Bhagavan Sri Krishna is responding to Arjuna’s question regarding the general conduct of a stitha prajnan. It is important to bear in mind that a stitha prajnan (equanimous wise person) will follow dharma (scriptural injunctions) in dealing with worldly matters, be it religious or secular duties. He has to follow the rules pertaining to his ashrama (householder/ renunciate lifestyle) and varna (occupational groups). There is no external difference in matters of conduct. However, he has an option to avoid worldly transactions – in those days, they would go into the woods. He will never be adharmic (wrong).
The difference between a jnani (wise) and an ajnani (ignorant) lies in his attitude. Jnani adopts Karma yoga attitude or Jnana yoga attitude. Karma yoga is working without desire for materialistic worldly fruits of action dedicating one’s actions to God for chitta shuddhi (purification of the mind). Once he has learnt the teachings of Vedanta from a guru, he understands that he, the atma is not the doer. Atma has no kartrtvam (doership) or bhoktrtvam (enjoyership). Jnani’s actions are beneficial to the world and not with any personal motive.
Jnani negates individuality knowing it belongs to the reflected consciousness and knowing that he is pure consciousness. He bears a non-binding individuality, limited to identification only (Jnana baadhita ahankara). It is like a burnt rope or burnt seed.
Bharjanam bhavabeejaanaam-arjanam sukhasampadaam |
Tarjanam yamadootaanaam Raamaraamethi garjanam ॥36॥
Rama nama burns the seed of rebirth, bestows the earning of all wealth and a scare to Yama’s messengers. As a burnt seed cannot germinate, burnt individuality puts an end to re-birth.
Jnani always has purnatvam (fulfillment). He needs nothing external, knowing that he is everything (mayaiva sakalaṃ…- Kaivalyopanishad). He knows that everything is superimposed on purnatvam. Hence, he has no worldly desire or duty – he is sarva iccha tyagi, sarva karma tyagi. Upanishad says such a person enjoys everything at once – When desire no longer exists, the mind is content and complete.
For many, desires persist.
aṅgaṃ galitaṃ palitaṃ muṇḍaṃ
daśana vihīnaṃ jātaṃ tuṇḍam |
vṛddho yāti gṛhītvā daṇḍaṃ
tadapi na muñchatyāśā piṇḍam ‖ 16 ‖ Bhaja Govindam
Strength has gone from the body; head has become bald, gums toothless and leaning on crutches. Even then, one cannot let go of attachment and desires. Mind is like an ocean of desires. The kanyaka daana mantram says that the bride is given to the groom for fulfillment of dharmic desires. Vedas sublimate desires by teaching that the person who gives hopes for punya (merit of good deed) and the receiver hopes to engage in good deeds with what he has received. What a beautiful attitude!
Jnani having renounced desire and doership accrues no punya/ paapa. However, he may have some past punya paapa, but he will not get affected by them. He is not attached to anything. He has nothing to gain or lose. He has no fear of sorrow or anger. He is ever happy.
Will a stitha prajnan react to a situation in transactional reality?
Knowing fully well that it is mithya, a stitha prajnan will handle his role play like any other person. He will demonstrate no impulsive emotional reaction. There is a word ‘manyu’ in Sanskrit which is used synonymously with anger. But ‘manyu’ is anger which does not affect the person who expresses it. That is how anger should be. Thiruvalluvar has placed Vegulamai (absence of anger) in Turavaraviyal (preparation for renunciation). One should be equanimous to others’ proper and improper behaviour. One should have the maturity to accept choiceless situations and respond to other situations with composure.
In transactional reality, he neither detests happiness of the mind nor does he get absorbed in it. As we become a child while playing with children, jnani deals with the world as if he is one with others.
To summarise what we have seen so far, a stitha prajnan should have purnatvam, sarva kama tyagavatvam, samatvam, raga bhaya krodha rahityam (fulfilled, desireless, equanimous, free of attachment, fear and anger).
How does one get there?
- Nididhyasanam
One should contemplate upon atma lakshanam (Gita Chap II slokas 12-25). Remember Atma cannot be objectified. Atma (pure consciousness) does not need repeated contemplation; it is for the mind (reflected consciousness) only. Atma needs no jnana, dhyana or moksha (knowledge, contemplation or liberation) as it is the very consciousness principle that is ever liberated. The mind needs to know this and so, this becomes the subject of our meditation.
- Shama: – mind control.
To meditate, the mind should be prepared and have samadhanam (concentration). Worldly thoughts should be subdued.
- Dama: – sense control.
We should not allow too much intake through the senses. No admission without permission.
Sloka 58 STITHA PRAJNA UPAYAM
यदा संहरते चायं कूर्मोऽङ्गानीव सर्वशः।
इन्द्रियाणीन्द्रियार्थेभ्यस्तस्य प्रज्ञा प्रतिष्ठिता।।2.58।।
यदा – when
च अयं – sadhak / one who is taking efforts to become stitha prajna
संहरते – withdraws
कूर्मः – tortoise
अङ्गानि – its limbs
इव – like
सर्वशः – in all ways
इन्द्रियाणीन्द्रियार्थेभ्यः – sense organs from the sense objects
तस्य प्रज्ञा प्रतिष्ठिता – His jnana (knowledge of the self) is firmly established.
