17 February 2016 - QA 12

When our senses enjoy something, does our soul also enjoy at the same time

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

The sensory enjoyments are a natural phenomenon. It drains you because it takes your mind outside. But the enjoyment of the soul is when the senses turn inward. In activity, you enjoy things and that has its value. But there you have to spend and spend energy. But when the senses turn inward, there is another type of enjoyment, that is the enjoyment of deep rest. That is the ‘ananda’ (enjoyment) of soul.

You can compare the joy of the senses to a candle, the joy of intellect to a torchlight and the joy of self to sunlight! They need not be contradictory to each other, but sometimes when you are stuck with only one thing, then you are unable to look at the bigger picture. For that you need energy.