A 'Man of Perfection'

January 25, 2005

Pranam to all Vaishnavas,

a 'man of perfection'

Among the variety of topics dealing with codes of conduct for a human being to lead an integrated life, an extremely fine portrayal of a ``man of perfection'' has been presented by Lord Krishna Himself in the Bhagavad Gita. How can we recognise such a person of steady wisdom, how does he function, what is his method of approach, does he live in solitude or does he mingle with people and join their activities and such other questions which are bound to be raised by some, have found place in an exhaustive and complete exposition of the inner experience and outer conduct of the man of outstanding calibre.

The description of such a saintly person is that he lives in the world but ``is not of it''. He will use his intellect through which he can ``see'' as it is one of the two powerful instruments given by Krishna, the other being the mind which is blind. It has to be controlled and properly directed. Mind can be compared to an official at a lower level, while the intellect performs the duties of a chief. If the former does not carry out the superior's order, one cannot expect harmony. The man of wisdom has a steadfast mind controlled by intellect. This will not mean suppression but is an act of supplication. The senses will not so easily yield even to such a wise man, because their lure is strong and often times may go against feeble resolve. The strength of the sense-enjoyments is also so great that even those attempting to check their influence by following the path of abstract concentration and spiritual knowledge, may at times be swept away by the sense-storm. The two sinful gourmands are desires and anger, which will consume knowledge, as smoke covers the flame, dust in the surface of the mirror and the womb, the unborn baby.

Meditation on phenomenal objects even when pondering over the abrogation of worldly enjoyment, will give birth to passion, which when it receives setback, causes anger which leads to delusion. The latter will destroy memory, the loss of which will wipe out all real understanding about Krishna. The absence of pure intelligence will ultimately land him in destruction.

How desire and anger result in catastrophe is illustrated through Sita in the Ramayana, who is a pinnacle of human perfection. Despite Rama's plea to Her not to be lured by the golden fawn, She insisted on possessing it stating ``I have never asked anything from you and so just grant this one request.'' Again, in Her anger when Lakshmana, who was standing guard advised Her and said that he would not leave Her alone as ordered by Rama, She poured out harsh remarks, even suspecting his motives.

Almost all the sacred books constantly remind us about the catastrophic consequences of yielding to the influence of the senses and prescribe to us the methods by which we can subdue them and cross this slough of delusion, attachment, desire and anger. For this saints and sages have placed before us instances as to how those who had conquered these internal foes will conduct themselves. Such men of wisdom and perfection will remain alike without likes and dislikes, free from fear, wrath and resentment and rein in the senses.

Lord Krishna says in His ``Divine Song'' that just as a ship tossed to and fro and rolled up and down by an unfavourable strong gale is ultimately driven to wreck and ruin, so too the unbridled mind of a person robs him of his power of discrimination and ultimately ruins him by leading him astray from the path of pure devotion. Other examples given in general, are of a car whose brakes fail and the steering wheel being held by a driver who has fainted or that of a chariot driven by horses, each pulling in different directions.

But by far the best illustration is the one referring to the havoc caused by each one of the senses. A moth, attracted by the bright light, falls into the flames and perishes. A bee which can make a hole in a tree, enjoys the fragrance and gets caught in lotus when it closes in the nights, but as it cannot pierce the soft petals, suffers from suffocation and dies. A fish in water meets its end by its tongue (food in a bait). A deer has weakness to sound and rushes on listening to it and is caught in the net.

The man of perfection will close his eyes to the objects which worldly people pursue but will keep wide awake to those things to which others turn blind, explained.Such a man of wisdom will be in a perpetual state of blessedness, peace and serenity, which is the result of ever- wakeful discipline. Desires cannot disturb the tranquillity of mind and he cannot become a slave to his passions. A dancer of extraordinary charm who used to present her talent only before kings and others, decided to enable all others to enjoy her beauty by coming out daily in the mornings to dry her hair. Once there was a sadhu amongst the crowd and he remained there even when others had dispersed. He explained

that while admiring her beauty he was lost in wondering how much more should be the dazzle of the great one who created her. In his case, his mind remained balanced and he maintained equipoise. When the mind is agitated, one cannot gain knowledge.

Lord Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 12, Slokas 13-14 :

advesta sarva-bhutanam / maitrah karuna eva canirmamo nirahankarah / sama-duhkha-sukhah ksamisantustah satatam yogi / yatatma drdha-niscayahmayy arpita-mano-buddhir / yo mad-bhaktah sa me priyah

(My bhakta who is non-envious, compassionate and friendly towards all living beings, free from feelings of possessiveness, devoid of false ego and even-minded in both happiness and distress; who is forgiving, ever-content, endowed with bhakti-yoga, in control of his senses, resolutely determined and dedicated to Me in both mind and intelligence, is very dear to Me. )

OM NAMO BHAGAVATE VASUDEVAYA!!!

Krishna’s Dasi, Jayamma.