The Convention is organized under the inspiration and guidance of Swami Bhoomananda Tirtha, a renowned Spiritual Master from India, founder of Narayanashrama Tapovanam and Center for Inner Resources Development. Previous conventions were held in Irvine, California, Fairfax, Virginia, and San Jose, California. The conventions have evoked great interest and inspiration in the attendees. This year’s convention will be a virtual event which will allow people across the globe to attend and benefit from the amazing series of discourses that are being organized.

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By the might and grace of spirituality, the external common causes like immediate and long term social and national needs, as well as evolutionary needs of mankind to move towards a greater and lasting harmony, can also be met.

It is a strong motivational force, and when provided by noble teachers and leaders, it can inspire an individual, a society, or mankind as a whole; it can deliver people from fear and corruption – strengthen their minds for winning any moral or noble cause. The moralizing and harmonizing effect of true spiritual leadership is most sublime and long-living.

Current relevance

In-depth analysis of this dynamic aspect of spirituality is particularly relevant in the light of recent Hindu resurgence in Kerala, in which some Sannyasins are participating as leaders. Normally, Sannyasins are given exclusively to jnaana-nishthaa and the imparting of spiritual wisdom to the seekers who come to them. So, this kind of participation strikes a departure, if not a contrast, to the set ideas of people.

In fact, the subject is of an eternal nature, relevant as much to the ancient past as to the immediate present. This is a theme you can find in Ramayana, Mahabharata, Shrimad Bhagavata and other allied spiritual texts. Therefore, I shall discuss it at some length.

Krishna – the warfield Guru

Look at Kurukshetra. The stage is set for the great moral war. Proud Arjuna arrives – he has a Great One to hold the reins. Arjuna orders, Krishna obeys. The chariot is taken to the front to enable the great warrior survey the enemy lines. Alas, there were Bhisma and Drona – his own grandfather and preceptor – standing in front!

The moral war starts, but within. The invincible hero crumbles in utter distress, affliction and repentance. Suddenly he begins to speak words of retreat.

What is to be done at such a juncture? Arjuna knew only one side of the human glory and the factors contributing to it. To be a full victor in oneself, the outer expanse cannot alone be the adequate trainer. The other half is the one that verily transcends and excels!

When the external circumstances overpower the mind, it must be turned inward to search for the subject source and arrive at the remedy. Infinite grace, immeasurable profundity, is stored in one’s own inner reservoir. Even the very external fright and confusion subsist on this inner causal source alone.

“Get to this internal source; sink and reflect upon deeply, till you find the clarity, resolve and inspiration you need to withstand the crisis and march forward” – was the process administered by Krishna.

Krishna’s spiritual help was great and timely. It marked a striking contrast to the spiritual lore. The Upanishads discuss the Supreme Self. But what for? To inspire the mind to retreat from the world and seek contentment in quietitude; to merge with the soul and become extinct thereafter. The Upanishadic teacher generally sits quiet in his hermitage, at most, with a few devoted disciples. Is that what happened with Krishna in Kurukshetra? The scene differed, the purpose also; but the subject source of the teaching remained the same.

This can and will transpire even today, particularly in our blessed land of Bharat. Our culture is capable of enabling the transmission, with even more complex benefits. For the present causes of Dharma, the immortal wisdom of the Upanishads can be made to speak afresh. The knowledge of the undying Self will deliver its wonder and magic wherever it is applied. As it leads one to the quietness of nirvikalpa samaadhi, it will empower another to radiate with brilliance, courage, and enthusiasm to meet all outward challenges.

Hanuman – The magic of devotion

Now think of Hanuman, the embodiment of devotion. The monkey king Sugriva engaged his entire team in the task of finding Sita. Hanuman was in the group that went southward. Having failed in the mission, the entire southbound group found no meaning in coming back, and decided to fast unto death remaining where they were. It was then that the island of Lanka was spotted by Sampaati, the eagle king, and the news conveyed to the group.

The discovery instilled new hope in them. But, how to cross the wide expanse of sea in between? Who will dare to make the attempt and by what means? Who is that ‘chosen’ one? The monkeys started recounting their physical strength and the memorable feats performed by each other. But none of these glorious records could inspire them to rise up to the present need. Finally, the quiet and mighty Hanuman, whose strength lay more in his exclusive devotion and surrender to Rama, came out as the ‘chosen’ one, determined to undertake the feat for the sake of his beloved Lord. He was a Raama-bhakta whose entire being was soaked in devotion and surrendered to Rama. He was a Raama-daasa, given to the service of Rama in all possible and ‘impossible’ ways.

Hanuman, determined to succeed in his mission, in any circumstances, climbed up to a suitable point on the Mahendra hill, to take the fateful leap. Every cell of his body was glowing and reverberating with the power of Raama mantra. Strong faith and supreme devotional current rendered his body light, flexible and expanding like air, then subtle, powerful, and radiate like fire. Fixing his mind on Rama and exercising his will exclusively for the mission, he could easily perform the ‘impossible’ feat.

Not only did he complete successfully the mission of meeting Sita and getting her message back, but all alone in the land of powerful enemies, he sang the glory of Rama in thunderous voice and demonstrated the power of Raama-bhakti in a devastating manner. He met Ravana like an ambassador, and finally set fire to the Lanka city.

A significant contrast

This Hanuman episode strikes a significant contrast to Valmiki’s own life – his conversion from vicious Ratnakara to sage Valmiki through Raama-naama-japa. In his case, it was to set the devotee whole-heartedly to a formidable objective task. In both instances, it is the same devotion, to the same Lord, and the magic worked through the same mantra! One is subjective, a purely inward application of devotion and spirituality; the other is an external, objective manifestation of the same devotional and spiritual excellence.

In truth, the object does not stand apart from the subject. It exists within the subject. Both together make the Supreme Indescribable Truth. So, the inward spiritual pursuit and the merits it begets have always a full outward bearing and application. These can be harnessed whenever needed – as was done by Hanuman.

Epics message eternal

Our epics are replete with similar examples – amply demonstrating the invincible power of spiritual excellence in the subjective as well as objective spheres. The question is: Do the sages’ narrations have an eternal import, relevant to all situations and challenges of the world, irrespective of the prevailing social order? Or, should we have to wait for a more fortunate period of time, a situation far different from the prevailing one, to think of such moral excellences as we find displayed in Prahlada, Harishchandra, Rama, Sita, Yudhisthira, Draupadi, Sudama, and the rest? We must know whether the epics were a sheer pursuit of leisure and pastime for the Sages, or these are as material and earthly a proposition – a course of action and a conduct for the humans to take up with fate and fidelity and pursue with determination as any modern adventures of science!

The message and exhortations of the seers are clear and final. They do want the seeker to know that the invisible cause is as sure as a friend, benefactor, and protector, as its visible agencies existing around; they are in fact, even more resourceful and timely. Let there be colossal opposition from the sentient and insentient sources alike; the Great Womb of Creation can and will save the seeker of truth and reward his venture. The heavens have to follow his resolve.

