this lecture: We have been seeing that desire is our enemy on the spiritual path. In Verse 39, Lord Krishna explains that to overcome our desires, we should have a strategy that is practical and tactical, much like a military strategy. First, we must always know that desire is our enemy. In Verse 40, Krishna warns Arjuna that our desires have already taken our mind, intellect, and senses hostage. Because our intellect has become a slave of our desires, we shouldn't try to intellectualize our condition, since whatever conclusions we come to will actually be colored by desire, our very enemy! In Verse 41 we see that we must disown our intellect, mind and sense organs, and see them for what they truly are (i.e. under the control of our desires). This will make them powerless. We will be able to finally vanquish our enemy (desire) by employing a "superior weapon," something which is stronger than the senses, mind or intellect-- the Self. We must have confidence in ourselves and use our knowledge of our true Divine nature to conquer desire.