विवेचन सारांश

Qualities of a Sthitaprajña

When one discards all selfish desires and cravings of the senses that torment the mind, and becomes satisfied in the realization of the self, then such a person is said to be transcendentally situated.

The word prajahāti means ‘discards’ or ‘giving up’, while kāmān, refers to selfish desires. Such a person, situated in his ātmani or the self and deriving satisfaction through the ātmana  or the purified mind, is always in ‘anand’ or happiness. Such a person might be all alone and yet happy, not seeking anything from the external world. Of course, upon loss of a loved one he too feels pain, but unlike the others, his pain does not last for a long time. The sthitaprajña tries to avoid the effects of situations that are distressing. He does not carry his pain and sorrow like a permanent baggage on his shoulders.  

An ideal example of sthitaprajña is Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel, who had to once appear in the court regarding a matter. His assistant was frantically trying to reach out to him, and finally was able to hand over a piece of paper to him. On reading the content written in the paper, Sardar Patel became serious, but continued with the court proceedings. After the case was over, the judge asked Sardar Patel what the matter was, what was written on the paper and why he had become so serious? Sardar Patel stoically replied that his wife was no more. Joy and sorrow notwithstanding, such people continue with their lives.

We should realize that the world is fleeting by nature, where nothing remains stagnant. Situations come and go; people come into our lives and depart in due time. Keeping in mind the impermanence of this transient world, why should we let our sorrow weigh us down to such an extent that we find it difficult to get over it? That is why the sacred Gītā teaches us that one can become satisfied only within oneself. This highly desirable state becomes possible only if we practice the tenets of this treatise regularly.  

Happiness and sorrow are inevitable for one who has taken birth in this world. However, a person who is a sthitaprajña, doesn't let his sorrows weigh him down. He is ‘anudvignamanāḥ’, that is, his mind is undisturbed as he has no attachment. He is equally composed in times of extreme happiness.

The Gītā lays emphasis on avoiding too much enjoyment or elation during times of happiness, because when these joyful moments pass, we begin to lament their loss especially when we start expecting a recurrence of this bliss.

Such people are free from attachment, fear and anger. Rāga or undue attachment is the cause of all pain. Be it 'bhaya’ (fear) or 'krodhah' (anger), these negative emotions emanate from the feeling of attachment.

Shloka 21 of Chapter 16 explicitly states:

त्रिविधं नरकस्येदं द्वारं नाशनमात्मन: |

काम: क्रोधस्तथा लोभस्तस्मादेतत्त्रयं त्यजेत् || 21||

(There are three gates leading to the hell of self-destruction for the soul—lust, anger, and greed. Therefore, one should abandon all three.) 

Fear and anger take flight when we cease to harbor any attachment. Take an example of a person too much attached to his home and his wealth. His mind would perpetually be tormented by apprehensions that his beloved possessions might be taken away from him. Unsubstantiated fears would afflict him as he would worry about thieves plundering his wealth or envious relatives eyeing his house.

On the other hand, if a person is unaffected by the allure of his belongings and shies away from excessive attachment, he achieves stability of mind, and is aptly termed as sthitadhīr.

This shloka deals with the influence of Indriyas or our five senses in our lives. The five senses comprising the eyes, ears, skin, tongue and nose, are the Gnyanendriyas that serve as bridges to the external world of sense-objects. One who is able to withdraw the senses from their objects, just as a tortoise withdraws its limbs into its shell, is established in divine wisdom. 

A turtle has aṅgānīva or limbs and body organs that are soft and vulnerable to the touch. However, it also possesses a hard exterior shell. Whenever it senses any threat to its wellbeing, it retreats its limbs into the shell. 

Very much like the turtle are those who practice the tenets of the Gītā and those who are sthitaprajña. They know how to withdraw their sense organs from the worldly objects, and are hence in control of their senses and mind. We too should detach ourselves from the worldly objects and learn to break the connection with the sense organs.

'Artha' means vishaya while 'indriyārthe' refers to the object of the senses. For example, a scenery is the object of the eyes, while fragrance becomes the object of the nose. If we are unable to sever the connection of the senses with the sense-objects, we tend to feel disturbed. However, if we learn to master our senses, we experience peace and calmness. In fact, Bhagavān has given us a trick to get out of our miseries. We simply have to resist the allure of the sense-objects, and avoid the craving of the senses by retracting and controlling our minds.

Most of the people, in a bid to become established in the self, may restrain the senses from their objects of enjoyment, but the taste for the sense-objects remains. However, even this longing or desire ceases for those who realize the Supreme.

We have seen people subjecting themselves to severe forms of fasting. There are some who partake of only water, or take helpings of only fruits during the Ekadashi. There are yet others who observe ‘Maun’ or silence for a specified span of time. Interestingly, we also have people who subject themselves to ‘Chakshu-maun’, and refrain from exposing themselves to any external sight. The objective of these kinds of fasting is to extricate themselves from any kind of worldly attachment and temptations.