The question merely is: Do you look to that Infinite Source dearly, confidently, as you towards the external world? Nay, do you depend on IT EXCLUSIVELY?

Spirit superior to matter

The mighty literature of our land is pivoted on this unique concept of The Power within, which is also the Power behind the entire creation. All the scriptures sing in unison, the supremacy of this Invisible Presence.

The first mass of matter, or the space in which it entered or say, vice-versa, cannot be a creation of either. The ‘ultimate substance’ could not have sprung from another similar to itself. The material universe conceals a spiritual sovereignty. So too our material body hosts within it a transcendental core, capable of infinite expansion.

Does not our brain, though small, generate and preserve ‘reflective magnitudes’ of infinite dimensions, which our eyes see outside? What must then be ‘infinitude’ of the power and being, which shapes the amazing brain mass? The brain is not designed and formed by an outside source or power. The growing process is an act, a display, from within the growing entity itself. The Supreme Power, therefore, lurks within. The sage looks to this inner power alone, exclusively, for doing and achieving whatever he sets himself to.

The present crisis

As weeds grow on the soil, if left uncared, so too human minds breed unwelcome tendencies, which tend to destroy the individual life as well as the social harmony and well-being, constant vigilance, discipline and austerity, all tended by the most painstaking effort, are a must to keep the minds healthy and growing. Every generation has to discern well and strive hard to ensure that, by its own practices and pursuits, only the healthy inheritances are preserved while some new harmonious acquisitions are added to them. It is in this field of social growth that Knower of Truth has a unique role of leadership to play – by virtue of his love for mankind, and the wisdom, experience and equipoise he has gained by long painstaking pursuit of enquiry and austerity.

Ours is a blessed land empowered by a great culture. A mighty wealth of literature and culture, built around the ultimate quest of human mind has been handed down to us through the ages. Revolving on this eternal pivot, a society has manifested highest levels of moral and spiritual virtues as well as exemplary instances of social harmony based on reason, propriety, equality and awareness. Yet this society is now suffocating under the clutches of reckless greed and tyranny of power holders, power seekers and power brokers. Vested interests are ruling triumphantly over all public affairs including the field of religion – as a moral righteous citizen is denied his fundamental rights in every walk of life, so also is a true devotee denied his fundamental right to worship in a temple. The lofty ideals and the noble promises of our constitution are being mocked at everyday in an increasing measure.

But, do we have the right to blame the vested interests and sit indifferently waiting for a more opportune moment to come? Are not the public – their apathy, lack of enquiry and wisdom, and above all myopic selfishness – to be blamed equally for this state of affairs? If men of character, reason and integrity do not come forward to know and to protect this great culture form the stench and filth the vested interests have thrown on it, then who will our society look forward to?

The standards of ethics and decency in a society are always best enforced by public opinion. Democracy can be safe and smooth only when people refuse to accept anything substandard. On the other hand, nothing is so dangerous in democracy as the unshakeable apathy of a docile citizen.

The call before us

The post-independence period is too short in the long history of our Nation. Let not anyone be unduly haunted by its seeming disorder. There is enough time to mend and immortalize ourselves again. The sons and daughters of our land can and will accomplish the task, as did their forefathers.

If we ourselves do not resist the evil tendencies of our Society, then who will? The question is ‘social’, not ‘personal’. Do we not have a love, consideration and responsibility towards the society to which we belong, from which we are born, and by whose favour and gifts we enjoy our living? The call before us is to herald the krita yuga now, out of our own option, using for the purpose, the purity of our thoughts, the sublimity of our motives and wholesome commitment of our will. The challenge comes from the world. The inspiration is to emerge from within, from the culture and association provided by our epics, scriptures and their immortal authors.

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The concept of Destiny is seldom explained in a proper background, keeping in view the purposes for which it is evolved, presented and accepted. Those who generally explain the concept will cite some odd experiences of their or others’ lives and then suddenly ask for believing and accepting the role of Destiny in all implicitness. Whenever one tries to explain the role of Destiny claiming a better insight, the idea becomes all the more distorted and no proper assessment is reached at. I do not know whether I shall be able to give any useful information on the idea and place of Destiny, although we have assembled here to gain a better understanding of what it means to every living human in the context of his or her life in the world. Nevertheless let me try.

I can think of Destiny and its place in three distinct levels. It is first a psychological prop to practically all kinds and sections of people. Men, may be women even more, have their life and influences first of all in the emotional and sentimental plane. Although many speak of reason, determination, decisiveness and the like, they have their first roots in the ground of emotions. This fact cannot be denied at any time. The basic emotional urges are desire, dislikes and fear. All the other sentiments and urges are further derivations of these three. While acting, while thinking, while talking and making selections and choices, you can find the gross or subtle influences of emotions in every one. This is so because of the laws of nature.

The emotions and the emotional needs will therefore have to be treated and catered to. To ignore the emotional facet of our life or to struggle to deny or suppress them will be to damage the psychological health of our life in the world. Naturally what every one needs at all times is to provide for the emotional needs in his own manner and then find his way to the level of reason, thoughts of propriety, and trying to be as discriminating as possible in all matters. Once you understand this principle, then I must say that the thought of Destiny goes a long way in keeping any one’s mind in a state of hope, confidence. Only when you have a mind patient, stable and hopeful, the efforts you make will tend to be creative and effective.

By Destiny, we mean the clearly laid out law or course which governs broadly one’s life and progress in the world, ever since he was born. It appears that everything one desires for or aspires to achieve in his lifetime cannot be realized in full. At the same time, while making his efforts at progress and achievement, often or rarely one may find favours and fortunes coming to his lot, even when he does not normally expect their grace. It is then a question of his reason or forethought failing to conceive of whatever is likely to befall his lot. In short, in place and out of place, man finds himself in the midst of favours as well as disfavours circumscribing his course of life. What will he think or say then? While the events he expects to meet come to be, while they fail to come in, then again if fortunes and blessings which he finds not likely to take place in the scheme of his thoughts do come to meet him, what is the possible line of thought to explain away the fate he is put to? We begin to say that it is all due to the play of Destiny, in whose hands the small becomes the great, the great becomes the small; the skilful turns a failure and the unskilled suddenly becomes successful, and what not.

All this just means that the facts of our life in the world do bring in an array of contradictions, when we try to link them up with our habitual cause and effect thoughts and principles. These contradictions, one kind or another of which invariably finds its place in every one’s life in the world, compel man and woman to take resort to the queer thing called Destiny, which has no shape, features or character, static or definite. The indefiniteness of man’s life in the world is thus ascribed to the indefiniteness of Destiny. It is perhaps like shifting the emphasis from one’s face, beautiful or ugly, to the reflection caused by the mirror seen in front. By saying this I do not mean any derision or denial of the concept.

