STHITA PRAJNA (JNANI) LAKSHANAM/ SADHANAS
Bhagavan talks about the qualities of stitha prajna in the Gita. One who is established in the Absolute knowledge of Brahman (Pure consciousness principle), has removed desires from the mind and rejoices in the self – he is called a stitha prajna.
Sloka 56: Intellectual strength becomes emotional strength (IQ to EQ)
दुःखेष्वनुद्विग्नमनाः सुखेषु विगतस्पृहः।
वीतरागभयक्रोधः स्थितधीर्मुनिरुच्यते।।2.56।।
दुःखेषु अनुद्विग्नमनाः – mind that is undisturbed by sorrows
सुखेषु विगतस्पृहः – mind that is unimpacted by joys
वीतरागभयक्रोधः – mind that is free from attachment, fear and anger
स्थितधीर्मुनिरुच्यते – a deep thinker with such a balanced mind is called a muni.
A stitha prajna has cultivated immense emotional strength and has become a great shock absorber. Some people would think such a person is like a stone having no emotion.
Sri Krishna later in the 12th chapter (#12.13) says that such jnanis are genial to everyone having empathy and compassion for all.
adveṣhṭā sarva-bhūtānāṁ maitraḥ karuṇa eva cha
nirmamo nirahankāraḥ sama-duḥkha-sukhaḥ kṣhamī
A stitha prajnan is loving and dutiful towards all and does not seek love and emotional comfort from anyone else. They have no emotional begging, which is a sign of mental weakness.
दुःखेषु अनुद्विग्नमनाः
The cause of sorrows may be adhyatmika adhibhautika adhidaivika – means internal troubles of body-mind, or troubles caused by other beings, or by natural calamities. A jnani will be faced with several challenges but he has the mental strength to be unimpacted by such sorrows. If the body is fit, we do not keep thinking or worrying about the body. Similarly, a mind which is fit will not be a burden to us. The mind is able to bear the sorrow and not give over- importance to it. Everyone has experienced sorrow. A jnani knows that sorrow is mithya (false) and this also will pass. Wisdom should apply when faced with sorrow.
If anyone criticises a jnani, he will be able to ignore it spontaneously that moment itself. He has practiced patience to that extent. Kural #152 says that we should bear with reproach even when we can retaliate; but better than that is to forget it. A jnani will be unaffected, like an onlooker and not become irritated or angry by unpleasant situations.
सुखेषु विगतस्पृहः
Spruha: means desire. A jnani may have no desire, and he will not indulge deeply, even when senses interact with sense objects. These are emotions, only known to him. Others may be able to judge, but it is best known to oneself whether the mind is disturbed or undisturbed by joys and sorrows.
वीतरागभयक्रोधः
Raga: means attachment. A stitha prajna does not have attachment towards anything. Some elderly people depend upon a stick for stability while standing or walking. That physical dependence is alright but one should not be emotionally dependent or attached.
Where there is attachment, there will be fear. People have attachment towards the body, worldly objects, family etc. which causes the fear of losing any of these.
Where there is no attachment and fear, there is no anger. In short, a stitha prajnan has samatvam, aragatvam, abhayatvam, akrodatvam -equanimity, unattached, unafraid, unangered. He has a balanced mind.
Advaita siddhanta (non-duality) teaches us there is no second. Then where is the question of all these emotions?
स्थितधीर्मुनिरुच्यते
Muni: means a deep thinker. Study of the scriptures develops his thought process. One who is firm in knowledge is a muni.
One whose mind is not overjoyed by pleasant situations or seek enjoyments, one whose mind is not disturbed by sorrows, one whose mind is free from attachment, fear, irritation and anger, is a stitha prajna.
Sloka 57
यः सर्वत्रानभिस्नेहस्तत्तत्प्राप्य शुभाशुभम्।
नाभिनन्दति न द्वेष्टि तस्य प्रज्ञा प्रतिष्ठिता।।2.57।।
यः सर्वत्र- अनभिस्नेह: – absolutely unattached to everything (including own body)
तत्तत् प्राप्य शुभाशुभम् – joys and sorrows faced
न अभिनन्दति न द्वेष्टि – he neither rejoices nor hates
तस्य प्रज्ञा प्रतिष्ठिता – His jnana (knowledge of the self) is firmly established.
