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The
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'The Truth will verily Triumph'
1 2a 2b 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18a 18b
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" eshâ
te 'bhihitâ sânkhye eshâ
-- all this; te -- unto you;
abhihitâ
-- described; sânkhye
-- by analytical study; buddhih -- intelligence;
yoge -- in work without fruitive result; tu -- but;
imâm
-- this; s'rinu- just hear;
buddhyâ
-- by intelligence; yuktah -- dovetailed;
yayâ
-- by which; pârtha
-- o son of Prithâ; karma-bandham -- bondage
of reaction; prahâsyasi
-- you can be released from.
The
39th sloka is a transitional verse, for after
speaking of "eshâ te 'bhihitâ
sânkhye" (All this I described to you was
about the analytical study of the intelligence in
yoga), Krishna says that He will go on to teach him
the yogabuddhi or buddhiyoga and
asked him to listen with care.
-
Gîtâ
Vahini, p. 32 nehâhikrama-nâs'o
'sti na -- there is not;
iha -- in this yoga; abhikrama -- in endeavoring;
nâs'ah
-- loss; asti -- there is;
pratyavâyah
-- diminution; na -- never; vidyate -- there is;
su-alpam -- a little; api -- although; asya -- of
this; dharmasya -- occupation;
trâyate
-- releases; mahatah -- from very great;
bhayât
-- danger.
Of
course, it is hard to effect this full surrender.
But if man makes the slightest effort towards it,
the Lord Himself will confer the courage to pursue
it to the end. He will walk with him and help him
as a friend; He will lead him as a guide; He will
guard him from evil and temptation; He will be his
staff and support. He has said, "svalpam apy
asya dharmasya trâyate mahato
bhayât". (This course of action, if
followed to a small extent, will save him from
terrifying fear.) To follow dharma is itself
a source of joy; it is the path least beset with
hurdles. That is the Teaching of the
Lord. -
Gîtâ
Vahini, p. 8 vyavasâyâtmikâ
buddhir vyavâsayâtmikâ
-- resolute in Krishna consciousness; buddhih --
intelligence; ekâ
-- only one; iha -- in this world; kuru-nandana --
o beloved child of the Kurus;
bahu-s'âkhâh
-- having various branches; hi -- indeed;
anantâh
-- unlimited; ca -- also; buddhayah --
intelligence; avyavasâyinâm
-- of those who are not in Krishna
consciousness.
In
the Gîtâ, one can notice Krishna
addressing Arjuna as "Kuru-nandana"! The
usual meaning given by scholars to this appellation
is "the scion of the Kuru clan" but it has a
much more profound lesson to teach mankind.
Kuru means "do" in Sanskrit, and
Nandana means "he who takes delight in". So,
it means Krishna is appreciating the transformation
in Arjuna from inaction to action - Arjuna is the
one who takes delight in having some work to do. He
is the one who is sad and dejected if he has no
work on hand. For most of you, Sunday is a holiday,
which gives delight, but for Arjuna, the day that
he can devote to God's work is indeed a holy
day." -
Sanathana
Sarathi, March 1979, pp. 57-8 yâm
imâm pushpitâm vâcam yâm
imâm
-- all these; pushpitâm
-- flowery; vâcam
-- words; pravadanti -- say; avipas'citah -- men
with a poor fund of knowledge;
veda-vâda-ratâh
-- supposed followers of the Vedas;
pârtha--
O son of Prithâ; na -- never; anyat --
anything else; asti -- there is; iti -- thus;
vâdinah
-- the advocates; kâmâtmânah
svarga-parâ kâma-âtmânah
-- desirous of sense gratification;
svarga-parâh
-- aiming to achieve heavenly planets;
janma-karma-phala-pradâm
-- resulting in good birth and other fruitive
reactions; kriyâ-vis'esha
-- pompous ceremonies;
bahulâm
-- various; bhoga -- in sense enjoyment; ais'varya
-- and opulence; gatim -- progress; prati --
towards. bhogais'varya-prasaktânâm bhoga -- to
material enjoyment; ais'varya -- and opulence;
prasaktânâm
-- for those who are attached;
tayâ
-- by such things;
apahrita-cetasâm
-- bewildered in mind;
vyavasâyat-atmikâ
-- fixed in determination; buddhih -- devotional
service to the Lord;
samâdhau
-- in the controlled mind; na -- never;
vidhîyate -- does take place. trai-gunya-vishayâ
vedâ trai-gunya --
pertaining to the three modes of material nature;
vishayâh--
on the subject matter;
vedâh
-- Vedic literatures; nistrai-gunyah
--transcendental to the three modes of material
nature; bhava -- be;arjuna -- o Arjuna; nirdvandvah
-- without duality; nitya-sattva-sthah -- in a pure
state of spiritual existence; niryoga-kshemah --
free from ideas of gain and protection;
âtmavân
-- established in the self.
