Krishna concludes the discussion on sensory restraint with the summary statement :
“Let none think of Sthita-prajnata,” warns Krishna, “if he is not able to hold back his senses from the objects around”. With the outgoing turbulence of the senses, the mind can never hope to become stable and still. Instead of having the senses driving the mind, he emphasizes, the mind must have its full control over the senses. This will be possible only when the mind reflects constantly upon the Soul and gains adequate inner spiritual strength. Senses receive their impetus from the mind alone. When the mind is sufficiently sublimated and strengthened by the reflection upon the imperishable Soul, its influence will be felt upon the senses. The elaborate instructions about the Soul, the description of the Sankhya Yoga followed by that of Karma Yoga, were given by Krishna only to enlighten the buddhi and strengthen the mind of Arjuna.
In our land the call of asceticism has always been pronounced. It is because our people have always recognized the supreme need for sensory restraint to become happy, contented and fulfilled. Without sensory restraint, spiritual life has no meaning and relevance. With sensory restraint, it becomes easy, natural and harmonious too. Somehow, this truth has been reflected by our tradition right from the Vedic times. In pursuit of spiritual life and its excellences, there have always been men and women in this great land who are prepared to embrace asceticism and go to any extent of perfection in it. That is how we find so many Brahmacharins and Sanyasins to whom the pursuit of spiritual wisdom alone holds appeal and compulsion. Mere study and scholarliness in Vedantic Philosophy do not make one a genuine seeker. An ardent seeker always wants to reinforce himself with the unique merits of asceticism. Enriched by ascetic merits alone, one is able to impart the great spiritual wisdom to committed seekers. Devoid of ascetic sublimation, the message often falls short of its destined power and purpose.
Both in Sri Rama’s and Sri Krishna’s life, it is this ascetic merits and magnificence that you find displayed in whatever they did and spoke. Even this Bhagavadgeeta, a splendid unparalleled dialogue on spiritual wisdom, is the outcome of such ascetic excellence which Krishna gained and mastered so well.
Krishna now proceeds to illustrate how the world of the Self and the world of objects differ, and how one devoted to the inner world will irresistibly lose his charm for the outer world. The illustration is quite striking:
What is night to the ordinary people, there does the Yogi Knower remain awake. Where ordinary people remain awake, there indeed the spiritual Knower finds utter darkness.
The world before the senses is the object hemisphere. It is no doubt colourful. Attractions and repulsions it evokes are endless. Nevertheless, it is perishable, changeful to the core, falsifying too. No sense object can be relied upon for any good length of time. Can this fact be set aside or forgotten? The question becomes irresistible before the intelligence. Should not man value his buddhi – its enquiry and guidance? Or, can he be led only by the senses, eschewing introspection and evaluation altogether? Human life can become meaningful and will be led to its destined fulfilment only when the buddhi constantly plays its role of evaluation and guidance.
Thus the Knower regards the sphere of objects – the outer world of thrills and excitement – as sheer darkness. Instead of revealing the true nature of things, it covers up the truth and forces on us a distorted vision. The Knower therefore shuns it altogether. He seeks delight in Knowledge and Knowledge alone. Knowledge is his supreme resort, enduring wealth, nay the ultimate treasure. He derives all his joy from Knowledge. As Angiras tells Saunaka in Mundakopanishad:
“Vedanta-vijnana-suniscitarthah...” (II 3.6)
–He determines the object of human pursuit on the basis of the knowledge revealed in Upanishads, the Vedanta. Everything else is meaningless for him. In the light of his wisdom, however extensive and various the world of objects is, it falls short of what he yearns for. It has no power to elevate man from his perishable fate. Every day it is the same eating and drinking, seeing and hearing, smelling and tasting – a routine which every other being also does. The Knower disregards it as hollow and ultimately malignant to the mind !
Whereas the inner world – the world of the Soul, the expanse, beauty and calm which the inward Soul holds and extends – strikes as supremely unique and wonderful for him. Neither the quest for the Soul nor its discovery, nor again the delight and fulfilment it offers, poses any conflict to the others around. Nor can there be any conflict from others to him. Any external pursuit of object, on the other hand, is likely to evoke conflict with others around - competition, quarrel and even fight!
Such an exclusively sovereign inner world, the domain of the Soul, alone is of interest to the knower. This naturally distances him from the rest of mankind and their widespread craze. In the same way, the majority of others are also perhaps likely to remain distant from him, until at last, by incident or accident, they turn (like Arjuna) thoughtful or disappointed and yearn to seek Sreyas, and in that unyielding quest look to the Knower for help and tuition, finding none others to help or assist them!
