The Eternal
Wisdom
Introduction
Human beings
all over the world suffer from various problems at the psychological level. We
suffer from sorrow, insecurity, anxiety, loneliness and so on. All these
problems are universal. Everyone in the world has experienced these emotions.
Sometimes such emotions become very intense one may experience emotional
breakdown.
All such
problems at the emotional level are collectively known as Samsara. Vedanta
identifies the cause of Samsara and reveals the way to be free from it. Hence
Vedanta is very much relevant even today.
Vedanta reveals
a time-tested wisdom to handle emotional problems and to find true meaning and
fulfilment in life. It is the wisdom discovered by the rishis of the past. The
rishis described the ultimate truth that is revealed by the Upanishads. They
also found the way to hand over the wisdom to the following generations without
any distortion and deterioration. Hence, we are blessed to be able to receive
the spiritual wisdom under the tutelage of our guru.
Problem and Solution
Human beings suffer from various emotional problems like
sadness, insecurity and so on. These problems do not allow us to live happily.
Most often we try to get rid of the problems with temporary solutions. Is there
a permanent solution to our problems at psychological level? Can we human
beings be free from being vulnerable to emotional breakdowns and shocks?
Everyone in the world is seeking happiness. All our pursuits
are driven by the quest for happiness. We seek happiness through wealth,
relations, home, entertainments and so on. We do not find permanent happiness
through any of them. Even the greatest accomplishment in the material realm
provides only a temporary satisfaction and joy. Is there a way to find
permanent happiness? Can we find permanent satisfaction and fulfilment in life?
Vedanta has answer to the above questions. Vedanta unfolds
the way to freedom from emotional susceptibility and the discovery of absolute
fulfilment in life.
Samsara and Moksha
The Sanskrit word samsara refers to the problem we face in
life, predominantly at the psychological level. Samsara is a universal problem.
Every being in the world experiences sorrow, helplessness, insecurity and so
on. Such problems are included in samsara. Vedanta addresses the problem of
Samsara. It shows the way to moksha, i.e., freedom from samsara.
Moksha is the ultimate goal of life. We human beings seek
happiness and fulfilment. Our seeking continues until we find absolute
fulfilment and completeness. Vedanta makes us discover our true self as the
absolute completeness. When we discover the perennial source of happiness
within, all our seeking comes to an end. It is Moksha –absolute satisfaction
and fulfilment.
The Four Purusharthas
Purusharthas are human
pursuits. Human beings pursue various goals. All such goals can be classified
into four, namely, dharma, artha, kama and moksha.
An ordinary human being is
interested only in artha and kama. Artha means wealth. Kama is pleasure from
material objects. People in general are interested in accumulating wealth.
Wealth provides a sense of security. Then they seek pleasure through various
material enjoyments like tasty food, entertainment and so on.
Artha and kama are common
for both human beings and animals. Even the animals guard their territories.
Even the dogs and cats enjoy various types of sense pleasures. We human beings
do it in a more sophisticated way. It is the only difference. Hence artha and
kama do not make us much different from animals.
A more evolved human being
thinks of dharma. According to the vedic scriptures, our actions produce
invisible results known as punya and papa. All virtuous actions give rise to
punya. Punya is also known as dharma. All evil deeds generate papa. We seek to
avoid papa and acquire punya through righteous acts.
There are two types of
people in the world – astika and nastika. A nastika does not trust the validity
of the vedic texts. Hence, he does not accept the presence of punya and papa.
If you ask him why one should follow the values and righteousness, he has no
real explanation. He may follow the moral values on account of fear of the
police. A nastika does not have a rational for morality. A society where people
turn nastikas ends up in moral degradation.
An astika trusts the
validity of vedas. He accepts the presence of a life after death. He accepts
the presence of punya and papa. Hence, he wants to avoid the evil actions so
that he can avoid papa. If you ask an astika why he should be good, he has a valid
reason. He wants to avoid papa. He wants to earn punya. Hence, he does all virtuous
deeds like charity without seeking recognition, name or fame.
