Sankhya Yoga: Shlokas 14 to 18
If you have not already done so, I would request you to review the Chapter 1, Arjuna Vishada Yoga before studying chapter 2 as that would help set the right context.
You can find the explanation of shlokas 10 to 13 here. Please go through that to get better understanding of the context.
You can also listen to all the episodes through my Spotify Portal.
मात्रास्पर्शास्तु कौन्तेय शीतोष्णसुखदु: खदा: |
आगमापायिनोऽनित्यास्तांस्तितिक्षस्व भारत ||14||
mātrā-sparśhās tu kaunteya śhītoṣhṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ
āgamāpāyino ’nityās tans-titikṣhasva bhārata
मात्रास्पर्शाः mātrāsparśāḥ contacts of senses with objects तु tu indeed कौन्तेय kaunteya O Kaunteya शीतोष्ण सुख दुःखदाः śῑtoṣṇa sukha duḥkhadāḥ producers of cold and heat, pleasure and pain आगमापायिनः āgamāpāyinaḥ with beginning and end अनित्याः anityāḥ impermanent तान् tān them तितिक्षस्व titiksasva bear (thou) भारत bhārata
The contacts of the senses with their objects create, O son of Kunti, feelings of heat and cold, of pain and pleasure. They come and go and are impermanent. Bear them patiently, O Bharata.
यं हि न व्यथयन्त्येते पुरुषं पुरुषर्षभ |
समदु:खसुखं धीरं सोऽमृतत्वाय कल्पते || 15||
yaṁ hi na vyathayantyete puruṣhaṁ puruṣharṣhabha
sama-duḥkha-sukhaṁ dhīraṁ so ’mṛitatvāya kalpate
यम् yam whom हि hi surely न व्यथयन्ति na vyathayanti afflict not एते ete these पुरुषम puruṣaṁ man पुरुष ॠषभ purusa ṛṣabha chief among men समदुःखसुखम sama duḥkha sukhaṁ same in pleasure and pain धीरम dhῑram firm सः saḥ he अमृतत्वाय amṛtatvāya for immortality कल्पते kalpate – is fit
O noblest amongst men, that person who is not affected by happiness and distress, and remains steady in both, becomes eligible for liberation.
नासतो विद्यते भावो नाभावो विद्यते सत: |
उभयोरपि दृष्टोऽन्तस्त्वनयोस्तत्त्वदर्शिभि: || 16||
nāsato vidyate bhāvo nābhāvo vidyate sataḥ
ubhayorapi dṛiṣhṭo ’nta stvanayos tattva-darśhibhiḥ
न na not असतः asataḥ of the unreal विद्यते vidyate is भावः bhāvaḥ being न na not अभावः abhāvaḥ nonbeing विद्यते vidyate is सतः sataḥ of the real उभयोः ubhayoḥ of the two अपि api also दृष्टः dṛṣṭaḥ (has been) seen अन्तः antaḥ the final truth तु tu indeed अनयोः anayoḥ of these तत्त्वदर्शिभिः tattvadarśibhiḥ by the knowers of the truth
Of the transient there is no endurance, and of the eternal there is no cessation. This has verily been observed and concluded by the seers of the Truth, after studying the nature of both.
अविनाशि तु तद्विद्धि येन सर्वमिदं ततम् |
विनाशमव्ययस्यास्य न कश्चित्कर्तुमर्हति || 17||
avināśhi tu tadviddhi yena sarvam idaṁ tatam
vināśham avyayasyāsya na kaśhchit kartum arhati
अविनाशि avināśi indestructible तु tu indeed तत् tat that विद्धि viddhi know (thou) येन yena by whom सर्वम् sarvaṁ all इदम् idaṁ this ततम् tataṁ is pervaded विनाशम् vināśaṁ destruction अव्ययस्य अस्य avyayasya asya of the imperishable न na not कश्चित् kaścit anyone कर्तुम् kartuṁ to do अर्हति arhati is able
That which pervades the entire body, you should know that it is indestructible. No one can cause the destruction of the imperishable soul.
अन्तवन्त इमे देहा नित्यस्योक्ता: शरीरिण: |
अनाशिनोऽप्रमेयस्य तस्माद्युध्यस्व भारत || 18||
antavanta ime dehā nityasyoktāḥ śharīriṇaḥ
anāśhino ’prameyasya tasmād yudhyasva bhārata
अन्तवन्तः antavantaḥ having an end इमे ime these देहाः dehāḥ bodies नित्यस्य nityasya of the everlasting उक्ताः uktāḥ are said शरीरिणः śarīriṇaḥ of the embodied अनाशिनः anāśinaḥ of the indestructible अप्रमेयस्य aprameyasya of the immeasurable तस्मात् tasmāt therefore युध्यस्व yudhyasva fight भारत bhārata O Bharata
Only the material body is perishable; the embodied soul within is indestructible, immeasurable, and eternal. Therefore, fight, O descendent of Bharat.