This sloka reiterates what is said in the previous sloka.
One who is unattached and not even interested in securing his body, does not jump in joyous situations nor does he sulk in sorrowful situations – his knowledge remains firmly established in the self. He neither desires pleasant situations nor hates unpleasant situations.
We keep facing different situations, but for a person who is unattached nothing impacts. All these lessons are for self-judgement not to judge others.
A stitha prajna’s spontaneous nature should be taken as the practice of the aspirants. A stitha prajna will be internally quiet even if active. We can take these slokas 56 & 57 as the qualities of a stitha prajnan which are to be practiced by other spiritual aspirants.
There are three steps for jnana nishta (establishing the mind in self-knowledge)
Nididhyasanam– efforts to internalise the scriptures learnt or atma dhyanam (meditating upon the self). We have learnt atma lakshanam (nature of atma) from slokas 12-25. We need to give quality time to contemplate upon the learnings there. Most importantly, we need to constantly reinforce the thought, ‘Aham purna: asmi’ – I am complete. This is not bearing the attitude of being purnam, it is internalising this fact. That we are the limited body-mind complex is unreal. That we are unlimited is real. We need to remove wrong notions and be intellectually convinced about the scriptural teachings.
For example, take a microphone – it is Existence principle brahman + name, form, function of a microphone. Name, form, function are superimposed on brahman. Existence is brahman whereas the limited name and form is unreal as it comes and goes in time. We can only understand this using our intellect. It is not possible or necessary to experience the real separate from unreal, as even the experiencer and objects of experience are both brahman in reality.
We need to think deeply and internalise this giving considerable time. Atma dhyanam is needed for the mind, not the atma.
Also, repeated listening to the scriptures and clarification of doubts itself becomes nididhyasanam.
There are methods specified for meditating upon brahman (as in the text called ‘Pancikaranam’) in which everything stands resolved – maya with three attributes, Ishvara, jivas, five elements, order of creation basis sattva, rajas, tamas, waking, dream and sleep states.
Kathopanishad #1.3.13 tells us how to meditate.
yacchedvāṅmanasī prājñastadyacchejjñāna ātmani
jñānamātmani mahati niyacchettadyacchecchānta ātmani
The wise man should merge his speech in his mind and his mind in his intellect. He should merge his intellect in the Cosmic Mind and the Cosmic Mind in the Tranquil Self.
The same idea is conveyed in the Gita (#6.20 & 25) as well:
śhanaiḥ śhanair uparamed buddhyā dhṛiti-gṛihītayā
ātma-sansthaṁ manaḥ kṛitvā na kiñchid api chintayet #25
Brahmalina Swami Omkarananda
Slowly and steadily, with conviction in the intellect, the mind will become fixed in brahma lakshanam predominantly and not think much of anything else.
yatroparamate chittaṁ niruddhaṁ yoga-sevayā
yatra chaivātmanātmānaṁ paśhyann ātmani tuṣhyati #20
When the mind is restrained from material activities, by the practice of dhyana yoga (meditation), then the yogi rejoices holding atma vritti through the purified mind.
We should meditate –Aham purna: Sarvam purna: Aham shuddha: Sarvam shuddha: (I am complete, everything is complete, I am pure, everything is pure). We should understand the defects are mithya. Life is mixture of comedy and tragedy.
- Shama: – mind control. Worldly thoughts should be subdued.
- Dama: – sense control. We should not allow too much intake through the senses. No admission without permission.
To become a stitha prajna, and internalise Vedanta deeply, one should meditate upon the scriptural learnings. To be able to meditate, one should not have too many worldly thoughts. To be able to restrict worldly thoughts (laukika vritti), senses should not interact very actively with the sense objects. One should cultivate these three qualities to be a stitha prajnan which Sri Krishna will talk about, in the forthcoming slokas. Sri Sankaracharya calls stitha prajnan a sanyasi (renunciate) because he always revels in the thoughts of Vedanta.