It should be noted however, that these austere practices are just the initial stage, only for beginners, and are certainly not the final stage of attaining the Supreme Paramātmā, as our mind keeps getting drawn towards the worldly objects and our cravings ultimately manage to get the better out of us. For example, we want to watch TV or enjoy our cell phones. Thus, we may run away from the objects of the senses, but we cannot run away from our cravings.

However, after getting to know dṛṣṭvā-dhaatu, we manage to finally ‘see’ the dynamics behind our attachments and get the ultimate knowledge. Dṛṣṭvā means ‘to see’. Here, the word ‘see’ also means correct perception. Hence, the word can be said to allude to knowledge.

Often we hear the phrase

मेरी आँख खुल गयी.

This just means that the eyes of knowledge have opened. The person who understands this knowledge of ‘Parama Puruṣa ’ soon finds his cravings getting dissipated. In order to become a Sthitaprajnah and get a glimpse of the Supreme power, we need to open our eyes of knowledge through a daily perusal of the Gītā and regular practice of its teachings.

We often come across devotees striving relentlessly to gain spiritual knowledge. Seekers are of different types. Some perform puja, others observe fasting while a few engage in doing daana or charity. There are others who meditate with eyes closed, sitting in a quiet place where sights and sounds do not disturb them. They maintain silence so that their minds remain stable. After all, meditation becomes a futile effort if we yield to extraneous inclinations. Yet, we notice that refraining the mind from external events and situations becomes an arduous task even for the ‘vipashchitah’ or the intellectuals who are endowed with a sound sense of discrimination.

We should understand that the meditation we do is only a precursor of the main process. It is merely a practice that we engage in with the aim of reaching the state of stithidheer.

 Real meditation, in its true sense, involves dhyaan. It comprises three factors:

When the three factors become one and unite in harmony, it culminates in real meditation.

If we are not mindful of our state of alertness and get distracted by our sense organs or the indriyas, then 'Sadhana' becomes a mechanical meditation done at the superficial level. Hence, we should always ensure that we are on the right track and not getting disturbed by our environment.

The 12th chapter sees Parameshwara enumerating 39 qualities of a Jnani-bhakta. In the 18th chapter HE gives an account of the criteria that can qualify us to study the Bhagavad Gītā. Similarly, HE has given the lakshanas or attributes of various other traits, so that we may use these features as parameters and yardsticks to assess where we stand at present vis-a-vis the aforementioned qualities. It should be noted that these parameters have NOT been given so that we may judge others. We do not know what goes on in the others’ minds, and hence we are not qualified to evaluate them. These yardsticks have been given solely for the purpose of self-introspection and improvement in the quality of our own Sādhanā. 

As seekers of knowledge, we should thus be alert enough to make certain that our surroundings do not disturb us. Swami Chinmayananada ji has said that we should be constantly alert. Here the word ‘Alertness’ has been used in a wider perspective. He has gone as far as to say that whenever we are alert, we are actually getting to perform real Sādhanā. This is the reason why people take to vratas or fasting so that they remain in the alert state all the time and reign in their sense-organs.

Those who are Stithaprajñā do not get distracted by their indriyas or the sense organs. They are always dependent on HIM, as they are united with Ishwar and their minds are constantly absorbed in HIM, as the term ‘matparah’ denotes. Having successfully subdued their senses, they manage  to get established in perfect knowledge.

If we do not want to go through the tribulation of facing these hells, then we have to avoid anger. Therefore, through this shloka, Bhagavān gives us the means to avoid anger. HE starts with ‘dhyāyato’ or contemplation of any object. Sometimes the thought of a sweet comes to our mind. In case, while scrolling through the net or Instagram, we come across a picture of a sweet, and we start thinking of this sweet. The mere thought of the sweet paves the way for us to get attached to the savory. That attachment becomes our desire or kāmah, which in turn becomes the source of our anger. This is because whenever our needs are thwarted, we experience anger. The hypothetical case of the sweet which will be denied to us if we have, say, diabetes, serves as a perfect example of frustrated desires leading to rage. The example of the sweet can be extended to every life situation. Obstacles in our path and denial of our cravings will arouse anger in us.

We have seen cases where parents always shout at children who in turn are fearful, not knowing when they will get chastised by the parents. The reason for parents’ frustrations is the expectations that they have heaped upon their children. Similarly, we start holding expectations from our family and in the event that our anticipations are met with disappointment, we get exasperated and irate. That is why Ishwar mentions the term

अनपेक्षः शुचिर्दक्ष

(indifferent to worldly gains, pure and skillful). HE cautions us against harboring expectations from others, as this leads to desires, which, if unfulfilled, lead to vexation and anger.