As the tortoise protects itself by withdrawing its limbs, one should withdraw the senses from sense objects.
This sloka is to be taken as a means to become a stitha prajnan.
One should have the prajna (awareness) – I am purnam. That comes with sravana, mananam (guru’s teaching and clarification of doubts). We should give quality time for contemplating upon guru’s teaching and become a stitha prajnan. Efforts should be taken in the right direction. Senses should receive only the right kind of input. Negative thoughts are developed in ignorance. In the name of exposure and non-suppression of feelings we should not go wild without a goal. Indriya nigraham is required before and after jnana. This sloka is to emphasize indriya nigraham.
Thirukkural (#343) says that the five senses should be withdrawn from the sense objects that they seek at once. Another Thirukkural (#125) says that one will be safe-guarded in seven births, if he practices sense restraint, as the tortoise withdraws its limbs & secures them under its shell.
One may choose any method to protect one’s senses and mind – yogabhyasam, puja, mantra japa, etc.
One should always be alert in sense control and not become boastful thinking he is jitendriya (master of senses). One who is able to gain mastery over desires and anger upto his end is a happy man.
śaknotīhaiva yaḥ soḍhuṃ prākśarīravimokṣaṇāt
kāmakrodhodbhavaṃ vegaṃ sa yuktaḥ sa sukhī naraḥ 5-23 Gita
Practice sense restraint. Do tapas but without harming yourself (तपसा अनाशकेन – Brihadaranyaka upanishad). As Bhagavan says in the Gita:
yuktāhāravihārasya yuktaceṣṭasya karmasu
yuktasvapnāvabodhasya yogo bhavati duḥkhahā 6-17
Moderation in eating, recreation, exertion during his actions, and in sleep and wakefulness relieves one of pain or sorrow.
The mind is receiving inputs through the senses all through the waking hours. Unwanted inputs create so much confusion. We should be aware of your sense perceptions, as all these keep replaying in the mind. Bhagavan says, to become a stitha prajnan: Use your senses only where it cannot be avoided. Avoid what can be avoided, at least until jnana nishta siddhi (self-knowledge becomes firm). Grihastas may indulge their senses in objects dharmically, whereas sanyasis should totally avoid it.
The fire in the Jnana dipa (lamp of knowledge) should never extinguish. It should be protected by indriya nigraha (sense control) and vairagyam (dispassion). Maintain the flame with limited food like the air that keeps the lamp burning.
Sloka 59 WILL DISPASSION COME WITH SENSE CONTROL
विषया विनिवर्तन्ते निराहारस्य देहिनः।
रसवर्जं रसोऽप्यस्य परं दृष्ट्वा निवर्तते।।2.59।।
विषया विनिवर्तन्ते – The senses are withdrawn from the sense objects
निराहारस्य – without being fed / dissociated
देहिनः – jiva (soul) living in the human body
रसवर्जं – leaving the taste for sense enjoyment in the mind
रसोऽप्यस्य – For him, that taste also
परं दृष्ट्वा – by Aham brahmasmi cognition
निवर्तते – goes
When the senses are dissociated from the sense objects, the desire goes yet leaving a taste for them. This taste also goes, with Aham brahmasmi cognition by practicing nididhyasanam.
In Thirukkural (#354), Valluvar conveys a very important point – there is no use in practicing sense control if it does not aid acquiring self-knowledge. Indriya nigraham is like diet prescription and jnana is like the medicine. Both are required.
Even the ignorant practice sense control for a specific period, or for a specific purpose. A patient is unable to eat some types of food until he gets well. Devotees undertaking Sabarimala yatra practice control before the pilgrimage. Once they return, they tend to over-indulge to make up for what they had foregone.
A spiritual aspirant, on the contrary, should not suppress his desires, he should sublimate desires. Once he has developed sense control, he should maintain it (uparati). The taste or desire for it should also disappear. This will happen only with firm self-knowledge.
Vasana is strong. After due analysis of what is acceptable and unacceptable, choosing the unacceptable owing to past practice and taste lingering in the mind is vasana. It should be burnt in the fire of wisdom.
Once the mind develops a taste for spirituality (vidyaanandam/ atma-anandam), it will not go behind sense objects (vishayaananda). If we let the mind go after sense objects, it will result in rebirth. Atmaanandam is the highest among relative happiness, but it is also mithya. Yet, fully understanding this, it is not inappropriate to seek this as an aid for the mind to get over vishayaanandam.
Summarising, to become a stitha prajnan, we need to do nidhidhyasanam. For nidhidhyasanam, the mind should be at peace. For that, inputs to the mind through the senses should be limited. Once the mind has developed a taste for spirituality, it will no longer hanker over sense objects.
