Guest guest Posted November 4, 2006 Report Share Posted November 4, 2006 Krishn has given the answers for all thi in Gita when He says taht the way to become detached is to become a sthithaptrjna.( ithink that I have already posted the matter given below but since this is only the right answer I am giving it again. Prajahaati yadhaa kaaman sarvaan Partha manogathaan atmanyaivatmanaa thushtah sthithaprajnastatdochyate. One is known as sthithaprajna when he gives up all desires that arise in his mind and rejoices in his own self. Let us see what this means. Thushtah means happy and contented. When does a man become so? Let us take, for example an instance where one learns that he has become a father of a boy. He has been desirous of getting a child so long and now the desire is satisfied. So he is happy but only until he starts desiring for some other thing , like providing for his son etc. Hence the joy lasted only as long as no other desire has started in its stead. This proves that happiness comes not out of satisfying a desire but only in the absence of any other desire. Therefore if one wants to remain happy he should lengthen the gap between one desire and the next Swami Chinmayananda used to give an equation for happiness as follows: Number of desires fulfilled --- & = the quotient of happiness. Number of desires entertained . When the denominator becomes zero the value of the quotient is infinity. So it follows that only the absence of desire will result in infinite happiness. This can be verified through experience. Generally one’s childhood is always remembered as the happiest part of our lives except for some unfortunate beings. If we analyse as to why it was so, we could see that in our childhood we had very few simple desires which were mostly fulfilled. As we grow older we multiply our desires so fast that it becomes impossible to satisfy all of them even during the whole span of life. Atmanyaivaatmanaatushtah, revelling in the joy of one’s own self. Man runs after sense objects expecting them to provide happiness which is a myth. If so, the same object will not be the source of happiness for one and give sorrow to another and the same source of happiness will not bring sorrow at a different time. External object does not bring joy or sorrow but our joy or sorrow depends on the way we react to it. Hence happiness must come from within, which explains the reason why the man of realization is always happy. He is experiencing the bliss , which is the real nature of the Self .He is happy within because he has given up all his desires . Therefore he does not react to the circumstances that gives joy or sorrow to the ordinary man. He has no attachment nor repulsion for sukha or duhkha, joy or sorrow because he is devoid of passion fear and anger. So he , whose mind neither rejoices with , nor recoils from good and evil , is a sthithaprajna the one whose mind is stable. Now the question is, how does he manage to become detached so as not to be affected by sukha or duhkha nor by good or evil? The answer is given thus Yadhaasamharathe chaayam koormangaaneeva sarvasah indriyaneendriyaarthebyah thasya prajnaprathishtithaa. Just as a tortoise withdraws its limbs into its shell he withdraws his sense organs from the sense objects .This does not mean that he goes on in the world shutting his eyes ears etc. but he does not allow the sense objects to affect him. The damage is done only when the mind runs after the senses as is seen later in the discourse when Krishna says Indriyaanaamhi charathaam yanmanoanuvidheeyathe thadasyaharati prajnaam vayurnaavamivambhasi. When the mind follows the senses it takes away one’s determination like a boat which is carried away by the wind .The sense objects turn away from him who is not attracted towards them but still the propensity to enjoy the sensual pleasures remains , though not encouraged , until the final consummation with the Supreme. Rasavarjam rasoapyasya param drshtwaa nivartathe. ‘Arise, awake, stop not till the goal is reached’, thunders the Upanishad. But before proceeding we should know the pitfalls we will encounter on the way in order to be guarded against them. But this is more easily said than done. Indriyani pramaatheeni haranti prasabham manah , says Krishna , even for a wise man vipaschithahwho tries hard yatato hyaapi Kountheya purushasys vipaschithah. Krishna now traces the descent of man from the state of infinite bliss which is his real nature. dhyayato vishayaan pumsah sangastheshoopajaayate. This is the first step by which one descends from his mansion of bliss. When we think about an object continuously we get attached to it. This is sanga .Then we start desiring it sangat sanjaayate kaamah, which, when thwarted , results in anger kaamaat krodho abhijaayate. Then comes sammoha delusion. When the intellect is clouded with anger one is not .able to think straight. That is, we imagine something which is not there and that is delusion. sammohaat smrti vibramah.’