Bhagavan described all of the Bhagavadgita in a nutshell in the second chapter to Arjuna. He emphasized the importance of controlling the senses and mind in the last few verses and now he is trying to conclude the second chapter by talking about the steady state that Stithaprajna has and how that person is balanced in every aspect of this material life. The following verses beautifully portray the state of that kind of person.
Ya nisaa sarvabutaanaam tasyam jaagarti samyami!
Yasyaam jaagrati bhutaani sa nisaa pasyate muneh!!
That which is night to all beings, in that the self -controlled person wakes; where all beings are awake, that is the night for the sage who sees.
This verse has deeper meaning and we cannot just translate word to word and take the meaning as it is. A self -realized soul views this world in a totally different way than an ordinary person. The things that attract the regular humans in this world are viewed by a jnani as MITHYA. That means that person knows the real nature of these objects. They are not permanent and they cause suffering if they are wished for. The Jnani enjoys whatever comes across in his path and but he won’t seek those pleasures.
As a person living in this materialistic world we see the world with tainted glasses that is called Ajnana. Our mind plays tricks on us due to our ignorance about the universal consciousness and not knowing the omnipresence of God. Bhagavan says a Muni sleeps when everybody is awake and he is awake when everybody is asleep. This means we pay attention to the unnecessary things and we have a blind eye to the most important aspect of human life that is attaining self-realization. The Muni is always immersed in this universal truth and has no importance to the worldly things.
The Lord teaches us in the next verse about the balance that we need to have with a perfect analogy.
Aapuryamaanam achalaprathistam Samudram aapah pravisanti yadvat!
Tadvat kaamaa yam pravisanti sarve sa saantim aapnothi na kaamaa- kamami !!
He attains peace into whom all desires enter as waters enter the ocean which, filled from all sides, remains unmoved; but not the desirer of desires.
This is a perfect example of describing the Stithaprajna and Lord Krishna talks in a simple language and uses perfect analogy. Although gallons of water reach the ocean through various rivers, yet the level of water in the ocean does not change even by a fraction. In a similar way no matter how much water evaporates due to Sun, the ocean level never goes down. This is the reason why we measure the height of any object on the earth with the sea level.
We have to learn not to react to various circumstances of life but respond as required. Reaction is not the right way but we have to learn to respond according to the situation. We have to try really hard to be balanced in dealing with pains and pleasures of life.
At the end of second chapter, Lord Krishna talks about “Bramhi Stithi” which means a person with steady wisdom. Whoever abandons all desires, moves about without longing and without the sense of “I- ness” and “My-ness” will attain the Peace. The goal here is not to have attachment to desires. We can control the senses but mind will still show interest in those desires. The ego is the cause of all sense attachments and longings. In deep sleep there is no ego, so we have no desires or longings. This is the character of Stithaprajna. What can we learn from this? The suffering in this world is caused by our own misconceptions and arrogance related to the demands of wealth and endless desires.
Until we renounce our ego, we may not reach this steady state of wisdom but we can make our lives happy by trying to follow certain tips.
One should not show longing to talk or listen anything concerning worldly affairs.
One should learn to eat what is available without any concern on the taste.
One should not attempt to teach anything to anyone unless asked.
One should not argue with anyone on any topic.
One should try not to judge anyone.
One should try not to judge anyone.
One should learn to drop the ego (Me & mine) in all the words and deeds.
One should never take sides when caught up between two extreme views.
One should try not to long for love and affection shown by others.
One should learn to live alone and be happy.
One should spend time meditating on God and reflecting on Vedanta.
OM SRI SAI RAM!
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