The human aspiration goes
beyond dharma. Even going to the higher world and enjoying the life there is
not the end of human aspiration. Many religions of the world have failed to
understand a goal beyond heaven. The vedantic texts point out the limitations
of the higher worlds like svarga. They encourage us to seek moksha – the
ultimate goal of life.
Presence of The Divine
A gentleman uttered the
above sentence in front of a wise man. Then the wise man asked the gentleman: “You
do not believe in God or You believe there is no God?” Then the
gentleman understood his mistake. Even his understanding that there is no God
is a belief, just as much as the others’ belief that there is God. A wise man
does not stop in a belief. He tries to understand the truth through enquiry.
Vedanta is a way to enquire into the truth. It does not say, “There is a God
and you should believe in God.” It trains you to be aware of the truth by
yourself.
The Valid Source of
Knowledge
We obtain a knowledge
through a pramana – a valid
means of knowledge. If we have to know the colour of a flower, we should make
use of our eyes. There is no other way to experience the colour. No other sense
can know the color. Hence, eyes are the only pramana to know the colour.
The Vedanta scholars have analysed all possible pramanas
and their validity. Most of the pramans operate in the realm of empirical
existence. They are not capable of knowing the absolute reality. Then there is
a unique pramana – the words of Vedas. The ancient rishis understood the
potential of the words. We know many facts only through words. How do we know
our own date of birth? Our parents told us. We trust our parents. Because it is
reasonable to trust them. Thus, the words from a trustworthy source serves as
pramana.
The Vedas are the most trustworthy body of literature.
They are the time-tested source of spiritual wisdom. Since time immemorial,
wisest of human beings have found guiding light in the words of the Vedas.
Vedanta does not contradict logics. Instead, they reveal
the truths that cannot be arrived at through direct perception and reasoning.
Meanwhile, the Vedas encourage us reason the right way. Proper reasoning serves
as a tool to understand the true purport of the Vedas.
Two Portions of the Vedas
Based on the
subject matter, the Vedas are divided into two portions, namely: Karma-kanda
and Jnana-kanda. Karma-kanda deals with karma - action. Jnana-kanda imparts the
jnana - knowledge - of the ultimate truth of the self. Since jnana-kanda occurs
at the final portion of the Vedas, it is called Vedanta. This portion of the
Vedas is also known as Upanishads.
Moksha – The
Liberation
Moksha is the
ultimate goal of human beings. There is nothing more to accomplish once we
attain moksha. It is the ultimate fulfilment. It is permanent happiness and
permanent peace. It is freedom from all emotional problems like sorrow, fear,
loneliness and so on. It is also freedom from the cycle of repeated birth and
death.
It is possible
to attain moksha even while living. Vedanta does not promise a reward that
cannot be enjoyed during the human life. Unlike other rewards of religious life
like heaven and the like, moksha can be enjoyed in this very life.
People try to
find happiness in material pursuits. Unfortunately, the material pursuit can
never promise permanent happiness. All objects in this world are impermanent.
Then how can we expect permanent happiness from them? Wealth, relations,
positions, social status – all are impermanent. We expect happiness from them
and end up in disappointment. People get carried away by the temporary flickers
of happiness and waste away all their lives in false hopes. A wise man
understands the evanescent nature of the material world and stops expecting
lasting happiness from them.
Jiva – The
Transmigrating Individual
We are taught
to identify ourselves as human beings. On the contrary, the Vedas reveal that
we are human beings as long as we are in this human body. Our existence
transcends the human body. After the death of this body, we will enter another
new body. The new body is not necessarily a human one. It can be any animal,
and even a plant body. Hence, we keep travelling from body to body. When we
leave a worn-out old body, it is called death. When we enter a new body, it is
called birth. We as individuals existed for ever. Such beginningless individual
is called Jiva.
Karma and Birth
The Sanskrit
word ‘karma’ means action. Most of the actions have visible results. Some
actions can have invisible results as well. The scriptures reveal certain
actions that are capable of yielding desirable results in the future. Certain
rituals, prayers and other forms of virtues do not seem to produce any
immediate and visible result. Yet they produce an invisible merit called
‘punya’ that fructifies later in life. To a large extent, all our pleasant
experiences in life are owing to punya.