. From sammoha arises confusion of memory. When angry we forget whom we are talking to,and what they have been to us in the past. In the Sundarakanda of the Valmiki Ramayana, Hanuman says kruddho hanyat guroon api,.angry man will not hesitate to kill even his elders or even his preceptor. This will happen because he forgets everything except the cause of his anger, not caring whom he hurts. The confusion of memory results in the loss of reason buddhinaasah due to which he comes to ruin. As Krishna elaborates later, kaama or desire is the principal enemy of man followed by the other forces of destruction , namely , anger , delusion pride, avarice and jealousy. So the only way to avoid downfall is to cultivate placidity of mind. This is achieved by self control. Raagadveshaviyuktaistu vishayaanindriyaischaran aatmavasyairvidheyatma prasaadam adhigachchati. A man of discrimination enjoys the sense objects through his senses but does not cling to them, being free from likes and dislikes. With the attainment of the placidity of mind all the sorrows come to an end , that is to say, he is free from the woes of samsara. The description of a sthithaprajna comes to a close with a portrait of the man of wisdom , one whose senses are completely restrained from their objects and who, having given up all desires moves freely without attachment, ego and possessiveness. Vihaaya kaaman yassarvaan puman charati nissprhah ;nirmamo nirahankarah sa shaantim adhigachchati. In him all enjoyments merge themselves like the rivers entering the ocean. Rivers are continuously falling into the ocean which remains unperturbed , maintaining its own level. So too , a sthithaprajna remains calm while enjoying the sense experiences without being affected by them Aapooryamaanam achalaprathishtam samudramaapah pravisanti yadvat ;tadvat yam kaamaah pravisanti sarve sa shaantimaapnoti na kaamakaamee.’ Krishna concludes his portrayal of the sthithaprajna now. That, which is night to all beings the realized man keeps awake and that in which all beings keep awake is night to the seer. This does not mean that a sthithaprajna is a night owl! The state of Divine knowledge and supreme Bliss is like night to the ignorant whereas it is as clear as the day to a jnani. On the other hand the ever changing, transient worldly happiness does not mean anything to him. Yaa nisaa sarvabhoothaanaam tasyaamjaagarti samyami,yasyaam jaagarti bhoothaani sa nisaa pasyayo muneh.’This , says Krishna , is the braahmee sthithih, the state of realization, having reached which, one never lapses back into delusion. He remains in it till the end of his life, and shedding his mortal coil ,he attains Eternal Bliss. Kama and krodha, coupled as one, is the formidable enemy of man, says Krishna. Kama esha krodha esha rajogunasamudhbhavah , born out of rajas. The craving for something is kama which changes to krodha when obstructed. Hence they are not two but one,. Incited by which, man commits sin. The knowledge of right and wrong becomes obscured by this craving for the object of desire and hence Kama is called jnaninah nithyavairi, the perpetual foe of man. Wisdom becomes obscured by desire as the fire is by the smoke, mirror by dirt and the embryo by the womb. Dhoomenaavriyathe vahnih yathaadharso malenacha yatho ulbena aavrtho garbah thathaathenedhamaavrtham. Aavrtho jnanamethena jnaanino niyhyavairinaa. The desire is insatiable like fire. This is why it is termed as a formidable and perpetual enemy of man. Desire never becomes extinguished by fulfilling it. On the other hand it only increases like fire being fed with fuel. The three analogies given to describe the obscuration of wisdom by desire are significant. First is the fire being obscured by smoke. This denotes a nature predominant of satthva where the wisdom is slightly obscured as the fire with smoke. Once the smoke clears of its own accord the fire becomes visible. Similarly a person who is of saathvik temperament needs only a little help from the sastras or his guru to clear his ignorance which is only slight like smoke that conceals the fire. The next example of mirror covered with dust refers to one who has more rajas and thamas due to karma accumulated in the past lives. It takes time for a mirror to become covered with dust. This can be removed only through persistent effort like cleaning a mirror with a cloth. That is the wisdom can be acquired only through diligent spiritual discipline. The third example of the foetus being concealed in the womb is applicable to those whose nature is predominant of thamas. The ignorance is so great that it can be removed only in