HH Sri Tridandi Jeeyar Swamy's Discourse II - The Purpose of Life (continued) Part I

[Guest guest]

Respected Ramanuja Bhaktas,

 

Yesterday, HH Sri Tridandi Chinna Jeeyar Swamy concluded his inspiring

discourse in Telugu on the Purpose of Life that he had started last

month. I am blessed that solely because of his anugraham (the

Teacher's Compassionate Grace), Sri Jeeyar Swamy has asked me to

continue to share what I have learned from his discourses with all of

you.

 

Once again, I can only reiterate that the credit for what you find

inspiring in these words can only go to HH Sri Jeeyar Swamy; and what is

in error is solely due to my ignorance.

 

HH Sri Chinna Jeeyar Swamy Discourse

The Purpose of Life - Discourse II

April 27, 2002

 

Part I

 

In the previous month's discourse, Sri Jeeyar Swamy had summarized that

the purpose of life centers on the cultivation of two good qualities:

vinayam, obedience and humility, and vide:yatha, commitment to

respectfully following our elders, our teachers, and our sa:stras. But,

now the question becomes as to how these two most important qualities

are to be cultivated.

 

When our clothes or body or dirty, the way to clean them is clear and

direct, simply wash them. But, what about our mind and intellect -

which in Sanskrit is known as the " manas " or subtle body? How do we

clean this?

 

The manas is a very mysterious and intangible thing, and yet somehow we

are aware of its presence. In Telugu, when we are not feeling quite

right emotionally, we speak of our manas as not being well. When we

are elated, we talk of the joy that our manas feels. So what is this

mysterious thing called the manas? From the Upanishads, we learn that

the manas is like an " operating system " of sorts, serving as the subtle

connector and processor betwen what we truly are, jeevathmas, and our

body and senses.

 

The manas has been with us since time immemorial, encouraging us and

recording for us all of the experiences that we have had through our

countless births. Consequently, our rishis and a:zhwa:rs say that it is

one of our two closest friends; the other friend being God Himself, who

is also accompanying us in our Heart of Hearts through our seemingly

endless journey.

 

The nature of the manas makes it very erratic. It roams about here and

there, experiencing life through the five senses, and filling us with

all sorts of desires and aspirations. At times, it seeks out the

spiritual, and at other times, it seeks out the purely mundane. Where

it can lead one is based on its experience, so it is virtually

impossible to predict where it will take us next.

 

But, in order to cultivate good qualities, this manas must be brought

under control. There are those who take great pains to do so, following

a life of strict discipline and meditation in order to withdraw the

senses. But, our sa:stras reiterate and emphasize that the manas is our

friend, not our enemy. So, we must not mistreat it or make it go

against its basic nature by force. A more subtle approach must be

taken, one that is respectful of the manas' nature, but one that is

effective in ensuring that it goes in the direction that we would like

it to go.

 

This approach can be likened to how a good parent tames an unruly

child. If a parent yells or harshly commands an already temperamental

child, he/she will tend to become all the more uncooperative. But, if

the parent uses a loving, supportive yet guiding tone in communicating

with the child, the child will usually tend to cooperate.

 

A similar apprach must be taken with the manas, as will be described in

the next posting.

 

adiyEn rAmAnuja dAsan

Mohan