Chapter 18 Shloka 10

न द्वेष्ट्यकुशलं कर्म कुशले नानुषज्जते।

त्यागी सत्त्वसमाविष्टो मेधावी छिन्नसंशयः।।१०।।

He who does not shun actions that are unpropitious,

and who is not excessively attached to actions

that are propitious, that Medhavi,

endowed with the qualities of sattva

and devoid of doubt, is a renunciate.

Chapter 18 Shloka 10

न द्वेष्ट्यकुशलं कर्म कुशले नानुषज्जते।

त्यागी सत्त्वसमाविष्टो मेधावी छिन्नसंशयः।।१०।।

Speaking of the Medhavi’s tyaag or the relinquishment of the Medhavi – one who possesses a pure intellect – the Lord says:

He who does not shun actions that are unpropitious, and who is not excessively attached to actions that are propitious, that Medhavi, endowed with the qualities of sattva and devoid of doubt, is a renunciate.

The Lord says, “Let Me now explain to you the point of view of the Medhavi towards action.”

The Medhavi Tyaagi

He is one who:

a) is not attached to pleasant actions;

b) does not shun unpleasant or unbeneficial deeds;

c) does not shrink from actions that are inauspicious;

d) moulds himself in accordance with whoever comes before him. The other individual is the motivating factor for his action. He acts in accordance with the other’s need;

e) does not renounce any action because it is small or insignificant;

f) does not relinquish actions that might bring pain or invite censure and ridicule;

g) does not even consider the ill effects any action may have upon him;

h) does not choose to perform only those deeds which are considered to be notable;

i)  does not care for the fruits of his deeds – whether good or bad;

j)  does not pay heed to pravritti or engagement in action and nivritti or abstinence from it, knowing that both these are not within his control;

k) acts in accordance with the universal law ordained by destiny;

l)  does nothing of his own accord – all that transpires occurs on its own.

Forgetful of himself and depending wholly upon the Lord, such a one leaves everything to the Supreme One and acts impartially, without any consideration for acclaim or censure. He does not pay any heed to his own well being or welfare.

1. Such a one initiates no project of his own accord.

2. Such a one transcends desire and all such ruminations.

All this happens because such a one is devoid of doubt; he is established in the Truth; he is a Medhavi – possessed of the pure intellect of equanimity.

The Medhavi

This is a state that transcends the state of establishment in the Truth. Kamla, let me now elucidate for you the difference between the states of the Sattvic intellect, the Medhavi, the Sthit pragya and the Ritambhra intellect.

One who possesses sattvic qualities is attached to luminescence and joy.

The sattvic intellect

1. Such an intellect endeavours to know the Truth and the knowledge pertaining to it.

2. It seeks only the qualities that pertain to Truth.

3. It considers itself to be the Truth.

4. It discerns between the true and the untrue.

5. It recognises the difference between duty and what is not duty.

6. It knows the difference between the Atma and the anatma or that which is not the Atma.

7. It knows what is bondage and what is liberation.

8. It knows the divine qualities.

a) Yet, it is not devoid of the ‘I’.

b) It is not yet devoid of attachment.

c) Nor has it transcended the attributes, because it is attached to the attribute of sattva.

d) It understands the knowledge that leads to the Truth.

e) It knows the truth regarding nivritti and pravritti – abstinence from action and engagement in action.

f) From here, arises the desire to annihilate the ‘I’.

In order to understand the state of the medhavi, it is necessary to understand the truth about bhavana.

Bhavana

Bhavana is the faculty of argumentation based on one’s thoughts and imagination.

