Chapter 18 Shloka 49

असक्तबुद्धिः सर्वत्र जितात्मा विगतस्पृहः।

नैष्कर्म्यसिद्धिं परमां संन्यासेनाधिगच्छति।।४९।।

One whose intellect is unattached,

who has conquered himself, who is devoid

of all attachments, likes or yearning,

such a one attains supreme perfection in

selfless action through renunciation or sanyas.

Chapter 18 Shloka 49

असक्तबुद्धिः सर्वत्र जितात्मा विगतस्पृहः।

नैष्कर्म्यसिद्धिं परमां संन्यासेनाधिगच्छति।।४९।।

My little love, now hear from the Lord how one can attain perfection by engaging in one’s natural deeds.

One whose intellect is unattached, who has conquered himself, who is devoid of all attachments, likes or yearning, such a one attains supreme perfection in selfless action through renunciation or sanyas.

Asakta Buddhi (असक्त बुद्धिः) – Unattached Intellect

1. One whose intellect is devoid of attachment of any kind.

2. One whose intellect is uninfluenced.

3. One whose intellect is never shrouded.

4. One whose intellect is never fickle.

Such a one possesses an unattached intellect.

Spriha Rahit (स्पृहा रहित) – Devoid of desire

1. One who is free of desire on the subtle plane.

2. On the mental plane, one who is not spurred into action by desire.

3. One who does not desire acclaim or recognition, even subtly, and who is not ruffled by either acclaim or insult.

4. One who is devoid of hopes and expectations.

That one can be said to be devoid of desire.

Jitatma (जितात्मा) – One who has conquered the Atma

1. One who has gained victory over his mind.

2. One who has conquered the ego.

3. One who has purified his mind-stuff.

All these attributes define one who abides in samadhi or complete absorption in the Self. Little one, such a one can be called a Jitatma. Let me now explain to you the entire process of samadhi.

Samadhi

1. A state of samadhi necessitates an intellect established in equanimity – the state of a sthit pragya.

2. Samadhi or absorption in the Self occurs when the intellect ceases to be influenced by external names and forms.

3. Samadhi occurs when the intellect is uninfluenced even by its own attributes.

4. Samadhi occurs when the intellect is no longer influenced by the attributes of others.

5. Samadhi occurs when the individual no longer identifies with his own individuality.

6. Samadhi occurs when the individual identifies in complete self-forgetfulness with whatever he sets his eyes on.

7. Samadhioccurs when the individual no longer retains consciousness of even the other and identifies with all.

(For a further elaboration on Samadhi, refer to Chp.7, shloka 28; Chp.16, shloka 19; Chp.18, shloka 2)

The cause of one’s downfall from one’s essential being

Now understand how a person forgets his true identity and abides in ignorance.

1. An individual only considers himself to be the body comprising of the sense faculties made up of the five elements.

2. He identifies himself with his sense faculties and believes himself to be those sense faculties.

3. He identifies himself with the mind and considers himself to be the mind. He considers all the attributes of that mind to be his own.

4. He spends his entire lifetime in sense gratification and in the fulfilment of the cravings of the senses.

An idol worshipper

1. This body of clay arises from clay, is sustained by clay and re-unites with the same clay at the end of its tenure. The ‘I’ so worships this idol of clay that it becomes akin to the very clay it worships.

2. It so worships the idol of clay that it becomes subservient to it for a lifetime.

3. The individual desires only the establishment of that body of clay, having employed all his conscious faculties for the purpose.

When the Atma unites irrevocably with the anatma, all that remains is ignorance.

Thus the individual unites:

a) with the appetites of the body-self;

b) with the desire for self establishment;

c) with the likes and dislikes of the mind;

d) with the positive and negative qualities of the mind.

– and the intellect is thus shrouded.

When the mind attains what it considers to be pleasurable, it experiences a certain amount of happiness; when its interest is denied, it attains sorrow. Then both negative and positive thought processes begin to arise and methods of cloaking these thought processes begin to emerge. Thus mental knots are created.