In the previous verses, Shri Kṛṣṇa explained the importance of the guru, self realization and the true nature of the self.
Perception of happiness and distress
Here we start with 2.14, where He says that the contact between the senses and the sense objects gives rise to perceptions of happiness and distress which are very temporary. Just like summers and winters, these perceptions are all temporary and we should learn to tolerate them with a calm mind.
This verse lays the foundation of Krishna’s philosophy that helps us reach the state of a sthitaprajña (a person of steady wisdom, and one who is self realized) which Krishna will explain more in detail in the last few verses of this chapter.
As quoted by Swami Chinmaya Nanda, and as described in Vedanta, an object is perceived not BY the sense-organs but THROUGH them.
The sense organs are instruments through which our inner consciousness perceives various objects. The actual perception depends upon the accuracy of the sense organs as well as on the state of mind of the person perceiving it. That is one of the reasons why the same objects can give two different types of experiences to two different individuals.
For example, one person will feel love and warmth when they see a dog while another person may feel fear at the sight of the same dog. The same senses and the same dog, but different perceptions based on difference in mindset.
We have also experienced how the same objects that used to feel good when we were younger, now don’t feel that good. Or vice versa.
The core concept here is that it is our mind which is responsible for how we perceive objects and events. The objects themselves do not dictate what the perception should be. This is the actual meaning behind the famous quote by Prince Hamlet in Shakespeare’s play ‘The Hamlet’. “There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so“.
Shri Krishna is explaining the same concept here to help us understand that if we can learn to manage our mind, then external objects and events will cease to disturb or trouble us. We humans are always trying to control our external environments and other people and other situations whereas, as Shri Krishna masterfully explains, all we have to do is to learn to train and control our own minds in order to achieve a state of balance and bliss.
The need for a calm and balanced mind
A mind that can endure both pleasure and pain calmly is a prerequisite for self realization. In fact, Shri Krishna explains that only a person who has been able to develop such a mind is fit for self realization and liberation. As discussed earlier, our true purpose of having a human life is to utilize this body to achieve self realization and liberation. And thus, it should become our primary goal to control and train our minds to be balanced and calm during pain and pleasure. That is the most important training we require and we can do this in small steps. Although it has to be done regularly and consistently.
For example, when it rains, instead of complaining that it is cold and gloomy, we should train our minds to appreciate the importance of rain and cherish the pure cold water showering so freely upon us. Likewise, if it gets just a little hot, let us not demand for a fan or AC and instead learn to enjoy the heat.
In verse 2.15, Kṛṣṇa addresses Arjuna as “puruṣharṣhabha” which means ‘best among men’. Shri Kṛṣṇa is effectively bringing the best out of Arjuna.
Equanimity by realizing that everything will pass
This does not mean that we become totally emotionless. It is OK to feel happy or sad. We should just not get too excited in good times or too agitated during bad times. The easiest way to achieve this is to always tell ourselves that “even this will pass”. This applies to both good as well as bad times and will help us stay grounded and calm under all situations. That is why Shri Krishna says tān titikṣasva ‘bear with them’, because they are anityāḥ, ‘they are not permanent’.
Shankaracharya has said this in verse 24 of his famous work, Vivekachudamani:
सहनं सर्वदुःखानामप्रतीकारपूर्वकम् ।
चिन्ताविलापरहितं सा तितिक्षा निगद्यते ॥ २४ ॥
sahanaṃ sarvaduḥkhānāmapratīkārapūrvakam |
cintāvilāparahitaṃ sā titikṣā nigadyate || 24 ||
The bearing of all afflictions without caring to redress them, being free (at the same time) from anxiety or self-pity or complaining, is called Titikṣā or forbearance.
And one of my all time favorite quotes from the west is the one contained in the ‘Serenity Prayer’ by Reinhold Niebuhr:
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
courage to change the things I can,
and wisdom to know the difference.
So again, the lesson is for us to practice ‘detachment’, not ‘indifference’. If we see an unpleasant situation that we can control or change, then we should. However, if the situation is unpleasant and not in our control, we must serenely accept it.
The great saint Sai baba of Shirdi gives us the secret to handling all the ups and downs in life in just two words ‘Shraddha (faith) and Saburi (patience and perseverance)’. Have faith in yourself and in the Lord. And practice patience and perseverance.
