Kanchi Maha-Swamigal's Discourses on Advaita Saadhanaa (KDAS-32)

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Namaste.

 

For a Table of Contents of these Discourses, see

advaitin/message/27766

 

For the previous post, see

advaitin/message/31960

 

SECTION 20: TITIKSHHAA (Patience; Endurance) (continued)

 

The various parts of Atma-sAdhanA have to be practised

simultaneously, just as a high school student studies for

the different subjects of his final examination, all

together, though at any point of time it appears he is

studying for them in a certain sequence. The very idea of

sequencing the steps of the sAdhanA as if one follows the

other is just to give a clarity of understanding. In the

early beginnings of the lessons on music the svaras ‘sa’,

‘ri’,’ga’, ‘ma’, ‘pa’, ‘dha’ ‘ni’ are sequenced in order

that the learner may get the right fixation for each of the

svaras. When it comes to full-fledged music like a Kirtana

or an Alapana, the upper and lower svaras do mingle in

various orders.

 

The word ‘uparati’ signifies a repose after all ties or

attachments have been dispensed with. And ‘then’ you are

supposed to practice the forbearance implicit in

‘titikshhA’. This looks like telling a sleeping man to ‘be

patient’! So the word ‘then’ is not to be interpreted in

terms of a sequence in time. Rather it should be

interpreted as a juxtaposed addition like a ‘plus’! The

analogy of the high school student studying different

subjects for his final examination should not be forgotten.

 

If one takes up the lesson of ‘uparati’ seriously and

succeeds in it to a certain extent, the mind will be free

of perturbations of happiness and sorrow, unlike the normal

mind which is always tossed between these two extremes.

Even then, if pleasure or pain happens in an abnormal or

subnormal way, there is likely to be a vibration from the

state of ‘uparati’. It is in this context that ‘titikshA’

is prescribed by the Rishis of the Upanishad. The word

‘titikshhasva’ (Forbear) is actually the Lord’s word (Ch.2

– 4) in the Gita.

 

The common word ‘shItoshhNa’ is actually made up of two

words: ‘shIta’ – cold, and ‘ushhNa’ – hot. It is a pair

(‘dvandvaM’) of opposites. Similarly there is ‘sukha-dukha’

(pleasure and pain), another pair of opposites. ‘Bear with

hot and cold, pleasure and pain’, says the Lord to Arjuna.

 

Off and on in the Gita the Lord mentions several such pairs

of opposites. Says He: “Transcend all these pairs of

dualities and be beyond all of them. Be a ‘dvandvAtIta’ –

one who has transcended all dualities. Whether your

objective is fulfilled or not, be equanimous to both

fulfillment (siddhi) and non-fulfillment (asiddhi). Such

equanimity also implies only ‘titikshhA’ (tolerance,

forbearance, endurance). In the last chapter also He refers

to this topic of ‘siddhi-asiddhi’ when He says: “That Jiva

who has no impact by either fulfillment or non-fulfillment

is the sAtvika doer” (Ch.18 – 26).

*siddhy-asiddhyor-nirvikAraH kartA sAtvika ucyate*.

 

The hot-cold pair that was mentioned in the beginning is

again referred to in the chapter on dhyana yoga, where He

further adds (Ch.6 – 7) another pair -- *mAna* and

*apamAna*. In many places (2-57; 9-28; 12-17) He has

mentioned the pair *shubha-ashubha* of direct opposites.

The shubha-ashubha (auspicious and non-auspicious) is

nothing but puNya and pApa (Spiritual merit and demerit).

At several places He mentions the pairs *priya – apriya*

(likeable and unlikeable) , *ishhTa – anishhTa* (favourite

and non-favourite), *lAbha – alAbha* (gain and loss), *jaya

– apajaya* (victory and defeat) and pleads for equanimity

between these opposites.

 

We have to keep on patiently tolerating whatever now

appears to be bad among these, so that in due course we can

be totally indifferent to them. Extreme cold, extreme heat,

, the inauspicious, the unpleasant, sorrow, dishonour,

defeat – in all these, we have to build up such a

tolerance. And this tolerance should also be practised

towards what appears now to us as good, namely, healthy

heat, healthy cold, pleasure, honour, success, the

auspicious and the pleasant. The Lord would not have

mentioned both if he did not mean these also, in his list

of objects towards which we have to be equanimous. Both

good and bad have to be taken equally, ‘suffered’ equally,

treated equally indifferently.

 

One can easily understand what it is to tolerate/endure

what is bad. Maybe we cannot do it in practice; but we know

what is meant. But what is it to say: ‘Endure the good

things!’? Isn’t it funny? – To ‘endure’ the good things?

That will be understood only if we take a few steps up the

ladder of saadhanaa. Even those that appear to be ‘good’

will turn out to be ‘unwelcome’ at a certain stage.

Suppose a cool wind blows softly. It is pleasant to the

body. But the thought will arise: “Why this hankering after

the pleasure for the body? Cold or hot, whatever wind

blows, let it blow. That should be the goal. Why should one

isolate the so-called soft cold wind and the ‘pleasure’

that it is supposed to bring? Why can’t one be indifferent

to its ‘pleasing’ effect?”

 

In the same manner, when one gets money or status, or when

one receives the aplombs of others, one will begin to

think: “Why can’t I allow poverty to stay with me? Let

people not be pleasant to to me. So what? Already I have

trained myself to tolerate bad things; then why should I

now be different when the good things arrive? If I change

now then I would be making a distinction between good and

bad”. In other words, just as we feel now that bad things

are unwelcome, so also, when one has risen up the ladder of

saadhanaa a certain number of steps, one will begin to

feel that even the so-called good things are unwelcome.

The policy of ‘Whatever will be, will be’ is what leads to

the feeling of tolerance of ‘bad’ and that is ‘titikshhaa’

.. When one is ready to reject what is called ‘good’ by

calling it equally ‘unwelcome’, the attitude of

‘titikshhaa’ means that even that ‘unwelcomeness’is

tolerated. This is the ‘titikshhaa’ of even the good

things.

 

Even though we might want to think indifferently about both

good and bad things, our karma of the past might bring in

certain good things in spite of ourselves. Without our

wanting it wealth might pour in. Relatives and friends

may behave very favourably. More such good things might

happen. One may think ‘Oh No. I don’t want these good

things to happen. Only if I keep cool and happy when bad

things are happening to me I can check my success in

saadhanaa. The good things are only traps that draw me

deeper into mAyA. I don’t want them’. Such thoughts again

speak against ‘titikshhaa’. One has to show ‘titikshhaa’

even of good things; in other words, even the good

happenings must not be unwelcome – they also must be

suffered, endured!

 

(To be Continued)

PraNAms to all students of advaita.

PraNAms to the Maha-Swamigal.

profvk