Sharing Sanjivani -Part 4

Chapter-(533) How could Tamas create bondage of rebirth?

(533)

How could Tamas create bondage of rebirth? And what is the Swaroop of Tamas and how could it be a reason to bind us in the cycle of rebirth?

अज्ञानं विजानतां विज्ञातमविजानताम्

Kenopanishad says Paramatma is known and visible to Sadhak who knows him and he is unknown and invisible to an ignorant person as we cannot see the hidden horns of rabbits. Whoever knows Paramatma becomes Devta as Indra Dev, Varun Dev, or Fire God- Agni Dev. According to Kenopanishad Brahm is known as the Param Tatva and when he appears before God in the form of Yaksha, no Indra, Varun or Agni Devta could recognize him as Paramatma. Then to make all Devtas free from the pride of their power which is the root of the increase of TAMAS virtue, Yaksha asked all the Devtas to move a small piece of grass, but no Indra Dev could float it, no Varun Devta could wet it or no Agni Devta could burn it. When they become free from their pride and ego, they recognize Paramatma as the ultimate source of all the power and strength, light and warmth of knowledge. If Tamas can distract Devtas too, how could a normal man remain free from its impact?

Just as Rajas virtues create bondage through attachment to place, person property, and events as its by-product of desires greed jealousy. Tamas virtues create bondage through ignorance about truth-untruth, differences between SHASTA NIHIT AND SHASTRA NISHEDH Karma. It has a great impact on the mind as the power of understanding what is wrong and what is right would disappear and the result would be felt through increasing sleep, laziness, and dizziness.

Laziness is described in two ways . The first one is not to do the work which one has to do and the second is to do Kriya and Karma that he should not do. SHASTRA NISHEDH KARMA is also of two types such as being addicted to smoking, drugs, watching movies, and sports, and wastage of money after these unnecessary nuisances. Further Guns as gambling, fighting birds and animals, harassing any living, and cutting off trees would create a temptation to Tamasik's mind.

In the same way, AALASYA Laziness is also of two types..The first one is to remain in bed, sitting idle, doing nothing, avoiding and postponing necessary tasks for the future, and resting all the time. The second type of AALASYA is to feel body heavy after sleep, to feel burning of senses, feeling of losing sense to understand anything and feeling weakness. This second type of laziness can be excused because it may be due to diseases or bad health. A sick person should not feel guilty about it.

Even sleep is of two types. Regular and essential quota of sleep is necessary for a good health and to feel body light and active. To feel relaxation after good physical work or mental exercises, to feel mind refreshed and Buddhist-intellect active. This kind of sleep is essential but unnecessary sleep is because of laziness even after awakening, feeling body painful and heavy, feeling stiffness of muscles even after long hours of sleep, feeling like not doing any activity, and losing memories should be avoided. Half of our life is wasted in sleep but Yogi tries to attain victory over sleep as our Prime Minister Shri Narendra Bhai Modi sleeps only for two hours and works for twenty-two hours for the welfare of the country. Arjun is addressed as Nindra-Vijayi and Laxaman ji in Ramayan has control over sleep as it is described that he did not sleep for fourteen years during exile to guard Ramji and Sita Mata when they were resting at night in the Jungle.

इन्द्रियाणि ह्यानाहुर्विषयाँस्तेषु गोचरान्।

आत्मेन्द्रियमनोयुक्तं भोक्तेत्याहुर्मनीषिण।।

A knowledgeable person compares our senses with horses and the entire subjects as the road on which horses graze. Our body with trio virtues Rajas Tamas and Satva- senses and mind are connected with Jivatma hence it is considered as him Bhokta. All persons are filled with trio virtues in different proportions. These virtues create bondage in different ways to a Sadhak. Satva virtues create bondage through attachment to pious desires of entertaining senses and feeling happiness and desire to acquire various kinds of knowledge and skills while Rajas virtue creates bondage through Karma-Kriya of doing any kind of work. It may be for acquiring wealth, estates, making an empire or factory or developing a company, making something new gadget or constructing an architectural monument, or writing books. It is related to various kinds of activities and skills hence Satva is related to happiness Rajas is related to knowledge and Tamas is related to Moha illusion. It has no relation to happiness or knowledge. It creates bondage because of sleep, laziness, and idleness.

If a person desires no happiness and has no pride in knowledge then his sources of happiness and knowledge could not create bondage for him but the desire to get reward and fruits create bondage . All these are virtues of Nature-Prakruti but Jivatma is detached from all these virtues. When Jivatma enters a body and feels an attachment to the body it becomes the root cause of bondage as karta and Bhokta.

Virtues of Satva create bondage too but a person could bury Rajas and Tamas virtues with sincere efforts and try to develop Satva virtue . When he tries to bury Rajas and Tamas, Satva would develop and in the same way, when he tries to bury Tamas or Satva Rajas would develop. In the same way, when a person buries Satva and Rajas, he would be full of Tamas as wild animals. Again at the different stages of life, the proportion of Satva Rajas and Tamas would change. On a different occasion, in different situations, one of the trio virtue gets hold of the human mind and behaves accordingly..When one of the virtues is fully developed naturally the other two virtues would become less effective. It depends on a person when he makes some decisions, which of the virtue is on the top of his mood and his mind would decide all the reactions, behavior, activities, and responses to everything accordingly. A person's activities, involvement in persons, things, and events, good or bad karma, a company of Sadhu or Shaitan depends on his character as pious or Papi –sinful at the time of his action as trio virtues would have an impact on his mind at a different level at different time.

When Rajas is on the top of the Pyramid of mind and mood, a person would be greedy would become active in various activities, start new ventures now and then, remain restless, desire to enjoy various activities would be constant, and attractions to various kind of Bhoga would be on the top and he would like to accumulate wealth and store it, while Tamas is dominated a person's mind he would remain lazy, full of idleness, doing nothing, feeling dizziness, looks stupid, sleeps anytime and his Satva virtues would subside. When Satva dominates his mind, his heart is clear and pious, feels detachment from Sansar, becomes generous, and feels free from all kinds of attachment'.

Developing Satva virtues turns a person into knowledge,light, Vairagya, and generosity. Tamas leads to idleness and sleep; laziness Rajasleads to activities and greed leads to starting too many activities,restlessness, and attachment to work. Here Lord Shri Krishna explains the roleof nature. Prakruti as a source of creation becomes the cause of bondage throughtrio virtues and explains how could a person attain victory by overcoming twoRajas and Tamas and subside them. When a person could make himself detachedfrom Rajas and Tamas virtues, these virtues could not emerge even after Maha Sarga or Maha Pralay. Thenhow could we understand how to subside Rajas and Tamas and what are the signsof trio virtues when they develop within our existing body? Let us learn from ourgreat God and Jagat Guru Lord Shri Krishna.... Om Tat Sat...Shri Krishnarpanmastu