I can think of Destiny, the thought on it, as useful to us only if it is able to restrict the undue haste and other unhealthy emotions of our mind, thereby providing us with timely confidence and strength to take up and pursue our objectives from time to time. Once you begin to think in these lines, then Destiny transcends the merely emotional plane to become a proper intellectual evolute having its authentic, irrefutable place in the lives of one and all. How?

You are living in the world, hosted by the planet earth. Our body is the visible connection for us with the earth and the world. The birth and growth of this body, with the various organs and parts it consists of, are strictly governed by the set laws of nature. But for the consistent laws of nature, the earth itself would not have been revolving as it does now and causing for us the climate, the weather, the day and night, the seasons of the year and the like, which enable us to live as we do. The body governed by these laws of nature do impose a great measure of restriction and discipline in the matter of maintaining and using it for our purposes. For instance, we have to breathe properly, eat well, exercise the body adequately, and like these do a number of other items too. Well, this is the bodily truth, the physical fact about our personality.

By the time our body has grown to a sizeable form and strength, the mind too gets evolved, and with that the mental facet of our life becomes strong in its expression. On the mental plane also, as in the physical, Nature operates its laws. And the entire mental welfare of ours has thus to be ensured remaining within these laws. The laws governing the mind are called psychological, or emotional. They are even more important, especially in some stages, than the bodily laws. The mental plane constantly throws us to emotional complexity born of what are popularly called dvandva, pairs of opposites. We call the pairs of opposites so because they always remain as pairs, one of the pair opposed to the other, both together constituting the complexity of the mind every time.

The law about the pairs of opposites compels every emotional development to be opposed by its opposite. Thus confidence is always subject to diffidence, hopefulness is threatened by hopelessness, fearlessness by fearfulness and so on. This is the law of human mind, its course. Being subject to it, what is every one to do, when his confidence declines or stands threatened? When we foster a wish or ambition and begin to make efforts to realize it, sooner or later comes in a doubt or fear as to whether our effort will succeed or fail, whether we will be impeded by one factor or another in the process. The doubt may be genuine, or may not be. Even when factually there is no scope for hindrance, the mind will likely think of one and get victimized by it. The mental process overpowers almost all people. It is not the fault of any one. I should say it is the fact and fate of human nature, the human mind and its working.

There are limitations for us in every front. The mind can work only being governed by the laws of the mind, as the body can in its turn by the bodily laws. What wrong or deficiency is there? As for the intelligence, that too is subject to the laws operating on it. The limitations are not made by us, they are held by Nature and pronounced upon us. We are to recognize and make ample provision in our own mind to reconcile with them and their consequences. If you do so, you will not have any occasion to grieve over any instance, either on account of your own failure or the disfavour arising from any quarter.

Knowing that we are limited in our ways and the limitation is more to be accepted than countered, the better insight will be to remain reconciled with ourselves as well as the world conditions in which we are from time to time. This broad reconciliation must help us not to lose heart, or give vent to doubts and apprehensions in and out of place. At no time should our confidence and creativity be led to danger. Let there be obstructions, thwarting currents on our path, yet ‘I shall do my best and most sincerely’. Although there is an area of freedom for us in our life, it is surely circumscribed by a variety of limitations brought about by our own body, our own mind, our intelligence, then by the others, by the world at large. A clear-cut evaluation of this nature becomes an intelligent assessment of our own place in the context of the world. That is the way to equip ourselves intellectually with the idea of fate to the extent it is necessary.

At this stage it becomes an evolute, a postulate, which helps us to mould ourselves after an ideal, after a fact, a real situation. Apart from fostering a mere faith, or making an implicit acceptance, we begin to understand the state of affairs in the world, and in its context, our own limitations. And on that basis, various limitations and hindrances which we have to meet any time in our course are recognized. Our mind makes an ample provision within itself for any development to take place any time in our life. The rigid nature of thinking and expectations gradually give place to flexibility and an unfailing sense of confidence and strength. All this never at the cost of our enthusiasm to work for the objectives we set for ourselves. Also the occasion for disappointment or frustration gets ruled out, as we grow in our understanding. As against a psychological prop, whole issue turns out to be a clear intelligent assessment and then preparing of our emotions in the new light. You will find this level of attunement is rarer than the psychological level we discussed earlier.

Now let me go to the philosophical verdict on Destiny or fate, as it is applicable to a man or woman of sound viveka (discrimination). Is there anything like an absolute Destiny governing the life of an individual? If there is, what it is or will be? The answer is never a full ‘yes’, if we think about the nature of man’s life and role of viveka in it. All that one can say about life is that it is broadly indefinite, in every way, but there is normally a course of likelihood or probability in it. The limitations we have from the body are much more than those emerging from the mind level. The area of freedom man has within the mind-sphere is almost limitless. The power of thought is supreme, if you come to know of it closely. Reaching the level of intelligence, the freedom is even more. To the same sight or provocation outside, two individuals can and in fact do react in opposite ways. The children of parents who are given to bad habits, sometimes, instinctively as well as intellectually feel that they should not follow those whom they see in front, but find their way different. It can be the other way round as well.

If you read the mythological compositions of our thinkers, they have described several instances in which the so-called fate of death of a dear one has been reversed due to timely penance, austerity and discipline. In religious traditions as also in astrological forecasts, every fateful situation predicted is immediately followed by the suggestion to overcome it, or reduce its intensity, by taking to special and steadfast austerity or devotional disciplines. What does it mean? With the help of Almighty, that is what people generally say, His Grace, or, with the help of your own mind, its power of redemption, you can get away from even the severest of dangers. The idea is always to make a forecast and then prepare the victim to face it with a sense of caution, forbearance and a special blessing from the Almighty, the Maker and Master of every one’s destiny. The story of Savitri tells us how she succeeded in redressing her sure widowhood for having got married to Satyavan, much against the prophecy of the Sage that Satyavan would die too early in life.

The only way I can explain Destiny at any time is that it is indefinite on all grounds and at all times. Rains fall on the mountain top. The water gets collected from various parts and at one time, in a certain spot on the top, the nucleus of a river is formed. That means the water collected from all around has begun to flow. The moment the flow starts on, we call the process a river in the initial stages of making. All that we can say about the river is that it will flow on and on and finally will terminate on meeting the oceans far below. Is there any definiteness about the directions and paths in which the river will flow, the distance it will cover, the bifurcations it will give rise to before the entire course is completed? There are rivers which change their directions even after several years of continuous existence!

