Sunday, July 02, 2006
GITA 108 DAYS - DAY 22
22. Accept others in full
We must accept others in full and we must not have any enemies. If I realize that the universe itself is ‘me’, why should I compete or quarrel with ‘others’? We have to treat an individual as a person who is beyond all criticisms, although his actions may be criticized.
A sage (Muni) is the one who is devoid of anger, fear and desire. When desires disappear, man becomes silent (mouni). ‘Muni’ is the one who is silent, the one who contemplates and the one does not fall prey to futile desires. One should be able to see everything in the nature as different forms present in a single canvas with all the various shapes, different people, myriad of names and costumes, etc. A man of steadfast intellect (sthitha prajna) sees himself as one among them.
Bhagavan Sri Krishna tells Arjuna, who can be considered a muni. The one who is unperturbed in sorrows and undesirable experiences is a muni. He is not interested in pleasure and he does not entertain pleasure in memory either. When one is fully devoid of all desires and mental wanderings and when he revels in himself, he is a sthitha prajna.
When the mind revels in outside objects (vishaya), the person is known as “vishayaa-raman”. When his mind revels in himself, he becomes “athmaa-raman”. Self-enquiry begins when one realizes that happiness is achieved within oneself, by knowing the self. For a person with self-knowledge, the presence or absence of a thing doesn’t have any effect on him. His intellect is steadfast. Sri Krishna advises Arjuna that he will become a yogi when his intellect is steadfast. This is achieved by the intellect elevating itself from the misapprehension of reality through contemplation. All should become yogis, stable as a lamp that doesn’t flicker in wind. We should be able to overcome desires. Self-enquiry is possible through karma and the liberation (Moksha) is not a posthumous honor. One can be liberated living in this world by doing his duties without attachment to results. Men of wisdom realize the ultimate by doing actions with no wishes for results and they do their work whole heartedly and happily. Such works would become an inspiration to do more of the same. When the mind accepts equanimity as the guiding principle, the work is bound to be pleasant.
We must accept others in full and we must not have any enemies. If I realize that the universe itself is ‘me’, why should I compete or quarrel with ‘others’? We have to treat an individual as a person who is beyond all criticisms, although his actions may be criticized.
A sage (Muni) is the one who is devoid of anger, fear and desire. When desires disappear, man becomes silent (mouni). ‘Muni’ is the one who is silent, the one who contemplates and the one does not fall prey to futile desires. One should be able to see everything in the nature as different forms present in a single canvas with all the various shapes, different people, myriad of names and costumes, etc. A man of steadfast intellect (sthitha prajna) sees himself as one among them.
Bhagavan Sri Krishna tells Arjuna, who can be considered a muni. The one who is unperturbed in sorrows and undesirable experiences is a muni. He is not interested in pleasure and he does not entertain pleasure in memory either. When one is fully devoid of all desires and mental wanderings and when he revels in himself, he is a sthitha prajna.
When the mind revels in outside objects (vishaya), the person is known as “vishayaa-raman”. When his mind revels in himself, he becomes “athmaa-raman”. Self-enquiry begins when one realizes that happiness is achieved within oneself, by knowing the self. For a person with self-knowledge, the presence or absence of a thing doesn’t have any effect on him. His intellect is steadfast. Sri Krishna advises Arjuna that he will become a yogi when his intellect is steadfast. This is achieved by the intellect elevating itself from the misapprehension of reality through contemplation. All should become yogis, stable as a lamp that doesn’t flicker in wind. We should be able to overcome desires. Self-enquiry is possible through karma and the liberation (Moksha) is not a posthumous honor. One can be liberated living in this world by doing his duties without attachment to results. Men of wisdom realize the ultimate by doing actions with no wishes for results and they do their work whole heartedly and happily. Such works would become an inspiration to do more of the same. When the mind accepts equanimity as the guiding principle, the work is bound to be pleasant.
# posted by Sukumar Canada @ 12:54 PM 