There are also
certain prohibited actions. They produce the invisible effect called ‘papa’.
The word karma is also used to refer to punya and papa – the invisible effects
of our actions. The course of an individual’s journey after death is determined
by his karma. If he has good karma, he gets birth as a devata and so on. If he
has evil karma, is reborn as an animal, plant and the like. If his karma is a
mixture of good and evil, he is reborn as a human being.
Ishwara
The Vedic
tradition has a unique vision of the divine – Ishwara. Ishwara is introduced as
the cause of the universe. An effect has two types of causes – namely, material
cause and intelligent cause. A pot is made of clay. It is material cause. The
potter is the intelligent cause. The pot is a manifestation of the potter’s
knowledge and skill. The universe must have a material cause as well as an
intelligent cause. Ishwara is both material cause and Intelligent cause in one.
Mundaka
Upanishad explains it with the example of a spider. Spider weaves the web. The
material comes out of its own body. Hence it is the material cause. It is also
the intelligent cause. The web is an expression of spider’s intelligence.
Being the
intelligent cause of the entirte universe, Ishwara is endowed with knowledge of
everything. The entire creation is a manifestation of Ishwara’s knowledge.
Hence Ishwara is a sentient principle – he is consciousness in nature. Being
the material cause Ishwara is the substance of the entire universe. The
material cause pervades the effect. Clay pervades the pot. Hence everything in
the universe is pervaded by Ishwara. Hence we can understand Ishwara as the
all-pervasive consciousness.
The Absolute
Satisfaction
The Vedanta
shows the way to parama-ananda - the absolute satisfaction. The word happiness
is understood in many senses. We often think happiness is an experience of
pleasure. Pleasure is a temporary excitement of nerves. It is different from
satisfaction. The sense pleasure may bring about satisfaction only for a while.
One cannot seek permanent satisfaction from the material world.
One can find satisfaction
by being free from the sense of limitation. When we feel a sense of limitation,
we are bothered by the sense of incompleteness. It takes away our satisfaction.
One can try to be free from the sense of limitation through external means. Material
comforts and means may give a sense of freedom from limitation for a while.
Thus, one can try to find satisfaction in life. Unfortunately, the external
means are temporary and they can deceive one at any moment. Also, one
cannot find absolute freedom from limitations through external means.
The only way to
find lasting satisfaction is to discover the completeness in one’s own self. Vedanta
makes us understand that our true nature infinite and it is blocked by
ignorance, desires and karma. Hence the way to find satisfaction is to free
ourselves from the three factors that block our true nature. The more we are
free from ignorance etc., we can feel the satisfaction within ourselves. This
discovery of inner satisfaction culminates in parama-ananda. With the discovery
of parama-ananda, one becomes free from all dependences on external sources of
happiness and remains happy within oneself.
Nature of an Individual
Vedanta enquires into the truth of the individual. Are we an assemblage of
body, mind and senses? Do we have an existence beyond the body etc.? The body
is made of earth, water etc. It is a composite of inanimate elements. Hence it
cannot the true nature of the individual. We are sentient beings and hence our
nature ought to be consciousness. The senses are just instruments of knowledge.
Hence, they are not the nature of the knower. We see with our eyes. Eyes
themselves cannot see. They help us in the process of vision. Likewise, all the
senses are just instruments. Even the group of senses do not make the self.
There is a misconception that the mind is consciousness. On proper enquiry,
we can understand that the mind is not consciousness. We are aware of the
changes of mind. We witness the modifications of the mind. We are also aware of
the absence of mind in deep sleep. Hence the consciousness is different from
the mind. It is the witness of both presence and absence of the mind.
Thus, we arrive at the consciousness as the true self. It transcends the
body, mind and sense. It is called Atman – the self. It is free from all
modifications. It is the witness of all changes in body, mind as well as the
external world.