Also it is possible for man to make dams and other structures to intercept, contain or divert the rivers. All these are as effective as the rivers themselves. With all this done, the river will surely flow on and on, until it reaches the destination. The life of the human individual is also alike. Birth marks the beginning of one’s life-flow, and the fall of the body its end. Between the two, there is no definiteness at any time as to what will happen to him, what all can be achieved, and where all will his course be led to from time to time. In spite of the indefiniteness, he certainly has his freedom, selection and choice. The path of discrimination can be adopted not only within the so-called area of Destiny, but also to moderate or even gently alter the very course of ‘Destiny’. As is the voice of Destiny, so also is that of paurusha (human intelligence and will). The Shaastras give equal importance to both. Paurusha has its own place of creativity.

If everything is dominated and guided by Destiny, where does the question of doing anything at all arise? The Shaastras on the other hand stress repeatedly the need for making timely efforts and for cultivating an ample sense of discrimination. The process should not be a kind of fight or competition. It should be a gentle and moderate application of one’s own potentials with a view to realize what best is possible in every situation.

I generally cite an example to illustrate Destiny: Imagine a cow tied to a peg with a long rope for grazing. The animal goes round and round eating from wherever she likes. After several hours she fills her stomach. There are cows that get entangled in the peg. There are some who can also get disentangled by walking the opposite course and thereby regain the full freedom which the length of rope permits. The course of Destiny and the freedom it gives to the individual are also alike.

There is nothing like a fully predetermined course of life, anything totally unalterable by nature. At the same time, there is no life which is completely free of all limitations. All persons are not equally tall. The taller man can walk generally faster. That does not mean the shorter ones will not be able to live and move about as effectively as do the taller ones. When both get into a vehicle, the difference in heights or the length of legs has no consequence either.

As for the limitations and dangers which confront us in the name of Destiny, this is what I feel: Limitation is always a counterpart of freedom. There can be nothing like an absolute freedom in any context. Each unit of existence, the more so a human individual, is born or made as an effect of a certain or a number of causes. The effect will have to depend upon its own causes, their nature and scope. That means, there is a measure of conditioning, restriction or limitation when anything is born or made. To be so is not strange at all.

Is there not a particular course (trajectory) and a limit set for the revolution of the earth, which makes its course cyclic? The situation is a sequel to the very birth of the planet, the forces of gravity belonging to it as well as the allied planets and bodies. Will you say the course of the earth is determined by fate?

Then, let us take the system of rail and road transportation. The rails and roads are made by man, the expert designers and engineers from the human society. There is nothing predetermined about them, for the whole evolution is from man himself. No God comes in the process at all. The vehicles are designed and manufactured by man, in his own factory. The rule of traffic are also evolved by him. Men are appointed by man, taught by him, and entrusted with the task of running the whole system. In spite of this all, do we not have accidents on the rail as well as road fronts? Whenever an accident takes place. an enquiry is held, and invariably reveals that the outcome has been due to a mechanical failure of the vehicle or due to the inattention or lack of caution in man in abiding by the traffic rules. Often we find spots or turns notorious for accidents, and the road experts are dealing with the situation by taking special precautionary measures to remedy the defects. What does all this indicate?

Failures, accidents, clashes, dangers and the like are an indispensable fate in the course of our life on earth, whether it is in the sphere of the mind, or of matter and energy. Like friction in obstructing and facilitating motion, like obstructions from the earth itself to the flow of water upon it, these are part of the entire process. We call many diseases incurable. Calling them so are we just remaining helpless? Research studies are done again and again, and as a result, in some cases, we evolve preventive or curative measures. Even then you will find new confrontations coming up, and the process of containing them is therefore still on and on.

If you mean by the term ‘Destiny’ the several limitations which circumscribe our freedom and efforts in the various spheres of life, or the likelihood of dangers and risks facing every one from time to time during his journey on this earth, then it makes some sense. But by Destiny is not meant just this at all. People interpret Destiny as a collection of unique consequences pronounced upon the individual much earlier than his birth in the world. These consequences had arisen from causes which existed earlier to his present life, and being so there is no question of denying them or trying to get relief from their marked display. And in that sense, I cannot approve of Destiny at all. There is no Destiny which curses people any time. There is no Destiny which will not relax its hold however much one may make an effort for the purpose. The Almighty is not one who subjects all the people to a peculiar merciless law, intended to punish them or even reward for something they did prior to their births in the world.

On the other hand, I would like to speak of the Almighty as all-mighty indeed, and merciful too. The thought of the Almighty should be such as to give you enough confidence, strength and salvation from the continuing ‘threat of Destiny’. In this way the concept of Destiny changes in its emphasis and influence. It becomes a unique source of hope, patience and forbearance

Try to make your way positively in the midst of whatever limitations and confrontations you may meet from time to time in your path. Failures or lack of favours, if there are, you may ascribe to the area of Destiny, and yet find your comfort and promise every time. Or, even when you make remarkable headway, if achievements and credits flow to you in abundant measure much beyond your own reasonable expectations, avoid getting unduly elated or proud by again bringing the thought of Destiny, who is apparently kind to you. This will be a skilful means of keeping the mind healthy and cheerful by safeguarding it against depressions as well as inflated delights. Extreme delights are in a way as bad as extreme depressions. The best is the path of moderation, the middle-path of evenness of attitude. And nothing conduces to its preservation as much as a right understanding of Destiny and aligning it with your own paurusha (assertion of human will) and viveka(discrimination)

On the philosophical front I have something more to say. But let me stop for the time being with whatever we have discussed, wishing you the best of strength and hope in whatever be the so-called indefinite Destinies of you all.

Harih Om Tat Sat.

Author: Poojya Swami Bhoomananda Tirtha

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What happens to the mind when the body is completely still? Mind continues to generate ripples and vibrations – thoughts and emotions. A particular thought may produce fear, another, intolerance. All these are emotional evolutes of the thought process. A thought generally implies a word, letter or an idea.

Mind can also do figurative imagination. When we meditate upon the figure of Lord Vishnu, the mind becomes that figure. The figure can be substituted by a letter or a word as the object of meditation; figure or word, the common factor is the application of the mind in an exclusive manner.

Observation and regulation

The first factor the meditator discovers is that his mind is not under his control. He is unable to employ his mind with the mastery and control with which he would hold a pen in his hand and write on a paper. Just as one writes the words of his choice, the mind must be employed to produce thoughts of one’s choice. This efficacy is called meditation.

The mind, unlike the objects of the world, the physical body or the senses, is non-physical and intangible and is therefore an elusive entity. So initially the seeker has to recognize the mind to be a powerful working force within the body. This awareness helps focus our attention on the mind and mental processes. Intense introspection provides an insight into the manner in which thoughts are generated, and gradually into the whole complexity of the mind’s functioning.

The next step is to observe the reactions of the mind. One has to get to the subtle levels to know how various reactions arise in the mind when it comes in contact with an object. The reactions may sometimes be undesirable, calling for refinement. To bring about improvement in the quality of the mind, mind needs exercise. Continual exercise and practice thus will improve the quality of as well as the control over the mind. In other words, one gradually gets mastery over the thinking process. One gets into the mind process as it were and directs it.

