Namami Ramam Musings-93
- Posted: January 14, 2025
- Updated: 01:21 am
T Ram Sewak
VIGYAN ROOPINI BUDDH
Kakabhushundiji further takes his metaphorical discourse to higher levels of Vedantic philosophy in Shri Ramcharitmanas 7.117. He states;
taba pai, chitta banai
"Thereafter, having obtained this pure ghee of knowledge (gyan), the intellect (buddhi) endowed with wisdom (vigyan) should fill the lamp (diya), in the form of consciousness (chitta), with this ghee of knowledge. Furthermore, making a firm stand (diwat) of equanimity (dridh samata), one should set the lamp securely there".
The ghee is poured into the lamp, which is placed on a stand with a heavy base to ensure it does not topple. The essence is that the mind must always remain steady and filled with pure knowledge. The state of equanimity must be firm and unwavering under all circumstances. Without this stability, pure knowledge, represented as the ghee in the lamp, will spill from the mind, and the lamp of enlightenment will not be lit.
In this journey, firstly, the mind was purified, and its doubts, oscillations, and distortions were resolved. Then, attachment and ego were burned through the fire of yoga (yoga agni); only the intellect (buddhi) and consciousness (chitta) remain.
When knowledge is attained, buddhi, which discerns the ultimate truth and integrates the understanding of the self and the supreme (Atma-Paramatma), comes into play. Buddhi is the integration of the intellect, emotion and will. An intellect imbued with wisdom signifies that all veils of ignorance have been removed.
This verse (doha) finds reflection in several shlokas in the Gita, which discuss mind control and the role of intellect in achieving a state of equanimity. However, a key shloka is Gita 2.49, where Shri Krishna directs Arjun to seek refuge in buddhi, meaning that the mind should be perfectly under the control and direction of the intellect.
The unification and stillness of the tendencies (vrittis) of the mind (mann), consciousness (chitta), intellect (buddhi), and ego (ahankara) are what lead to
equanimity (samata)! / DAILY WORLD /
The author is a former electrical Engineer and resides in the Himalayas. He can be occasionally reached at ramam.namami@gmail.com