Counselling the Gita Way – Part 2

Chitvish · Feb 22, 2009

Yet another mental agony is caused by longing for material gains.

The Gita says the contemplation of objects (of desire) is the root of all evil.

Dhyaayatho vishayaan pumsah sangasthaeshyupa jaayathae
Sangaath sanjaayathae kaamah krodho(a)bhijaayathae (2 – 62)
Attachment to objects is born when one ponders on them. Of attachment is born desire and of desire, wrath.

From attachment, pleasure in them arises. Of that pleasure is born desire or craving. From this craving, when obstructed somehow, wrath arises.

Krodhaadbhavathi sammohah sammohaath smr(u)thivibhramah
Smrithirbhrams(h)aad buddhi naas(h)o buddhinaas(h)aath praNas(h)yathi (2- 63)
From anger results delusion, from delusion results confusion of memory; from confusion of memory results destruction of intelligence and from destruction of intelligence, he perishes!”

From wrath arises lack of discrimination between what ought to be and ought not to be done.
Through this lack, one is wholly destroyed; for a man retains self-identity only as long as he retains his power to discriminate between right and wrong. He becomes unfit to realise the ends of life.

The Gita states

Yam he na vyathayanthyaethae purusham purusharshabha
Sama duhkhasukham dheeram so (a0 mr(u)thathvaaya kalpathae (2 – 15)
“Oh best of men, that wise person whom the sense organs and objects do not disturb, who is equanimous in pleasure and pain and who is wise alone is fit for immortality.”

He questions

“As(h)aanthyasaya kutham sukham ? ( 2 – 66)
“For one without peace, how can there be happiness?”

The unintegrated or unconcentrated mind has no wisdom; nor can such a person have yearning for Self-Knowledge. Without such yearning, there is no peace. How can there be happiness without quietitude?

Only universal love brings inner peace.

Suhyanmithraar –yudaaseena- madhyastha-dhvaesha-bandhushu
Saadhushvapi cha paapaeshu samabuddhir-vis(h)ishyathae (6 – 9)
He excels, who looks equally on a well-wisher, a friend, an enemy, a neutral, an arbiter, a hateful person, a relative and also on the good and the sinful.

The “good man” helps, regardless of any requirement (adequate return for good or ill). He, whose intellectual attitude is the same, does not bother who the other is and helps.

The Gita emphasises

Ananyaa s(h) chinthayanthomaam yae janaah paryupaasathae

Thaeshaam nithyaabhiyukthaanaam yogaks(h)emam vahaamyaham (9 – 22)
“To those persons, who think of nothing else, and worship Me through meditation-I bring prosperity and security.”

The Lord does bring prosperity and security to other devotees as well. They seek the same by means of their own efforts also. But those who do not see themselves as different from the Lord do not seek them for themselves. They cherish no selfish cravings either in life or in death. They have sought refuge in the Lord only. So He Himself brings them both prosperity and security.

Thus the Gita reveals to us the immense potential in the resourcefulness of the human mind . We must rise from ignorance to knowledge, from apathy to a positive feeling and from inertia to purposeful activity. The diary of mankind is not without entries of what is called “Columbus complex”, which means that each new discovery is, in fact, a rediscovery ! In this context, it is more than apt to say that any modern book on psychotherapy is a mirror image of the Bhagavad Gita, rendered more than five thousand years ago.

Love,
Chithra.

Cheeniya · Feb 22, 2009

It is highly significant that a lot of emphasis is laid on ‘resourcefulness of the human mind’ here. The entire progress of the mankind, both spiritual and material, has grown out of the seed sown in the human mind. But there is a mistaken notion that if the mind is not isolated from the senses, no spiritual progress is possible. The great Zen Master Huang-Po stresses strongly on the need for the co-ordination of the Mind with the senses. According to him, when the senses and thoughts are annihilated, all the passages to the Universal Mind get blocked. The original Mind is to be recognized along with the working of the senses and thoughts but it does not belong to them nor is it independent of them. He cautions us not to build up our views upon the dictates of our senses and at the same time not to seek the Mind away from our senses and thoughts. He warns that we should never try to grasp the Reality by rejecting our senses and thoughts. The seat of enlightenment will be ours only when we are neither attached to our senses nor totally detached from them. It is only in this level that we can enjoy our perfectly unobstructed spiritual freedom.