Mantra – an efficient aid

For this purpose a mantra comes to the saadhaka’s aid. Mantra is defined as: mananaat traayate iti mantrah– Mantra is that which by virtue of its repeated mention, rumination and contemplation, protects. The Guru initiates one to this mantra for attaining salvation and gaining mental purity.

Mantra is a thought – a chosen thought. Normally, mind produces a succession of thoughts one after the other. The Mediator has to interfere with this uncontrolled generation of thoughts. Suppose there is a line of people and you want to get into the queue. Get into the queue somehow and move along with the others. In the same manner, one has to get into the train of thoughts. Mantra is an effective aid in this exercise. Mantra is a suggestion, an idea or a chosen optional thought. As this optional thought gets into the thought process, retain it there for as long as possible. The retention establishes control over the mind, while non-optional thoughts get suspended.

Preservation of the mantra is the next important step. Hold the mantra in your mind as tenderly as a mother would her baby in her arms, and allow it to permeate your entire being. There should be no tension, no disharmony. Just as no two things can occupy the same spot at the same time, when the mantra fills the mind other thoughts get naturally eliminated.

Whenever you propose to meditate, sit in a quiet place, close your eyes and take up the repeated chanting of the mantra. In the beginning to gain control over the mind, chant the mantra in the same speed with which thoughts emerge in your mind. The mantra is handled in the mental sky like the flying of a kite. Repeated chanting ensures that the optional thought exclusively permeates your mind. Gradually reduce the speed of chanting, make it slow, slower, feeble … feebler. Consider the case of running man who wishes to stop running. His speed reduces gradually and at a point you find him walking; ultimately his legs cease walking altogether. In the same way, mind also slows down and reaches a state of complete calmness.

The great discovery within

When the thinking ceases and all thoughts stand dissolved, what is left is the thinking substance or the thinker. When all objects are eliminated, the Subject alone is present. Most people are unable to perceive the distinction between thought and the thinking substance. That core in your being from which all thoughts and perceptions arise, is the Subject. It is the original singular substance from which multiple object processes evolve. Meditation familiarizes you with this Subject – the Self within.

It may be argued that the self-absorption and resultant experiences are induced by self-hypnosis. In hypnotism one comes under the control of someone else. It is laya (stupor-like state) produced by the spell of a suggestion. An act of induction.

In Goudapaada’s words: “laye sambodhayet cittam vikshiptam samayet punah”. In meditation when physical activity and thoughts are stilled, we may tend to enter the state of sleep. We must, with all alertness, awareness, attention and control, dissuade sleep. Through a subtle process of absorption and conscious effort, we have to take the mind above and away from distractive multiple thoughts and stupor to the state of serene supreme awakening. In this state, keenness and attention are never lost. This state of awareness, attained by efficient application of the mind on mind itself, is therefore not a hypnotic state.

In this spiritual introspection through meditation, one comes close to something which constitutes the core of our being. This core undergoes a constant interactional process. Just as the hand is used for writing various words and letters, the being by its process of thinking produces a number of thoughts and emotions and also reasons with intelligence. As a result, our whole consciousness gets confused partly by emotions, partly by thinking, partly by reasoning, partly by understanding, partly by comparison and partly by distortion.

This whole gamut of interactions and their outcome are woven as a complex into the consciousness through the mental and intellectual process. In meditation, the effort is to unwind this whole complex and become one with the core of our being. All the tensions produced by reason and understanding, thoughts and emotions, are simply removed. Suppose our body is covered in 10 layers of cloth. Just as we remove the layers one by one to uncover the body, in meditation we remove interactional knots one by one till the Self reveals Itself in its pristine, purity.

To Summarize:

In the initial stages of meditation, we come to know of an entity called the mind which is the cause of everything. Once the focus is on the mind we try to gain control over it.

Adopting a mantra – an optional thought – aids us in the effort to gain control over the mind. Using the mantra we enter into the thought process and keep away other thoughts. After preserving the optional thought alone for a length of time – say 15 minutes – we slowly reduce the speed of chanting the mantra. We ultimately bring the mind to a state where even the exclusive optional thought ceases to be. When thus everything else ceases and stands eliminated, the last ‘thing’ that survives is the Indestructible Self:

Yaavat sarvam na santyaktam taavadaatmaa na labhyate |

Sarvavastu-parityaage sesha aatmeti kathyate ||

Until all is not renounced, the Self cannot be accomplished.

When everything is renounced what survives as the residue is the Self.

There is no alternative, no substitute. You may choose to do twelve thousand years of austerity – “I will not see, I will not sleep, I will constantly torture my body…”; but all these are physical controls exerted on the body. What we need is an exercise and analysis applied to the mind, to the subtle working of the mind. Liberation is of the mind; so the practice needed is also of the mind.

So, get rid of all tensions; become relaxed, as light as possible. In the ultimate state of lightness and freedom, the Subjective Essence shines forth:

Yathaa deepo nivaatastho nengate sopamaa smrtaa |
Yogino yatacittasya yunjato yogamaatmanah ||

  (Gita VI.19)

Like an unwavering flame, the consciousness in you shines forth. The Self reveals Its “brilliance”. Whenever we use words like flame, brilliance, lustre, etc., our association instantly goes to sun, lamp or fire. But these are all visual brilliance; we are not referring to any visual brilliance here. The luster of the Self is that ‘light’ in which we ‘know’ everything. The Self alone reveals everything, and reveals Itself too.

Author: Poojya Swami Bhoomananda Tirtha

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A good leader must be able to touch the minds of his people, and also activate their intelligence. And how will he do that? Mind will respond to emotions. So have love, sympathy and concern. Be considerate. Whenever you say something to your assistants, keep the watchword, `consideration’ in your heart. Never dislike anybody. Not all are equally efficient. Some will surely make mistakes. But the world makes provision for all. So too your mind should make a provision for everybody. Evaluate your people well, keeping in mind their difficulties and needs.

In your talk, you must be able to generate rational response. Explain matters in a clear manner so that intelligence will accept the proposition. Whenever possible, share relevant thoughts and feelings with your coworkers and colleagues. This will lead to an additional bond. Only that leader who has integrity and allied qualities will be able to perform well. Professional merits spring and emerge from the mind and intelligence – not from the body. Your focus should be the mind.

Harih Om Tat Sat. Jai Guru.

Author: Poojya Swami Bhoomananda Tirtha

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In this illuminating segment, Poojya Swami Bhoomananda Tirthaji discusses the pinnacle of yoga. We speak of samatva (equanimity). But what does this samatva translate to in our daily life? 

The answer comes in 3 shlokas that Swamiji discusses with great depth and clarity.

