विवेचन सारांश

Practice Samatva to Become Buddhiyuktaḥ

Hereon, Shri Krishna explains samatā buddhi. It is a state obtained by a person who is equipoised and stable in all situations. His emotion is stable in any given circumstance, be it desirable or undesirable. He also explains the true and deep meaning behind the Karma theory, that plays a fundamental role in our tradition. We tend to talk about Karma in relation with our Bhāgya or luck. But, in reality, it is related to our actions, both past and present. Whatever happens to us is the result of our previous karmas, done in this lifetime as well as previous births. Whatever we do now will affect our future.

Anything that happens to us has multiple reasons as the source. For example, we are now connected through Zoom platform. What are the reasons for us to be connected?

There are many but to name a few; Geeta Pariwar; Swamiji who established the Geeta Pariwar, the people who are associated with the Swamiji, the volunteers involved, the COVID pandemic, and the commitment of determined people like Ashu Goyal ji and Sanjay Malpani ji initiated the commencement of the online classes. In addition to these, your own reasons for joining the class, and the people who introduced you to the class, all made this connection possible. Whatever is happening in our daily lives is the result of many factors. Bhagavan Shankaracharya ji said that even the blinking of our eyelids is the consequence of our previous karma. The theory of Karma is very deep and incomprehensible to common people like us. Shri Krishna himself said in chapter 4 'gahanā karmaṇo gatiḥ' - imponderable (impossible to assess) is the nature (path) of action. The theory of Karma is very deep  

A person becomes Samabuddhi when he begins to see Paramātmā everywhere and in everything, 'Vāsudevaḥ sarvamiti - (The Divine in everything) An house of mud may have many rooms, each different from the other. But a person with samabuddhi will see every room as the same - made of mud. Likewise, everything in the entire Universe pervades Paramātmā. When a person realizes this fundamental truth of Vedanta, he attains the element of Samabuddhi and treats everyone and everything with equanimity. It doesn't make him apathetic or careless. It means his attitude towards all would remain same. He will have the same loving feeling for his own mother and some one else's mother too.

Once this state is achieved no more sins get accumulated. One accrues sins because of the attachments to things. The degree of attachment varies with one's desires. The attachment to certain things are more as compared to others. The actions performed are based on the attachments and the desire for favourable results. More attachment causes us to have strong desires, while less attachment results in weak desires. One feels the loss of a person who is close, more strongly than someone who isn't. This is so due to difference in the degree of the attachment, and expectations from that relationship. When one is equipoised, that attachment is lost, and one does not experience pain over loss that is inevitable.

Whatever Karma one does becomes the Saṃskāra (habit), and then it becomes our Vāsanā (tendency). When we do our Karma as KarmaYoga, and perform it for HIM without a thought for the results and treat it as just an offering to the Divine - 'Auṃ śrī kṛṣṇārpaṇamastu', good

Vāsanās get carried from one birth to another stored in our Antaḥkaraṇa (mind). This will inspire one to do more of the good deeds. On the other hand, people who commit sins will accumulate negative Vāsanās that force them to traverse deep onto the path of sin. Hence, we should always try to do good deeds, and be in the company of good.

When one practices samatva and  becomes Buddhiyuktaḥ, that effort never gets destroyed. Material accumulation like money or even skills learnt will be destroyed one day, but the skills learnt under the desire of samatva do not get destroyed. The desire aroused by pure intention of attaining samatva is also pure, and will not be destroyed. Attaining samatva is not easy, and cannot be accomplished in one lifetime. But failure to attain that stage in this lifetime does not mean that all our efforts are wasted and that we should start afresh in the next lifetime. Efforts of this lifetime will form the base for the Sādhanā that one will do in one's next life.

Our Vedas prescribe some vidhis (rules) that need to be followed when doing specific karmas. He who fails to follow these vidhis will be committing sin. But, during the practice of Samatva buddhi, even if one makes some mistakes by not following the vidhis, it is not considered a sin, because the action was not based on attachment to results, but was done with equanimity.

A mind which is not stable and is poisoned with desires will accumulate sins, not the samatva mind which is functioning from a detached state.

In this respect, Arjuna will not be committing a sin even if he kills his guru Dronacharya, because he did it as a duty without any selfish motive. Whatever little amount of discipline is accumulated during the Samatva practice, even that will not be destroyed; it will be permanent, and will save the person from great difficulties. It will give him fearlessness and strength to face adversities.

