-5th chapter: verses 19, 20, 21, 22, 23
-The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on September 4, 2020.
-19th verse: “The highest spiritual seeker has already transcended the relative and sensory temptations in this life itself. To him, spiritual sameness is a fact of everyday life and experience, as his mind is established in Brahman who is the ideal of sameness.”
-20th verse: “He, who is Brahma-jnani, who is established in Brahman, who experiences his unity with the entire existence in every micro-moment, whose mind, intellect and attitude is steady, who is free from delusion – he is fully established in even-ness. He is neither jubilant on getting what is pleasant nor depressed when getting what is unpleasant.”
-A tiny boat being tossed around by mighty waves, becomes steady when it is anchored to something stable. Similarly, we achieve real equanimity of mind, when we focus our mind on Brahman, who is the highest ideal of steadiness. We then develop a refined sensitivity, and we maintain poise even in unpleasant situations.
-21st verse: “When our mind is not attached to external objects of the senses – rather it is tranquil through absorption in Brahman, then we experience Akshayam-Sukham – happiness that is undecaying, eternal and imperishable.”
-Happiness from contact with external objects is of a fleeting nature, and it takes us away from our inner support. Empirical happiness is only the temporary absence of unhappiness. It is not Sukham (happiness) in the highest sense.
-Shankaracharya uses examples from the animal kingdom to explain how the blind pursuit of happiness at sensory level brings destruction - Deer (sense of hearing), Elephant (sense of touch). Moth (sense of seeing), Fish (sense of taste), Bee (sense of smell). Each of these creatures reaches death as they are guided by one of their senses. What to speak of humans who have five senses active all the time.
-We achieve Akshayam-Sukham, when through spiritual practices and devotion, we identify with our real spiritual identity, that we are Brahman. Our mind is then tranquil, and it cannot be dragged away by the senses.
-22nd verse: “Every enjoyment at the sensory level is a source of misery. It has a beginning and end. A wise man does not rejoice in them, as he has the wisdom to look beyond the senses and the mind, and he realizes the fleeting nature of sensory enjoyments. Such a person is called Buddha.”
-There is an ascending order in our pursuit of happiness. It begins at the sensory level. Next is intellectual happiness, where one can forego sensory enjoyments – even this happiness is not everlasting. The highest source of happiness comes when we are content from identification with our true spiritual identity, which is Atman - the real source of Akshayam-Sukham - never injured, never unhappy, never bored.
-The realization of the imperfections of worldly enjoyments brings about the pursuit of something higher and transcendental. This divine discontent is called Parinama Dukha, and it is the springboard of spiritual wisdom.
-23rd verse: “A person who can conquer the temptations of lust and anger, while doing his everyday duties, and before leaving this body – such a person is established in Yoga and is happy.”
-Every ordinary experience of happiness has its counterpart – for example, profit and loss, pleasure and pain. Highest transcendental happiness is happiness which never becomes anything other than happiness.
-When we identify with our true spiritual nature, Atman, then both lust and anger - the two great enemies of human mind - disappear.
-Kathopanishad compares human life to a journey on a chariot. Atman is the traveler on the chariot, body is the chariot, intellect is the driver, mind is the reins, senses are the horses and the sense objects represent the path. Just as horses should not dictate terms to the rider, so also, sense organs should not dictate the terms to the mind. Any of the three Yogas – Bhakti Yoga, Jnana Yoga or Karma Yoga – can help us undertake this journey successfully.
-Devotion to God removes all obstacles in the way of spiritual life. When we surrender to a higher spiritual power, all our thoughts and impulses get refined. We don’t control the impulses; we direct them to God. A fire reduces everything to ashes – similarly, devotion to God acts like a fire that destroys all wrong emotions and feelings that are stumbling blocks in our spiritual life.