The
Gîtâ laid down that even the
Vedas have to be transcended, whenever they
seek to foster desires and cater to transient
urges. It speaks in the same sloka that man
must seek to become âtmavân, the
possessor of Âtmâ and the Atmic
strength. Note the word!
âtmavân! The Gîtâ
asks you to be not balavan (possessor of
physical prowess), not dhanavan (possessor
of a comfortable bank balance), but
âtmavân (having the prowess
arising out of the awareness that you are the
Atman, which can withstand death and remain
unaffected by fame or shame, grief or joy and all
the buffetings of the dualities of the world).
Another word in the same sloka is
niryoga-kshema. Dwell for a while upon its
meaning, too. It points the way to lasting
happiness, never being concerned with the earning
of happiness and the maintenance of happiness, just
being oneself! Being established in the
Atman, never worried about how to be happy
(for the Atman is ever blissful), this is
the prescription of the Gîtâ.
Nirdvandvo (without paying attention to the
dual throng of grief-joy, pain-pleasure, etc.),
nitya-sattva-stho (ever fixed in the quality
of equanimity), niryoga-kshema
âtmavân - that is how the
Gîtâ lays down the path of liberation."
-
Sathya Sai Speaks VII, pp. 451-2 yâvân
artha udapâne yâvân
-- all that; arthah -- is meant;
uda-pâne
-- in a well of water; sarvatah -- in all respects;
sampluta-udake -- in a great reservoir of water;
tâvân
-- similarly; sarveshu -- in all; vedeshu -- Vedic
literatures; brâhmanasya
-- of the man who knows the Supreme Brahman;
vijânatah
-- who is in complete knowledge. karmany
evâdhikâras te karmani -- in
prescribed duties; eva -- certainly;
adhikârah
-- right; te -- of you;
mâ
-- never; phaleshu -- in the fruits;
kadâcana
-- at any time; mâ
-- never; karma-phala -- in the result of the work;
hetuh -- cause; bhûh -- become;
mâ
-- never; te -- of you; sangah -- attachment; astu
-- there should be; akarmani -- in not doing
prescribed duties.
The
Lord has said in the Gîtâ,
"refuse the fruit" (mâ phaleshu), that
is to say: the deed yields results, but the doer
should not desire the result or do it with the
result in view. If Krishna's intention was
to say that the doer has no right for the fruit, He
would have said, "It is fruitless" (na
phaleshu), (na meaning no). So if you
desist from karma, you will be transgressing
the Lord's command. That will be a serious mistake.
When man has a right for engaging in karma,
he has the right also for the fruit; no one can
deny this or refuse his right. But the doer can,
out of his own free will and determination, refuse
to be affected by the result, whether favorable or
unfavorable. The Gîtâ shows the
way: "Do and deny the consequence." The desire for
the result of your action is a sign of rajoguna
[the mode of passion]; the giving up of
action since you cannot benefit by the fruit is a
sign of tamoguna [mode of ignorance,
also described as darkness and slowness]. To
engage oneself in karma, to know that the
result will follow, and yet not to be attached to
it or getting concerned with it - that is the sign
of sattvaguna [the mode of goodness, the
quality of purity or goodness that renders a person
true, honest, wise].