Let me elaborate further on this subject. If a man leads a life totally dictated by his senses, his mind gets totally shut off. Any obsession with sensual delights will only result in the mind finding ways of furthering such a pursuit. Learned scholars always caution us to stop our mind from going the way that senses lead it. I remember the lyrics of a Kannadasan song which warn us “Kann pona pokkile, kaal pogalama, kaal pona pokkile manam pogalama?” (which can be roughly translated as, Can the legs take us wherever our eyes lead? Can our Mind lead us to wherever our legs take us?)

What happens if a person totally subdues his senses and takes his mind away from them? No spiritual awareness can be complete unless the senses are allowed to partake of it. Sri Aurobindo sums it up beautifully:
“The touch of Earth is always reinvigorating to the son of Earth, even when he seeks a supraphysical Knowledge. It may even be said that the supraphysical can only be really mastered in its fullness when we keep our feet firmly on the physical. ‘Earth is His footing’ says the Upanishad, whenever it images the Self that manifests in the universe’

We are not led into thinking here that the situation of the senses following the dictates of the Mind is superior to the Mind following the senses. The emphasis is on the total integration of the senses and the Mind. In such a situation, to realise the divine Ground in the world as well as in one’s soul, there is no need to avoid temptations and distractions as they are merely used as opportunities for spiritual advance.

Lalitha Shivaguru · Feb 23, 2009

Dear Mami & Appa,

Read the beautiful post. Will come back with comments later as my right hand is out of action....It is very painful to type also..hence excuse me.

Lalitha Shivaguru · Mar 2, 2009

Dear Mami & appa,

I came back here as I am feeling better with my hand now. Able to type so thought first let me do the honours here.

Agreed mami desire is the cause of delusion which leads to destruction inturn total perish. But I feel we should have the right kind of desire. Desire is fine but not possessiveness. We can desire to get the latest LCD tv, latest washing machine...etc but should not be so obsessed with the same that it gives rise to anger and destruction. The object of desire should not make us its slave but it should be the other way round. Hope I have understood correctly.

I would rather add desire makes to have a zeal in life otherwise won't we be satisfied with what we have and not yearn for the higher pinnacle? For eg... I can be happy as a clerk in a bank but I should have the desire to become an officer otherwise I will be stagnant in the same position. It is the right kind of desire that is needed.

Appa what you say about Kannadasan's lyrics is very true.. You have summed up very beautifully at the end...

vidhi · Mar 2, 2009

Dear Chith and Cheeniya Sir

Like the first part this also was a thought provoking post from both of you. Gita helps gives us the strength to face the situation. In Ramayana we see how Jambhavan reminds Sri Hanuman about his innate strength and made him realise his caliber. Only after realizing his own strength he was able to cross the wide ocean and overcome all the hurdles that came in the way. Like wise in life more often we need some one else to remind us about our strength. It gives us the self confidence and help us to follow the right path. No one can take away our difficulties and give us happiness. It is within us to find a way and follow the path. The verses from Gita gives us the much needed encouragement, positive thinking, inspiration, hope, strength etc. At the same time it also warns us against the wrong path that we may follow. It helps us to realise our own strength and proceed with confidence.

Love
Vidhi

Kamla · Mar 2, 2009

Dear Chithra,

I don't know why I keep forgetting that there is a divine force which leads me to wherever I need to be. In the bargain, I keep fretting and lost. Shows that there is a long way for me to go to attain that maturity which should have been in me by now, considering the number of years this planet has been my habitat!

But thanks to the Lord, I landed here to read these wonderful words from Gita so well explained by you. We have to free ourselves from this temptation for worldly possessions and wants. No one on earth really has everything what he/she desires. On the other hand, almost no one seems to realize when they do possess the world!! We need to have this realization within ourselves and learn to count our blessings.

Lovely lines from Gita and very relevant for today. It was a real help for me to read them today.

L, Kamla

Kamla · Mar 2, 2009

Dear Cheeniya sir,

Once again, a great post from you explaining the connection between the Mind and Senses.

Maybe it will be easy not to miss the so called luxuries if you have never experienced them. But to go through the fire of temptations and yet possess the strength of mind to be discerning and not fall prey to our wants is difficult. Once you succeed in saying no to such desires and realise what really matters in life, half the life's battle and purpose is won.

I don't know if it will lead me to immortality, that is too big a desire and I am too weak for such aspirations. But surely it will make my life much more heavenly in my earthy abode.

L, Kamla