The inscrutable design that weaves a web of desires

The intense conversation between Sage Yajnavalkya and his wife Maitreyi, on the notions of love, desire and possessiveness, and the inexplicable connect one feels sometimes with another, is at the heart of the concept of the Self expounded in the Brihadarayanka Upanishad.  Yajnavalkya is preparing to leave his householder responsibilities towards the close of his middle years and embark on Vanaprastha, the renunciate stage of life and wants to settle all family affairs between his two wives, Maitreyi and Katyayani.

Even as Yajnavalkya begins to explain his intent of dividing all of his property equally between the two women, Maitreyi startles him by asking whether this wealth that she will acquire will give to her a permanent state of happiness and joy. Yajnavalkya is taken aback, but Maitreyi persists with her question. Yajnavalkya tells her bluntly that though this wealth will give her material comforts, the satisfaction she will derive from material possessions will be only temporary; the state of happiness which Maitreyi is alluding to is not possible through such possessions. Maitreyi then expresses her disillusionment with this material settlement and requests Yajnavalkya to tell her of the way by which an unbroken state of happiness can be all way.

Yajnavalkya now expands the concept of wealth and explains how a comfortable state of mind operates. The mind derives its comfort through the physical acquisition of wealth or feels satisfied through attaining a particular social status. This conditioning of mind gives rise to our sense of possessiveness with that external object and draws a veil on the temporality of that external object as well as our own temporariness. But this external acquisition does give us happiness  for we still want to own, possess, desire, enjoy and feel this happiness, however temporary or imagined it may be. Why does this happen?

Yajnavalkya points to an inscrutable design working behind desires that grip our mind from time to time and which give us satisfaction and happiness when those desires get fulfilled.

The samvad, dialogue, between husband and wife picks up pace, as Yajnavalkya puts across his exposition of the inscrutable design behind each desire, longing, each possession and behind the need to love and be loved. Behind the mind’s desire for a particular thing or person is the desire to be one, to be united with that external object, however impossible it is in practicality. Yajnavalkya goes deeper behind this peculiar condition of mind to be united with externalities and points to an inner longing to be one with our inner Self, without which we feel restless, unsatiated and incomplete. The mind twists this inner longing to make it seem as if happiness could be achieved through external means.

Similarly, the love expressed between spouses, between man and woman, parents and children, between any two humans, are all part of a search for that love which alone will make us complete and impart to us a permanent state of happiness. The search for love, Yajnavalkya says, is the search for the Self, which alone can satiate us completely. No relationship can be dearer than the one we forge with our inner Self. Having initiated Maitreyi into this inscrutable principle of life, Yajnavalkya walks away into the great forest.

Newton law and new addition

More than 100 years after Albert Einstein published his iconic theory of general relativity, it is beginning to show signs of age. Now, following the most comprehensive test of general relativity yet near the monstrous black hole at the centre of our galaxy, University of California’s Professor Andrea Ghez has announced that Einstein’s theory of general relativity holds up – for now. Professor Ghez said: ”Einstein’s right, at least for now. We can absolutely rule out Newton’s law of gravity. “Our observations are consistent with Einstein’s theory of general relativity.

The inscrutable design that weaves a web of desires

The intense conversation between Sage Yajnavalkya and his wife Maitreyi, on the notions of love, desire and possessiveness, and the inexplicable connect one feels sometimes with another, is at the heart of the concept of the Self expounded in the Brihadarayanka Upanishad.  Yajnavalkya is preparing to leave his householder responsibilities towards the close of his middle years and embark on Vanaprastha, the renunciate stage of life and wants to settle all family affairs between his two wives, Maitreyi and Katyayani.