The first is verse 2.52:

यदा ते मोहकलिलं बुद्धिर्व्यतितरिष्यति ।
तदा गन्तासि निर्वेदं श्रोतव्यस्य श्रुतस्य च ॥ ५२ ॥

yadā te moha-kalilaṁ buddhir-vyatitariṣyati
tadā gantāsi nirvedaṁ śrotavyasya śrutasya ca

“When your intelligence has passed out of the quagmire of delusion, you shall become indifferent to all that has been heard and all that is to be heard.”

In this verse Swamiji emphasizes the term moha-kalilam (quagmire of delusion). When Arjuna asked Krishna to station his chariot in front of the Kaurava’s army, seeing his beloved kith and kin he became overpowered by kārpaṇya (narrow-mindedness). This was Arjuna’s quagmire of delusion. Wrong thinking gives rise to this quagmire – the slush that yields beneath your feet – making it almost impossible to take the next step. Yoga enables us to transcend this quagmire of delusion. 

With yoga we develop an enlightened indifference to whatever has been heard, and remains to be heard. The poise and stability of the intelligence, coupled with the supremely peaceful state of mind, makes us completely unaffected by whatever has been read, and no longer curious to know anything further. 

The next part of the transformation is described in verse 2.53:

श्रुतिविप्रतिपन्ना ते यदा स्थास्यति निश्चला ।
समाधावचला बुद्धिस्तदा योगमवाप्स्यसि ॥ ५३ ॥

śruti-vipratipannā te yadā sthāsyati niścalā
samādhāvacalā buddhis-tadā yogam-avāpsyasi

“When the intelligence, which is now vacillating between the conflicting notions of the scriptures, remains firm and unshakable, that state is called Yoga” 

Swamiji emphatically declares that yoga is not Self-realization or Self-seatedness. Yoga is the stable and un-flickering nature of our very intelligence. It is when our inner personality is so unshakable that it will not be dislodged by any kind of input from the world.

Even if we meditate and get absorbed for 1000 days, Swamiji says, when we take up the interactions we still feel dislodged. That dislodgement will not be there when we have the surety, stability, poise, composure and inner fullness that yoga brings. 

But is that all? Swamiji says NO! What is more, is described in verse 2.70:

आपूर्यमाणमचलप्रतिष्ठं
समुद्रमापः प्रविशन्ति यद्वत् ।
तद्वत्कामा यं प्रविशन्ति सर्वे
स शान्तिमाप्‍नोति न कामकामी ॥ ७० ॥

āpūryamāṇam acala-pratiṣṭhaṁ samudram-āpaḥ praviśanti yadvat
tadvat kāmā yaṁ praviśanti sarve sa śāntim-āpnoti na kāma-kāmī

“A person who is not disturbed by the incessant flow of desired experiences – that enter like rivers into the ocean, which is ever being filled but is always still – can alone attain peace, and not the man who strives to satisfy his desires.”

Who is the man who will attain perennial contentment, placidity and quietitude? Just as the sea receives the waters of multiple rivers without its own salinity being altered, the wise man interacts with the world, allowing the inflow of all inputs, remaining completely unaffected. 

We must evolve from our limited, constricted “well-dimensional” mind, to that of a “sea-dimensional” mind, exhorts Swamiji. Every situation has a fulfilling role, and must be faced with neither fear nor reluctance. 

Rivers are nothing but the vapours from the sea that rise up, get condensed and return to the sea. In the same manner, it is our own mind’s projections that come back in the form of impacts. 

Swamiji’s “very special discovery” is that the mind finds it difficult to bear its own products, which are nothing but the mind itself! How foolishly we carry on through life never realizing this fundamental truth! 

The manifold responses of the mind are nothing but the same mind, therefore no reaction or assimilation is required. The man who knows this attains peacefulness, not he who goes on hankering after desires.

This is why Swamiji calls the Bhagavad Gita an “interactional gospel”. It takes us to the point of no longer being deluded by whatever is known or to be known, with a clear mind and doubt-free intelligence, stable and poised in the world with its myriad of inputs.

The conclusion of Sri Krishna’s proposition comes in verse 2:72 

एषा ब्राह्मी स्थितिःपार्थ नैनां प्राप्य विमुह्यति ।
स्थित्वास्यामन्तकालेऽपि ब्रह्मनिर्वाणमृच्छति ॥ ७२ ॥

eṣā brāhmī sthitiḥ pārtha naināṁ prāpya vimuhyati
sthitvāsyām anta-kāle’pi brahma-nirvāṇam ṛcchati

“That is the supreme spiritual state, attaining which a man is no longer deluded. If one is thus stabilized even at the hour of death, he attains supreme freedom.”  

And this is the finale – progressing from the meditative, absorptional state of ātma-stithi, to the interactional, permanently fulfilling brāhmī sthiti, after attaining which there is nothing more to be attained. 

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Swami Bhoomananda Tirthaji begins this segment by declaring unequivocally, that “Activity is the rule of life and living”, thereby shattering the misconception that spirituality is meant to be pursued after retirement.

How can one achieve fruition of sānkhya yoga (yoga of Self-Knowledge) while remaining intensively active? Sri Krishna’s answer comes in one of the defining shlokas of the Bhagavad Gita, 2.48:

योगस्थ: कुरु कर्माणि सङ्गं त्यक्त्वा धनञ्जय |
सिद्ध्यसिद्ध्यो: समो भूत्वा समत्वं योग उच्यते || 

yoga-sthaḥ kuru karmāṇi saṅgaṁ tyaktvā dhanañjaya
siddhy-asiddhyoḥ samo bhūtvā samatvaṁ yoga uchyate

Be steadfast in the performance of your duty, O Arjuna, abandoning attachment to success and failure. Such equanimity is called Yoga.

Everything about yoga is encapsulated in this one verse. Samatvam yoga uchyate – the definition of yoga is samatva (equanimity).

How do we remain active? Yogasthah kuru karmani– by performing all actions seated in yoga. Remaining oriented in yoga, perform all acts without exception

And what is the yoga that we are to be seated in? Saṅgaṁ tyaktvā dhanañjaya – abandonment of sanga.      Sanga is the delusional clinging to that results in thinking “the objective result will make me happy…”

Swamiji cites the example of King Dasharatha to illustrate our foolishness. After performing the Ashvameda yāgā, the king was blessed with 4 splendid sons, bestowing supreme delight. However when his best son Rama behaved in an exemplary manner leaving for the forest, the king could not bear it. This led to his demise. The beautiful fruition had led to grief. This is the fate of the world for everybody, says Swamiji.

Swamiji exhorts us to think very clearly. Instead of doing a work keeping “borrowed eyes” on the result, be indifferent, but perform very well. Completion of effort naturally means begetting the result. No thought or anxiety is required. 

Swamiji dins a very great secret into our heads –  it is only when we are able to detect sanga and abandon it effectively, that we are truly performing karma yoga. The process of abandoning is purely an inner, mento-intellectual, Knowledge process, and has nothing to do with the body. 