The Vedanta reveals that the self does not have birth and death. We discard
old bodies and take up new ones. The bodies have birth, growth, modifications
and death. The atma does not have any change. Hence it is eternal. A seeker of
moksha should understand and constantly think of his true self.
Brahman
Braman is the absolute reality revealed by Vedanta. Its nature is
consciousness and infinite. It is the parama-ananda that is sought after by the
seekers of moksha. The Vedanta reveals that the atman is not different from
brahman. Brahman is our true self. Unfortunately, the true self is hidden by
ignorance. Hence the way to find the ultimate happiness is to find our true
nature as Brahman. The knowledge of Brahman is called Brahma-jnana. A mumukshu
should seek Brahma-jnana.
Role of a Guru
To know the Brahman, a mumukshu (seeker of moksha) should approach a
competent guru. A competent guru should be well versed in the literature of
Vedanta. He should have studied the shastras from a traditional guru for his
own knowledge. A guru should also have the direct knowledge of Brahman. A
person with ambiguous and vague understanding of Vedanta cannot impart the
knowledge of Brahman. Hence one should go to a Guru with clear understanding. A
guru should be a virtuous individual. He should follow the noble values of
dharma in his own life and inspire others to follow the same. He should have
true compassion and guide the student with compassion.
The guru should be a living person. One cannot approach a historical figure
who is no more alive as a guru. Also, one cannot accept a book or an inanimate
object as a guru.
A seeker should approach the guru with utmost trust reverence and devotion.
He should serve the guru and seek the knowledge with humility. The spiritual
vision can be properly handed over only if the seeker stays in proximity of the
guru and serves the guru. Online teaching of listening to recording are not effective
way of imparting the spiritual wisdom. They can work as supplements, and never as
substitutes, to the living presence of a guru.
Mahavakya
Mahavakya is the principal statement of Vedanta. It reveals the oneness of
Jiva and Ishvara. There are many statements occurring in the Upanishads that
can be called Mahavakya. The most popular one is “Tat Tvam Asi”. It means ‘You
are That’. This statement is an equation. It equates ‘you’ i.e., the individual
to ‘That’, the Ishvara.
An equation reveals the non-difference between two sides. Hence it is
useful when two sides of the equation are apparently different. The individual
seems different from the Ishvara. The individual is finite in all respects and
the Ishvara is infinite. Then how can they be one?
The Apparent Difference
The apparent difference between the individual and Ishvara is explained
with the help of the concept of Upadhi. Upadhi is an external factor that
projects its attributes like limitation, etc. on the other. The space is
essentially free from all differences. It is just one infinite space all
around. Then the objects like pot etc. cause apparent limitation, division and
shape in the space. Hence the space within the pot is conceived as ‘pot space’.
In this example the pot is the upadhi. It is external to the nature of space.
Yet it causes an apparent difference is space.
The Vedanta reveals that Brahman is the only absolute reality. It is the
only existence and consciousness without any divisions. All diversities and
limitations appear in Brahman on account of Upadhis.
Maya
Maya is the upadhi of Ishvara. The Vedanta propounds that the universe has
emerged from Brahman. Then we can ask a question: how can the immutable Brahman
become the cause of the universe? Brahman does not undergo changes. Hence
Brahman cannot be moulded into the shape of the universe.
The Vedanta deftly solves this problem with the help of Maya. Maya does not
have its own existence. It seems to exist on account of the existence of Brahman.
Hence Maya is unreal from the absolute point of view.
Maya has no beginning. It has been there Brahman even before creation. It
is the potential that enables creation in Brahman.
The Brahman associated with Maya is called Ishvara. Being associated with
Maya, Brahman becomes the cause of the universe. Maya undergoes modification
and takes various forms beginning with the five elements. Hence the Brahman –
the existence - also seems to to take many forms. Thus, the magnificent
universe appears in Brahman.
Three Bodies
The Upadhi of a Jiva consists of three bodies, namely, gross body, subtle
body and the causal body. The gross body is called sthula sharira. It is the physical
body that is visible to our senses. It is made of various organs and tissues.
