An Issue of Central Importance in the Art of Living
The Theosophical Movement
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The following text is reproduced from “The
Theosophical Movement” magazine, February
2006 edition, pages 125-130. The magazine is
published in Mumbai , India
United Lodge of Theosophists, ULT. In order to
facilitate the understanding of the general reader,
we add words in brackets here and there, and
notes at the end. The four achievements mentioned
in the article are: I)Viveka; II) Vairagya; III)
Shatsampatti or the “six graces” (Shama, Dama,
Uparathi, Titiksha, Shraddha, Shamadana);
and finally, IV) Mumukshutva.
(C. C. A.)
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The seventh chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, named “Jnana-Vijnana Yoga”, is translated by Mr. William Judge as “Devotion by means of Spiritual Discernment.”[1]
Shankara defines Viveka as discrimination; wisdom or Buddhi made active. In this seventh chapter, Sri Krishna emphasizes the need to translate knowledge into a living reality by practising it, i.e., the knowledge acquired through the higher mind has to be realized. Sri Krishna points out the difficulty involved in reaching perfection in the following verse:
“Among thousands of mortals a single one perhaps strives for perfection, and among those so striving perhaps a single one knows me as I am.” (p. 53)
The same idea is echoed by both Buddha and Shankara. They say that it is difficult to be reborn as a human being. After being born as a human being, it is difficult to live the life of a man. To be truly human is to exhibit in us the natural qualities of a human being, viz., “kindness, absence of every ill feeling or selfishness, charity, good-will to all, justice and generosity - attributes which belong specifically to the human kingdom and are natural to man when he has developed the qualities of a human being.” After having taken birth as a human being the difficulty is to get to hear the true Law. The final difficulty is to attain to enlightenment.
In “Viveka Chudamani”[2] , Shankara says that foolish is the man who does not strive after freedom from bondage - after obtaining, at last, a human birth. He adds that any amount of knowledge of the Vedas, performing sacrifices, doing good works and worshipping the gods cannot free one from bondage even after a period of a hundred Brahma-yugas, without the knowledge of union with the Self or Spirit.
“Therefore let the wise one strives after Freedom, giving up all longing for sensual self-indulgence; approaching the good, great Teacher (the Higher Self) with soul intent on the object of the teaching.” (Verse 8)
The Gita points out that knowledge enables us to be humble and to serve well our fellowmen. Acquisition of such knowledge is not easy and is not given to everyone. The pupil must have willingness and ability to learn, and the teacher must be willing and capable of imparting his knowledge to the pupil. The motive of the student should be pure. Even when one becomes learned, it is not easy to speculate on the ultimate basis of life, because of our lower nature, which is all the time under delusion. Hence Krishna says, “Take refuge alone with me; grieve not, for I shall deliver thee from all transgressions” (Gita, XVIII). Buddha, the Enlightened One, tells us, “The Self is the Lord of self; what higher Lord could there be? When a man subdues well his self, he will find a Lord very difficult to find.” (“The Dhammapada”, Verse 160)
When the disciple takes refuge in the Self - Krishna - who is called the Jagat Guru, Universal Teacher - he has found his Guru. Arjuna was indeed fortunate to recognize in Krishna his Guru. Sankara says that faith (sraddha) and penance (tapas) are parts of meditation and these must be inherent in the disciple.
The seeker should possess [I] discernment and [II] dispassion, [III] control of the mind, [IV] desire to obtain emancipation; for these are four preparatory steps of training.
Discernment [Viveka] means that the Eternal is the only reality, all else is evanescent, i.e., learning “to discern the real from the false, the ever-fleeting from the everlasting.”
[The Second Achievement]
This is followed by Dispassion [Vairagya], resulting in renunciation of fruits of action, whether in this world or in the next.
Dispassion is aversion to all sensory pleasures of sight, sound, etc. - all that are derived from transitory objects of enjoyment - what the Upanishads call Preyas - pleasures of little worth. After pondering over their temporary, evanescent nature, one should avoid them.