Siddhy-asiddhyoḥ samo bhūtvā – every karma will normally result in the desired fruition, but possibilities are there for partial or non-fruition as well. We simply must be prepared in our mind for the adverse result. The mind which can be at home with any of the three outcomes has reached the elevated state of yoga. 

Swamiji urges us to understand that whenever the mind is partial, struggling or stifled by thought of a result, we have sanga. The practice, therefore, is to find out if the mind is equal or not. If we find it unequal, that very process itself will reduce the unequalness, and install equanimity.

Karma yoga applies only in the mind. It is a practice we can adopt and pursue throughout the day as long as we are active, irrespective of the type of activity.

Even sage Vasishtha had said that the emperor of a human whose buddhi is ornamented by samattva, is sought after by even the greatest of sages. 

Those whose minds are established in sāmya, are established in Brahman, as Sri Krishna says in verse 5.19:

इहैव तैर्जित: सर्गो येषां साम्ये स्थितं मन: |
निर्दोषं हि समं ब्रह्म तस्माद् ब्रह्मणि ते स्थिता: || 

ihaiva tair jitaḥ sargo yeṣhāṁ sāmye sthitaṁ manaḥ
nirdoṣhaṁ hi samaṁ brahma tasmād brahmaṇi te sthitāḥ

Those whose minds are established in equality of vision conquer the cycle of birth and death in this very life. They possess the flawless qualities of God, and are therefore seated in the Absolute Truth.

Ultimately, objective results are not to be tampered with at all. Swamiji gives the example of a pregnant lady delivering a child – delivery is not different from pregnancy, they are only different names for the same growth. No fetus is supposed to grow and remain in uterus! The result of any karma is the commencement of a new activity. Therefore, there is really nothing like a result, only work in progress. 

Swamiji concludes this illuminating segment by reminding us that equanimity in reference to likes and dislikes, and fruition and non-fruition of activity, is no different . Every activity gives sufficient scope and compulsion to practice karma yoga, and our mere breathing gives scope to practice samatva towards sukha and duhkha. 

***

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In this short clip, Swami Nirvisheshananda Tirtha ji analyses a very significant portion of the 18th chapter of Bhagavad Gita.  How one attains spiritual perfection remaining engaged in his own activities, is the crucial question discussed here.

Bhagavad Gita explains that Nature divides the activities of people according to their inherent qualities shaped by the three Gunas – sattva, rajas and tamas. A human being can attain perfection by pursuing work suitable to his potentials (Svabhaava karma) sincerely and devoutly. 

यत: प्रवृत्तिर्भूतानां येन सर्वमिदं ततम् ।
स्वकर्मणा तमभ्यर्च्य सिद्धिं विन्दति मानव: ॥ (18.46)

By offering one’s own activities to the Source (Nature) from which all beings have emerged and by which everything is pervaded, man attains perfection.

“Worship of the Supreme” says Swamiji, “is not like worship with flowers etc. Worship of the Supreme is with the attitude of your own mind and intelligence. When you do any activity without any selfish motive, desire or ego, it becomes an offering to the Lord”.

Swamiji stresses the fact that the purpose here is to get rid of Raaga (clinging to the things you like), Dvesha (hating things you dislike) and ego.

Sometimes we may do work which we do not like to do; sometimes we may feel elated that we have done something wonderfully well; sometimes we may have a feeling of sinfulness about the work. All these bhaavas have to be avoided and the work, done sincerely, just offered to the Supreme Lord.

Swamiji discusses the next verse which says, ‘Better is one’s own pursuit as ordained by his Dharma, even if imperfect, than the dharma or pursuit of another’. 

In this context, Swamiji gives the example of Arjuna who wanted to abandon the Mahabharata war and take to a life of renunciation. Sri Krishna made him understand that even if he had to kill his own kith and kin, it was his Dharma to fight the war and help in establishing a righteous rule.

Discussing the next verse, Swamiji says, “You should not abandon your natural pursuit even if there are some apparent negative elements in it. Just like smoke covers the brilliance of fire, there will be some negative elements in all work”.

असक्तबुद्धि: सर्वत्र जितात्मा विगतस्पृह: ।

नैष्कर्म्यसिद्धिं परमां सन्न्यासेनाधिगच्छति ॥ (18.49)

One who has impersonal vision (unattached intelligence) in all situations, who is self-regulated and free of cravings, attains the supreme perfection of Naishkarmya (non-doership) through Sannyasa (renunciation).

Discussing non-attachment Swamiji says, “By constantly indulging in the thoughts about things like property, prestige, children etc, we grow attachment towards them.”

“What is real Sannyasa (renunciation)” asks Swamiji. It is purely internal. To explain Sannyasa in greater detail, Swamiji refers to two shlokas from earlier chapters.

अनाश्रितः कर्मफलं कार्यं कर्म करोति यः …..(6.1)

He is a Sannyasi and a Yogi who engages in activities without depending on the final personal gain (happiness). He is perfectly aware that nothing in the world would fulfil him and that the real fulfilment lies within. Sannyasi is not one who has renounced religious and secular activities.

ज्ञेयः स नित्यसन्नयासि यो न द्वेष्टि न काङ्क्षति… (5.3)

He is a constant renunciate (sannyasi) who does not hate or desire, who is free of raaga-dvesha.

Swamiji discusses the supreme perfection of Naishkarmya (non-doership) which is attained by Sannyasa. “Such a person will not feel that he is doing anything. He does not get bound by anything; he does not hate anything. Whatever comes to him, he does naturally without any delusional clinging to it. Doership gets sublimated in him”.

In conclusion, Swamiji says, “This perfection can be sought by everyone, irrespective of their occupation.”

***

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In this inspiring clip, Ma Gurupriya ji talks about the priceless goal of surrendering to the Lord.  Listening to Ma’s narration about her own past days of seeking and experiences, one is convinced that surrender is possible only through relentless self-effort. 

“We might read the Bhagavad Gita everyday” says Ma, “But how often do we focus on the concepts and associate it with ourselves? We need to make an effort to focus on the qualities presented there and see whether we have those in us”.

मय्येव मन आधत्स्व मयि बुद्धिं निवेशय ।

निवसिष्यसि मय्येव अत ऊर्ध्वं न संशयः ॥ (12.8)

Repose your mind on Me (the Supreme) alone, and then establish the intelligence too in Me. From then on, you will certainly abide in Me (the Supreme), no doubt.

Discussing this verse, Ma asks, “How do we surrender completely in Him? The answer is given in the next verse. It says अभ्यासयोगेन (By Abhyasa – constant practice)”.

This abhyasa is extremely important in one’s sadhana. In the midst of all activities, one needs to take a step back and remember the qualities of the Self, the meaning of the attributes and how to actualize them.