The dissimilarity, the mutually opposite character of the Knower and the ordinary mankind, is thus quite evident. Krishna’s illustration of this striking difference between the two with ‘Day and Night’ is therefore immensely profound and revealing. The seeker should not fail to ruminate constantly over this and build up his viveka and vairagya.
Actional excellence of the Self-knower
A question now becomes quite relevant : Does the Knower then find the world of objects a deterrent or disturbance in preserving and enriching his Self-knowledge? This point was already answered in verse 56 dealing with Sthitadhee. Krishna clarifies it once again with a beautiful illustration:
तद्वत्कामा यं प्रविशन्ति सर्वे
Rivers from various directions flow into the ocean and yet the ocean, full to the brim, remains stable and poised. Likewise, when the objects of senses all around continue to meet the Knower without causing any trouble or torment, then indeed does the Knower attain real peace and harmony, and not one who fosters desires and runs after sense objects.
Look at the vast deep ocean. In fact, it covers three quarters of the surface of earth. The mobile and immobile creation, with which we interact ceaselessly, occupy only one quarter of the earth. A number of rivers originating from different mountain tops flow on and finally enter the ocean. Some of these are very huge and would seem to flood the sea and make it overflow its boundaries. But does not the ocean remain stable and poised? Every inflow, however mighty it be, gets dissolved into the saline depths. The impurities which each inflow brings are assimilated by the ocean and the sea shines in its own purity and magnificence. If the sea did not have this unique capacity of preserving its nature, then the earth’s creation would not be able to sustain itself. The whole atmosphere would have turned inimical and destructive.
The inner dimensions of the Knower, the Sthita-dhee, must resemble those of the ocean, says Krishna. The depth and might of the Subject, the Soul, must be such as to receive and assimilate all kinds of inputs from the world around. To the ordinary people, such inner dimensions will be virtually inconceivable. But the introspecting, contemplating seeker begins to know and realize them. And this is what makes him grow into stablemindedness.
The fear, attraction and delusion about the objects become a thing of the past for the Knower. At first look, the huge turbulent rivers may appear a threat to the ocean. But a proper comprehension of the ocean will change the impression altogether. Likewise, the knower is no more lured by the objects; nor has he any fear of the inputs they bring every time. The Subject, he realizes, exists independently and shines in its own profundity. Only when the Subject is there, the objects can cause their inputs or imprints. The Subject every time outlives the inputs from objects, be these small or huge. Unless it so outlives, how can further inputs be possible from objects?
The Self is thus the one True Existence – the first, the last and the in-between. Swerving never from its axis, neither swelling nor shrinking the least, it constantly reigns in its own fullness and sovereignty. Which then is more powerful? the Single Subject or the multiple objects?
Let us think of the rivers more deeply. How do they originate and from where? The water from the surface of the ocean evaporates to become clouds which go on traversing in the sky until at last they get cooled and fall either as snow or as rain on the mountain tops and plains. It is these showers that grow into rivers to flow on through different courses and finally reach back the oceans again. The source as well as the terminus of all rivers are thus the ocean alone!
To the Knower, the perception is a process, a flow, which originates from his Subject. It terminates equally in the same Subject. The process in between is what we call the object and their perception. How can then any object subdue or overpower the Subject? On the other hand, the entire objectude and its perception merely acts as a clue to picture the vastness and magnificence of the Subject. Instead of wisely being awake to this supreme truth, why fear the interactions with the world or grow doubtful or diffident?
In short, this all-comprehending, all-outliving Subject is what gives light and vision to the Knower. The sthita-prajnata gives him the requisite ineffable dimension, which will grow endlessly like the grand space surrounding all heavenly bodies. So much so that any extent of the object perception and involvement will only make him feel greater and stronger in assimilating it all. Sthita-dheetva thus goes on widening and deepening every time.
All thoughts and reactions are like the emergence of waves in succession on the surface of the ocean, caused by the action of wind. The expanse and depth of the ocean alone enable the huge waves to emerge and traverse as they do. Likewise, the Sthita-dhee’s unique internal depth and stability naturally enable him to take up interactions and activities of greater dimension and consequence. That is how Ratnakara, a forest-dweller, came to be the first poet of the land, stood suddenly as the foster father of the abandoned Seeta, and subsequently reared her sons Lava and Kusha. It is a similar development when the young Shankara, with his exquisite spiritual dimension, began to walk across the subcontinent, discussing and disseminating the great Upanishadic message, winning over even the hardest of opponents and counter-exponents.