Furthermore, Bhagavān  goes on to explain the consequences of anger in the next shloka.

We should make a note of the word ‘praṇaśyati’ used at the end of this shloka. It alludes to ruination and death. As our anger increases, we fail to discriminate between right and wrong . In the state of anger, our eyes turn red and the body trembles with indignation. Soon enough, we start experiencing delusions as our previous memories or smṛti vanish.

An example of smṛtibhraṃśād or bewilderment of memory would be that of a cell phone which, if we use in the correct way, would serve our purpose. However, if we forget its use and break it, then the instrument becomes useless. Loss of memory leads to absence of vivek-shakti or the sense of discrimination. Consequently, our intellect is destroyed. Such an unfortunate circumstance can be equated to death, because when memory and intellect start playing truant with us, it makes us no better than a dead body.

This is the reason we should avoid taking pledges when we are in the throes of anger. Both Draupadi and Bhishma had taken oaths while in a state of blind vexation. There is a famous anecdote on Yudhishthira’s anger directed at Arjuna during the Mahabharata war, when he discovered that Arjuna had not managed to kill Karna. Yudhishthira had sustained injuries during his fight with Karna, and had retreated into his room. Seeing his elder brother injured, Arjuna followed him to his room, whereupon Yudhishthira, on seeing Arjuna, assumed that the latter had killed Karna in retaliation for the injury inflicted on him. When he came to know that Karna was still alive and unvanquished, Yudhishthira lost his temper and taunted Arjuna telling him to give up his gāṇḍīvaṁ or the bow. 

In a fit of anger, his memory led astray, Yudhishthira forgot that Arjuna too had once taken a pledge that he would kill the person who would comment on his bow and arrow. As usual, it is Bhagavān who steps in to mitigate the situation. HE advises Arjuna to direct some offensive words at Yudhishthira. It was believed those days, that hurling derogatory and disrespectful words towards an older person was as good as killing him. Hence, we see how anger can lead to debilitating consequences. This anecdote indicates how unfulfilled expectations can lead to anger which can cause buddhināśo or destruction of the intellect.

One who can control the mind, and is free from attachment and aversion even while using the objects of the senses, attains supreme bliss by the Grace of Parameshwara. Rāga (attachment) and dveṣ (aversion) are the starting points of all the vikaras or defects and shortcomings. We should thus become free from these aberrations. We must keep in mind that having taken birth on this mortal planet, interacting with the world and going about our daily tasks becomes an inevitability. Much as we would want, we cannot get rid of the world or avoid encountering people of all hues and shades. However, we should tackle all the worldly situations calmly, devoid of attachment and abhorrence.

The term ‘ātmavaśyairvidheyātmā’ refers to one who can control the mind. Ishwar points out that if we subdue our antahkaran or mind and the sense organs through self-control, then we will get the prasādam in the form of ‘Anand’ or extreme happiness and tranquility of mind.

If the mind is not stable and the intellect or buddhi is conspicuous by its absence, or if in a perpetually distracted state of existence we are not able to be firm in our commitment to abide by our decisions, then we cannot get any desire fulfilled, nor achieve our aims.

The absence of resoluteness can make the mind lose its grip over control of the senses, consequently making us bereft of bhāvanā or the ability for contemplation. It goes without saying that with such an oscillating state of mind, we cannot get any śāntiḥ or peace; nor can we get any happiness.

So powerful an effect do the senses have on us, that if we get distracted by even one of the sense-organs, our intellect can be led astray. We need strong sails and a competent sailor to effectively navigate the direction of the boat. However, if we do not have a proper sailor, then the vayu or the wind can sweep the boat off its chartered course. Similarly, if our sense-organs and the mind are uncontrolled, it would lead to the destruction of our intellect or buddhi.

Addressing Arjuna as Mahābāho or the ‘Mighty-armed’, Sri Krishna explains that one who has restrained the senses from the sense-objects, gets established in stability and quietude. Through this shloka, Parameshwara points out to Arjuna that he should try to control his senses from all sides and be alert enough not to let the indriyās or the sense-organs interact with the object of the senses. Arjuna is cautioned against falling under the sway of the ‘īndriyārtha’ or the worldly objects and temporal pleasures.

That which is night for all beings, is day for the Stithaprajnah, and conversely, that which is day for all creatures, is viewed as night by such self-controlled people. There are deep layers of meaning in this shloka. Bhagavān alludes to our night as the darkness of ‘ajnana’. Night is thus symbolic of ignorance, a time when most of us sleep in ‘ajnana-nidra’. This ignorance stems from our misperception that we are the body and that the worldly possessions belong eternally to us. Erroneous identification with this fleeting world is the biggest source of all lack of knowledge.