[The Third Achievement]
Then, Shankara delineates the third of the four achievements, viz., the six Graces or Treasures [4] which the disciple should try to cultivate. These are:
(1) “Shama” or control of the mind. Shama means that steady state of mind through which one can concentrate on the ultimate goal or reality.
Mr. Judge says that the mind, though called an “internal organ,” is only an instrument of the Soul in gaining experience.
“But the mind is a most important factor in the pursuit of concentration; one indeed without which concentration cannot be obtained, and therefore we see in the first book that to this subject Patanjali devotes attention. He shows that the mind is, as he terms it, ‘modified’ by any object or subject brought before it, or to which it is directed.” (“Yoga Aphorisms of Patanjali”, W. Q. Judge, Theosophy Co., p. xi)
The mind taking the shape of the object or subject to which it is directed is called its modification. Patanjali says that the modifications of the mind are of five kinds: “They are, Correct Cognition, Misconception, Fancy [or imagination], Sleep and Memory. Correct cognition results from Perception, Inference and Testimony. Misconception is Erroneous Notion arising from lack of Correct Cognition.” (“Yoga Aphorisms of Patanjali”, p. 4). Imagination is the creation of a mental image of an object without any direct observation, but merely based on words. Sleep is that activity wherein there is complete absence of cognition or memory. Memory is the retention of what one has observed.
To attain to concentration one must discipline the mind through the means of Exercise and Dispassion. Exercise or abhyasa is uninterrupted effort and Dispassion is detachment from desires. “The obstacles in the way of him who desires to attain concentration are Sickness, Languor, Doubt, Carelessness, Laziness, Addiction to objects of sense, Erroneous Perception, Failure to attain any stage of abstraction, and Instability in any state when attained.” (“Yoga Aphorisms of Patanjali”, Theosophy Co., pp. 12-13)
To overcome the above obstacles, Patanjali’s advice is: “Through the practising of Benevolence, Tenderness, complacency and disregard for objects of happiness, grief, virtue and vice, the mind becomes purified.” Then he goes on to enumerate eight steps which are conducive to concentration.
(2) The second of the six Graces is “Dama” - the control of the senses. Shankara says that it consists in the withdrawal of two types of sense organs - Jnanendriyas (organs of sensation) and Karmendriyas (organs of action) - from the objects. There is a story narrated by Sage Yajnavalkya in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad. The threefold offspring of Prajapati - Gods, Men and Demons - lived as students of sacred knowledge with their father. When their learning was completed they all asked him for practical instruction. “Tell us, Gurudeva, our duty.” Prajapati said to each of them, “Da, Da, Da.” Then he asked the Gods, Men and Demons [3] their understanding of “Da.” The Gods understood “Da” to mean Damyatta, control of oneself. Men understood “Da” to mean Datta, “to give.” For Demons the word implied Dayadhvam or compassion. In other words, “Da, Da, Da” means the practice of self-control, charity and compassion.
(3) The third of the Graces is “Uparathi”, which means turning away from objects of sense - which is the true withdrawal.
(4) The fourth is “Titiksha” - endurance of all pain and sorrow - patience and tolerance without a thought of dejection, lamentation or retaliation. “Kshanti, patience sweet, that naught can ruffle,” says “The Voice of the Silence”. “Enduring patience is the highest tapas,” teaches Lord Buddha.
(5) The fifth is “Shraddha” or faith, which means absolute faith in the teachings and the teacher by which the goal is reached.
(6) The last of the Graces is “Shamadana”, which means right meditation, or fixing the mind on the pure eternal Spirit, without being deluded by worldly objects.