Even as Yajnavalkya begins to explain his intent of dividing all of his property equally between the two women, Maitreyi startles him by asking whether this wealth that she will acquire will give to her a permanent state of happiness and joy. Yajnavalkya is taken aback, but Maitreyi persists with her question. Yajnavalkya tells her bluntly that though this wealth will give her material comforts, the satisfaction she will derive from material possessions will be only temporary; the state of happiness which Maitreyi is alluding to is not possible through such possessions. Maitreyi then expresses her disillusionment with this material settlement and requests Yajnavalkya to tell her of the way by which an unbroken state of happiness can be acquired.

Experience the fullness in emptiness

Most of us place great value on being occupied, finding meaning and attaining fulfilment in our everyday existence. We believe that an idle mind is the devil’s workshop and we are very concerned about engaging ourselves in something productive at every moment. There is widespread belief that keeping busy and achieving success in life would magically solve all our problems. Interestingly, statistics seem to point in the opposite direction. A study published in the University of Cincinnati Law Review suggests that CEOs are at twice the risk of developing depression as compared to the general population. Another comprehensive review of literature published in the Journal of Affective Disorders elucidates that people living in developed and wealthy countries have a greater risk of suffering from mood disorders than those living in developing nations.

The famous case of fireman Robert O’Donnell who rescued a little girl from an inaccessible underground shaft in Texas, sums it up. The rescue operation became one of the top-rated events in the history of world television. There were several interviews, a valedictory parade, invitations for reality shows, a letter from the President, a meeting with the Vice-President and a movie to acknowledge the brave efforts of the firefighter. No wonder, Robert got addicted to fame and when the cameras moved away, his world collapsed. He found it hard to get back to normal life; he became severely depressed and finally committed suicide. It is time we acknowledge that the existing paradigm of becoming more and more productive and chasing success and fame is making us lonely, fearful and miserable. We need to make a fundamental change in our approach to life.
The ancient Chinese text Tao Te Ching teaches us the value of emptiness – when we look at a pot, we usually pay attention to its shape, colour and design. But there is something more important in the pot that our eyes cannot see, and our hands cannot feel – the emptiness inside the pot. It is this emptiness that makes the pot useful and gives it deeper meaning; else it is nothing more than a mass of clay. Modern science has discovered that our universe consists of not just the observable galaxies, stars and planets but also a huge empty space which is bigger than everything else put together. It is postulated that this empty space possesses a mysterious energy which causes our universe to continue expanding at an accelerated pace. Have we gone wrong in not paying attention to the emptiness in the cosmos and within us?

Buddhism talks about shunyata – a meditative state characterised by emptiness wherein the person is emancipated realising that there is no independently existing form, sensation, impulse, emotion or consciousness. There is neither pain nor pleasure, attainment nor non-attainment, existence nor non-existence. Therefore, the path to wholeness can be easily found in emptiness.

If you wish to discover yourself and be happy, nurture this emptiness and let it guide you. One way to do this is by practising mindfulness meditation. When you meditate, your thoughts slow down and there are moments where one thought passes, but the next thought does not appear, and you experience flashes of the ‘no mind’ state. Going further, you drop all thoughts, emotions and notions and attain the state of pure consciousness and fullness.

Thank you so much for going through my objects.

Let us reconnect to precious water

Water is life. Our bodies are made mostly of water and our survival depends on it. All life forms on planet earth are nurtured by water. Hence, ancient civilisations revered water, acknowledging its role as the driving force of nature. Scriptures of the two oldest religions of the world – Zoroastrianism and Hinduism – venerate water as a deity. While the Zend Avesta reveres Aredvi, the river goddess who nourishes people and lands and grants fertility, healing and wisdom, the Puranas worship Ganga, the river goddess who feeds, purifies and liberates humankind.

With time, the relationship between human beings and water seems to have undergone many changes. The idolisation turned into utilitarianism followed by consumerism and finally has given way to exploitation. Over the last 100 years or so, we have been exhausting water reserves faster than they can be replenished. A recent report by Niti Ayog claims that around 21 Indian cities will run out of groundwater and face severe water scarcity by 2020. When we all know how essential water is for survival of many life forms including ours, it is surprising that most of us are either silent spectators or willing participants in the massive wastage and contamination of this precious natural resource.

