Sharing Sanjivani (Sanjivani - Life Saving Herb)

Chapter (32) How to speak remaining steady in every situation?

(32) How to speak remaining steady in every situation?

Arjun asks Lord Krishna how does a ‘Sthitpragna’ person speaks? How could we recognize a person as a ‘Sthitpragna’ from his speech? Lord Krishna answers the question in his own majestic way. Arjun asks him how a Shitapragna person speaks. Arjun is asking about the action and methods of his speaking and the ways of speaking and using words but Lord answers his question giving importance to intention of speaking. According to ‘Intentions’ every action‘s consequences change. Every action has some good or bad intentions behind it. What we see is the action only but the force behind every action is the intension. According to Lord Krishna’ Action of speaking is not as important as intention of using words in speech is important. When a mother scolds a child or a Guru punishes a pupil. We see the action of scolding and using harsh words of punishment only but the intention in above both the actions are for the betterment of a kid and a pupil. Hence, we could not justify action of using harsh words towards a child or a pupil by a mother or a guru as wrong or right .Let’s think it in another way a person behaving politely outwardly in front of society may be a criminal person and a person not knowing the Art of speaking or using polite language and manner full words may be a good person at heart but as his speech is not polished or because he behaves as barbarian we cannot say he is not a good person at heart. We see sometimes reputed personalities and professional in world misusing their knowledge and the power of speech misled people; make them rebellions and terrorists, criminals and gundas. Though they use impressive speech their intention is not the welfare of the people, While a doctor or a Vaidya forbidding us strictly for the junk food, scolds us in a very harsh words but their intention is good for us and they want us to maintain good health physically and mentally both as it is said ‘A healthy mind lives in a healthy body’. No lariwala or a hotel owner would say us not to eat unhygienic outer opened and stale food instead of forbidding us from eating unhealthy food they invite us using sweet words, tempteting advertisement with all marketing skills to fulfill their selfish interest of increasing sale at the cost of public health. Hence Lord Krishna says that a Sthitapragna remains calm in every situation

When a sthitapragna sees the possibilities of sorrows or pain he is not getting disturbed. He may have to face many obstacles on his way of karma, he may have to face humiliation, he may have tocome across adverse situations but he is not getting disturbed or worried but goes on doing his karma with steady mind.

Here a question arise in our mind how could a person remains calm when he faces adversity, complexity, confusion and opposition from his people and circumstances. Lord Krishna answers that ‘A sthitapragna’ can remain calm because he is doing his karma for the welfare of the people. He has no confusion about his returns, rewards, results or remunerations or consequences because he is not worrying about the fruits of his karma. He just thinks about doing his karma, his duty in a best possible manner whether he is a sweeper, he would sweep the street as if he is sweeping God’s temple or floor of Mosque or staircases of Gurudwara. He loves his work and thinks that the karma- the duty –his work is allotted to him by God and that allotted karma is the only way to reach God, Allah, Jesus and Almighty. He does actually not desire heaven or riches, success or achievements. When he is not worrying about success, fear of failure does not bother him. When he is not worrying about accumulating wealth The fear of losing money could not disturb him .He is free from the greed of getting power, prosperity, prestige or anything by his karma. Hence he could remain free from the tension of being winner or loser. When a person has no attachment to anything, nothing could make him afraid of anything. We are getting afraid of everything because we are worrying about success or failures,gain or loss for all our deeds-karmas.But a Sthitapragna could enjoy his karma, whether it may be the the joy of fulfilling his duty the joy of doing God’s allotted work fills his heart in such a way that he could be free from fear and worries.

In the same way when a Sthitpragna person sees the opportunity of becoming happy and gets power, prestige or prosperity he is not getting uncontrolled. When he is appreciated by others, when he gets success, achieve desired results, reward or positive remuneration of his karma he is not overwhelmed because he is not expecting anything. Just as Arjun says he does not desire kingship or prosperity, he desires neither land nor victory. When a person expects nothing or desires nothing, when he gets success he could control his senses ,emotions, feelings and behaves very politely, A Sthitapragna never expects anything, he knows very well that’ this situation too is going to change. Nothing is permanent and every moment the circumstances and surrounding situations go on changing by the law of nature. Hence he does not expect ‘Happiness’ permanently. When he is beyond the expectation of positive or negative situations in his life, he remains unaffected from the changing circumstances, situations and accept s every change joy and sorrow, victory and defeat whole heartedly with the same spirit.

When a ‘joy’ or a ‘sorrow’ or any feelings of success, achievements, power, prosperity overpowers a person it is considered as a RAG (attachment). When a person is attached to persons, relations meetings give him joy and parting gives him sorrow. It hurts him When a person is attached to materialistic things gaining power, prestige, prosperity give him contentment and loosing status, position and name in the society give him frustrations. And this attachment is the root cause of ‘Fear factor’ .When an attachment to person or things overpowers man’s mind he thinks them as his own property and ‘fear’ covers up his mind of losing them. When he has to face a mighty person he feels weakness because he could not overpower that person in terms of physical power, status, position or prosperity. He is getting’ Angry’. Hence attachment turns to fear and fear becomes the root cause of anger. But when a Sthitapragna person who is beyond RAG has no attachment to persons or materialistic things, he thinks only about giving happiness to others, doing welfare of the people, serving the needy in his best possible manner. When there is no attachments, there would be no fear of gaining or losing and no anger in his mind and hi simply does his duties, follows his road of karma peacefully with pleasure of doing ‘God’s allotted duty’.

Lord Krishna says that until a SADHAK free himself totally from worries (We worry about things and happenings because we are either lacking trust in Almighty or we fear about our past bad deeds, sins.) attachments, feelings, fears and anger we could not be a ‘Siddha  purush’,a person who can achieve anything and everything.We know attachments by various names as lust, passion, love, desires, hopes, greed, wishes and the ower of attractions these attachments have is great and hence to be free from them is difficult. Hence Lord Krishna tells Arjun to be free from all the attachments and think only about his karma keeping in mind welfare of the country and the survival of religion. Is it easy to follow Lord’s directions? To be free from all attachment, all desires, wishes ,relations, materials… No, but we can start doing our karma as ‘God’s wish’ and his allotted duty to us, our role on the earth’ and try to perform it in the best possible manner. Shall we ?

Let’s learn to be a good pupil who follows every instructions of the Guru, Lord Krishna…