Gross body houses the subtle body (Sukshma sharira). The subtle body is not
visible to our senses. It consists of the mind, senses and prana. The subtle
body pervades the gross body and enlivens it. The gross body will not have life
without the presence of the subtle body.
Avidya (ignorance) is called the causal body. Vedanta has a unique
understanding of ignorance. It is not absence of knowledge. It is a positive
entity that hides the true nature and causes delusion. It covers the true
nature of the self and makes us identify with the gross and subtle bodies.
Hence it is responsible for our association with the other two bodies and the
external world. Hence it is called the causal body (karana sharira).
Five Koshas
There is another way of understanding the upadhi of a jiva. The Vedanta
talks about five koshas, namely, annamaya-kosha, pranamaya-kosha, manomaya
kosha, vijnanamaya-kosha and anandamaya-kosha. The word kosha literally means a
sheath.
Annamaya-kosha is the outermost sheath. It is the gross body. This body is
made of food. It is sustained and nourished by food (anna). Hence it is called
‘the sheath made of food’.
Pranamaya-kosha consists of prana. Prana is the subtle principle that is
responsible for vitality in the body. It is responsible for all the involuntary
physiological functions like heartbeat, circulation, respiration and so on.
Though the prana is essentially one, it is understood as five in number based
on the differences in its functions. Prana, apana, vyana, udana and samana are
the five pranas. All are collectively called prana. The first one causes the
forward movements like exhalation. The apana is responsible for downward movements
like excretion. Vyana takes care of functions like circulation that cover the
whole body. Udana activates the safety mechanism in the body and cause
belching, vomiting etc. to keep the body safe against certain odds. Udana is
also responsible for departure of the jiva from the body. Samana finds its
presence in the stomach and takes care of digestion and absorption of food.
Prana governs the involuntary functions in the body. Then there are five
Karmendriyas (senses of action). They are responsible for the voluntary actions.
Vak is the sense responsible for speech. Pani is the sense that moves our hands
and enables functions like holding etc. Pada is the sense that moves our legs.
Payu is responsible for elimination of waste and upastha is the sense that
leads to progeny.
Prana and the five karmendriyas form the pranamaya-kosha.
The mind consists of intellectual and emotional components. Manas is the
part of mind responsible for the emotions. Buddhi is the cognitive aspect of
the mind. There are five jnanendriyas (senses of knowledge).
They are shrotra, tvak, chakshuh, jihva, and ghrana. Shrotra is the sense
responsible for auditory perception. Tvak perceives touch. Chakshuh enables
visual perception. Jihva perceives tasate and ghrana perceives smell.
The mind and the senses are the parts of Sukshma sharira. They are not
visible to us. They operate in the respective part of sthula sharira. For
example, chakshuh is the sense responsible for visual perception. Its presence
is felt in the eye-balls. The eye-ball and its entrails are parts of the gross
body. The sense shows its presence in the eye-ball. It can be understood with
the analogy of hardware and software. If gross body is like hardware, subtle
body is akin to the software.
Manas and five senses of knowledge form manomaya-kosha. Buddhi and the five
senses form vijnanamaya-kosha. The senses of knowledge are included in both
manomaya-kosha and vijnanamaya-kosha.
Ananda means happiness. According to Vedanta, the true happiness is the
nature of Brahman. The momentary happiness that we experience now and then is a
fractional reflection of the happiness nature of Brahman. The happiness of
Brahman reflects in certain modifications of our mind. Such modification takes
place when we are in contact with a desirable sense object. The modification
causing the reflection of happiness forms the anandamaya-kosha. Our experience
of pleasure belongs to the anandamaya-kosha.
On account of ignorance, we identify with the five koshas. They form
various layers of our personality. Height, age, gender – such qualities belong
to annamaya-kosha. We identify with annamaya-kosha and describe ourselves with
the attributes of the body. Hunger, thirst and physiological ailments belong to
pranamaya-kosha. The emotional personality belongs to Manomaya-kosha and the
intellectual features belong to vijnanamaya-kosha. The pleasure we experience
on account of our contact with the objects belong to anandamya-kosha.