-
Gîtâ
Vahini, pp. 35-6 yoga-sthah
kuru karmâni yoga-sthah --
equipoised; kuru -- perform;
karmâni
-- your duties;sangam -- attachment;
tyaktvâ
-- giving up; dhanañjaya -- o
Arjuna;siddhi-asiddhyoh -- in success and failure;
samah -- equipoised;
bhûtvâ--
becoming; samatvam -- equanimity; yogah -- yoga;
ucyate -- iscalled.
"Samatvam
yogam ucyate" (equanimity is the path to reach
unity). This is what the Bhagavad Gîtâ
declares. Not only the ultimate merger in the
absolute, but even peace and security in the daily
process of living, cannot be gained without
cultivating this quality of "samatvam" or
equanimity. The effort to gain equanimity is the
hardest but the most beneficial of all
sâdhanas. It is a bastion against the
ups and downs of fortune. Without it, life becomes
an uncertain game, a constant struggle with fear,
hope, anxiety and
doubt. -
Sanathana
Sarathi, July 1978, p. 109 dûrena
hy avaram karma dûrena --
discard it at a long distance; hi -- certainly;
avaram -- abominable; karma -- activity;
buddhi-yogât
-- on the strength of Krishna consciousness;
dhanañjaya -- o conqueror of wealth; buddhau
--in such consciousness; s'aranam -- full
surrender; anviccha -- try for;
kripanâh
-- misers; phala-hetavah -- those desiring fruitive
results. buddhi-yukto
jahâtîha buddhi-yuktah --
one who is engaged in devotional service;
jahâti
-- can get rid of; iha -- in this life; ubhe --
both; sukrita-dushkrite -- good and bad results;
tasmât
-- therefore; yogâya
-- for the sake of devotional service; yujyasva --
be so engaged; yogah -- Krishna consciousness;
karmasu -- in all activities; kaus'alam --
art.
To
identify and become aware of the
Âtmâ, the eternal reality,
detachment rooted in discrimination is
indispensable. It is the very first step for
success in this venture. A fixed mind free from
agitation can alone practice detachment and win
equanimity. Without equanimity the years of life
are wasted. A person might be an emperor and have
all that one could wish for, yet, if he has no
equanimity, he would be a victim of
anxiety. -
Sanathana
Sarathi, January 1980, p. 3 karma-jam
buddhi-yuktâ hi karma-jam -- due to
fruitive activities;
buddhi-yuktâh
-- being engaged in devotional service; hi --
certainly; phalam -- results;
tyaktvâ
-- giving up; manîshinah -- great sages or
devotees; janma-bandha -- from the bondage of birth
and death; vinirmuktâh
-- liberated; padam -- position; gacchanti -- they
reach; anâmayam
-- without miseries.
When
loss is incurred, men are miserable; but profit too
brings misery in its train. The tax-gatherer's
shadow haunts the profitmaker. The attitude must
be, "Let what comes, come." One should have no
elation or dejection. Welcome the fruit, whatever
it is, as a gift from God. Do not bank on its
quantity or quality, or plan what to do with it. Do
your duty, sincerely and to the best of your
ability. Let the result be what He wills. Success
and failure are often unpredictable experiences;
they follow man, alternately, without any clear
reason. So, the sadhaka and the seeker of
peace have to concentrate on doing their duty,
doing what has to be done, and leave the rest to
providence.-
Sanathana
Sarathi, July 1978, pp. 109-10 yadâ
te moha-kalilam yadâ
-- when; te -- your; moha -- of illusion; kalilam
-- dense forest; buddhih -- transcendental service
with intelligence; vyatitarishyati -- surpasses;
tadâ
-- at that time; gantâsi
-- you shall go; nirvedam -- callousness;
s'rotavyasya -- toward all that is to be heard;
s'rutasya -- all that is already heard; ca --
also. s'ruti-vipratipannâ
te s'ruti -- of Vedic
revelation;
vipratipannâ
-- without being influenced by the fruitive
results; te -- your;
yadâ
-- when; sthâsyati
-- remains; nis'calâ
-- unmoved; samâdhau
-- in transcendental consciousness, or Krishna
consciousness; acalâ
-- unflinching; buddhih -- intelligence;
tadâ
-- at that time; yogam -- self-realization;
avâpsyasi
-- you will achieve.
