Chapter 18 Shloka 42

शमो दमस्तपः शौचं क्षान्तिरार्जवमेव च।

ज्ञानं विज्ञानमास्तिक्यं ब्रह्मकर्म स्वभावजम्।।४२।।

Control of the senses, control of the mind and tapas –

austere endurance; purity, forgiveness and simplicity;

knowledge, the scientific application of knowledge

and an intellect imbued with faith; these constitute

the natural disposition of the Brahmin.

Chapter 18 Shloka 42

शमो दमस्तपः शौचं क्षान्तिरार्जवमेव च।

ज्ञानं विज्ञानमास्तिक्यं ब्रह्मकर्म स्वभावजम्।।४२।।

Now the Lord defines the natural disposition of a Brahmin.

Control of the senses, control of the mind and tapas – austere endurance; purity, forgiveness and simplicity; knowledge, the scientific application of knowledge and an intellect imbued with faith; these constitute the natural disposition of the Brahmin.

The Lord says, “Now become acquainted with the natural deeds of a Brahmin.”

Sham (शम) – Control of the senses

1. The internal mind-stuff is silenced.

2. The aberrations of the mind, intellect and the mind-stuff subside.

3. All mental tendencies are under control.

4. Even the ego is in abeyance.

These are the qualifications of sham.

Dam (दम) – Control of the mind

1. One’s intense desires are within one’s control.

2. The senses no longer pursue sense objects.

3. There is a complete detachment towards desired sense enjoyment.

4. There is no inclination towards engaging in improper activities.

5. The mind along with the senses is fixed in the Supreme.

These are the qualifications of dam.

Tapas (तप) – Austere endurance

1. The ability to smilingly endure everything on account of one’s intense faith in the Lord is tapas.

2. Then the senses do not pursue sense objects.

3. Mental forbearance is tapas.

4. Complete silence of the mind is tapas.

5. An attitude of indifference towards oneself is tapas.

6. The practice of abiding in equanimity even in the face of adversity is tapas.

Shauch (शौच) – Purity

Shauch is another name for purity of the mind-stuff. In order to understand this purity, it is important to first understand what is mental impurity.

Mental Impurity

1. To believe the real to be the unreal is mental impurity.

2. To consider the false to be the Truth is on account of mental impurity.

3. To believe the Atma to be the anatma is mental impurity.

4. The counterfeit intellect cannot perceive the Truth because of the veil of impurity that cloaks it.

5. The tendency to lay claims on another person arises due to one’s mental impurities.

6. Attachment to the body and an arrogant pride in the body-self is in itself a mental impurity.

7. Pride in one’s physical attributes is on account of one’s mental impurities.

8. To sever one’s ties with another due to that person’s attributes is mental impurity.

9. To criticise others on account of their innate attributes and to cause their downfall is a mental impurity.

10. Such mental impurity causes one to refrain from helping another because of an innate fear of disrepute or harm to oneself.

11. Mental impurity hinders one from the performance of one’s duty.

12. To diverge from one’s path of duty is mental impurity.

13. Selfish actions stem from mental impurity.

14. Greed, moha, ignorance, all these are on account of one’s mental impurities.

15. As a result of one’s mental impurities one’s convictions and beliefs bind and hinder one.

16. Only a pure intellect can perceive life with an ever fresh and unsullied vision each day.

In fact,

a) The intellect that is subservient to the body-self emerges due to one’s mental impurities.

b) Mental aberrations also exist due to one’s mental impurities.

c) The idea of doership exists because of mental impurities.

d) Ego, hypocrisy, pride, all these are products of mental impurity.

e) All the attributes of rajas and tamas occur due to mental impurities.

f) One’s fall from humane values is because of one’s mental impurities.

g) One forfeits one’s happiness because of one’s mental impurities.

h) Ignorance is a product of mental impurity.

i)  The inability to renounce one’s grudges and animosities perpetuates one’s mental impurity.

j)  The inability to forgive comes from the impurities within us.

1. The attribute of sattva stems from mental purity.

2. The capacity to remain untouched and uninfluenced by all attributes is a mark of one’s internal purity.

3. An intellect that is stable in its equanimity is a mark of one’s internal purity.

4. Divine qualities are a mark of internal purity.

Kshama (क्षमा) – Forgiveness

1. Forgiveness becomes irrelevant for one who has not paid any heed to adversity. Such a one is forgiveness itself.

2. It is an errant sinner who is forgiven; the true Brahmin, whose mind is focused in Brahm, does not pay any heed to others’ attributes – positive or negative, so how can he condemn another as a sinner?

3. Those who consider the body to belong to the Lord do not consider anyone to be their enemies or ill-wishers.

4. If the body belongs to the Lord, any tyranny inflicted is directed towards the Lord – how is the true Brahmin affected by it?