[The Fourth Achievement]
Finally, the last of the four qualifications or preparations is “Mumukshutva”. It is the desire to be liberated from delusive thoughts, selfishness and sensuality by cultivating true discernment and knowing one’s true self. Initially, our desire to free ourselves from bondage may be slight. But by cultivating control of the mind through dispassion and other graces like faith, meditation and patience, and with the grace of the Guru we can certainly master the four perfections. In “Vivekachudamani”, Shankara says:
“Therefore mind is the cause of man’s bondage, and in turn of his liberation; when darkened by the powers of passion it is the cause of bondage, and when pure of passion and darkness it is the cause of liberation.” (Verse 175)
“Where discernment and dispassion are dominant, gaining purity, the mind makes for liberation; therefore let the wise man who seeks liberation strengthen these two in himself as the first step.” (Verse 176)
“Sickness is not cured by saying ‘Medicine,’ but by drinking it. So a man is not set free by the name of the Eternal without discerning the Eternal.” (Verse 64)
Elsewhere Shankara says:
“There is no known comparison in all the three worlds for the venerable teacher who bestows knowledge. Among all means of liberation, devotion verily is the most potent. The fixing of the attention on the true Master, the Divine Self, is declared to be devotion.”
The “Great Master” is the term used by the Lanoos or Chelas to indicate one’s “HIGHER SELF,” writes Helena P. Blavatsky. To overcome all ills she advises the practice of Altruism, Altruism in thought, word and deed, for it purifies the sheaths of the soul and permits the light from the Higher Manas to shine on our brain-mind.
“On the plane of spirituality, to reach the Sun of Truth we must work in dead earnest for the development of our higher nature. We know that by paralyzing gradually within ourselves the appetites of the lower personality, and thereby deadening the voice of the purely physiological mind - that mind which depends upon, and is inseparable from, its medium or vehicle, the organic brain - the animal in us may make room for the spiritual; and once aroused from its latent state, the highest spiritual senses and perceptions grow in us in proportion, and develop pari passu with the “divine man.” (U.L.T. Pamphlet No. 17, pp. 2-3)
In the Kaivalya Upanishad, Brahma tells Ashwalayana, who wanted to acquire knowledge of the ultimate truth, “By faith, devotion and meditation you can understand the ultimate truth.”
It is only through faith, devotion and meditation that we can free ourselves from bondage and realize the One Reality. Then we will no more be acting on the plane of duality, of thine and mine, but will become one with the Supreme.
To sum up, the various steps that are to be followed, which will enable us by constant meditation to be united to Krishna, the Higher Self within, are: Detachment from all objects of sense; Mind-control, mental equilibrium or calmness; Control of the Senses; Patience and Forbearance; Renunciation of the fruits of action; Study of the Scriptures; Meditation on the Supreme Reality.
When we realize that we are the very Brahman, our delusion will be destroyed and we will carry out the will of Krishna - the Supreme Master of Devotion, residing in us while in a body.
“I salute the lineage of Teachers, beginning with Shiva, the Lord (linked by) Sankaracharya in the middle; and extending down to my own teacher.” (Shloka on Guruparampara)
NOTES:
[1] “The Bhagavad Gita”, From the Sanskrit by William Q. Judge, Theosophy Co., Los Angeles / Bombay
[2] There are various editions of this work. Three of them are: 1) “The Crest Jewel of Wisdom - and other writings of Sri Shankaracharya”, translated by Charles Johnston, Point Loma Library Series, Theosophical University Press, Covina, California, first edition, 1946, 163 pp.; 2) “Viveka-Chudamani or Crest-Jewel of Wisdom of Sri Shamkaracharya”, text in Devanagari and translation by Mohini M. Chatterji, fourth reprint, TPH, Adyar, 1973, 214 pp.; and 3) “Crest-Jewel of Discrimination”, translated by Swami Prabhavananda and Christopher Isherwood, New America Library, Mentor Book, copyright Vedanta Press 1947, 127 pp.
[3] “Demons”, that is, Spirits. Christian superstition imagines all Spirits are “bad”.
[4] The “six graces” are called Shatsampatti, in Sanskrit.
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