Satsang by Swami Sivananda Saraswati
DISCRIMINATION
The first essential requisite for acquiring an equipoised mind is viveka, discrimination between the real and the unreal. One in whom right reason has developed will be able to discriminate and enjoy peace and bliss. Sensual pleasure is tantalizing and excites the mind. Most people are swayed by emotions, passions and impulses and thus run wildly after every object they come in contact with. Their minds become full of anxieties and they become despondent as to whether or not their desired objects will be secured. The moment they possess the objects, they find the satisfaction of the senses lasts for a few seconds only, and they must then seek for pleasures elsewhere to give them some peace of mind. Knowing no way out of this vicious cycle, they remain entangled in their search for pleasure. Their lives are constantly mixed with pain and anxiety from fear of losing the pleasurable objects. Wherever there is pleasure, pain, then anger and attachment will be found.
Dear aspirant, awaken from your hallucinations. Seek peace of mind! Owing to delusion, pain appears as pleasure, and the fear of pain worries you. There is no pleasure or pain for a discriminating mind. Learn to discriminate between the real and the unreal. The yoga of equanimity can be had only by one who has understood the worthlessness of perishable objects. The world is nothing to a viveki, a man of discrimination. He never becomes entangled in anything. Discrimination gives inner strength and mental peace.
One who has found out the real worth of this world, who yearns for liberation, who has understood that beyond the names and forms there is one eternal, everlasting Atman, and who practises self-discipline, he alone can have peace. Such a person is the king of kings, not he who is simply carried away by a little colour, by a touch and a little titillation. He who does not discriminate between the eternal and the non-eternal, between the real and the unreal, is forever miserable with an unsteady, passionate mind.
Whenever a desire arises in the mind, always consult your power of discrimination. It will at once tell you that the desire is attended with pain, that it is only a vain temptation set up by the mind and that discrimination alone can bring about satisfaction and peace of mind. It will advise you to renounce the desire immediately and take up study of the Upanishads, repetition of Om and reach for samadhi. Desires will become extinct with the rise of discrimination. When desires cease, the mind becomes silent and stands still in perfect equipoise.
A sincere aspirant must make every effort to control desires the moment they arise. Think deeply again and again whether the new desire will give more happiness or more spiritual gain. Viveka will guide you to call on your willpower and drive away the desire immediately. On the path of samatvam, discrimination and willpower are two potent weapons to help destroy temptations, and remove major and minor impediments.
When a desire arises in the mind, a ‘worldling’ welcomes it and tries to fulfil it, but a sincere aspirant renounces it immediately through discrimination. Wise men consider even a spark of desire to be a great evil. They remain ever delighted in the Atman only. Their mind becomes steady. Every action is poised and harmonious.
DISPASSION
From viveka, discrimination, is born vairagya, dispassion or non-attachment, the second spiritual requisite for attaining even-rnindedness. It is the mind that links man with the body, and when man identifies with the body, all his miseries begin. He thinks of 'I' -ness and 'mine' -ness, which are the two poisonous fangs of the mind serpent. If these two fangs are extracted, the serpent-mind will be tamed and then there can be no bondage. Those who practise non-attachment are the real tamers of their minds. Vairagya thins out the mind, acting as a drastic purgative. Non attachment is indifference or dispassion towards sensual objects. Attachment to objects is universal, and no one is free from attachment of one kind or another. Attachment is the first child of maya, illusion, and her most powerful weapon, binding one to the endless wheel of birth and death.
Attachment is the root cause of all human suffering, the product of ignorance. The seeds of attachment are ingrained in the subconscious mind, and have to be obliterated through right thinking, enquiry and spiritual knowledge. All these illusory attachments have to be cut asunder with the sword of non-attachment. Wherever there is strong attachment, infatuation and fear will be found. The cause of fear is attachment to this body and property. Attachment and fear destroy balance of mind and cause the emotions to swing wildly. When one is free from attachment to external objects, the mind will be at peace.
The whole divine play of the Lord is kept up by the force of attachment to worldly life. Greed for possessions generates selfishness, which causes even greater attachment. However, the type of renunciation advocated on the pathway to samatvam does not require one to renounce family life. Balance of mind has to be attained while living in the world, learning through the world without becoming enmeshed in it. Your duty is to maintain your household without getting attached to it. Only then will you have the purity of mind which will enable you to progress towards perennial peace.
The activities of daily life do not bring misery; it is attachment and identification with people, places and events that brings all sorts of worries, troubles and unhappiness. Work without attachment or identification. This attitude is the secret of success in karma yoga or selfless service. Only then can one have real happiness and peace of mind, and attain God-consciousness. This is jnana, the fire of wisdom which burns all the fruits of actions. Discipline the mind carefully. When old habits creep in, destroy them at the very root. Lead a life of perfect non-attachment. This is the master key with which to open the realms of serenity of mind and eternal bliss.
The mind wreaks havoc and mischief. One may still rule a vast dominion and yet be unattached. Look at the exalted mental state of King Janaka, who was resting in his own essential divine nature. He said, "Even if the whole of Mithila is burnt, nothing of mine will be burnt." He had not the least attachment to his wealth and kingdom. The mind has to be trained daily in all its dealings and actions. Do not become attached to family and property. The world is like a public inn. People are united for some time and separated after some time. Never say, "My body, my son, my wife, my house."
Attachment takes various forms. Always be on the alert to detect its subtle workings. The mind tries its utmost to become attached to some form or other. Its nature is to leave one form and immediately cling to another. If the binding link in the mind is destroyed, one can roam about peacefully in any part of the world, unattached, like water on a lotus leaf. Nothing can bind you then.
Dispassion is a mental state. Inner spiritual strength is born of dispassion. Develop intense internal dispassion by understanding the illusory nature of this world. Turn the mind towards God and practise daily mantra japa and meditation. Read the lives of great saints and yogis and books on atmajnana, meditation and the service of humanity.
Take recourse to the company of saints and devotees. Study Vedanta and Bhartrihari's Vairagya Shatakam. Lead a life of non-attachment to this world. Vairagya is real spiritual wealth because it opens the door to equanimity, everlasting peace and bliss.
Undoubtedly, O mighty-armed Arjuna, the mind is difficult to control and restless, but by practice and by dispassion it may be restrained. (6:35)
These are the words of Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita. He recognizes that to work without attachment is doubtless a difficult task, but it becomes possible for an aspirant with the patience and determination to succeed in samatvam sadhana.
