Articles for Saadhana

We are still in the four-fold qualifications for a seeker of truth. nityānitya vastu viveka – the first; the second fully expressed will be iha amutra phala bhoga virāgaḥ – not interested in the sensory delights of this world and the other world, the other world being those which are referred to in our scriptures as heaven and so many different regions like seven upward lokas, seven downward lokas etc.

The third consists of six different types of virtues and compliments – the composite of six. The first we discussed – śamaḥ; second also we discussed – damaḥ; the third is titikṣā. That is the point Krishna was explaining to Arjuna. So you can by and large be governed by what Bhagavad Geeta and Krishna say about titikṣā – tolerance or forbearance.

titikṣā literally means the readiness and ability to withstand and forbear any kind of atorment or affliction which results during the course of your life, no matter from whatever agency it comes. Sreemad Bhagavata would put such torments as threefold - ādhyātmika suffering, ādhibhautika suffering and ādhidaivika suffering.

ādhyātmika suffering, the word atma refers to oneself. ādhyātmika therefore means self generated, self caused, self born, self derived. What are such sufferings? So far as the body is concerned, we will have different types of ill health. That is one suffering. And ill health can be incurable diseases also, infection which cannot be controlled. These are days when very new infections are reported. I know of a boy who had a very special type of T.B. It will not respond to any medicine at all. He was working, he is still working, but somehow he is a good worker, an officer, so the bank or the office permitted him to come in a very sparing manner, few hours of the day. And I think the treatment continued for more than one or two years before he could be normalized. So the suffering caused by the body, by virtue of disorders and diseases, breaking of the bone, getting crippled, accidents, so many things.

Another is caused by the mind and the intelligence. What is meant by “caused by the mind”? Doubting everything, having wrong faith, wrong assessments, refuse to, reconcile with whatever takes place in this world, as if it is a world where you can have always your choices. Are we to have choices here always? Or make a choice – whatever comes, I will accept. I always put forward a proposition – one marries one whom she or he likes. Another is – one likes whomever he or she is married to. Which is the best, you yourself tell me?

You have no choice over your parents and you have no choice over your children and marriage alone is an element where you can have apparently your choice. Even if you have choice, what is the result – “I like my partner.” Why don’t you like any partner whom you get? That attitude will be helpful to you for everything in this world. So reconciling with whatever comes, not being able to do so makes the mind miserable!

And intelligence is not trying to find out what is proper, right and acceptable. On the other hand, the intelligence argues in a manner, in a preconceived manner. So, we have a celebrated proverb which says; tarkyatām mā kutarkyatām –you argue but not argue in a disastrous or improper manner.

Be truthful. What is the harm in being untruthful? As an enquiry you can take it up. Why is truthfulness preferred or ordained? What about untruthfulness? Will it defeat the very purpose of life? Yes! Try to understand how untruthful is unfulfilling and find out why truthful is fulfilling. So you can compare and contrast and think. In fact our intelligence should be always ready to think the opposite. You think about the opposite with a tolerance and with an appreciation and then only you will arrive at why a particular suggestion or a command or an injunction is there. If untruthfulness can triumph, why not we accept it? But the fact is truthfulness alone will be able to triumph. Why? What is the reason? I think we should understand it.

So in the matter of titikṣā, we have, ādhyātmika suffering, ādhidaivika suffering, ādhibhautika suffering. ādhidaivika sufferings are due to providential events in life likecyclone, earthquake, tsunami, lightening, thunder etc. ādhibhautika means caused by other elements like, you can have snake bite, maybe falling of ice, many things can happen, caused by the other agencies. Some are providential developments, not aimed at anybody - general events. Now these are the threefold sufferings and Sreemad Bhagavatam says, these sufferings can be alleviated only when you know the supreme truth, which is very auspicious, which is very pleasant, very delightful.

So what is titikṣā? titikṣā is the forbearance by virtue of which we will not grumble and complain about the sufferings we have. Give a place for sufferings in your life and be reconciled with them. 

Shankaryacharya will explain titikṣā in a very, very fundamental and thorough manner.

सहनं सर्वदुःखानामप्रतीकारपूर्वकम् ।

चिन्ताविलापरहितं सा तितिक्षा निगद्यते ।।

sahanaṁ sarvaduḥkhānāmapratīkārapūrvakam |

cintāvilāparahitaṁ sā titikśā nigadyate ||

Vivekachudamani Verse 24

This is what he says. All the sufferings you must be able to withstand and forbear.

अप्रतीकारपूर्वकम् apratīkārapūrvakam -  Even the feeling that you have to redress it should not be there.

चिन्ताविलापरहितं cintāvilāparahitaṁ - and while suffering you should not have a self pity or a complaint.“Iam fated only for this, what can I do! I was born in such a family, my parents did not bring me up. I did not get what I want, neither the mother nor the father gave me love. What can I do?” See, this kind of a lamentation should not be there. Everybody has to grow in a certain way, nobody is previously experienced to marry and have a family, so they will do the way they know. Somebody has to grow, if you feel your growth was not proper, then that is sufficient enough for you to undo it. You know that a certain growth was not alright. Okay, very good! Now grow in the manner you want. Now the parents are not standing in the way, you are an adult. So you can rewrite your mind, rewrite your intelligence, rewrite your nature to a very large extent; some parameters of limitation will be there, it does not matter.

So, this lamentation, saying that “it is in my childhood days … it is somebody else … my friend was not alright … I was put to this”, Arrey! Many, many things! These are imprints in your mind. What do you mean by that? If you write on a granite wall or earth, it will remain there as an imprint. You write the same thing in water, will it remain? Write it in air, will it remain? And write it in Akasa, will it remain? You can have a scar in your body, but can you have a scar in the mind?

So you should think more and more about the mind’s potential, mind’s possibility. Mind is much greater than fire. It can digest and dissolve every impact from the world! Actually all the impacts are in the mind. How many thoughts have come, how many feelings and emotions have come! All of them have subsided. The mind is still fresh to think and produce many thoughts. No exhaustion, the mind has felt, by thinking. It has not reduced, it has not increased. So the mind is the greatest fire, which can burn off all kinds of dross put into it, maybe by your parents, maybe by your neighbours.