Analyze
every object and discover the cheapness and
hollowness of each. Then, genuine
vairâgya will be planted in your heart.
So, utilize the priceless weapon, the perfect
mirror, that God has given you - the buddhi
- for the journey to God. An old adage
announces that buddhi is shaped by one's
actions. Buddhih karma anusarine. This is
not quite correct. It has the buddhi on one
side and the senses on the other and is drawn by
both into action. When the manas or mind
leans towards the senses and activates them,
bondage results; if it leans towards the
intelligence (which is illumined by the
Âtmâ), liberation results.
Sometimes, the buddhi is enticed by the fake
delight the mind revels in, through the senses.
Sâdhana has to be used at this moment
to turn it away from serfdom to the mind. It must
be restored to its status of regulator and
controller of the vagaries of the
mind. -
Sanathana
Sarathi, January 1980, pp. 5-6 arjuna
uvâca arjunah
uvâca
-- Arjuna said; sthita-prajñasya -- of one
who is situated in fixed Krishna consciousness;
kâ
-- what; bhâsâ
-- language; samâdhi-sthasya
-- of one situated in trance; kes'ava -- o Krishna;
sthita-dhîh -- one fixed in Krishna
consciousness; kim -- what;
prabhâsheta
-- speaks; kim -- how;
âsîta
-- does remain still; vrajeta -- walks; kim --
how.
Krishna
taught Arjuna the nature and characteristics of the
sthitaprajña [stable
in transcendence; established in wisdom.,
balance],
when
Arjuna questioned him. Arjuna prayed "O Kes'ava"
and when that apellation was used, Krishna smiled.
For He knew then that Arjuna had understood His
splendor. Do you ask how? Well, what does Kes'ava
mean? It means, "He who is Brahmâ,
Vishnu, S'iva, and Trimurti".
Through Krishna's grace, Arjuna had reached that
stage of realization.
-
Gîtâ Vahini, pp. 36-7 s'rî
bhagavân uvâca s'rî-bhagavân
uvâca
-- the Supreme Personality of Godhead said;
prajahâti
-- gives up; yadâ
-- when; kâmân
-- desires for sense gratification;
sarvân
-- of all varieties; pârtha--
o son of Prithâ;
manah-gatân
-- of mental concoction;
âtmani
-- in the pure state of the soul; eva -- certainly;
âtmanâ
-- by the purified mind; tushthah -- satisfied;
sthita-prajñah -- transcendentally situated;
tadâ
-- at that time; ucyate -- is
said.
When Arjuna prayed that Kes'ava must
tell him the true characteristics of a
sthitaprajña,
He replied, "Pârtha! He will be free
from all desire. He will be stable in the knowledge
and awareness of the Âtmâ
only." - Gîtâ
Vahini, p. 37
Action of work relates to the world. The
world, in turn, is related to God. So Krishna
propounded that all actions must be performed with
the intention of pleasing God. This type of action
is a characteristic feature of a
sthitaprajña
or a person who has mental equipoise. A
sthitaprajña
performs his action, firmly established in the
Âtmâ. -
Summer
Showers in Brindavan 1979, p.