Bhagavan is talking about two categories - Vyāvasāyi and Avyavasāyi.

• Vyāvasāyi is a person with stable mind that has a single focus; to reach the Supreme stage.
• Avyavasāyi is one without a stable mind that is easily distracted by many desires. His mind is focused on many desires at a time.

Vyāvasāyi 's goal is to reach the Supreme stage from where there is no coming back to this material world 'yasmingatā na nivartanti bhūyaḥ' - where having gone, none returns again. He puts all his efforts to reach that stage, and he is sure to reach that goal.

But Avayayasayi has multiple branches of desires. His mind is distracted, and there is no consistency in his efforts towards any goal. He achieves only partial knowledge of everything, which is equal to poison 'adhurājñaṃ viśa samānaṃ'. This is true even for our physical activities. A person with a single goal works consistently towards achieving it and attains mastery over it. But, when one has multiple goals and focuses, like power, money, recognition, etc., his mind is like a multiple-branched tree. He cannot focus on any one completely, and doesn't master anything. He gets only half knowledge of everything, and he will not obtain the ultimate happiness or peace.

To achieve perfection in any act, either in the physical or spiritual life, we should become Vyāvasāyi. With a single-pointed focus, and consistent practice directed towards that one goal, we will definitely achieve the same.

The Vedas talk about two paths - jñāna kāṇḍa and karma kāṇḍa. jñāna kāṇḍa is the Vedanta that talks about the Supreme Element, the Paramātmā' nāsato vidyate bhāvo nābhāvo vidyate sataḥ....' 'dehino’sminyathā dehe...' . Karmakāṇḍa talks about the route to reach Swarg, heaven, and also obtain worldly pleasures. To reach the heaven, one should do good karma daily and consistently. If one desires worldly pleasures, specific sets of Yajya need to be carried out. If done faithfully, one gets punya and can enjoy the results, but it is temporary. Once the results or punya are nullified, the person returns to this world, and has to face the difficulties of the mortal world, as explained in the 9th chapte:  'gatāgataṃ kāmakāmā labhante.'  - they attain to the state of going-and-returning (SAMSARA)

Shri Krishna is explaining the right way of following Karmakāṇḍa. Karmakāṇḍa done with Buddhiyoga, without thinking about the results, but doing it for the sake of Bhagavan, will result in bliss or Moksha. People who are very attached to the Vedas with sole interest of enjoying heavenly pleasures or attaining worldly pleasures, will not reach beyond the heavens.

Sakāmakarma is the set of actions done to fulfil the desires, with selfish motives. Niṣkāmakarma is the set of actions done for the sake of Bhagavan. The mind of those doing Sakāmakarma is filled with many desires, and Heaven is their supreme achievement. They will get new births and perform their actions, and get fruits again and again. To enjoy the fruits of their actions, they have to take rebirth again. This never ending cycle will continue for such people who follow Sakāmakarma. To attain the worldly pleasures and heaven, they also need to do many types of rituals.

The minds of those people who are very much interested in wealth and pleasure, becomes blinded and they blindly follow the instructions given in the Vedas. Unlike the Vyavasāya ones, they do not have stable mind, and hence cannot sit in Samādhi and focus their mind on HIM. As a result, they cannot fulfil the ultimate goal of life.

The ultimate goal of life is happiness, and it is normal to think that these worldly pleasures are giving us happiness. But the happiness that these worldly pleasures give is 'Vishasamprutha annam' as coined by Vachaspati Mishraji in his commentary, Bhamati. The annam or food that is poisoned gives us pleasure at the time of consuming it, but in the end the poison kills us. Similar is the case with the worldly pleasures. In the beginning, they give us happiness, but later end in sorrow. Hence, Bhagavan tells us to become Vyāvasāyi.

Shri Krishna asks Arjuna to overcome the borders of the three gunas (satva, rajas, and tamas) ascribed in the Sakāmakarma. Instead, he should follow the Niṣkāmakarma, become devoid of the opposites like happiness and sorrow (nirdvandvo), become stable with his mind always focused on the Paramātmā (nityasattvastho), not even thinking about his personal welfare (niryogakṣema) but focusing only about his real identity, THE SELF (ātmavān). He asks Arjuna not to get attached to the external things, and tells him that if he is a  Buddhiyuktaḥ, whatever he does will not incur any sin.