1. Then cravings and desires throng.

2. Hopes and expectations become fetters.

3. The mind is torn by dilemmas.

4. Greed for body establishment rises simultaneously.

What more can one say? Identification with the body-self proved to be the doom of the mind and the intellect. This identification of the body, mind and intellect is the ‘I’. That which individualises man is the ‘I’.

Little one, the so called ‘samadhi’ of the foolish and ignorant mind is a forgetfulness of his true Self and a single minded absorption into the body-self. Such a foolish person never suffers from doubt – so wholly absorbed is he in his bodily interests. His samadhi is unperturbed and undisturbed such as one who is asleep.

What now remains to be seen is:

1. Is the ‘I’ the servant of the body-self or does the body serve the ‘I’?

2. Is the ‘I’ the servant of the mind or does the mind serve the ‘I’?

3. Is the ‘I’ the servant of the intellect or does the intellect serve the ‘I’?

4. Do the body, mind and intellect dominate or does the ‘I’ preponderate?

5. What matters is, who is the master of the body, mind and intellect? Are you their master or are you their servant?

Are you the Atma or the anatma? What are you? If you are Consciousness itself:

a) then this body becomes conscious because of you;

b) then this mind receives consciousness from you;

c) then this intellect becomes conscious because of you.

In other words, all these merely appear to possess consciousness.

This body is ever changing. Its very essence is to change – from infancy to youth to old age, then to dust itself. This body is not your friend. Despite your best efforts and most intense desire that it should remain the same, it undergoes constant change and does not heed your bidding. Of what consequence is your identification with this body when it does not comply with even one of your wishes? It is useless to call such a disobedient body ‘yours’.

Little one, have you ever listened to the silent eloquence of this body? Do you know what it constantly tells you? Without saying it, it constantly proclaims:

1. “I am not yours.”

2. “Do as you wish – I shall remain silent.”

3. “I shall not support you.”

4. “You can make me say whatever you wish, but my limbs are not in your control!”

5. “If you wish to establish a relationship with me, you are welcome – I am anatma, not the Atma, therefore I do not, even mistakenly, forge any relationships with the Atma.”

6. “I have been created by destiny, bound by time, ever the servitor of the Supreme – I have no desire of my own.”

7. “How does it matter how others use me?”

8. “How do I know what attributes inhere in me?”

9. “I do not even know who will use which attribute of mine.”

Little one, this is the natural temperament of the body. So also, the mind and the intellect also have some basic, inherent attributes. Therefore, before you lay any claims to them, pause to consider:

1. Am ‘I’ these attributes?

2. Are these attributes mine?

3. Are these attributes dependent on me?

4. Do I reign over these attributes?

If you think you rule these attributes:

a) try to change even a fraction of some quality within you!

b) try to silence your mind;

c) try to infuse your intellect with the qualities of the sthit pragya;

d) show some rare and noble quality within you;

e) show us how you can erase the ego;

f) try to remove the pride and the arrogance within you;

g) let us see if you can erase your mental turmoil;

h) let us see if love can flow from within you;

i)  try to be indifferent towards yourself.

It is comparatively easy to dominate another – but difficult to gain mastery over oneself. It is comparatively easy to become indifferent towards another and relatively difficult to retain that same indifference towards oneself.

That individual who abides in the Truth:

a) knows this truth regarding his own body, mind and intellect unit;

b) knows his own body, mind and intellect to be an interplay of qualities;

c) knows that it is the three attributes of sattva, rajas and tamas which control the body, mind and intellect.

The individual who abides in the Truth knows:

–  that which he has hitherto called his own, is actually foreign to him;

–  that very entity that he has hitherto called his very own, is not his at all;

–  that which he believed to be his kingdom is not in reality his own. It has, in fact, made him a prisoner.

It is then that the difference between the Atma and the anatma begins to become evident to him.