What could explain such a thoughtless and negligent attitude? Perhaps, the answers can be found in the prevailing psychological makeup in many of us, characterised by alienation, narcissism and greed. Nowadays, many people feel a deep disconnect with themselves, others and their environment. They feel alone, empty and vulnerable and in order to overcome their negative emotions they crave for intense pleasure. This gives rise to compulsive consumerism which makes them believe that once they satiate desires, they can be happy, indiscriminately consuming or wasting whatever they want. The yearning for instant gratification without any concern for the future all they want is to satisfy their greed without looking to its impact. Compulsive consumerism affects their relationship with water as well, and they have no qualms in mindlessly wasting, exploiting and contaminating water.

Despite this compulsive consumerism, most of them continue to feel hollow, meaningless and unhappy. They are ignorant of the fact that happiness can be found not in consuming recklessly but in giving back to nature. A study published in the International Journal of Environmental and Ecological Engineering found that those who care for the environment and who actively participate in conserving and restoring natural resources including water, experience a deep sense of inner peace and happiness. The need of the hour is to rise above greed, cultivate love for other forms of life, display environment-friendly behaviour, feel a connection with water and allow its mystical energy to fill us with joy.

Let us give water its due. Recall any moment when you were feeling hot and thirsty and your throat was parched. Try to recollect how blissful it felt as you finally got to drink some water. Imagine how it would have been if there was no water. Let us do everything possible to make sure that water continues to exist and nourish life on earth.

Find your self through quiet observation

It's began to shower gently and somehow i felt the heavens, along with God, were blessing this earth. More than pleasure, it is the happiness of innocence which is uplifting. The purity of innocence has its own freedom. In that freedom, there is no burden of the experience but the divine song of life. Are we listening to this song or are we lost in the demands of ego? Can the effort to listen to this divine song be our prayer? Prayer, not demanding, but to cultivate the ability to receive the blessings of existence.

Who one is, is an important question. The great saint, Ramana Maharshi, used to always ask, “Who am I?” To anyone coming to him, he used to use this question, “Who am I?” please inquire.

What we think we are, is not what we are. There are many aspects of our self. There is this body, which is the acting self, there is an emotional self, a thinking self, a functional self and also a fundamental self. Therefore, one has to observe one’s self. When one has the discipline to observe then an observing self emerges. This observing self, observes how we work, how we talk to others, how we talk to ourselves and how we feel. Are we harsh to ourselves and to others in feeling and dealing? There are all aspects of us to be under scrutiny without judgment but as a pure observation.

When the observing self is crystallised, then we observe anger and do not get carried away by anger, observe jealousy and not get carried away by jealousy. When one observes, then there is a non-verbal understanding.

You start seeing the anatomy of anger. The hot thought is anger. As you observe you will find, that the hot thought, is a trigger from a mechanical centre. As you observe you realise that anger is not only thought, it is mechanical and it carries some sadness of the past. That sadness is a result of not learning to be happy in the moment. One is not being happy because one is caught in the concept of having a ‘reason to be happy’ and not learnt to be ‘causelessly happy’.

In daily activities of your life, be it work or home or any relationship, ‘impersonally observe’ – then you will learn not to identify with what you observe. It is then that you get an insight and will observe your inner talking and the wrong inner tastes you have built. You will see how thought is addicted to ‘self-liking’ and thus you will see the anatomy of your psychology and how your psychic life creates inner darkness.

When you observe your children, their body language will convey something which needs your care and attention. If you are lost in your ‘inner identifications’ of your dreams and demands, then you will not observe your children and you may not give the required help. Increase the sharpness of your observation and this will help you in family and work. Don’t negate this as philosophical but see it as new light to dispel the inner darkness created by your psychology.