The three bodies or five koshas are not atma. They are identified with the atma on account of ignorance. A seeker of moksha
should understand the distinction between the atma and the upadhi – the three
bodies or five koshas.
The Union
Vedanta reveals the union between jiva and Ishvara. Union does not mean
they meet to become one. Jiva and Ishvara are never different in the absolute
sense. The Upadhis make them appear to be different. The Mahavakya “Tat Tvam
Asi” reveals the union – the oneness of Jiva and Ishvara that was concealed by
the ignorance of the reality.
On account of the three bodies or five koshas, the Brahman attains the
status of Jiva. The same Brahman is called Ishvara when it associates with Maya
and thus becomes the cause of the universe. Since the Upadhis are unreal, they
do not cause a real difference in Brahman.
The Way to Realization
A well-known statement from Brhadaranyaka Upanishad is “The atma should be realised.
It should be heard, reasoned and meditated upon.” The first step is to prepare
one’s mind for the pursuit of self-realization. The mind should be pure. It
should be free from the unhealthy thoughts and emotions like worldly desires,
greed, hatred, envy, arrogance and so on. One should cultivate the desirable
qualities like truthfulness, humility, compassion, patience, generosity and the
like. A spiritually ripened mind is ready for the pursuit of self-enquiry.
A qualified seeker should approach a guru. The guru unfolds the vision of Brahman
as revealed in the Vedanta texts. The seeker should consistently expose himself
to the words of wisdom uttered by the Guru. Then he should clarify his doubts
through proper reasoning. The guru who is trained in the traditional works can
help the seeker in solving the doubts by guiding the student through the right
way of reasoning.
Once the seeker is convinced of the truth of Brahman, he should make effort
to assimilate the understanding. This can be accomplished by dwelling in the
vision of Brahman with effort. One should entertain the thoughts that are in alignment
with the teachings of Vedanta and move away from thoughts that are contrary to
the right vision. In due course of time, the seeker assimilates the understanding
of the ultimate reality as his own self and thus becomes free from the problem
of samsara.
Disciplining the Mind
Disciplining the mind plays a very important role in the pursuit of self-realization.
Mind is the instrument for all forms of knowledges. It is true with the
self-knowledge as well. The knowledge of the self is a function of the mind. A
turbulent and impulsive mind is not fit for self-knowledge. It cannot pay
attention to the words of the guru and understand the abstract principles of
Vedanta. A mind without discipline works like an enemy. The same mind, when
disciplined, serves as a friend. Spiritual practices like puja and japa contribute
to the disciplining of the mind. Like a tamed horse, one can direct a trained
mind towards the right subject matter.
The mind alone is responsible for both bondage and liberation. The
impulsive mind binds an individual by drawing the person towards the sense
objects. On the other hand, the pure mind liberates the individual from the
bondage of samsara. Hence a seeker should work hard to make the mind free from
attraction to material objectives.
Spiritual Concentration
Concentration of mind plays an important role in the pursuit of
self-knowledge. A seeker should develop a unique form of concentration to be
able to pursue the self-enquiry and abide in the knowledge of the self. Almost
everyone can focus the mind in the topic of his or her interest. It is not
difficult to watch an interesting movie with absolute focus, being oblivious of
place and time. An ordinary human being cannot focus his mind to the same
extent in self-knowledge. Hence the mind should be trained to focus on the
spiritual theme.
One should begin to focus on an image of Bhagavan. Then the focus should be
shifted to the space in the heart. The seeker should visualize the form of the
Lord in his heart and meditate on it. In due course of time, he develops the
ability to focus on the abstract principles revealed by the Upanishads.
Forbearance
The nature of forbearing the difficulties with a positive attitude is
called titiksha. A seeker should cultivate titiksha. We are often forced to put
up with difficulties in life. It is not possible to find immediate solution to many
of the discomforts in our day-to-day life. The problems may arise as heat,
cold, ill health, noise and so on. Our natural tendency is to endure it with complaints
and grumbles. Titiksha means accepting the difficulties as an opportunity to strengthen
one’s own mind and enduring them without murmuring.
