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Harih Om Tat Sat. Harih Om Tat Sat. Jai Guru. Jai Guru.
Spirituality or Vedanta is a science by itself and it is a very perfect science. Whenever a subject or a thought process is presented in a systematic and rational manner governed by the cause-and-effect sequences, it becomes a śāstra or a scientific treatise.
In all the sciences, there are two canons - observation and inference. Observation is done by the sensory organs; knowledge senses. And inference is made by the intelligence. On the basis of the observed data, the senses present or the mind connects through the senses. In Vedanta, the same two canons are employed. There is no material external instrument or gadget helping the Vedantic seeker or enquirer. His whole laboratory is the body and the senses are there on the body. So he employs his senses, observes whatever he wants to and then from the data available, the mind and the intelligence together go on comparing notes and finally arriving at conclusions. Even with regard to the self, in Bhagavad Gita Krishna says “Buddhi-grāhyam atīndriyam” (Bhagavad Gita 6.21), though it is beyond the senses, it is easily within the reach of the intelligence. All these are pure, rational, systematically arrived at statements.
Vedanta being such a knowledge, it also discusses as to who is fit or ripe enough to take up the Vedantic study. This is how we have developed sādhana chatuṣtayam, a set of fourfold principles and values which a person must have in order to take up the study of Vedanta, pursue it for realization and fulfillment. Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita and Brahma Sutras together constitute our Prasthāna Trayam. What is said in the Upanishads alone is explained in Bhagavad Gita is again presented in a very rational manner, cogently by the Brahma Sutras. In the Upanishads, the thoughts are scattered; they are here and there.
Bhagavad Gita was not a written text or it is not a long-time thought, well thought-out presentation. It was a spontaneous reaction from Krishna to Arjuna on seeing his plight and Arjuna’s submission. So you will find scattered thoughts in Bhagavad Gita also, though it is by and large very rational and sequential. Brahma Sutras are well thought out and rationally presented. These three together constitute Prasthāna Trayam. The word ‘Prasthāna’ means ‘Voyage of Knowledge’. It is a voyage undertaken by the intelligence and all through it is knowledge, knowledge, knowledge. It is not a voyage undertaken by the body through the land, through the water or through the air. It is a voyage undertaken by the intelligence through the atmosphere or space of knowledge.
So they have clearly said who will be able to take up this knowledge and pursuit - He who fulfills sādhana chatuṣtayam. And sādhana chatuṣtaya consists of four items. The first is “nitya anitya vastu vivekah” - The discrimination between the lasting and the fleeting. The second is dispassion towards whatever is there in the form of enjoyment in the visible sensory world or in the promised post-death world. “Iha amutra phala bhoga virāgah” - Not having any desire for enjoying anything in this world or the next world. The third consists of “śama-damādi-shatka-sampattiḥ”, a set of six virtues or disciplines commencing from śama, dama etc. Now the fourth one is ‘mumukshutva’, a burning aspiration for getting liberated, for having freedom, freedom from the shackles put up by the mind and the intelligence.
This tolerance or sahana-śakti comes in the group of six, the third item listed. With regard to tolerance or forbearance, I always naturally remember a verse written by Sankara in Vivekachudamani.
Forbearance is actually titikṣā, sahana śakti. He defines it in such a beautiful manner. This is how a word becomes a lifelong sādhanā effort for you. Sarvaduḥkhānām sahanaṃ - It is the forbearing, acceptance of all duhkhas. Apratīkārapūrvakam - This forbearance should be preceded by no thought to find a redress. Whatever is there you forbear. You don’t look for a solution or a redress or a defense for it.
Cintā-vilāpa-rahitaṃ. While forbearing it, you should not have any crisscross thoughts about it and you should not have a sense of grief or lamentation. So any kind of a thought of finding a redress should not be there, crisscross thoughts and imaginations about it, why it has come, who has done it, what is in his mind, nothing. And no lamentation and self-pity also.
Just imagine how Sankara has put it. This is why I say our spirituality has evolved some great dimensions of the mind and the intelligence. Our mind and intelligence are capable of reaching or gaining a far greater degree of dimension than we are used to or we are generally developing in our mind. So can you imagine a forbearance in which you never think of what you forbear and you are not interested in finding a redress? In the same manner it has come, let it go or let it have its toll in any manner. So no trying to offend or defend, offend or defend and no lamentation about it and no thoughts to find out the cause for it.
“We are suffering. Oh, let us go to an astrologer and find out why this suffering. Is it for any reason, something done by me in the earlier lives or my predecessors? Then what shall I do to mitigate them or wash them off?” All these things. Nothing. It comes as the sun rises in the morning, sets in the evening, the month follows another month, everything is like that cyclic, so let it go. Now how much of wish and will or settlement you should have in your mind in order to have this kind of a composure? In Malayalam we have a word irutham, irutham irutham. I don’t think that there is anything like a suitable English word. I would like to call it ‘Self seatedness’.
“What are you going to do?” “Nothing. I will sit.” We have a proverbial simile; what is that? In the olden times, there was an old man. He was given to taking betel nut in the traditional manner. His daughter was pregnant and she had gone to the labour room. A cow has fallen in a well and his gatehouse has got fire. How many items? Daughter has gone to the labour room and she is crying, cow has fallen into the well, immediately you should go and lift her up. Then the gatehouse is on fire, you should try to extinguish it.
When all these three are going on, this old man tells one of his sons, “Please take my betel nut box. Let me prepare betel nut and chew.” Generally this betel nut is taken, it takes about three or four minutes. So he will bring, open it, take a betel leaf and then remove all the veins in it, then take a little chuna and start spreading it like everywhere. Then take tobacco, cut it into small piece. Then take supari and then he will cut it, chisel it, slice it and all these things are put together and put inside the mouth and then he has to chew it atleast ten to fifteen times before it gives its intoxicant effect. Now this is what is said.
So we generally say, what is self-seatedness? What this man did. I think this forbearance is something like that. So in order to have forbearance you must have a lot of dispassion. You must have a great degree of viveka. After all, what happens? Something will come; something will go. There maybe a measure of loss or maybe lesser gain. What of it? Altogether if you tally matters,
The world will never be a plus. It can never be a minus also. So let me keep quiet. This is the meaning of tolerance. So you better learn this verse.
This is said to be titiksha, tolerance. And the beauty is that you should not have any thought or lamentation about it simply because you have to forbear an event or an outcome. All your other routines cannot be affected. One impact stops you from doing all other things! What kind of a man are you? So let it be. Like one of the many rivers flowing to the ocean which is endless and immeasurably deep, so let it be in the corner of your mind. You start functioning normally. This is the type of tolerance that Sankara describes. Just imagine of what dimension this mind will be! And the mind can cultivate it, develop it, master it, express it and display it.
Harih Om Tat Sat. Jai Guru.