1. Bhavana is the faculty that endeavours to prove itself to be the epitome of justice on the basis of imagination.

2. It proves you to be blameless on the basis of imagination.

3. It depicts the untrue as true simply by imputing imaginary motives arbitrarily chosen.

4. It attempts to superimpose reality upon the unreal.

5. It tightens mental knots.

6. It takes the support of deceitful and illusory principles to prove itself blameless.

7. Based on bhavana, the individual dismisses even his tyrannical acts as blameless.

8. Bhavana is the means whereby one conceals one’s actual value base.

9. Bhavana increases one’s selfishness.

10. It attempts to prove adharma as dharma.

11. It even imputes delusive meanings to the knowledge of the Scriptures.

12. It has a vast capacity for argumentation.

13. It is also empowered to prove the greatest lie as the truth.

14. The work of bhavana is to prove whatever one desires, to be correct.

15. Thus it not only deceives the world, it also deceives itself and hence, it does not allow itself to recognise itself.

When this same energy takes it upon itself to establish the Truth, and to establish itself in the Truth, it is called medhavi. Medhavi has the same qualities as bhavana – however, it employs all those same methods to steep itself in the Truth.

Through bhavana, the individual:

a) cannot perceive the Lord’s point of view;

b) repeatedly lies to the Lord;

c) talks falsely to the Lord;

d) does not understand what the Lord says since he does not wish to understand.

Medhavi

Medhavi is that intellect which:

a) puts forward the Lord’s point of view;

b) teaches one how to live in accordance with the Lord’s perspective;

c) translates the Truth into life through reasoning and argumentation;

d) raises its voice against itself;

e) is extremely diplomatic and wins over the mind through this same diplomacy;

f) possesses the ability to understand and change its own innate motivating qualities;

g) can infuse dynamism into its own motivating qualities or render them ineffective;

1. When bhavana is impregnated with love for the Truth, the medhavi is awakened.

2. The medhavi intellect infuses purity into the mind-stuff and readies it for becoming sthit pragya.

3. The medhavi is like the Lord’s advocate.

4. It is that intellectual principle which establishes the Lord’s point of view in one’s life.

5. After the attainment of the state of the sthit pragya, it is the medhavi that dons the form of Saraswati, the Goddess of learning.

6. After the attainment of the state of sthit pragya, it is the medhavi that takes one towards the ritambhara intellect.

7. It is the medhavi which causes one to be indifferent to both the auspicious and the inauspicious, towards nivritti and pravritti, inasmuch as the Lord Himself is indifferent to these.

8. The medhavi is extremely shrewd and adept.

9. It is the medhavi that can make one an Atmavaan.

Sthit Pragya

The stable intellect is called sthit pragya.

1. Such an intellect can perceive Truth and untruth in their actual form.

2. It recognises Reality through an impartial and uninfluenced attitude.

3. It is never distracted or unsteady.

4. It remains uninfluenced even by its own qualities.

5. Nor is it influenced by the qualities of another.

6. It is not affected by its own desire, its own concepts and beliefs, and the respect or disrespect of others towards itself.

7. It abides in equanimity.

8. It is uninfluenced by its own attachment.

9. It is not affected by involvement in action (pravritti) or abstaining from action (nivritti), in other words it is not influenced by the perceptible or the imperceptible world.

10. It is not influenced by the desire for body establishment.

11. Nor do the interests of its own mind influence it.

The intellect of the sanyasi is firm and stable. Such an intellect is instantly and completely immersed in that which confronts it; wherever the vision goes, there samadhi or complete absorption occurs. The medhavi intellect lifts the spiritual aspirant from the state of a sthit pragya to the state of Brahm Himself.

Ritambhara

1. The voice of the Lord Himself.

2. The speech of the gunatit and the one who has mastered the qualities.

3. The word of the Unmanifest who appears as the manifest.

4. The speech of one established in the Self.

5. The voice of complete uninterrupted Silence.

6. The voice of one who abides in non-duality.

7. The word of the Supreme Purusha.

8. This voice is the Word of Brahm Himself.

The Lord is speaking here of that medhavi intellect which remains impartial towards the auspicious and the inauspicious – which has no doubt whatsoever about the Supreme Truth – Brahm in essence. The medhavi awakens the discerning power in man and takes the truth loving intellect towards the state of the sthit pragya. Then, sublimating the body idea, it merges in the ritambhara.