course of time just as the baby is born only at the appropriate time. The first step towards fighting the enemy consists in locating him. Krishna points out that the senses, mind and intellect are abode of desire and hence the control of these is the only way to vanquish and destroy this foe of man who hides behind the senses, mind and intellect using them as his fortress deludes the embodied soul by obstructing jnana and vijnana, knowledge and realization Krishna then proceeds to show the way to control the body, mind and intellect in order to conquer desire. Indhriyaani paraanyaahuh indriyebhyah param manah manasasthu paraa bhaudhdhiih yo budhdheh parathasthu saha evem bhudhdheh param bhudhdhvaa samsthabhyaathmaanamaathmanaa jahi sathrum mahaabhaaho kaamaroopam dhurasadham. The senses are said to be greater than the body but greater than the senses is the mind. Intellect is greater than the mind but the Self is the greatest of all. Therefore the inaccessible enemy in the form of desire can only be destroyed by resorting to the support of the Atman, the Self. Yastvindriyaani manasaa niyamyaarabyate Arjuna karmendriyaihi karmayogam asaktah sa visishyate , says Krishna. One who controls his senses through his mind and does his allotted duty with detachment is a karmayogi .This is not as easy as it seems to be. Krishna gives a clue. Do everything with the spirit of sacrifice, because, man is bound by his action except when it is performed for the sake of sacrifice yajnaarthaath karmano anyathra loko ayam karmabhandhanah. The word yajna is translated as sacrifice which normally taken to mean the ritual of yaaga as enjoined in the Vedas. But it is the spirit with which it is done is meant here and not the mere ritual. Yajna was created along with man, says, Krishna, so that man can prosper by it. Anena prasavishtyadhvam eshavo asthu ishtakaamadhuk, ‘You shall prosper by this; may this yield the enjoyment you seek.’ Yajnaas elaborated in the karmakanda of the Vedas are supposed to yield the fruit for which they were performed. The same done without attachment brings about release from the bondage of karma. To understand this one has to know something about the way yajnaas are performed. Yajna in those days was a cooperative endeavour undertaken for the welfare of the society. It was done by the people from all the varnas, which were formed on the basis of the division of labour and not birth. Brahmanas were so called because they were the custodians of the knowledge of the Vedas which culminates in the realization of Brahman. The word Brahman in Sanskrit denotes the Absolute Reality, veda and yajna. Hence they were in charge of conducting the yajna, or the priests. Kshathriyas were those who protect the people from enemies and maintain law and order. The king, a kshathriya was usually the yajamaana, the master of the ceremony, as he had the authority to organize. Vaisyas were the men of trade who supplied the commodities needed by the society an they were in charge of providing the materials for the yajna. Sudras were the unskilled labourers doing the manual work. All contribute their share towards the success of the yajna and what is left over as the result of the yajna is distributed equally to all. Krishna further insists the necessity of doing one’s duty and says that one who does not perform his duty with a spirit of sacrifice is aghaayuh,indhriyaaraamah, sinful and sensual, and his life is worthless. These words emphasise the importance of working in harmony with the world, selfless and without attachment, which is Karmayoga, elaborated subsequently. May god bless you, Dr. Saroja Ramanujam, M.A., Ph.D, Siromani in sanskrit. Access over 1 million songs - Music Unlimited Try it today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 4, 2006 Report Share Posted November 4, 2006 Smt Sarojaji, In the para below, you have described how to become detached by not allowing the sense objects to affect him, so as not be affected by happiness and sorrow. It is said that yogis control their senses by withdrawing the life force or the prana from the sense organs as in meditation learnt under the guidance of a competant Guru. Just as tortoise withdraws its limbs, a yogi withdraws the prana from the sense organs. When he does so, the likes and dislikes of the sense organs no longer bother the mind. Is this just the one of the ways to control the senses or the only one? How does a Bhakta control his desires? Is it that the desires in a bhakta are no longer materialistic [tamasic and rajasic], but directed toward the Lord and hence Satvic, which later on are burnt in the fire of Bhakti? Now the question is, how does he manage to become detached so as not to be affected by sukha or duhkha nor by good or evil? The answer is given thus Yadhaasamharathe