SLOKA 7
Aajyadharaya Srothasa Samam
Saralachinthanam Viralathaha Param
Like the (continuous) flow of ghee or a (flowing) stream, an unbroken (stream) of thought is far superior to broken, interrupted thoughts.
Aajyam - clarified butter, ghee
Dhara - a stream of water, a line of descending fluid, stream current
Strothasa - a stream, current flow or course of water, a stream or river
Sama - same, identical
Samam - like, similar, resembling, in the same manner
Sarala - straight, not crooked, honest, upright, sincere
Chintanam - thinking, thinking of
Virala - having interstices, separated by intervals, loose, wide apart
Param - highest, best, most excellent, greatest
In the world of today, broadly there are two streams of philosophical thought. One can call them Western and Eastern thought.
Western philosophy takes its roots in ancient Greece. At that time, approximately 500 BCE, there was a close relationship between religion and philosophy. However, as the years passed by, Western philosophy separated itself from religion and became more rational and logical and more associated with scientific thought. In fact, that is the reason why in the ancient universities ( Alexandria, Cordoba, Oxford etc) of Europe, the highest academic qualification was called ‘Doctor in Philosophy’. Some of the great philosophers of the West such as Aristotle and Descartes were also scientists and mathematicians. Plato’s Academy in Athens taught perhaps both mathematics and philosophy.
In recent times, particularly in the last century or so, Western thought has been studying the mind. This field of science has come to be called ‘psychology’, a study of the Psyche. One of the celebrated scientists in this field is Sigmund Freud and he has really contributed to an analysis of the mind to a great extent.
Western thought analyzes the mind in three parts called ‘Conscious’, ‘Sub-conscious’ and ‘Unconscious’. The Conscious Mind is the waking condition and quite a lot of research has taken place on how the human mind works in the waking condition. The human brain and the nervous system is connected with this and there is an ongoing debate about whether the brain is the mind or whether they are separate entities. The Subconscious Mind is the dreaming condition. It is a layer of mind that is just below waking consciousness and Freud carried out detailed investigations to establish how the Subconscious Mind operates and influences the Conscious Waking Mind. Memories lurking in the Subconscious Mind tend to color and condition how the Conscious Mind operates. Freud also discovered what he thought was a deeper layer of Mind and he called it the ‘Unconscious’. While the Conscious Mind may be aware of the thoughts and feelings in the Subconscious, it may be totally unaware of the Unconscious. He theorized that the Unconscious could be deep suppressed memories and experiences that occasionally sprout up and enter the Subconscious and Conscious levels and sometimes drastically influence behaviour. Freud was born in a Jewish family. He was more of a scientist by training and was not too interested in his own religion, let alone Christianity or Vedanta and Eastern thought.
In recent years, and particularly the last few decades, Western science is beginning to get deeply interested in concepts of consciousness and is finding Vedanta, Buddhism and Eastern thought of great interest.
Eastern thought takes its roots in the Vedas. The Mandukya Upanishad from the Atharvana Veda , is a brief but masterly treatise on the Vedantic view of the structure of the universe. It describes a fourfold structure :
The Physical Universe - and at the human level the Body
The Subtle or Mental Universe and the Mind
The Supersubtle or Spiritual Universe and the Soul or Atma
The Essential Permanent Stuff that is the cause and the material of which all the above three layers are made of , Brahman or Paramatma.
The Vedas declare ‘All this is Brahman’ meaning that Brahman, a formless permanent unchanging Base, is that which manifests as Soul, Mind and Body. I like to call it ‘The Fourfold Structure of the Universe’ where the formless Brahman transforms Itself into innumerable Souls or Jeevatmas, each with its own unique Mind and through the Mind creating a unique World of its own and its own Body.
Each Soul creates its own unique perception of the world. The human, the animal, the bird, the insect, the plant, the rock all have their own unique ‘World view’ based on their unique instruments called ‘Sense Organs’. The same object will be seen differently by a man, an animal, a bird, and an insect. There is no common World, all that there is , is Brahman viewed and perceived differently by each species. The Sanskrit term for species is ‘Jati’.
This term is often confused these days with the term ‘Varna’ and hence there is considerable misunderstanding when different strata of societies are called ‘Jatis’ or species. That is not correct .
The term ‘Varna’ refers to ‘aptitude’ or ‘inherent orientation’. Each Soul or Jeevatma is unique and has a unique ‘aptitude’. These aptitudes have been classified into four broad categories, that is, ‘intellectual or mystic’, ‘administrative or action-oriented’,’business oriented or logistical’ and ‘labor oriented or physical’. Every one of us is a mixture of these four aptitudes and we all need to work at different times in life in different roles. Invariably, we all start as ‘labor-oriented’ people, slowly becoming ‘business-oriented’ then take up leadership positions in the community as ‘administrators and protectors of society’. We all end up as ‘mystics, philosophers and teachers’. These days, everything in the world gets ‘branded’ by society, so there is a tendency to brand even human beings on the basis of the ‘Varna’ of his/her parents. If a parent is an priest, then the child is ‘branded’ a priest. If the parent is a laborer then the child is branded a ‘laborer’. If the parent is an administrator then the child is branded as an administrator and similarly with businessmen. This kind of branding of human beings is not fair and goes against the inherent democracy in the Vedas. Every person is just a human being. He belongs to the species or ‘Jati’ called ‘Homo Sapiens’. He is certainly not an animal or a bird or insect. But he is a human being. The Vedas declare that a Soul evolves over a long period of time and through several births to the human incarnation. Every human has to then progress through the four Varnas and ultimately qualify to become ‘Immersed in Brahman’ or ‘Self Realized’ or ‘Brahmana’. I feel the term ‘Brahmana’ comes from ‘Brahma Ramana’ that is ‘One who delights in Brahman’. Everyone of us has to reach that state, not through birth but by effort also called Sadhana.