31 duhkheshv
anudvigna-manâh duhkheshu -- in the
threefold miseries;
anudvigna-manâh
-- without being agitated in mind; sukheshu -- in
happiness; vigata-sprihah -- without being
interested; vîta -- free from;
râga
-- attachment; bhaya -- fear; krodhah -- and anger;
sthita-dhîh -- whose mind is steady; munih --
a sage; ucyate -- is called. yah
sarvatrânabhisnehas yah -- one who;
sarvatra -- everywhere; anabhisnehah -- without
affection; tat -- that; tat -- that;
prapyâ
-- achieving; s'ubha -- good; as'ubham -- evil; na
-- never; abhinandati -- praises; na -- never;
dveshthi -- envies; tasya -- his; prajña --
perfect knowledge; pratishthhita --
fixed.
It is well known that sins bring grief as a
retribution and meritorious deeds bring joy as a
reward. So advice is given to avoid sins and
perform meritorious deeds. But the
sthitaprajña knows neither the pain
of grief nor the thrill of joy. He is not repulsed
by one or attracted by the other. He will not
retreat before pain or turn toward pleasure. Only
those who are ignorant of the Âtmâ
will exult or droop when stricken with joy or
grief. - Gîtâ
Vahini, p. 38
Krishna explained to Arjuna that a
sthitaprajña has an even mind that is
neither elated by joy nor dejected by sorrow. The
sthitaprajña dwells always in the
spirit without giving way to grief, lust, fear or
delusion. His vision beholds the spirit everywhere.
Krishna pointed out that Arjuna would be able to
realize His true nature when he became a
sthitaprajña. -
Summer
Showers in Brindavan 1979, p. 31 yadâ
samharate câyam yadâ
-- when; samharate -- winds up; ca -- also; ayam --
he; kûrmah -- tortoise;
angâni
-- limbs; iva -- like; sarvas'ah -- altogether;
indriyâni
-- senses; indriya-arthebhyah -- from the sense
objects; tasya -- his; prajña --
consciousness;
pratishthhitâ
-- fixed.
The primary quality of a
sthitaprajña
is the control of the senses. It is not easy to
repress the senses or assume mastery over them. -
Summer
Showers in Brindavan 1979, p. 31 vishayâ
vinivartante vishayâh
-- objects for sense enjoyment; vinivartante -- are
practiced to be refrained from;
nirâhârasya
-- by negative restrictions; dehinah -- for the
embodied; rasa-varjam -- giving up the taste; rasah
-- sense of enjoyment; api -- although there is;
asya -- his; param -- far superior things;
drishthvâ
-- by experiencing; nivartate -- he ceases
from.
Now, there are two processes in this: To
give up all the promptings of desire in the mind is
the negative process; to implant joy, everpresent
joy therein, is the positive aspect. The negative
process is to remove all the seedlings of wrong and
evil from the mind; the positive process is to
grow, in the field cleansed thus, the crop of
attachment to God! The cultivation of the crop you
need is positive; the plucking of the weeds is the
negative stage. The pleasures the senses draw from
the objective world are weeds; the crop is
attachment to God. The mind is a bundle of wishes,
and unless these wishes are removed by their roots,
there is no hope of destroying the mind, which is a
great obstacle in the path of spiritual progress.
When the yarn that comprises the cloth is taken
out, one by one, what remains of the cloth?
Nothing. The mind is made of the warp and woof of
wishes. And when mind vanishes, the
sthitaprajña is made. -
Gîtâ
Vahini, p. 37 yatato
hy api kaunteya yatatah -- while
endeavoring; hi -- certainly; api -- in spite of;
kaunteya -- o son of Kuntî; purushasya -- of
a man; vipas'citah -- full of discriminating
knowledge; indriyâni
-- the senses; pramâthîni
-- agitating; haranti -- throw; prasabham -- by
force; manah -- the mind.
When
man is entangled until the moment of death in
stilling the clamor of the senses and catering to
the needs of this illusory world, how can he thrill
with the ecstasy of the awareness of his own atmic
core? From the monarch in the palace to the beggar
in the streets, all are caught up in the game of
extracting pleasure from the outer
world. -
Sanathana
Sarathi, January 1980, p. 5 tâni
sarvâni samyamya tâni
-- those senses; sarvâni
-- all; samyamya -- keeping under control; yuktah
-- engaged; âsîta
-- should be situated; mat-parah -- in relationship
with Me; vas'e -- in full subjugation; hi --
certainly; yasya -- one whose;
indriyâni
-- senses; tasya -- his; prajña --
consciousness;
pratishthhitâ
-- fixed.