chaayam koormangaaneeva sarvasah indriyaneendriyaarthebyah thasya prajnaprathishtithaa. Just as a tortoise withdraws its limbs into its shell he withdraws his sense organs from the sense objects .This does not mean that he goes on in the world shutting his eyes ears etc. but he does not allow the sense objects to affect him. The damage is done only when the mind runs after the senses as is seen later in the discourse when Krishna says Indriyaanaamhi charathaam yanmanoanuvidheeyathe thadasyaharati prajnaam vayurnaavamivambhasi. When the mind follows the senses it takes away one’s determination like a boat which is carried away by the wind .The sense objects turn away from him who is not attracted towards them but still the propensity to enjoy the sensual pleasures remains , though not encouraged , until the final consummation with the Supreme. Rasavarjam rasoapyasya param drshtwaa nivartathe. guruvayur , Saroja Ramanujam <sarojram18 wrote: > > Krishn has given the answers for all thi in Gita when He says taht the way to become detached is to become a sthithaptrjna.( ithink that I have already posted the matter given below but since this is only the right answer I am giving it again. > > Prajahaati yadhaa kaaman sarvaan Partha manogathaan atmanyaivatmanaa thushtah sthithaprajnastatdochyate. One is known as sthithaprajna when he gives up all desires that arise in his mind and rejoices in his own self. Let us see what this means. Thushtah means happy and contented. When does a man become so? Let us take, for example an instance where one learns that he has become a father of a boy. He has been desirous of getting a child so long and now the desire is satisfied. So he is happy but only until he starts desiring for some other thing , like providing for his son etc. Hence the joy lasted only as long as no other desire has started in its stead. This proves that happiness comes not out of satisfying a desire but only in the absence of any other desire. Therefore if one wants to remain happy he should lengthen the gap between one desire and the next > Swami Chinmayananda used to give an equation for happiness as follows: > Number of desires fulfilled > --- & = the quotient of happiness. > Number of desires entertained > . > When the denominator becomes zero the value of the quotient is infinity. So it follows that only the absence of desire will result in infinite happiness. This can be verified through experience. Generally one’s childhood is always remembered as the happiest part of our lives except for some unfortunate beings. If we analyse as to why it was so, we could see that in our childhood we had very few simple desires which were mostly fulfilled. As we grow older we multiply our desires so fast that it becomes impossible to satisfy all of them even during the whole span of life. Atmanyaivaatmanaatushtah, revelling in the joy of one’s own self. Man runs after sense objects expecting them to provide happiness which is a myth. If so, the same object will not be the source of happiness for one and give sorrow to another and the same source of happiness will not bring sorrow at a different time. External object does not bring joy or sorrow but our joy or sorrow > depends on the way we react to it. Hence happiness must come from within, which explains the reason why the man of realization is always happy. He is experiencing the bliss , which is the real nature of the Self .He is happy within because he has given up all his desires . Therefore he does not react to the circumstances that gives joy or sorrow to the ordinary man. He has no attachment nor repulsion for sukha or duhkha, joy or sorrow because he is devoid of passion fear and anger. So he , whose mind neither rejoices with , nor recoils from good and evil , is a sthithaprajna the one whose mind is stable. > Now the question is, how does he manage to become detached so as not to be affected by sukha or duhkha nor by good or evil? The answer is given thus Yadhaasamharathe chaayam koormangaaneeva sarvasah indriyaneendriyaarthebyah thasya prajnaprathishtithaa. Just as a tortoise withdraws its limbs into its shell he withdraws his sense organs from the sense objects .This does not mean that he goes on in the world shutting his eyes ears etc. but he does not allow the sense objects to affect him. The damage is done only when the mind runs after the senses as is seen later in the discourse when Krishna says Indriyaanaamhi charathaam yanmanoanuvidheeyathe thadasyaharati prajnaam vayurnaavamivambhasi. When the mind follows the senses it takes away one’s determination like a boat which is carried away by the wind .The sense objects turn away from him who is not attracted towards them but still the propensity to enjoy the sensual pleasures remains , though not encouraged > , until the final consummation