Summary:
Lesson 115 continues listing traits of perfected being called a jivanmukta. He or she is a contributor in society, while also knower of truth. How does he respond to challenges? Heart like a rock and flower. Doesn't provoke agitation in others. Isn't agitated by world. Free from over-excitement, jealousy, fear, emotional dependence on external factors.
Source: Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 12, Verse 15, 16
Summary:
Revision of some characteristics of jnani…
Jñāni is a perfect devotee. Question is WHAT does Krishna consider the perfect devotee? Attributes are given below…
- Adveṣṭā Sarvabhūtānām: Lack of hating.
- What is hate? A prolonged dislike. Strengthens in time. Thus Sanskrit word for dislike & hate is the same: dveṣa (dvi + viṣam: poison).
- How does hate express? Anger in speech, violence, passive aggressive. Many angry hearts = war.
- SOLUTION TO HATERED: Have a purpose/role in life . How to discover the role (svadharma)? See what you already value. Do present actions with a different attitude.
- Hate also indicates stage of one’s spiritual progress. EG:
- Level 1: Hates opposing beliefs.
- Level 2: Sees divinity only in idols. Lack of hate for those who share SIMILAR beliefs.
- Level 3: Practicing: Sees divinity in spiritually mindful. Indifferent to saṃsāris (yet to grow out of need for preyaḥ)
- Level 4: Best: Capable of objectivity towards all levels. Neither love nor hate. Just seeing everything has it's unique place.
- What are benefits of relinquishing intense dislike (hate)? Energy is saved. Can’t be happy nor enjoy virtue with hateful thoughts in background.
- Maitraḥ: Sees everyone as a friend. Experiences concern/empathy. Sensitive and assertive if can do something. STORY: Ratnākara tied Sage Nārada to tree. Demanded money, else kill. Nārada gave advice. Thus Ratnākara become Vālmīkī.
- Kṣamī: Forgiveness/Accommodation. Meaning “I don’t feel the other has wronged me, because of: (1) unknown factors on both sides, (2) misinterpretation on both sides.
- santuṣṭaḥ: Complete. Puts things in the right perspective, meaning “My essence lacks nothing. While this BMI instrument is given for short time to be used wisely”.
- Vidyāraṇya says (alpa bhogena tuṣyati): To be content with little is sign of wisdom. Happy with whatever you have.
- How to use this advice in our life? Apply asaktiḥ (lack of claiming ownership of objects).
- It's not an issue possessing an object. It’s a fact that it’s in your possession. Ownership only becomes an ISSUE when I claim ownership of it.
- What kind of DISTORTIONS does ownership create? Self-image becomes tied into the object. Then look down on others who don’t have the same object. In reference to Advaita, “I have a non-dual perspective, you don’t!”. Political figures or family member unable to relinquish their role. As a result, one can’t enjoy the owned item, because it's always under threat of disappearance or change. This is why Vedas prescribe vānaprastha (reflecting on what you’ve done and repriorizing life). Then comes saṃnyāsa (realizing I’m still empty despite having a decent life. Thus fundamental questions begin).
- What is sannyasa in modern times? Reflecting on the fundamental questions (who am I, what is my relationship to Ishvara), while actively participating in your world duties.
- What is SOLUTION to relinquishing ownership (which denies proper perspective)? Convert ownership to Trusteeship. Meaning you’re endowed with this Body for a limited time according to the grand order. Thus use it responsibly and intelligently for playing out your part in the world. This attitude relieves us from making statements we don’t mean, like “Everything is Ishvara / Nothing belongs to me (pseudo)”. You don’t mean this when it comes in reference to your house/money/spouse. Therefore convert Ownership into Trusteeship. And in reference to body-mind-complex – contribute what you can within your sphere of influence.
Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 12, Verse 15:
yasmāt na udvijate lokaḥ lokāt na udvijate ca yaḥ ।
harṣa-āmarṣa-bhaya-udvegaiḥ muktaḥ yaḥ saḥ ca me priyaḥ ॥ 12-15॥
He by whom the world is not disturbed, who is not disturbed by the world, and who is free from elation, envy, fear, and anxiety is dear to Me.
