5. WE ARE SLAVES OF OUR SENSES
We human beings are blessed with 5 sense organs. We have eyes to see, ears to hear, a nose to smell, the tongue to taste, and the skin to touch, feel, and experience. While each of these seems to be an invaluable gift, we don't realize that we become slaves to our own senses.
Our senses take charge of our life and we lose Consciousness or Chit, of the true self that we are. Not only do we live as the body and mind, we start believing that we are the body. The 5 senses keep us imprisoned throughout our life as they yearn, desire and crave for material objects that gratify the sense perceptions. All the 5 senses are like tentacles that are going out into the material world, desiring something to eat, to wear, to possess, and feel good about. While we are awake and aware of our existence, we do not reach the true state of Consciousness because we sink into the material world. Our very existence as the Divine Consciousness gets imprisoned behind these 5 bars, which make us a slave to the world of pleasures. Before we realize it, we not only grow up, but grow old, and then it's time to depart.
Unless we become conscious of our senses and alienate ourselves from them, we will never become conscious of who we truly are nor will we experience the ultimate state of Bliss. To reach the state of Chit, we must transcend the senses of our body and become aware of who we truly are.