45. Non-Oscillating Intellect



In the normal course of our lives, we get perplexed when we hear conflicting opinions on the same subject -be it news, philosophy, others’ beliefs etc. Krishna says that we will attain yoga when intellect remains nischal (non-oscillating) and steady in samadhi (established in self) despite hearing various opinions (2.53). Once again, Krishna uses ‘hearing’ as a metaphor, and this principle applies to all senses.

The best metaphor for this verse is the tree with its visible upper portion and an invisible lower portion consisting of the root system. The upper part gets disturbed to different degrees based on the strength of the winds. On the other hand, the root system is not affected by them. While the upper portion oscillates in response to external forces, the inner core remains in nischal samadhi, steadily fulfilling its duty of providing both stability and nourishment. The same is nothing but yoga for the tree where the external part oscillates and the internal one is stable.

At an ignorant level, we have a wavering mind which automatically oscillates (kampan) to the external stimuli. These oscillations are visible to the outer world as flared tempers and instant reactions, making our lives miserable. Some move to the next level in due course of time as they face life’s experiences and train themselves to suppress these oscillations to present a pleasing personality. In this state, these oscillations are present inside, but one learns to present a brave or pleasing personality, which may not last long.

In this verse, Krishna speaks of the ultimate state of nischal samadhi, which is witnessing these oscillations without identification with them. In other words, it’s a realisation that these external oscillations are anitya (transient) (2.14) and we should identify with the inner self which is in nischal samadhi. It is a state in which the mind is controlled by intellect, but not the senses.

This verse also indicates cognitive biases where a situation is viewed or interpreted by different people in different ways. This is the confusion we see all around us.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

261. Shed the Ahankaar

Image
  K rishna says, “Abandon all dharmas and take refuge in Me alone. I will liberate you from all sins, grieve not” (18.66). While verse 2.14 can be taken as the beginning of the Bhagavad Gita where Krishna advises us to ignore the transient pleasure-pain polarities which are caused when senses meet sense-objects, the verse 18.66 can be considered as the end of the Gita. Krishna uses the word ‘ dharma’ , and he is certainly not referring to religion, faith, or righteousness, as each of these carries different meanings for different people. Bhagavad Gita is not a book of religion but of natural principles that govern our lives. On the other hand, a lot of clarity comes if we take the paradigm or subjective reality as the meaning of dharma . Paradigm is the combination of our opinions, imaginations and understandings about the things around us or the way things are from our point of view. It is like the partial understanding formed about an elephant by a blind person by touching only ...
Read more

258. Sins and Suffering

Image
  O ne of the common fears of humanity is about committing sins ( paap ). Every culture has evolved around the concept of sin, and the common belief is that all our suffering is due to sins committed in this life or previous ones. Religions thrive on our guilt of committing sins. Even Arjuna’s despondency is because of his belief that he will incur sin by slaying his elders, teachers and relatives. That’s why Krishna elaborates on this issue on various occasions in the Bhagavad Gita. Firstly, Paramatma takes no account of anyone’s virtue or sin. It is the problem of human beings who are deluded as their knowledge is covered by moha (delusion or ignorance) (5.15). Secondly, one hoping for nothing, with a controlled mind and body, doing mere bodily actions, incurs no sin (4.21). Even if we are the most sinful of sinners, we shall safely cross the sea of sin by the raft of wisdom (4.36). The wisdom is realising ‘That’ by which we will see all beings in the self (4.35). Thirdly, for ...
Read more

259. Tapasya with Devotion

Image
  K rishna says, “This (the Gita) is never to be spoken by you to those who are not austere ( a-tapaskaya ) or to those who are not devoted ( a-bhaktaya ). It should also not be spoken to those who are averse to listening and especially not to those who cavil at Me” (18.67). The spiritual journey toward unconditional love and eternal joy is both adventurous and, at times, lonely. In this path we are expected to shed all the beliefs we gathered in our lives. We are also expected to shed the sense of attachment to our physical possessions, feelings and relationships. That’s why very few reach the destination (7.3). Hence, one should pursue it like tapasya with devotion. On the contrary, when it is pursued out of curiosity, it leads to the illusion of knowledge which increases ahankaar . Coming as ‘the existence’, Krishna mentioned about not caviling at Him. It is the path of accepting and embracing all the diverse and seemingly contradictory aspects of existence without any cavil, w...
Read more