Understanding Different Hearts
To understand this verse, let's explore Swami Paramarthananda's metaphor of two types of people. The first has a heart like a rock. While any criticism bounces off such a heart, it also produces insensitivity. Consequently, they can unknowingly hurt others through language, inappropriate timing, not paying attention to feelings of people.
In contrast, there are those with a heart tender like a flower. Though they are overly sensitive, highly considerate and careful handling matters, taking extra care to not hurt others feelings, they are also easily hurt by causal things, and the emotion stays for days.
The jñāni, however, demonstrates a unique combination – like a flower handling people (considerate and friendly), yet like a rock receiving experiences (objective and factual). This balance exists because the more sensitive one is, the more conscious of other's insensitivity. For example, a professional guitar player keeps adjusting the strings while to a beginner, it sounds the same.
Therefore jñāni has learned to be accommodative (kṣamī) by the sight of others immaturity. Thus, yasmāt lokaḥ na udnijate: One who doesn't provoke agitation in people (by being sensitive), and who doesn't get disturbed by worldly affairs (knowing everything undergoes 6-fold modifications).
Personal Application
When making this personal to you, consider that if agitated by others OR concerned what others think, it's likely because of your projections onto them, intolerance, incomplete conclusions. You may be agitated by your own narrative, and mistaking environment as cause.
Similarly, if world is agitated because of you, it's either because the person is projecting onto you (in which case, pray for them), or your own behaviour may be the cause.
The jñāni doesn't create disturbances in world because they generate little activity in world.
Inner Freedom
The verse speaks of harṣa-amaṛsa-bhaya-udvegaiḥ, internal freedom from:
Harṣa: being free from over-excitement, which is being so excited that one loses discriminating power.
Amarṣa: freedom from intolerance (restlessness, impatience, irritability). This comes from understanding everyone has to grow in own pace and everyone has faults. Intolerance can also manifest as jealously when seeing others' success OR happiness, because it makes one feel small in contrast. The jñāni is free of jealously because they know that every skill/talent resolves into Īśvara. Thus patience is Ishvara glory also.
Finally, there's Bhaya-udvegaiḥ: freedom from fear of failure, punishment by God, ridicule, loss. The jñāni maintains this freedom because they appreciate their interconnectedness with the grand order. If aligned with it, there's no question of fear/loss, only gratitude for being a participant while alive.
Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 12, Verse 16:
anapekṣaḥ śuciḥ dakṣaḥ udāsīnaḥ gata-vyathaḥ ।
sarva-ārambha-parityāgī yaḥ mat-bhaktaḥ saḥ me priyaḥ ॥ 12-16॥
That devotee of Mine who is independent, pure, resourceful, efficient, impartial, undisturbed, and a renouncer of all actions is dear to Me.
- NON-DEPENDENCE: Anapeksaḥ: Not emotionally dependent on any external factors.
- We always depend on things external to the body. Noone undergoes emotional dependence to their own tongue, because tongue belongs to Me (assuming body is taken as “I”). Thus to depend on external objects for emotional well-being, implies I haven’t yet come in terms with this entire universe.
- Examples of emotional dependence:
- Wanting to know lots of relative knowledge (of universe, news).
- Checking email/comments to see what reply you got.
- Certain response from the teacher/friends when you say something.
- Spiritual videos or self-growth audios to maintain the “high”.
- Insisting everything you say has to have an impact.
- Wanting to be treated in certain way.
- Jñāni understanding:
- All THIS is My own glorious māyā śakti. Just like a lucid dreamer, says “All THIS is power of My own Mind”.
- METAPHOR: The cleaner the water (mind) in the bucket, the more sunlight (atma) can fully reflect on it without diffusion nor movement.
- Homework: What is the nature of THIS object (I’m using as my emotional support)? Limbs, molecules, 5 elements, intelligence, consciousness.
VERSE 16 will continue next session…
Keywords: amarsa, amarsha, asakti, devesa, dvesha, harsa, harsha, ksami, kshami, narada, ratnakara, samnyasa, sannyasa, valmiki, visam, visham
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Credit for help in Bhagavad Gita teaching given to Swami Dayananda (Arsha Vidya), Paramarthananda & Chinmaya Mission.
Recorded 2 March, 2021