There is a difference between ‘Excellence through Endowment’ and ‘Excellence through Achievement’. In the Bhagavad Gita, Sri Krishna declares that every soul can attain the highest state of ‘Immersion in Brahman’ provided he is willing to ‘Practice’. Sri Krishna calls it ‘Abhyasa’.
There is nothing demeaning about physical labor. All of us are obliged to work for the beauty of the world. I feel the term ‘Shudra’ arises from ‘Shuddha’ or ‘Purity’. Self purification is the first step towards Moksha. If we do not keep our body and environment and our mind pure and clean, how can we progress to Spirituality?
We all need some business acumen to survive within the limited means provided to us. I feel the term ‘Vaishya’ comes from ‘Vishnu Aishwarya’ meaning ‘The Prosperity of Divinity’. Divinity has provided enough in Nature to sustain us provided we control our desires.
And to reach that state of exaltation called ‘Brahma Ramana’ we need to keep careful watch on our inherent enemies, ‘Kama (desire), Krodha (anger) and Moha( delusion)’. That is why I feel the term ‘Kshatriya’ arises from ‘Kshaya Triya’ that is, ‘Destruction of the Three’. It is by overcoming lust, anger, and delusion, it is by keeping clear headed, calm, discriminating and devoted, filed with love for all, serving all, that we destroy these three enemies. We have to protect our own selves from these enemies. Everyone of us has to mature to this level, become the king of our own inherent self, before we can delight in Brahman.
The progression through the ‘Varna’ system in our life is another definition of Sadhana.
The Shudra in us is the Brahmachari, concentrating on internal and external purity or ‘Shudatwa’. The Vaishya in us is the Grihasta who earns, conserves, fulfils and creates the finances for society. The Kshatriya in us is the alert soldier. The Vanaprastha who contemplates, renounces, sacrifices and is prepared to give up his own life, not for any material gain, but for attaining Brahman. And the Brahmana in us is the Sanyasin whose only duty is to teach, guide, interpret, and help society maintain its purity, unity and its essential contact with divinity.
This then is called ‘Varnashrama Dharma’, an extremely important part of social upliftment and harmony. It is the essence of Eastern democracy.
The inherent aptitudes and the resultant attitudes are encased in the ‘Karmas’ or ‘Vasanas’ of each individual. They not only color his mind but also practically guide his life. In a way ‘Mind is Destiny’.
The moment of birth is important and the ‘Karmas’ get frozen at that moment, determining how the individual will be inclined to live his life. That is why the interpretation of these frozen ‘Karmas’ is considered important in understanding human personality and has resulted in the importance given to ‘horoscopes’ in India. The term ‘horoscope’ derives from the root ‘hora’ which also means time and from which the term ‘hour’ arises.
The ‘Karmas’ determine the place of birth, the culture, the family, the circumstances and the environment into which one is born and grows up. One person may be born on the footpath to a beggar and the other in a palace to a queen. One person may be born in a priestly learned family and the other in a trading or an agricultural community. Wherever one is born, it is a step in one’s evolution.
However, birth does not determine aptitude or attitude. It is Karma which determines aptitude and attitude. A prince like Siddhartha can aspire to become a Buddha; a carpenter like Jesus can become a son of God; a moneylender like Kanakadasa can become a saint; while a great king like Vishwamitra could become a Brahmana and compose the Gayatri Mantra which is imparted to the young man. It is the inner urge that determines destiny, not the outer manifestation.
Thus the mind is considered extremely important in outlining one’s destiny.
The Mandukya Upanishad describes the Subtle Universe and the Individual Mind as comprising nineteen components :
- the Subtle forms of the organs of perception viz the Jnanendriyas ( ear, skin, eyes, nose and tongue);
- the Subtle forms of the organs of action viz the Karmendriyas ( mouth, hands, feet, genitals and anus);
- The Five Pranas which are inherently subtle;
- Manas or thoughts;
- Buddhi or intellect;
- Ahamkara or individuality (‘I am the Do-er ship);
- Chitta or memory.
The Brain in the physical body is like a Personal Computer or hardware; Mind is like software. The Subtle Universe is like the vast infinite Internet.
Mind is connected on one side to the Body at the Brain and on the other side to the Subtle Universe. Each Jeevatma has a separate Mind defined by its own Vasanas. The Subtle Universe acts as a medium through which each Mind can connect to other Minds. This has been proved in science by the phenomenon called ‘Hypnotism’ whereby one Mind can control other Minds, obviously through the Subtle Universe. Today’s mobile telephony is an example of this in physical terms.
In this sloka, Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharishi introduces the Mind and basically compares the Manas or ‘stream of thoughts’ to the flow of oil or ghee or to a stream of water. However he cautions us that the Manas has the tendency to flit from one thought to another restlessly. The challenge is to make the thoughts to flow in a continuous stream. If by its very nature ( Swami used to call the Manas as ‘Monkey mind’) the thoughts in the Manas tend to jump from one concept to another, then how to control it and make the thoughts flow in a continuous stream ?
We will examine these concepts a bit more in detail in the next blog.
Meanwhile I do hope you continue to find these discussions interesting or at least intriguing. I will be happy if I have managed to provoke your curiosity at least.
With all the very best wishes for the season ( Pongal and the movement of the sun into the northern heavens called Uttarayana and Republic Day and Martyr’s Day on which day Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated ...) and with prayers to Swami who is none other than the Almighty for your welfare and happiness and prosperity...
With my Guruj Sri Ajit Dalvi when he visited Muddenahalli - in the library with a rare spiritual soul in the form of a student Seshadri...
Love God Bless Sairam