with the Supreme. Rasavarjam rasoapyasya param drshtwaa nivartathe. > ‘Arise, awake, stop not till the goal is reached’, thunders the Upanishad. But before proceeding we should know the pitfalls we will encounter on the way in order to be guarded against them. But this is more easily said than done. Indriyani pramaatheeni haranti prasabham manah , says Krishna , even for a wise man vipaschithahwho tries hard yatato hyaapi Kountheya purushasys vipaschithah. > > Krishna now traces the descent of man from the state of infinite bliss which is his real nature. dhyayato vishayaan pumsah sangastheshoopajaayate. This is the first step by which one descends from his mansion of bliss. When we think about an object continuously we get attached to it. This is sanga .Then we start desiring it sangat sanjaayate kaamah, which, when thwarted , results in anger kaamaat krodho abhijaayate. Then comes sammoha delusion. When the intellect is clouded with anger one is not .able to think straight. That is, we imagine something which is not there and that is delusion. sammohaat smrti vibramah.’. From sammoha arises confusion of memory. When angry we forget whom we are talking to,and what they have been to us in the past. In the Sundarakanda of the Valmiki Ramayana, Hanuman says kruddho hanyat guroon api,.angry man will not hesitate to kill even his elders or even his preceptor. This will happen because he forgets everything except the cause > of his anger, not caring whom he hurts. The confusion of memory results in the loss of reason buddhinaasah due to which he comes to ruin. As Krishna elaborates later, kaama or desire is the principal enemy of man followed by the other forces of destruction , namely , anger , delusion pride, avarice and jealousy. So the only way to avoid downfall is to cultivate placidity of mind. This is achieved by self control. Raagadveshaviyuktaistu vishayaanindriyaischaran aatmavasyairvidheyatma prasaadam adhigachchati. A man of discrimination enjoys the sense objects through his senses but does not cling to them, being free from likes and dislikes. With the attainment of the placidity of mind all the sorrows come to an end , that is to say, he is free from the woes of samsara. > The description of a sthithaprajna comes to a close with a portrait of the man of wisdom , one whose senses are completely restrained from their objects and who, having given up all desires moves freely without attachment, ego and possessiveness. Vihaaya kaaman yassarvaan puman charati nissprhah ;nirmamo nirahankarah sa shaantim adhigachchati. In him all enjoyments merge themselves like the rivers entering the ocean. Rivers are continuously falling into the ocean which remains unperturbed , maintaining its own level. So too , a sthithaprajna remains calm while enjoying the sense experiences without being affected by them Aapooryamaanam achalaprathishtam samudramaapah pravisanti yadvat ;tadvat yam kaamaah pravisanti sarve sa shaantimaapnoti na kaamakaamee.’ Krishna concludes his portrayal of the sthithaprajna now. That, which is night to all beings the realized man keeps awake and that in which all beings keep awake is night to the seer. This does not mean > that a sthithaprajna is a night owl! The state of Divine knowledge and supreme Bliss is like night to the ignorant whereas it is as clear as the day to a jnani. On the other hand the ever changing, transient worldly happiness does not mean anything to him. Yaa nisaa sarvabhoothaanaam tasyaamjaagarti samyami,yasyaam jaagarti bhoothaani sa nisaa pasyayo muneh.’This , says Krishna , is the braahmee sthithih, the state of realization, having reached which, one never lapses back into delusion. He remains in it till the end of his life, and shedding his mortal coil ,he attains Eternal Bliss. > > Kama and krodha, coupled as one, is the formidable enemy of man, says Krishna. Kama esha krodha esha rajogunasamudhbhavah , born out of rajas. The craving for something is kama which changes to krodha when obstructed. Hence they are not two but one,. Incited by which, man commits sin. The knowledge of right and wrong becomes obscured by this craving for the object of desire and hence Kama is called jnaninah nithyavairi, the perpetual foe of man. Wisdom becomes obscured by desire as the fire is by the smoke, mirror by dirt and the embryo by the womb. Dhoomenaavriyathe vahnih yathaadharso malenacha yatho ulbena aavrtho garbah thathaathenedhamaavrtham. Aavrtho jnanamethena jnaanino niyhyavairinaa. The desire is insatiable like fire. This is why it is termed as a formidable and perpetual enemy of man. Desire never becomes extinguished by fulfilling it. On the other hand it only increases like fire being fed with fuel. > > The three analogies given to describe the obscuration of wisdom by desire are significant. First is