Lord Buddha has taught that such equanimity of mind is required to protect us from the Eight Worldly Winds: praise and blame, success and failure, pleasure and pain, fame and disrepute.
Becoming attached to or excessively elated with success, praise, fame, or pleasure can become a cause for suffering when the times change. Success can feel wonderful, however if it leads to arrogance, then we will fail in the long run. Becoming attached to praise can lead to vanity and that will make us commit a lot of costly mistakes leading to disrepute and loss of name and fame. And if we identify ourselves with our failures, we may feel incompetent or inadequate. Reacting to pain, we may become discouraged.
When we cultivate a calm and balanced mind, we will be able to realize that our sense of inner well-being is independent of the Eight Winds. That is true freedom. This is one of the most empowering realizations we should aim to have and it rightfully sets us on the path to liberation.
Pragma 2: A calm mind is essential for liberation. Learn to handle pain and pleasure calmly.
Sat and Asat
From 2.16 onwards, the terms sat and asat are used. These mean true and not-true and they also mean real and not-real. In Sankhya philosophy, The Sat is also termed as the ‘cause’ and the Asat is termed as the ‘effect’. The ‘Sat’ is the absolute truth, the eternal Lord, and the ‘Sat’ is responsible for everything in the material Universe that has been manifested. Asat is ever changing. Sat is never changing. The physical body and everything we perceive via our physical senses are Asat because they are ever changing and so we should not cling on to these temporary things.
In the holy Guru Granth Sahib that the Sikhs follow, it is mentioned that:
aadh sach jugaadh sach
hai bhee sach naanak hosee bhee sach
True In The Primal Beginning. True Throughout The Ages.
True Here And Now. O Nanak, Forever And Ever True.
That is the nature of ‘sat’ or the absolute truth.
When it comes to asat, more than 2500 years ago, the great Greek philosopher Heraclitus famously said “No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man.”
That is a classic example of the ever changing nature of all things material. Truth is eternal, never changing. So whatever changes cannot be the truth. It has to be unreal, an illusion.
Another very important point to note is the use of the word त्त्वदर्शिभि: (tattva-darśhibhiḥ) which means ‘knowers of the nature of soul’. The word ‘tattvam’ in Sanskrit means ‘the true nature of a thing’. This is very different from the word ‘matam’ which means ‘opinion’. By using the term ‘tattvam’, Shri Krishna is saying that whatever He is saying about ‘sat’, ‘asat’ and nature of the soul are facts and not just his views or opinions.
That should give us more conviction in these concepts that He has taught.
The goal of the soul
The great philosopher Aristotle said “The whole is greater than the sum of the parts” and this holds true for humans. We are greater than the sum of our body parts. Someone in the USA did a detailed analysis of all the chemicals and components an average human body is made up of and calculated that the total cost of all the chemicals and other materials that our body consists of would be less than $50. LOL. Is that what we are worth? Of course not. We know that human life is priceless, so it has to be more than just the physical body.
This soul is described in vedic literature as being smaller than one ten-thousandth part of the upper portion of the hair point in size. In the Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad (5.9) is is written:
bālāgra-śata-bhāgasya
śatadhā kalpitasya ca
bhāgo jīvaḥ sa vijñeyaḥ
sa cānantyāya kalpate
“When the upper point of a hair is divided into one hundred parts and again each of such parts is further divided into one hundred parts, each such part is the measurement of the dimension of the spirit soul.”
In the Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad (3.1.9) the measurement of the atomic spirit soul is explained:
eṣo ’ṇur ātmā cetasā veditavyo
yasmin prāṇaḥ pañcadhā saṁviveśa
prāṇaiś cittaṁ sarvam otaṁ prajānāṁ
yasmin viśuddhe vibhavaty eṣa ātmā
“The soul is atomic in size and can be perceived by perfect intelligence. This atomic soul is floating in the five kinds of air (prāṇa, apāna, vyāna, samāna and udāna), is situated within the heart, and spreads its influence all over the body of the embodied living entities. When the soul is purified from the contamination of the five kinds of material air, its spiritual influence is exhibited.”
This is the goal of all the yogas.
Kṛṣṇa explains this indestructible nature of the ‘soul’ to Arjuna and tells him that only the body perishes and soul itself is indestructible and eternal. He asks Arjuna to become aware of this truth and fight for Dharma without any more confusion.
You can go through the next set, shlokas 19 to 24 over here
kṛṣṇadaasa
Servant of Krishna
Aka +Vinayak Raghuvamshi