Title: Intellect With Spiritual Wisdom
18th Chapter: verse 45, 47, 51, 52, 53
45th verse: “By engaging in one’s own swadharma, man attains perfection and the highest inner fulfillment.”
Swadharma, is work that naturally comes to us “unasked” due to our samskaras and natural traits. It is work that we are supposed to do, that we are qualified to do and that the society expects us to do.
We can listen to our inner voice to determine whether we are doing our swadharma. When we do our swadharma, we feel inner contentment. When we do not do our swadharma, we face inner conflict.
Swakarma refers to one’s actions. Swadharma is swakarma combined with one’s chosen ideal, something that gives him contentment. For example, when a soldier fights a war for a higher ideal such as removal of a greater injustice, he follows his swadharma.
According to Gita, our spiritual progress should reflect in our actions.
We can convert our everyday activities as a tool for spiritual development. Whatever we do, if we do with total dedication and with a sense of sanctity and sacredness, we get a sense of fulfillment and inner conflicts are resolved. If we cannot do our duty as an offering to God, we can do it for the good of others. Swadharma is a conflict free way of doing our everyday duty.
47th verse: “Even if doing one’s own swadharma is filled with difficulties or imperfection, one should stick to that. One should avoid the temptation to do other people’s duty.”
Society expects us to do our role even if it is imperfect. When we do our swadharma, it loosens our karmic blocks. A beginner’s mind may not cooperate when he starts spiritual practices. This is due to karmic blocks which creates conflict between the mind and the intellect. When we do our swadharma, it generates spiritual energy and loosens the karmic blocks.
When we do our Swadharma, we feel inner contentment. We feel: “I have done what I ought to have done” and “I have attained what I ought to have attained.”
51st verse: “One becomes fit to attain the highest spiritual truth when he has (1) a pure intellect (2) the ability to restrain his senses (3) the ability to control his mind and emotional forces with a strong determination to practice his ideal and (4) attained freedom from raga (obsessive attachment) and dwesha (obsessive aversion).”
Intellect that acts just as intellect is not necessarily pure. Intellect that acts as wisdom, which has the higher faculty of wisdom to use the intellectual resources for good, higher purpose is a pure intellect.
A Rajarshi has the ability to use his intellectual resources for higher purpose. He attains Rajatvam (kingly qualities) with his intellectual resources. He attains Rishitvam (saintly qualities) with his wisdom. As a king, he has great prosperity, dynamism and efficiency. As a saint, he has a calm attitude, can see far into things, and understands the limitations and impermanence of his wealth and powers.
Knowledge without wisdom becomes a liability. Knowledge with wisdom becomes a creative force. Betrand Russell said: “Unless we develop wisdom as much as intellect, the development of the intellect will only lead to downfall.”
Vedic literature talks of a deity called Medha. Medha has two meanings: (1) The ability to retain higher ideas in the mind (2) Higher faculty to make proper use of what we know and avoid the temptation to use it for a bad purpose.
In the 51st verse, Yukta means self-restrained, one who is the master of the senses. 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.
Shankaracharya uses examples from the animal kingdom to explain how one reaches destruction when guided by the senses - 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.
If the intellect is pure, then we become free from raga (obsessive attachment) and dwesha (obsessive aversion). A pure intellect enables us to perform our actions as Swadharma – with a sense of sanctity and sacredness and with a sense of detachment. This, in turn, gives us mental equilibrium, and frees us from raga and dwesha.
52nd verse: “Such people with higher faculties like to spend their time in solitude. They practice moderation in food and exercise of the senses. Their words, activity and thought are properly restrained. They practice meditation. They develop a sense of detachment from extreme likes and dislikes. They develop mental equilibrium.”
Solitude is a spiritual quality and different from loneliness. Solitude is not just the physical absence of anyone else. It is the mental and emotional state of being with oneself. When the mind and intellect start functioning with inner peace, the person wants to spend time in solitude. Such a person can practice solitude even within a crowd.
As we grow in spiritual life, our eating habits, thoughts and senses are naturally disciplined.
53rd verse: ”In such people, egoism, thirst for power, inner pride, lust, tendency to possess material things, selfishness – they slowly disappear. They naturally become calm and quiet. This leads them to the highest spiritual wisdom.”
In Gita, there is an evolution of Arjuna’s mind. In the first chapter, he wants to run away from an unpleasant duty. By the 18th chapter, all his doubts are gone.