the fire being obscured by smoke. This denotes a nature predominant of satthva where the wisdom is slightly obscured as the fire with smoke. Once the smoke clears of its own accord the fire becomes visible. Similarly a person who is of saathvik temperament needs only a little help from the sastras or his guru to clear his ignorance which is only slight like smoke that conceals the fire. The next example of mirror covered with dust refers to one who has more rajas and thamas due to karma accumulated in the past lives. It takes time for a mirror to become covered with dust. This can be removed only through persistent effort like cleaning a mirror with a cloth. That is the wisdom can be acquired only through diligent spiritual discipline. The third example of the foetus being concealed in the womb is applicable to those whose nature is predominant of thamas. The > ignorance is so great that it can be removed only in course of time just as the baby is born only at the appropriate time. > > The first step towards fighting the enemy consists in locating him. Krishna points out that the senses, mind and intellect are abode of desire and hence the control of these is the only way to vanquish and destroy this foe of man who hides behind the senses, mind and intellect using them as his fortress deludes the embodied soul by obstructing jnana and vijnana, knowledge and realization > > Krishna then proceeds to show the way to control the body, mind and intellect in order to conquer desire. Indhriyaani paraanyaahuh indriyebhyah param manah manasasthu paraa bhaudhdhiih yo budhdheh parathasthu saha evem bhudhdheh param bhudhdhvaa samsthabhyaathmaanamaathmanaa jahi sathrum mahaabhaaho kaamaroopam dhurasadham. The senses are said to be greater than the body but greater than the senses is the mind. Intellect is greater than the mind but the Self is the greatest of all. Therefore the inaccessible enemy in the form of desire can only be destroyed by resorting to the support of the Atman, the Self. > Yastvindriyaani manasaa niyamyaarabyate Arjuna karmendriyaihi karmayogam asaktah sa visishyate , says Krishna. One who controls his senses through his mind and does his allotted duty with detachment is a karmayogi .This is not as easy as it seems to be. Krishna gives a clue. Do everything with the spirit of sacrifice, because, man is bound by his action except when it is performed for the sake of sacrifice yajnaarthaath karmano anyathra loko ayam karmabhandhanah. The word yajna is translated as sacrifice which normally taken to mean the ritual of yaaga as enjoined in the Vedas. But it is the spirit with which it is done is meant here and not the mere ritual. > > Yajna was created along with man, says, Krishna, so that man can prosper by it. Anena prasavishtyadhvam eshavo asthu ishtakaamadhuk, ‘You shall prosper by this; may this yield the enjoyment you seek.’ Yajnaas elaborated in the karmakanda of the Vedas are supposed to yield the fruit for which they were performed. The same done without attachment brings about release from the bondage of karma. To understand this one has to know something about the way yajnaas are performed. > > Yajna in those days was a cooperative endeavour undertaken for the welfare of the society. It was done by the people from all the varnas, which were formed on the basis of the division of labour and not birth. Brahmanas were so called because they were the custodians of the knowledge of the Vedas which culminates in the realization of Brahman. The word Brahman in Sanskrit denotes the Absolute Reality, veda and yajna. Hence they were in charge of conducting the yajna, or the priests. Kshathriyas were those who protect the people from enemies and maintain law and order. The king, a kshathriya was usually the yajamaana, the master of the ceremony, as he had the authority to organize. Vaisyas were the men of trade who supplied the commodities needed by the society an they were in charge of providing the materials for the yajna. Sudras were the unskilled labourers doing the manual work. All contribute their share towards the success of the yajna and what is left > over as the result of the yajna is distributed equally to all. > > Krishna further insists the necessity of doing one’s duty and says that one who does not perform his duty with a spirit of sacrifice is aghaayuh,indhriyaaraamah, sinful and sensual, and his life is worthless. These words emphasise the importance of working in harmony with the world, selfless and without attachment, which is Karmayoga, elaborated subsequently. > May god bless you, > > Dr. Saroja Ramanujam, M.A., Ph.D, Siromani in sanskrit. > > > > > > > Access over 1 million songs - Music Unlimited Try it today. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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