1. Then such a one begins to witness the basic attributes of his body, mind and intellect as an objective witness.

2. It is then that he ceases to become attached to the attributes of his body, mind and intellect.

3. It is then that he knows his body, mind and intellect to be alien to him.

4. Thenceforth, he is no longer influenced by his body, mind and intellect.

5. He is untouched by the qualities of his body, mind and intellect and seeks nothing for them.

6. He no longer endeavours to please them.

7. No longer does he seek to establish them.

8. What does the world matter to such a one?

a) All that he had hitherto sought from the world was for the purpose of body establishment.

b) He sought security and protection for his body-self from the world – now for whom will he seek these things?

c) He sought so much for granting pleasure to the mind – now for whom should he seek these pleasures?

He strove for the establishment of the body-self, for the attainment of what he liked, for the annihilation of what he disliked – and now his very relationship with that body is severed. The ‘I’ thus ceases to identify with the body-self and becomes an objective witness. It could also be said that the ‘I’ becomes the epitome of consciousness – yet devoid of the vital praanas – the life breath.

Because:

a) where the praanas exist, there death co-exists;

b) where the praanas exist, there the body also must exist;

c) where the praanas exist, the dharma or innate nature of death also exists.

When the ‘I’ no longer identifies with the body-self, the ‘I’ is distanced from the attribute of death of the body. All relationships with name and form evaporate.

1. The consequence of such a state is samadhi or complete absorption into the Self.

2. This state is the state of samadhi.

3. The world acknowledges such a one as one who dwells in samadhi.

–  Whatever he speaks can be classified as Shabdanubadh Samadhi.

–  Whatever he does can be classified as Karmanubadh Samadhi.

–  Whatever he sees is classified as Drishtianubhadh Samadhi.

Thus such a one abides constantly in samadhi. Because:

1. He is in deep sleep where he himself is concerned.

2. He is silent towards himself.

3. What he used to call his own has now become foreign to him.

4. He is lost in the Supreme Essence.

5. He has relinquished attachment with all that is not Atma.

6. He has become one with the Atma.

7. He is verily called an Atmavaan.

8. He is known as the Lord Himself.

When the ego has been excluded from pure consciousness:

a) the mind becomes a servant;

b) the mind ceases to do as it pleases;

c) all thought processes – negative and positive, are silenced;

d) dualities cease to arise;

e) desire, craving and greed are banished;

f) aberrations, hatred and sorrow are annihilated;

g) such a one becomes devoid of all enmities.

When the mind is silenced, the individual becomes an Atmavaan. What remains is an open book for the world to read.

1. What remains is a divine manifestation in the form of a human being, which spontaneously engages in deeds allotted to it by destiny.

2. What remain are the mind and the intellect, which also represent that pure divinity.

3. Such a one is devoid of aberrations.

4. Such a one is ever satiated.

5. Such a one is uninfluenceable and indifferent to himself.

6. He is blameless.

7. He is uninfluenced by all attributes.

8. That sthit pragya or the one established in an intellect of equanimity remains a non-doer and a non-enjoyer.

9. He is devoid of meum and ego.

It is the world that describes him thus – he himself makes no such claims.

Actually that manifest one is an integral constituent of the Eternal Unmanifest One. His natural state is one of samadhi or complete absorption in That Eternal Unmanifest Reality. Such a one abides in Advaita – a spirit of non-duality. He is instantly identified and focused on whoever comes before him.

Yet, such a one is extremely ordinary:

a) because his associates are extremely ordinary;

b) because those who meet with him are of an extremely ordinary background;

c) because the tasks he accomplishes for others are in fact extremely ordinary.

Alone, he is almost like one inanimate – when confronted by the animate, he too is enlivened. He is absorbed into whosoever comes before him – he becomes completely one with him.

1. This is the state of uninterrupted samadhi.

2. This is known as supreme perfection devoid of doership.

3. This is the state of supreme sanyas or renunciation.

Little one, the sanyasi or renunciate:

a) is the embodiment of selflessness;

b) initiates no project of his own volition;

c) is forgetful of himself;

d) is indifferent to himself.

He can never endeavour for self-establishment, even in his dreams. Nor can he ever remember himself – even in his dreams!