Man becomes a victim of ignorance, darkness,
and lust if he gives unrestricted freedom to his
senses. So Krishna made it clear from the beginning
that controlling the senses is essential for a
sthitaprajña. -
Summer
Showers in Brindavan 1979, p. 32
The upward path, the higher stage, that is
for the sthitaprajña. Of these two
masteries, if the mind is subdued, that alone is
enough; it is not necessary then to conquer the
external senses. If the mind has no attachment with
objects, the senses have nothing to cling on to;
they perish by inaction; love and hate are both
starved out of existence. The bonds with the
objective world are cut, though the senses may yet
be affected by it. For him who has been blessed by
an awareness of the Âtmâ how can
anything worldly bring grief or joy? -
Gîtâ
Vahini, p. 39 dhyâyato
vishayân pumsah dhyâyatah
-- while contemplating;
vishayân
-- sense objects; pumsah -- of a person;
sangâh
-- attachment; teshu -- in the sense objects;
upajâyate
-- develops; sangât
-- from attachment; sañjâyate --
develops; kâmah
-- desire; kâmât
-- from desire; krodhah -- anger;
abhijâyate
-- becomes manifest. krodhâd
bhavati sammohah krodhât
-- from anger; bhavati -- takes place;
sammohah
-- perfect illusion;
sammohât
-- from illusion; smriti -- of memory; vibhramah --
bewilderment;
smriti-bhrams'ât
-- after bewilderment of memory;
buddhi-nâs'ah
-- loss of intelligence;
buddhi-nâs'ât
-- and from loss of intelligence; pranas'yati --
one falls down.
So the first thing to be conquered is
kama, the demon of desire. For this, it is
unnecessary to wage a huge war. It is also
unnecessary to use pleasing words to persuade the
desire to disappear. Desires will not disappear for
fear of the one or for favor of the other. Desires
are objective; they belong to the category of the
"seen". With the conviction that "I am the see-er
only, not the seen", sthitaprajña
releases himself from attachment. By this means he
conquers desire. You must watch the working of the
mind, from outside it; you must not get involved in
it. That is the meaning of this
discipline.
The faculty of the mind is as a strong
current of electricity. It has to be watched from a
distance and not contacted or touched. Touch it,
you are reduced to ashes. So too, contact and
attachment give the chance for the mind to ruin
you. The farther you are from it, the better. By
skillful methods, you have to make the best use of
it for your own welfare.
The bliss that the
sthitaprajña is immersed in does not
arise from external objects; he has no need of them
either. Ananda is in every one as part of
his very nature. Those with pure consciousness find
the highest bliss in the realization of their own
reality, the Âtmâ. That joy is
swasam-paadyam (self-earned, so to say). It
is known only to the individual; it is
self-evident. - Gîtâ
Vahini, p. 37-8 râga-dvesha-vimuktais
tu râga
-- attachment; dvesha -- and detachment; vimuktaih
-- by one who has become free from; tu -- but;
vishayân
-- sense objects; indriyaih -- by the senses; caran
-- acting upon; âtma-vas'yaih
-- under one's control;
vidheya-âtmâ
-- one who follows regulated freedom;
prasâdam
-- the mercy of the Lord; adhigacchati --
attains. prasâde
sarva-duhkhânâm prasâde
-- on achievement of the causeless mercy of the
Lord; sarva -- of all;
duhkhânâm
-- material miseries;
hânih
-- destruction; asya -- his;
upajâyate
-- takes place; prasanna-cetasah -- of the
happy-minded; hi -- certainly;
âs'u
-- very soon; buddhih -- intelligence; pari --
sufficiently; avatishthhate -- becomes
established.
