tive eyes. Our eyes are hard and shiny and acquisitive as if life were a
nonstop shopping spree. Paradoxically our desire to control by de
scription, interpretation, and consumption robs us of much of the
scent, taste, and beauty of life. The ability to withdraw our senses and
so control the noisy mind may sound like a kill-joy, but in reality it re
stores the pristine flavors, textures, and discoveries that we associate
with the innocence and freshness of childhood. This is truly an example
of "less is more," as overindulgence can only dull and exhaust the
senses.
The yogic purpose of pratyahara is to make the mind shut up so
we can concentrate. As long as the senses pester us for their gratifica
tion, we will never get a moment to ourself, or in the sense of our inner
quest, Ourself. It is a long and patience-demanding apprenticeship in
detachment. A witty man once joked that the only way to get rid of
temptation was to give in to it. We all theoretically know the falsity of
that, but simply to avoid giving in to desires does not of itself make de
sire go away. Most of us pretend to ourselves that when we have rea
sonable self control, we have conquered desire. This is wishful
thinking. The absence of vice is a step toward virtue, not virtue itself.
Yoga situates the organ of virtue (dharmendriya) or conscience, in the
heart, and it must be pure. Age, for example, may diminish our ca
pacity for vicious action, but not for vicious thought or intention. Wa rs
may be fought by young men, but they are started by old ones.
Nor does retiring to a cave in the Himalayas make desires disap
pear. Far from it. It merely makes their gratification extremely prob
lematic. Solitariness and simplicity of life do make us aware of desire
as a mental phenomenon in itself, regardless of whether objects of sen
sory gratification are visible or available. The early Christian saint St.
Anthony underwent his great temptations in the Egyptian desert. They
tormented him. By this austerity he brought himself face to face with
the root of desire itself. This sort of extreme practice has always been
common in India too. Patanjali recognized that the higher you rise, thl'
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