We see people carrying heavy load. Generally, they look upon the load as
burden. Then there are people who go to gymnasium and lift weight. Though they
are lifting heavy weight, they do not look upon it as a burden. They have a
positive attitude towards the weight. It is a means to strengthen their own
muscles.
Life can never be a cozy bed of roses. There are difficulties and
discomforts both at physical and mental level. The pleasant as well as the
unpleasant moments in life are a result of our own karmas. Ishvara gives the
result of our karmas. Hence the wise man looks upon both sweet and bitter
moments in life as Isvara’s grace and lives with acceptance.
Liberation in Life
A knower of the ultimate truth experiences the freedom from samsara while being
alive. It is called jivan-mukti (liberation while being alive). He is free from
sorrow, worries, hatred and the like. He finds happiness within and hence does
not depend on external sources for his happiness.
A man of realization, who enjoys the freedom within, is does not disturb
anybody with his words and actions. Also, he is not disturbed by anybody’s
words or actions. He is free from expectations from others. Hence one cannot
cause disappointment to the knower of brahman. He is not elated or dejected by
the events in life. Since he is aware of the unreal and temporary nature of all
happenings in life, they do not disturb his inner peace and tranquillity.
Yardsticks of Spiritual Unfoldment
Arjuna asks Krishna regarding the characteristics of a sthita-prajna. A
spiritually mature individual who has assimilated the knowledge of Brahman is
called sthita-prajna. The goal of a spiritual seeker is to become a
sthita-prajna. Hence, he should cultivate the qualities of a sthita-prajna with
effort.
The qualities of a sthita-prajna serve as yard sticks of spiritual
maturity. Krishna does not refer to occult powers or mystical experiences as
the indications of spiritual growth. Some people get occult powers by following
certain practices. Some people read others’ minds. Some others may move objects
without touching them. People exhibit such miracles. Such powers do not
contribute an iota to the pursuit of Moksha. They give only temporary
happiness. Sometimes such powers may cause spiritual downfall as well.
Sri Krishna describes a sthita-prajna as a being who is free from desires. Desires
spring from a sense of incompleteness. The knower of Brahman is aware of his
own completeness. Hence, he is not troubled by the feeling of incompleteness.
Hence the desires for material goals and accomplishments do not torment him.
Moreover, he is aware of the unreality of the material world. A man sees shell
as silver. Then he wants to pick it and take it home. When he realises that
there is no real silver in front of him and the object was just a shell, he no
longer wants to pick it. Likewise, a sthita-prajna is aware of the unreality of
the material world and hence he does not seek happiness from it.
A knower of Brahman finds happiness in his own self. There was a village.
There were many ponds and water tanks in the village. It did not rain for many
years. There was draught. All the water bodies dried up. Then the villagers had
to walk to a small well several miles away from the village to fetch water for
their daily use. Men and women started flocking around the small well every
morning for water. The small water body far away from the village gained great
importance. Then the villagers prayed to Bhagavan for rain. Eventually it
started raining. Then all the water bodies in the village were full to the brim
once again. There was abundance of water available within the village. Then
nobody bothered to go to the far away well. The once important well now
remained abandoned. Likewise, the external sources of happiness are of great
importance to the ignorant ones. The knower of self finds abundance of
happiness in his own self. Hence, he does not seek happiness from the material
objects. The material sources of happiness are redundant to a knower of
brahman.
A Brahma-jnani (knower of Brahman) is free from insecurity, envy, hatred
and such unhealthy emotions. The vision of duality facilitates the origin of
such evil emotions. Awakening to the truth of non-duality makes one free from
all the emotions that are responsible for restlessness. A jnani does not
disturb others with his restlessness. He also does not allow others to disturb
himself by their words and behaviours. He remains undisturbed by humiliation
and flattery, respect and disrespect. He does not depend on others’ behaviour
towards him for his satisfaction. He has learned to be happy and peaceful in
all circumstances.
