‘Ivaiha Ivaiha’ “here itself, here itself”- Adi Sankaracharya (The usage of these words are attributed to Sri Adi Sankaracharya to emphasize the fact that the spiritual bliss can be right here and right now, provided we want it to be so.
Although there are many levels at which we learn to compare, perhaps the most common is at the level of form. The ‘beauty myth’ feeds us the illusion that if we are not drop dead, stunningly gorgeous, then we cannot be successful and we cannot be happy. The images of perfectly formed bodies, with the most attractive faces, adorn our glossy magazines (women’s and men’s) and in some places, our daily newspapers. As we absorb this mythology many will spend both money and time attempting to achieve the shape, smile, sun tan and style of life of those we aspire to be like. It all comes with that subtle promise of happiness and success, and if our awareness is dim enough, we will believe it, and then be perplexed as to why we become even unhappier, and even more discontent, as we obviously fail to look like the manufactured image of the perfected human form. The sadness at not achieving what we perceive others have achieved, and disappointment at not being able to duplicate the physical beauty of another, can lead to depression, and then other industries will benefit from our expenditure as we attempt to counter our flagging feelings of self-worth. It is a spiral that only leads downwards.
However, there are those who will counter all this and say that it’s good to aspire to the heights that others seem to have reached. It is here that we meet a fine line between imitation and inspiration. It’s always good to recognize the best and see the virtue in another’s character. But while it’s good to see their virtues it pays to leave the person outside the doorway of our mind. Imitation may be a form of flattery, but it is also a sign that we are suppressing ourselves. An aspiration towards excellence, an inclination to inculcate virtue, an intention to replace our vicious cycles with virtuous cycles at the level of thought, feeling, attitude and action, is the road to being all that we can be, but it is a road we must walk alone. It is not a road to more acquisition or accumulation. It is a journey towards realization that each and every one of us is already all that we can ever be, ready complete, we are already highly esteemed, it’s just that we have temporarily lost awareness of it.
Ending all comparison with others is essential to living a contented and fulfilling life, where our life is ‘filled’ from inside out, not outside in. To break the habit, it helps to remember three things:
- You are unique (it is the one thing we ALL have in common!) and it is impossible to look or be the same as someone else.
- Your life is a gift and an opportunity to plough your own furrow, create your own path, shape your own destiny, and in so doing you do what you are here to do, which is create your life which, if you do it well, will enrich the lives of others.
- You already have all that you need within you. Much of what your body needs comes from outside you, but ALL that YOU need comes from within, and you can never lose it, only lose your awareness of it, and connection with it!
This means that what you see in the bathroom mirror in the morning is not you, it is just the form you occupy. It means beauty is not skin deep, it is beyond the skin. It means beauty is not an image or a reflection, it is what you see and feel when you know yourself as a spirit. And it is what others will see and feel when your thoughts and actions are shaped by love, guided by truth and shared with kindness. The virtue will be its own reward, as well as bring its own rewards. And then all comparison with others and all aspiration to be like others will cease.
All the systems of yoga aim at purifying the mind which is constantly contaminated by the dirt of the ego. To keep the mind shining and pure – devoid of one’s ego interference, it is necessary that one adopts the practice of yoga constantly and continuously.
What are the functions of the mind and how can it be purified?
The ancient scriptures have identified three functions that the mind performs: intellect, emotion and will. In order to purify each such function i.e., by eliminating the shrouding ego on them, a person is advised to adopt an appropriate yogic path. For instance, jnana yoga is recommended for the purification of intellect; bhakti yoga for emotions and karma yoga-for will. By doing selfless services to all humans, irrespective of caste, creed or religion – as demonstrated by Mahatma Gandhi and Mother Theresa in the previous century; one could free one’s will from the attachment of ego. Jnana yoga refers to knowledge and scriptures such as the Holy Bible, Quran Sharif, Adi Granth, Zen Avesta and Bhagavad Gita can vacuum or clean the cobwebs of selfishness and ego from one’s intellectual horizon. The very utterance of their syllables in these Holy Books with devotion and compassion would make this miracle happen — almost instantaneously!
Then comes Bhakti Yoga, the Yoga of Divine Love! Saint Narada, in his Narada Bhakti Sutra calls the divine love variously. He calls it parama prema rupa, of the nature of universal love – which never distinguishes man from man — for that matter even animals, plants and all inanimate objects witnessed in one’s life are considered as deserving one’s love and affection! Divine love is also referred to by him as amrita swarupa, the nectar of immortality, meaning thereby that you can develop love for others, both humans and animals, plants and in animate objects in the universe without any distinction, you become immortal instantaneously! Such love, he says, gives siddha or perfection (in this otherwise imperfect existence) and contentment (which cannot be acquired by sheer purchasing power or money considerations).
Where is music in this scheme of yoga?
Music, we all know, affects our mind. Many psychologists have studied the pact of music on one’s moods and mind. Neuro-musicology is a recent avatar in science studies the impact of music on the human brain. It is also widely known now that music affects one’s behaviour. Yoga which, through the process of cleansing one’s ego, brings in tremendous change in one’s personality.
Music waters and fertilizes and brings changes to sprout, bud and flower in every individual so that the whole society reaps qualitative benefits. Devotional music from ancient times has been used by many religions to smoothly enable one in changing the pace of changing one’s brain waves from the agitating beta-state to relaxed alpha-levels. It is only at alpha levels that one could cultivate love — the love which extends beyond one’s selfish considerations and moorings. Singing bhajans and kirtans are the time-tested, rather time-honoured ways through which one achieves instant relief from the overactive mind.
Even while doing work one could recall the musical patterns and structures. Without knowing its value, workers sing while doing strenuous work; fishermen have their own songs to kill the monotony in the high sea. In rural Tamil Nadu, I have seen the rice-cultivators singing folk-songs while doing strenuous, replanting of rice. When the paddy was to be de-husked, in the old days, women used to use a long cylindrical wooden stick (Olakkai) to pound it. Every time the wooden stick fell on the paddy grains, a beat used to be kept and the women used to sing in accordance with such beats. Even in modern day gyms, this knowledge is used. As one jogs, one is advised to listen to the ‘clut-clut-clut-clut’ of a musical piece. Who can forget those lovely tunes that make the monotonous march into a glorious experience?
This article was published in My Doctor – Aug2007 – Pages 25, 26, 27, 28
Edited by Geeta Shreedar, July 14, 2021