In the context of abhyasa, Ma recounts the words of Swami Atmananda ji (of Siddha Yogashram). He had told her about an old lady who had been in extreme pain because she was in the last stage of cancer. She passed away calmly and peacefully chanting her Mantra. It became possible only because of the constant abhyasa of chanting the Mantra throughout her life.

Ma says,“Swami Nirvisheshananda Tirtha ji’s mother was suffering from Alzheimer’s. As it progressed, she did not remember her family or anything else. She was left with only one thing- ‘Om Namah Shivaya’, which she kept chanting”.

This is Abhyasa Yoga. It is our responsibility to put in the effort to elevate ourselves.

Talking about ‘Surrender’ Ma says, “We talk about surrendering to God, but our surrender is not complete. To really surrender we have to apply persistent self-effort. You have to cry and weep for God (Truth) knowing fully well that fulfilment can be had by that alone. You need to have constant interaction with the indweller”.

Speaking about her early days of intense seeking and dispassion, Ma recalls a time when she was standing at a window looking out into the darkness comparing it to the darkness in her own mind. She suddenly thought, “O Lord, are you not there in the darkness also? You are there in both brightness and darkness. In my mind too, where there is darkness, there is your touch. I can never lose your touch”.

“My Gurudev (Swami Bhoomananda Tirtha ji) always said, ‘Accept all bhaavas (emotional notes) of the mind’. That day I fully understood what he meant”.

This epiphany also reminded Ma of the words from the 18th chapter of Bhagavad Gita, तमेव शरणम् गच्छ सर्वभावेन भारत …(Seek refuge in Him alone, with all your emotional notes—bhaavas. By His grace, you will attain supreme peacefulness).

In conclusion, Ma reads out the words from her diary that are pregnant with meaning and significance. 

“Surrender is alone the abode of fearlessness; it is Mukti. In the bright sky outside, dawns the darkness of night. Both are his eternal forms. In the sky within, goes on the eternal play of light and darkness. Both are he Himself. In this world there is no other existence than the Lord Himself. He is there in Sukha; He is there in Duhkha also”.

***

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In this thought-provoking segment, Swami Bhoomananda Tirthaji discusses Bhagavad Gita’s enlightened views on death, and life.

Sri Krishna removes Arjuna’s misconception of death in verse 2:12:

न त्वेवाहं जातु नासं न त्वं नेमे जनाधिपाः ।
न चैव न भविष्यामः सर्वे वयमतः परम् ॥ १२ ॥

na tvevāhaṁ jātu nāsaṁ na tvaṁ neme janādhipāḥ
na caiva na bhaviṣyāmaḥ sarve vayam-ataḥ param

The “I” in every one of us is always present. The existent can never become non-existent or different, and will continue to exist. That means, I can never cease to exist. In reality, we are “existence”.

Change only occurs in the body level. Our personality is not the object body, but the Subject “I” which is nothing other than the unchanging substratum of all that exists as the changeful world. 

Swamiji’s talk is all the more relevant in these trying times of Covid 19. We are limited in what we can do to counter it physically, but there is plenty we can do with our heart, mind, wish and will. Nature has given our body immunity to fight the virus, but even more so it has given us the mind and intelligence.  Swamiji exhorts us to surround this virus with the power of our inner personality. 

Krishna effectively imparts to Arjuna the understanding that death is but a transition, not an extinction. With this right perspective, Arjuna drops all considerations of death. He then starts enquiring about life itself, with all its undulations. Krishna’s answer to Arjuna’s enquiry is one that Swamiji has been exposing tirelessly for the past 65 years from innumerable platforms across the world. 

Before going into Krishna’s analysis, Swamiji challenges us with a question, “What is your life?” –  something most have never thought about. Considering the amount of time and energy we spend studying and analyzing the subjects we require for our professional life, it is unthinkable that we spend no time at all probing and analyzing our life itself!

Swamiji then launches into Sri Krishna’s summary of the whole life with verse 2.14 –

मात्रास्पर्शास्तु कौन्तेय शीतोष्णसुखदुःखदाः ।
आगमापायिनोऽनित्यास्तांस्तितिक्षस्व भारत ॥ १४ ॥

mātrā-sparśās-tu kaunteya śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkhadāḥ
āgamāpāyino’nityās-tāṁs-titikṣasva bhārata

Our life is constantly an interaction between our senses and the objects around us. Interactions are taking place because of the senses, not the objects. Senses initiate the interaction, objects are merely present. When the interactions take place, the outcome is either one of two – sukha (happiness) or duhkha (unhappiness).

In other words, as long as we are living, repeated interactions will take place, and repeated sukha-duhkhas too. Sukha-duhkhas are not our creation. Swamiji urges us to “borrow intelligence” and understand that we do not have to work or strive for sukha or duhkha, they are a natural outcome of all interactions. Therefore, we do not need to worry about their coming and going. We simply have to go on doing whatever we are doing, knowing that the inevitable impacts will come in the way of either a sukha or a duhkha.

We are generally not bothered about sukha, only displeased about duhkha. So, what does Sri Krishna ask us to do?

āgamāpāyino ’nityās – these sukhas and dukhas are all transitory, they have no power to last at all. What need have we for anything that does not last? Therefore all we have to do is, tāṁs-titikṣasva – simply forebear them. Forebear them by evaluating them with an enlightened intelligence. 

Duhkha is necessary to experience sukha and vice versa. The one naturally follows the other, and by that same token brings the other. Duhkha brings sukha, and therefore is a friend, not foe. Sukha on the other hand drives us to duhkha, and therefore is not to be sought. That is why Krishna exhorts Arjuna to develop an attitude of indifference towards both. 

The question then naturally arises – HOW do we forebear these sukha-duhkhas? The answer is in verse 2.15 –

यं हि न व्यथयन्त्येते पुरुषं पुरुषर्षभ ।
समदुःखसुखं धीरं सोऽमृतत्वाय कल्पते ॥ १५ ॥

yaṁ hi na vyathayanty-ete puruṣaṁ puruṣarṣabha
sama-duḥkha-sukhaṁ dhīraṁ  so’mṛtatvāya kalpate

sama-duḥkha-sukhaṁ dhīraṁ so’mṛtatvāya kalpate – without unduly exalting over sukha, and being aggrieved over duhkha, develop an attitude of indifference towards them.

In our mind, sukha and duhkha rise and fall like waves. In between the two is a space where there is no sukha or duhkha. The more we contemplate on this in-between space, the impact of the sukha-duhkhas progressively diminish. Therefore the sukha-duhkhas are necessary for us to understand the in-between presence, which is called the Self. He who is able to pass through sukha-duhkhas with a mind that is not afflicted or tormented, is fit for liberation.

Ultimately, Swamiji says, this is the key that Krishna provides for our life – the whole world with its infinite variety bestow only sukha-duhkhas in our mind. When we are equanimous to them in our mind, we have won over the entire world.

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