“A yogi is greater than the ascetic, greater than the empiricist and greater than the fruitive worker. Therefore, O Arjuna, in all circumstances, be a yogi.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 6.46)

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तपस्विभ्यो ऽधिको योगी
ज्ञानिभ्यो ऽपि मतो ऽधिकः
कर्मिभ्यश् चाधिको योगी
तस्माद् योगी भवार्जुन

tapasvibhyo ‘dhiko yogī
jñānibhyo ‘pi mato ‘dhikaḥ
karmibhyaś cādhiko yogī
tasmād yogī bhavārjuna

1. The table at the casino

“How did I do last night? Well, I was up, by a lot. I should have stopped there. For some reason, I kept going. I told myself that once I reached a certain number, I would stop. The problem is that I came close, but never hit the mark. Later on, I was down, significantly. I ended up breaking even, as I could no longer stay awake. It was a miserable experience, but I will probably be back for more tonight.”

2. The stock market

“You want to ask how much I made? What was my realized gain? That’s the thing; I sold too early. Once I saw the rise in price, I took my earnings and ran. I regret it. I know I shouldn’t, but just see how much potential I left on the table. The stock was down the entire year and now it has reached an all-time high. I was worried before and I am regretful today.”

3. The housing market

“I really should have purchased last year, during the dip. I kept thinking the interest rates would be lowered, in order to help boost the market. Turns out I was wrong. Now the prices are through the roof, no pun intended. I have been priced out of a new home. We will continue to rent until things start to turn around.”

4. Social media post

“Yes, that one video blew up. It went viral. I got tons of likes. The comments were mostly positive. I should be happy, but now I am concerned about the future. How will I ever meet those expectations? Some of my newer videos barely get any views. I have no idea what the secret is.”

5. The Sunday afternoon games

“Yes, the early contests went my way. You know how I like to do those crazy ten-team parlays. Well, the first nine games were in my favor. I guessed the correct point spread. My teams covered, so to speak. The last game was torture, though. I was ahead the entire time, until the last minute when the referees decided to step in. That ridiculous penalty call cost me the entire payout. What a horrible experience.”

…

In the tradition of spirituality descending from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Shri Krishna, and more recently made prominent by saints in the line of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, one of the requirements for formal acceptance of a training period with a teacher is giving up gambling. The corresponding attribute to foster is honesty, as the more honest a person is, the better equipped they will be to understand tattva. As explained in Bhagavad-gita, to learn about the most important things in life we should approach someone who has seen the truth. They are a tattva-darshi.

तद् विद्धि प्रणिपातेन
परिप्रश्नेन सेवया
उपदेक्ष्यन्ति ते ज्ञानं
ज्ञानिनस् तत्त्व-दर्शिनः

tad viddhi praṇipātena
paripraśnena sevayā
upadekṣyanti te jñānaṁ
jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ

“Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized soul can impart knowledge unto you because he has seen the truth.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 4.34)

How can we see the truth if we are constantly on the lookout for an edge? When we are trying to best a competitor, when we want to transform money into its own factory of sorts, where it churns out gains at regular intervals, how can we remain steady enough to see beyond duality? The Sanskrit word is dvandva. Gain and loss fall squarely within dvandva. The real truth is above duality. To rise above duality is not easy, and so there are basic requirements in at least attempting elevation.

An outsider may ask for further clarification. They want to know which behaviors specifically fall into the category of gambling. Is stock trading prohibited? What about speculating on houses? If the restriction applies so broadly, who will ever meet the qualification? Practically every aspect of modern life involves business, and business deals with gains and losses, highs and lows, monitoring changes, and the like. Business has an element of dishonesty, whether the practice falls within the written laws of the local jurisdiction or not.

From the above review we see that the criteria is based more on the effect than the actual behavior. When we are in a situation where no outcome is good enough, it is like we are gambling. There is constant agitation of the mind. It is like our senses control us, instead of the other way around. If there is one condition most conducive to advancement in self-realization, it is jitendriyah.

आपूर्यमाणम् अचल-प्रतिष्ठं
समुद्रम् आपः प्रविशन्ति यद्वत्
तद्वत् कामा यं प्रविशन्ति सर्वे
स शान्तिम् आप्नोति न काम-कामी

āpūryamāṇam acala-pratiṣṭhaṁ
samudram āpaḥ praviśanti yadvat
tadvat kāmā yaṁ praviśanti sarve
sa śāntim āpnoti na kāma-kāmī

“A person who is not disturbed by the incessant flow of desires—that enter like rivers into the ocean which is ever being filled but is always still—can alone achieve peace, and not the man who strives to satisfy such desires.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 2.70)

Jitendriyah refers to control over the senses. I can withdraw, based on discrimination. After sufficient deliberation, in reaching a proper conclusion, I can consciously avoid certain activities and choose to follow others. I am not dictated by the mind, which is otherwise fickle. I have controlled the mind. When such control is lacking, even rising to the highest post in the world makes no difference. I will remain miserable. Someone like Hiranyakashipu was ajitendriyah. Due to this condition, he became so paranoid of his own son, who was just five years old. That is not an enviable position.

स इत्थं निर्जितककुबेकराड् विषयान् प्रियान्
यथोपजोषं भुञ्जानो नातृप्यदजितेन्द्रिय:

sa itthaṁ nirjita-kakub
eka-rāḍ viṣayān priyān
yathopajoṣaṁ bhuñjāno
nātṛpyad ajitendriyaḥ

“In spite of achieving the power to control in all directions and in spite of enjoying all types of dear sense gratification as much as possible, Hiranyakashipu was dissatisfied because instead of controlling his senses he remained their servant.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 7.4.19)

Shri Krishna recommends yoga for this reason. In all aspects, it is better to be a yogi. The foundation of yoga practice is control. We might not be perfect in our attempt. We might not be able to drop all bad habits, anartha, immediately, but we should at least look for something better. There is happiness, peace, self-control, boundless enthusiasm, and bliss waiting on the other side.

In Closing:

Kindly waiting on the other side,
With sense control to reside.

At last attempt should be made,
Warnings of teachers obeyed.

Such that towards yoga progressing,
Otherwise into agitation regressing.

Focused on this outcome and that,
Never at pinnacle exact.

Categories: the five

Tags: dailyprompt, gambling, hare krishna, poem, poems, poetry