Part 19 of 46
Jagrita sthano bahis pragna… Sthula bhug vaishvanara prathama padah
‘Gain a mastery over your waking state. Enjoy your world. This is the first step.’
Mandukya Upanishad 1-3
Lots of people take to spirituality as an escape from the rigors of life. But in truth there isn’t any escape possible. After a few soothing moments of temporary (and doubtful) tranquillity, they are back to where they started. The harsh world they tried to run away from comes staring back at them.
Take a long cool look at this business of spirituality. You will realise that whatever you do, wherever you go, you will always remain within your waking state. You will never go beyond to understanding the dreaming state, and are always very far from touching the pure intelligence that runs you. The final state of deep silence, of Infinity remains firmly out of bounds, a virtual impossibility. Vedanta does not allow the luxury of illusion. It doesn’t always tell you what you want to hear. It advocates a path of practical common sense, and tells us never to run away from reality. It urges us to live, enjoy, and eventually master our reality until a time comes when that mastery automatically opens doors to self discovery. What does mastering reality mean? Is it an attempt to gain absolute power and control over our world, where we become the lord and master of all we survey? Not at all.
That never happens in anyone’s life, even the richest and most powerful. The world is always in a fluid state.
Power, wealth and fame comes and goes with a will of its own.
Those who spend a lifetime gaining control become deluded obsessed people. Mastering reality does not mean that at all. Rather it means exactly the reverse. That we do not allow the world to have a control over us.
Whatever be our situation, we retain a sense of independence and freedom that enables us to cherish the depths of our being.
The Sanskrit phrase sthula bhug vaishvanara explains this beautifully. It means ‘enjoy this world and all the happiness it can give you’. When can you enjoy the world? When all other negative emotions are absent. Joy comes only when hate, guilt, anger, jealousy, possessiveness and ego are wiped out. When you develop the right balance of attachment and detachment, of alertness and relaxation, of give and take. When you give up the impulse to dominate and manipulate. When you can learn to let go in the worst of moments and best of moments. When you always have time for laughter and merriment.
When you don’t take life too seriously, or too non seriously. When a state of dynamic equilibrium is reached, where regardless of what happens or does not happen, you can admire a sunrise or a flower or the smile of a child. Yes. If you can truly enjoy your world, regardless of how well or badly the day went, then one fine morning, every fibre of your waking self will spontaneously say yes to the inner self. On that day a door will open, magically. That day the AUM chant will sweetly take you into realms you never knew existed.
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( Source: Mani Shankar/ Deccan Chronicle, Hyderabad 17th May 2009 )
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