Sri Krishna, the Cosmic Mentor offers a world of difference! Without being moralistic or judgmental He provides a sturdy life raft that can surely save all of us from drowning in the sea of the networked samsara of the 21^st century. In a very matter-of- fact manner He tells us that the choice is entirely ours: we can either light the lamp from within or continue to curse the darkness! 

In 2 breathtaking slokas of the second chapter of the Bhagawad Gita, Sri Krishna expounds behavioral patterns with a lucidity that modern-day HR specialists can only dream about!  

Taken together, these two slokas describe the anatomy of a complete behavioral breakdown. First, objects of sensual attraction (not just sex but all sensory delights) create such a stir in our consciousness that we become attached to them. We enjoy them so much that a sort of addiction develops and we simply cannot do without them. Take for instance our liking for say, tea and coffee. Many of us simply cannot function without a certain number of cups of tea or coffee per day. But this is as true about substances as it is about people. Sometimes we need others and their support so much that we become emotionally attached to them, lock, stock and barrel.   

Attachment sets the stage for the next insidious step in the sequence, lust. A kind of visceral drive to consummate the attachment sets in. We chase the object of attachment with a ferocity that is driven from deep within our subconscious. When the object is elusive or is the subject of the attention of others, anger flares with a vengeance. How dare the object remain aloof from our grasp? How can any one else make bold to covet that which we view as ours alone? The impulse to fight, lash out, hurt and destroy the perceived competition ignites anger. Cortisol is injected in huge amounts into our blood stream and soon we put to shame a raging bull! 

From then on we are on the slippery slope to ruin in double quick time, says Sri Krishna. Anger makes loose cannons out of us, completely out of control. We are oblivious of all that we have learned, repeat the mistakes of the past and keep the corrosive fire of resentment burning in our hearts. None of our faculties nor our training can work in the presence of anger. That is why martial arts teachers stress that anger is fatal in combat; that is because anger renders inoperable all the techniques, all the training and all the wisdom. 

And soon, says the Lord, krodhaat bhavati sammoha,. Its only a matter of time when anger creates perceptual dissonances. We ascribe ulterior motives where none existed. We construct an entire skyscraper of behaviors based on the faulty foundation of assumptions.  Misunderstandings tear asunder close relationships. 

Judgment and discrimination dissolve; paranoia and a persecution complex set in. We believe that the entire world is out to get us; so we become hostile, distrustful and incapable of functioning not just in a team but also in society at large. We are bewildered, bedeviled by our own resentment, bitterness and anger as the Lord specifies.. sammohaat smritivibhramah   

And sure enough, we lose the power of focus and concentration. Simple tasks become beyond us. Our intelligence disappears. The intellect is unable to direct the mind to control and discipline the senses. And so the senses run riot and cause us to indulge in all sorts of excesses. The Katha Upanishad likens the body to a chariot that is drawn by the 5 horses that represent the senses; the mind is the set of reins and the intellect is the charioteer. When the charioteer is either dead or deluded it is entirely possible for the horses to run wild and speed the chariot on to the road to ruin. That is what Sri Krishna means when He says  budhinasaat pranashyati. Can the end, then be far away ? 

In these two slokas, we find the divine articulation of the sequence of ruination. First, sense objects foster attachment which creates lust; lust spawns anger and anger fuels delusion; delusion unravels memory which in turn dissipates intelligence. Loss of intelligence spells doom. Once we hit rock bottom, we are condemned to repeat indefinitely  the cycle of birth and death in the material world. 

Sri Krishna is not just defining the problem. He goes on to provide workable solutions to knotty problems; the solutions are sometimes simple and sometimes hard to implement. And yet, they are guaranteed to work.  

So, how does one break out of the dangerous behavioral sequence described in the two slokas ? Easy, says the Lord with his gentle and captivating smile: just surrender unconditionally to Me and chant My Name in every breath. 

What could be a simpler choice?