Book: Sat Granth Sahib
Bani Garib Das Ji
Author: Saint Garibdas Ji

Garib, kurang, matang, patang, shrng aur bhrranga | indri ek thagyo tis anga ||
Garib, tumhre sang paanchon prakaasa | yog yukt ki jhoothi aasha ||

A deer is called ‘kurang’. In a deer, the sense of hearing which enjoys sound is very strong. Under the influence of which, it gets attracted towards the hunter (who produces sound by playing a special melody from an instrument called Sarangi)) without caring for his life and gets killed.

‘Matang’ is a name for an elephant. In it, there is dominance of sex (lust). It, under the influence of the sense of procreation, hands over its life in the hands of the hunter.

The hunters, who catch elephants, give special training to a female elephant. They dig a deep pit in the jungle and make a roof of long bamboos over it. They throw earth over it and set grass on it. As a result of which, it appears like ground. Then they send that trained female elephant towards the herd of elephants. The female elephant rubs her body against one elephant and arouses it. When that aroused elephant endeavours, then that female elephant flees. The male elephant runs after her. That female elephant approaches the place where the pit has been dug, passes by it, and then runs straight ahead. The male elephant, blinded by lust, keeps running straight and falls in the pit. It then becomes weak after screaming for a long time and is caught by the hunter. Then remaining subdued throughout its life, wanders from village to village, hungry and thirsty, with the beggar.

Under the influence of beauty (eyes-sense organ), a moth (patang) gets burnt by being attracted to the beauty (brightness) of light.

Under the influence of taste (sense organ-tongue), a fish (shrng) tries to eat a small piece of meat which the fisherman has entangled in the fish-hook. That hook gets stuck in its mouth. Then the fisherman throws it out of water with a blow. That fish dies after suffering.

Under the influence of smell (sense organ-nose), a large black bee (bhrrang) sits on a flower and becomes so much helpless that in the evening that flower shuts and the bee dies within it.

“Tumhare sang paanchon prakaasa | yog yukt ki jhoothi aasha ||”

Saint Garibdas Ji has said that presence of one sense in each of the beings mentioned above caused them to suffer. All the above-mentioned five senses are affecting a human being, therefore, it is a useless desire to become yog-yukt i.e. to get engrossed in worship.

The solution lies in getting Satnam and Saarnam from a Complete Saint and only then one can control these five sense to an extent which would allow one to do worship which will convey them across.