50. Wisdom of Withdrawing
K rishna says that wisdom gets established when one completely withdraws their indriyas (senses) from sense-objects, like the tortoise withdrawing its limbs (2.58). This is continuation of the emphasis on controlling the senses, and this verse offers practical advice. Krishna lays emphasis on indriyas as they are the gateways between our inner self and the outer world. He advises that we should withdraw our indriyas when we see ourselves getting attached to sense-objects like the metaphorical tortoise withdrawing its limbs when faced with danger. Each sense has two parts. One is the sense instrument like an eyeball and the second, that part of the brain (controller) which controls this eyeball. Sensory interactions happen at two levels. One is between the ever-changing outer world of sense-objects and the sense instrument like the eyeball. This is purely automatic where photons reach the eyeball and interact as per their physical properties. The second is between th...