Nature diligently looks for such distinguished persons of rare spiritual worth to accomplish its singular and sometimes most hazardous tasks for ensuring mankind’s welfare from time to time. Such distinguished souls are yoked to nature’s timely mission often through mysterious chain of events.
Krishna summarises the whole interactional harmony, bringing to light some additional subtle elements of spiritual refinement:
निर्ममो निरहङ्कार: स शान्तिमधिगच्छति ।।
Leaving all desires, the man who lives and moves about devoid of expectations, possessiveness and egoism, attains peace and ‘quietitude’.
Desire and possessiveness are the common motivation for the ordinary people to guide their undertakings. The Knower’s ways are entirely different. He lends himself to interactions, rid of all desires and sense of possession. Sthita-prajnata is the key for him. Sthita-prajnata will be had only when the mind recedes from all desires in order to dive into its own inner source, the Self. The Self-immersions bestow full joy and fulfilment. Why should one then yearn for anything else outside? Nothing can add to his inward enrichment or take away anything from it. Such a direct realization renders all desires meaningless and futile. If the Knower is active in the world it is because of a natural orientation. Bodily life makes interaction necessary. What reason is there in a Knower to flout this law or pose as an exception? He is active in the same way as the earth goes on revolving. Do not the plants and trees bear their flowers and fruits, without any special motivation or desire?
Whatever be his course of life, it is the outcome and extension of his inner harmony and fulfilment. Such a life is bound to be beneficial to the world. Instead of reflecting upon anything belonging to him, the Knower’s introspection will be on the supreme truth that he himself belongs to the grand Nature. Neither do his body and its organs nor do his mind and intelligence belong to him. Instead, everything in him, as do all other things around, belong to the same single Nature and its Creator.
Mamata (mine-ness) has thus no place in him. He becomes nir-mamah (devoid of mineness). Equally so, his sense of ego becomes extinct. To possess is to have ego. Desire, possessiveness and ego are psychological tufts, like knots on a smooth thread. Sthita prajnata is bound to untie these and make them extinct. Thus a beautiful psychological refinement and simplicity adorn the Knower. With that he moves amidst objects, displaying harmony, beauty and excellence.
The description of the Sthita-prajna and Sthita-dhee, by which Krishna answers all the questions of Arjuna on the subject, is concluded in the next verse by pointing out the pinnacle of spiritual attainment. From the fullness of the self-state, the Knower grows into Brahmic expansion, which marks the finale of spiritual unfoldment and enlightenment:
स्थित्वास्यामन्तकालेऽपि ब्रह्मनिर्वाणमृच्छति ।।
This is the Brahmee sthiti, O Partha, on attaining which man undergoes no delusion at any time. Even if one is able to attain this in the last moment of his life, he gets Brahma-nirvana (the Brahmic redemption).
In fact, with this utterance Krishna completes his exposition of Sankhya Yoga. He began with a revelation of the immortal Soul. He then prescribed a discipline and refinement by which the immortal Soul can be realized. Finally he also indicated when will the yoga sadhana be completed and the seeker attain the yoga state. Following this, Arjuna raised the pertinent questions on Sthita-prajna and sthita-dhee, which he answered. Self-knowledge and Self-state are not necessarily a still and inactive one, as they are often taken to be. The Knower can as well be immensely functioning, thereby enriching his knowledge and benefiting the society around.
In fact, the path of Self-knowledge and seeking is one of expansion, elevation, integration, sublimation and fullness. The constricted individual in the hands of Self-wisdom undergoes a steady expansion and interactional ability. From the sthita-prajna state of still absorption, he evolves into the Brahmic vision and Brahma-sthiti. If the Self was first sought within the body, it is now found in the wide wakeful world. The point in him now expands to the fullness of an endless circle.
The ocean need not remain still. It can be roaring with waves. No wave has a source other than the ocean. Nor does it have a terminus other than the same Ocean. What then whether there are waves or not?
The Brahma–sthiti allows no conflict, no contradiction, no disharmony. There is no gain or loss to further accrue to the Brahmic Knower. Everything is a mere extension and expansion of the same single Self. The Self is ever-abiding, ever-sustaining and ever-fulfilling. No interaction can pose any opposition. Everything will bring more of sublimation and enrichment alone.
This state is best illustrated in Krishna himself. Right from young age, he had to face a number of hazards, challenges and intimidations. He did not resent, relent or shrink from any venture. With every new event his personality only got more brightened and enriched. Even in the Kurukshetra battlefield it is the same note of brilliance and excellence that becomes evident in this illustrious gospel of his.
(from the series Essential-Concepts-In-Bhagavad-Gita)
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