Control
of the senses is absolutely essential for every
individual. Look at this paper. It is now in its
normal form. If it is rolled up and kept for some
time in that state, it cannot regain its original
form. When we want to bring it to its original and
natural state, we must roll it in the reverse
direction. So, from our childhood, knowingly or
unknowingly, we roll our mind with the pull of
sensory and worldly desires. If we roll it up in
the reverse direction, in the direction of the
Âtmâ, it will regain its
original form. So we shall be able to gain control
over the senses when we turn the vision inward
since it had been all along focussed on external
phenomena. Letting bygones be bygones, we should
put in the necessary effort to restore the sacred
nature of our mind by cultivating the inward
vision. Whatever work we undertake, whatever
thoughts we entertain, whatever scenes we may
visualize, we must make an endeavor from today to
turn them Godward - Summer
Showers in Brindavan 1979, p. 33 nâsti
buddhir ayuktasya na asti -- there
cannot be; buddhih -- transcendental intelligence;
ayuktasya -- of one who is not connected (with
Krishna consciousness); na -- not; ca -- and;
ayuktasya -- of one devoid of Krishna
consciousness; bhâvanâ
-- fixed mind (in happiness); na -- not; ca -- and;
abhâvayatah
-- of one who is not fixed;
s'ântih
-- peace; as'ântasya
-- of the unpeaceful; kutah -- where is; sukham --
happiness. indriyânâm
hi caratâm indriyânâm
-- of the senses; hi -- certainly;
caratâm
-- while roaming; yat -- with which; manah -- the
mind; anuvidhîyate -- becomes nconstantly
engaged; tat -- that; asya -- his; harati -- takes
away; prajñâm -- intelligence;
vâyuh
-- wind; nâvam
-- a boat; iva -- like;ambhasi -- on the
water.
So
along with the mastery of the senses, one must
establish mastery of the mind also. This is the
sign of the sthitaprajña. If this
double mastery is absent, he is a
gatha-prajña,
not a sthitaprajña (a no-wisdom
individual, and not a steady-wisdom individual).
Where does he go? To perdition and nowhere else. -
Gîtâ
Vahini, p. 39 tasmâd
yasya mahâ-bâho tasmât
-- therefore; yasya -- whose;
mahâ-bâho
-- o mighty-armed one;
nigrihîtâni
-- so curbed down; sarvas'ah -- all around;
indriyâni
-- them senses; indriya-arthebhyah -- from sense
objects; tasya -- his; prajña --
intelligence;
pratishthhitâ
-- fixed.
The sthitaprajña will ever be
engaged in manana, or contemplation and
rumination. He is called muni [wise or
self-realized soul. e.g. Nârada Muni,
SB
1:5, 23-31].
His intellect is steady, because the senses do not
harry it. One point has to be understood here.
Conquest of the senses is essential for
sâdhana; but that is not all. As long
as the objective world continues to attract the
mind, one cannot claim complete success. That is
why Krishna says, "Arjuna! Establish mastery over
the senses; then you need have no fear, for they
become serpents with the fangs removed." But there
is still danger from thoughts and impulses that
draw you outwards. Desire has no limit; it can
never be satiated. - Gîtâ
Vahini, pp. 38-9 yâ
nis'â sarva-bhûtânâm yâ
-- what; nis'â
-- is night; sarva -- all;
bhûtânâm
-- of living entities;
tasyâm
-- in that; jâgarti
-- is wakeful; samyamî -- the
self-controlled; yasyâm
-- in which; jâgrati
-- are awake;
bhûtâni
-- all beings; sa -- that is;
nis'â
-- night; pas'yatah -- for the introspective; muneh
-- sage.
The indriyas
or senses have to be fully destroyed. That is the
hall-mark of a sthitaprajña. So when
all beings are experiencing night, the
sthitaprajña would keep himself
awake. When all beings are awake, the
sthitaprajña would be asleep. The
literal meaning of this is that what is night for
one is day for the other. It would mean that the
sthitaprajña is a person who sleeps
during the day and keeps awake at
night.