Here, Bhagavan gives an example to explain the concept. If one is near an ocean, he will not go to a small pond to fulfill his need for water. All his needs will be fulfilled by the ocean itself. The pond is of no use to such a person. Similarly, the person who knows the Supreme Element does not need the smaller portions of the Vedas like the Sakāmakarma which gives temporary material happiness.

He obtains the Ocean of Bliss that is permanent and real. One needs to put in huge efforts to follow the difficult rituals described in the Karmakāṇḍa in order to obtain the results as per Sakāmakarma. The results obtained although beneficial are only temporary, and he still has to face difficulties. But the person who is doing Niṣkāmakarma will obtain the Ocean of Infinite Bliss. Such a person will not get distracted by these small Sakāmakarmas.

This is the most famous shloka of the Gita, that explains the right to do one's karma; but the result is not in one's hands. As explained earlier, everything happens due to multiple reasons. In spite of putting efforts, one may not get expected results. This may be because of previous karmas. One must not get disappointed with unfavourable results and give up on it. Rather one must continue to put in more efforts that gradually deplete the previous karmas one day, and finally achieve the set goal. One's past is not in one's hands; one cannot erase the previous karmas. But the present decides one's future, so one can work to accumulate good karmas that would be beneficial in the future.

One needs to live in the present. 'nehābhikramanāśo’sti ....trāyate mahato bhayāt' a small good work done in the present will give good result in the future. This is the same about wrong doings also. Even if one is not affected in the present, one we will have to face the consequences in the future. Since past karmas have a strong hold on the results of the present actions, one should not credit the present efforts for the results obtained. Every karma has a Vāsanā that binds one when the ego is present, and one has to face the consequences of the karma, good or bad. If the work is done without giving the credit to oneself, 'ahaṃ na kartā, iidaṃ na mama  - 'I am not the doer, this is not mine', the ego is absent, and the Vāsanā of that karma will not get attached to one. When one does not get attached to the results, one remains free from the karma. 

Bhagavan is asking Arjuna to be in Yoga buddhi and do his work renouncing any attachment to the karma and its results, being equanimous to success and failure (siddhi-asiddhi). Samatva is the Yoga, Union with the Paramātmā.

One gets connected with the Paramātmā when one is in the Samatva situation with everyone.

Samatva situation is attained when one begins to see Paramātmā in everything and everyone 'Vāsudeva sarvamiti.'

Shri Krishna advises Arjuna to take the Buddhi Yoga path instead of the Sakāmakarma path. Sakāmakarma is equal to total darkness, and is inferior to Buddhi Yoga, which is equal to bright light. One should take refuge in the Samabuddhi by developing equipoise in all situations and not taking credit for the fruits of action, as explained earlier.

Shri Krishna re-emphasizes the importance of becoming a Buddhiyuktaḥ by developing the Samatva buddhi, and also renouncing both good (sukṛt) and evil (duṣkṛt). HE is asking to renounce not only the bad karmas, but also the punya karmas. When one does all karmas for Paramātmā and with equanimous mind, one obtains the skill of action, which is called Yoga.

When we become a Buddhiyuktaḥ, and renounce whatever consequences we get as result of our actions, we will become free from the bondage of birth and attain the Supreme Paramātmā state.

When the mind has conquered the delusion and goes beyond it, then one becomes indifferent to the information about the worldly and heavenly enjoyments that Sakāmakarma can yield. The mind will become neutral not only to the information received in the present, but also to that which will be received in future, because one would have obtained the Ocean of Bliss.

Different ideologies will give different opinions about the karmas and duties one has to follow. When one hears concepts that are different from one's ideology, one gets agitated. But when one becomes a Buddhiyuktaḥ, one remains no more confused or agitated on hearing different opinions, because one is completely stable in the samatva state of Samādhi, and  will attain the Yoga.

So far, Bhagavan explained about the right way of doing karma. He said that one should perform the karmas without thinking about the past or future, but devote it to HIM. This will give permanent happiness. With this explanation, HE helped bring clarity to Arjuna's confused mind.

The next session will cover the questions raised by Arjuna who gets interested to know more about the Yoga.

The session concluded by chanting of Hari Sharanam and rendition of the Hanuman Chalisa.