5. Such a one has, so to say, forgiven himself by washing away the impure latencies of many a birth. Such a one bears no grudges towards anyone.

(For a further elucidation of this word refer to Chp.13, shloka 7 and Chp.16, shloka 3)

Aarjav (आर्जव) – Simplicity

1. Such people are infinitely simple.

2. They are merciful.

3. They are humble.

4. They are compassionate.

5. They love others.

Due to their simplicity, such people are:

a) devoid of deceit;

b) humility itself;

c) tenderness personified;

d) magnanimous to the core;

e) gentle hearted;

f) tranquil and peaceful.

Such people have attained total silence of the mind. Their mind cannot trouble them.

Look Kamla, let me tell you a subtle truth – understand it carefully.

1. The mind takes undue advantage of you.

2. So long as you identify with the mind, it remains out of your control.

3. So long as you are attached to the mind, it rules you.

4. Once you have truly become convinced that you are not the mind, the mind is automatically silenced.

5. If you truly believe that you are not this body, your mind behaves itself because:

–  you yourself have ceased to use your body for selfish gain, in order to attain mental silence;

–  once you believe and are convinced that the body and mind do not belong to you, you will never give them a second thought.

(For an elaboration of this word, refer to Chp.7, shloka 14, Chp.13, shloka 7 and Chp.16, shloka 1)

Gyan (ज्ञान) – Knowledge

Through gyan, an individual:

a) perceives the Atma as separate from the anatma;

b) realises that ‘I am not the body’;

c) realises that ‘I am not the mind’.

The intellect too, is inanimate. Realising this truth through gyan, and practising living in this truth, the aspirant can become an Atmavaan in his lifetime. This is why knowledge is considered to be vital and pre-eminent.

Whether one takes the Lord’s Name or not:

a) whether one speaks of knowledge or its practical application or not;

b) whether one focuses one’s mind on Brahm or not;

c) whether one repeats the name of Lord Ram or not;

one must open one’s eyes to the Truth. One must know what is real.

1. At least know yourself.

2. Are you what you consider yourself to be?

3. Do you possess the attributes you think you inhere?

4. And are these attributes within your control?

5. Who is the Lord of your body? Know Him.

(For an elaboration of Gyan, refer to Chp.13, shloka 11)

Freedom

The problem is that you yourself are a prisoner. Your intellect too, is a prisoner. You fight for independence but in truth, you are not free. How can you be free when you have not gained freedom from your mind? You have to gain freedom from yourself – not from the world. This freedom can be gained through knowledge.

1. Your intellect is not free – your mind rules your intellect.

2. Your mind is not free – it is ruled by your sense organs.

3. Your sense organs too, are not free – they are ruled by the sense objects. If you truly desire emancipation, you must take the support of knowledge.

Little one, knowledge is Adhyatam – the inculcation of Brahm’s nature.

1. To realise the essence of knowledge is true knowledge.

2. To have the spirit of knowledge as the goal of one’s life is true knowledge.

3. To understand the Lord’s manifest form and His essence is true knowledge.

4. To mould one’s life in the spirit of the Supreme Brahm is true knowledge.

Vigyan (विज्ञान) – The practical application of knowledge

1. However, knowledge by itself cannot grant you freedom.

2. It is only when you imbibe that pure knowledge in life that you become truly free.

3. It is only when you become the embodiment of pure knowledge that you gain freedom.

4. When one converts pure knowledge into its scientific application in life then one becomes free.

If you are no longer attached to the body-self, you can become wholly free and emancipated because:

1. The mind, the intellect, the sense organs – all these are integral parts of the body.

2. The mind, intellect and the sense organs have become the servitors of the body.

3. The mind, intellect and the sense organs are ever engaged in endeavours for establishment of the body.

Little one, it is the body that receives insult or acclaim. Loss and gain are measured in relation to their relevance to the establishment of the body. If you are not the body, none of these will ever matter to you.

Once your focus shifts from the mind to the Supreme Truth:

a) the mind will automatically become silenced;

b) the mind will spontaneously engage in dutiful deeds;

c) the mind will transcend the idea of doership;

d) the intellect that was subservient to the body-self will vanish.

All this is possible when one converts gyan or knowledge into vigyan – its scientific application in life. Thereafter, the individual becomes a pure ‘experiencer’ and an Atmavaan.

1. A Brahmin knows all this.

2. Such actions flow spontaneously from a Brahmin’s very nature.

The strength of a Brahmin’s state lies in his faith. He believes with complete faith that:

a) the Lord exists;

b) only the Lord exists everywhere;

c) He is all;

d) there is nothing apart from Him.

The Brahmin has faith only in this – and this faith is his sole mainstay.