However, the enlightened ones who have knowledge and are stithaprajnah, are well aware that they cannot be identified with the mortal body and that the worldly possessions are not for them to claim as their own. Hence it is said that while the rest of the world is awake in a false mire of delusion, the knowledgeable one deliberately stays oblivious to this false state of wakefulness.

On the other hand, they are awake at another level. They are conscious of the fact that they are a part of the Paramātmā and Parabrahmā. That is the time when ordinary humans are not awake, being deeply engulfed in lack of awareness. The awakening of the wise ones can be taken as the real awakening. At the level of the body, they are perceived to be sleeping, but at the spiritual level, they are wide awake. The contrary holds true for the rest of us who might be awake at the bodily level, but in deep slumber at the spiritual level.

If the ocean is brimming with water, would pouring more water into its vast bosom cause the ocean to become flooded? Would there be any inundation, any vikaar in the ocean-body? 

The answer to this rhetorical question points at the common feature between the mind of a stithaprajnah and the tranquility of the ocean. Such  people’s mind remain undisturbed and unaffected, irrespective of the turbulence that may occur in their life. These are the people who know the Truth. They are aware of their identity and of the fact they are a part of Paramātmā. Contented in this knowledge, their minds remain undisturbed and stable like an ocean. Observe the tumultuous and angry waves lashing the surface of the ocean; Dive headlong into the waters and go down at the deepest level. You will find that the ocean is undeterred by the waves and has retained its serenity.

To sum up, just as the ocean remains undisturbed by the incessant flow of water, likewise the sage who is unaffected despite the flow of desirable objects all around him, attains everlasting peace. This peace is denied to those who get affected by worldly pleasures.

The person who gives up all material desires and breaks away from the avaricious qualities of greed and acquisitiveness, becomes free from egoism and lives in peace. He is the one who knows the truth about his identity. No matter how many external temptations we may put in his way, such a person would not get affected. The word vihāya kāmān means giving up all material desires. 

A person situated in this kind of knowledge performs his actions without any sense of attachment. The word used here to refer to the manner in which he conducts his daily tasks, is ‘niḥspṛhaḥ’, which means, without attachment. There are very minute differences amongst words like 'niḥspṛhaḥ', 'nirmamo' and 'nirahaṅkāraḥ'. At the end, they all indicate a sense of detachment.

These are the characteristics that we should all follow. Our senior vivechak, Sanjay ji, gives the example of three positions, B, C and D. The alphabet B stands for birth and D represents Death. Neither birth nor death is in our control. The alphabet that falls between B and D is C or choice. How to live our life is a choice bestowed upon us, as it is in our hands. Therefore, we should make the right decisions, which only comes if we have vivek-shakti or the power of discrimination. We can increase our vivek-shakti by reading and understanding the Gītā, and bringing its tenets into our lives. This can become possible if we are surrounded by erudite devotees who add positivity to the surroundings.

The vivechan was followed by the Question-Answer session.

Q & A

Uday chandrikaji

Q1. How can we control our feelings and emotions?

A: Daily Puja, parayana and practice can help us control our emotions. Whenever we sense anger within us, we should try to analyze what is anger, why it has risen and try to see if the anger is different and unrelated to our body. The easiest way is to count backwards from 100 to 1. We can try the same techniques for the other emotions as well. We should see our own emotions from the witness standpoint, like a sakshi. Just like we replace cactus with some other plant in case we want the cactus removed, similarly we should replace the existing negative emotion with another positive emotion.

Q2. Some people have hurt me in the past. They discourage me all the time. What do you suggest I should do?

Ans: Ask yourself, are these people important to you? If they are, then they will never discourage you. And if they are discouraging, then they are not important to you. Why bother about those who do not matter to you? You should get disconnected from them. Change the object of your mind and avoid their company. Engage yourself in the company of those who are encouraging towards you.

Shruti Prasanna ji

Q How can we attain brāhmī sthitiḥ?

Ans: This is the last stage of sadhana. These people have realized everything. That supreme element can only be recognized through sadhana. Swamiji says that in some life or the other we will attain this state. However, in which lifetime we will get this state, is not known to us. We need to therefore find a Guru, read scriptures like the Shastras, and do our sadhana regularly. Nobody knows what is brāhmī sthitiḥ. Only those who have reached this stage can realize it. The situation is akin to trying to decipher what a rasgulla tastes like, when we have never even eaten one.

Vanaja TC ji

Q. Kindly explain the term ‘ātmanyevātmanā tuṣṭaḥ’.

Ans: The term implies that we are fully satisfied even without any acquisition. People who do tapasya in the Himalayas are more happy than us as they do not need anything. They are connected with their own soul and the Super Soul or the supreme power.