The inner meaning of this statement is very
profound. Ordinary men are vigilant in affairs that
concern the senses that arise out of this world.
Wakefulness for them is the care they bestow on
worldly pursuits. But the
sthitaprajña is unconcerned with
these very things; he is, so to say, asleep. What
does sleep mean? It means the happiness
resulting from inactivity of the senses. And
vigilance? It means yielding to the senses, and
catering to them. When ordinary men are pursuing
the senses and their demands, the
sthitaprajña is asleep. This can also
be put in other words; forget the
atmasthithi and you relapse into
dehasthithi, from the
âtmâ consciousness stage you
fall into the body-consciousness
stage.
This is what happens to the ordinary man; he
sleeps in the âtmâ stage and
wakes into the deha-sthithi. The
sthitaprajña's case is different. He
sleeps in the deha consciousness and wakes
in the awareness of the âtmâ. He
will not awake, even by mistake, in the sensory
world, the world where the ordinary man is most
vigilant! This is the inner meaning. It is far from
the literal meaning, which, if taken as true, would
entitle thieves, watchmen, and others to the name
of sthitaprajña for all those keep
awake at night and sleep during the day! Only those
who have given up traces of desire and become mere
instruments can achieve santhi. -
Gîtâ
Vahini, pp. 40-1 âpâryamânam
acala-pratishthham âpâryamânam
-- always being filled; acala-pratishthham --
steadily situated; samudram -- the ocean;
âpah
-- waters; pravis'anti -- enter; yadvat -- as;
tadvat -- so; kâmâh
-- desires; yam -- unto whom; pravis'anti -- enter;
sarve -- all; sah -- that person;
s'ântim
-- peace; âpnoti
-- achieves; na -- not;
kâma-kâmî
-- one who desires to fulfill desires. vihâya
kâmân yah sarvân vihâya
-- giving up; kâmân
-- material desires for sense gratification; yah --
who; sarvân
-- all; pumân
-- a person; carati -- lives; nihsprihah --
desireless; nirmamah -- without a sense of
proprietorship;
nirahankârah
-- without false ego; sah -- he;
s'ântim
-- perfect peace; adhigacchati --
attains.
As a consequence of pride in one's own strength
and power, a person might injure thousands, but the
pride will injure that person most, for pride, or
egoism, is like a devil that possesses a man, a
devil that is difficult to exorcise. Man cannot
claim to be man until this ego that prompts him to
ruin others is destroyed by sâdhana.
The Gîtâ directs that man has to be
"nirmamo nirahankârah". The divine in
him can manifest only when the dark forces of
"Mine" and "I" are rendered ineffective. To
overpower the ego is a well-nigh impossible task.
We have heard of the six internal foes that haunt
man every moment of his life. But, the sense of "I"
and "Mine" are far more deep-rooted. People have
conquered the six foes: lust, anger, greed,
attachment, pride and hatred. Indeed, there are
plenty who have achieved this victory. But rare
indeed is the hero who has demolished his ego and
escaped from its nefarious urge.
-
Sanathana
Sarathi, 1978, p. 243 eshâ
brâhmî sthitih pârtha eshâ
-- this; brâhmî
-- spiritual; sthitih -- situation;
pârtha--
o son of Prithâ; na -- never;
enâm
-- this; prâpya
-- achieving; vimuhyati -- one is bewildered;
sthitvâ
-- being situated; asyâm
-- in this; anta-kâle
-- at the end of life; api -- also;
brahma-nirvânam
-- the spiritual kingdom of God; ricchati -- one
attains.
Brahman
is the basis, the substance, the prime mover
and the "enjoyer" of the universe. Krishna exhorted
Arjuna to comprehend the omnipresence and essence
of Brahman, the Godhead. -
Summer
Showers in Brindavan 1979, pp. 24-5
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