From the Archives of Swami Jyotirmayananda
We often spend our days attempting to secure happiness by accumulating objects, planning for the future, and seeking thrilling experiences. Yet, despite these vast efforts, a subtle emptiness tends to linger. We try to grasp reality through our physical perceptions, but the ancient wisdom of Vedanta offers a completely different perspective.
From a lecture by Sri Swami Jyotirmayananda, the last living direct disciple of Swami Sivananda, we learn that the objects of the senses are not the ultimate reality. The true source of joy resides within.
If life is confined only to the five senses, it remains profoundly limited. Swamiji provides a practical illustration: look at the animal kingdom. Animals live primarily through their senses in a vast world of thrill and movement. They do not hold onto mental stress the way human beings do.
However, for a human being to remain satisfied merely with sensory enjoyment is to live below our profound potential. When we believe that perishable objects are the source of our security, we bear a heavy burden of countless worries and anxieties. We carry the weight of expectations, completely unaware that true security is never found in external conditions. No matter how many objects you secure, the physical personality itself remains insecure.
The Three Grades of Happiness
During a state of spiritual ignorance, the mind naturally turns outward toward the world. As we seek fulfillment in external forms, we experience three distinct grades of happiness, as outlined in the scriptures:
- Priya: The initial spark of happiness when a desired object or person is seen from a distance.
- Mod: The softer, growing happiness when you come close to the object of your desire.
- Pramod: The final stage of deep involvement and temporary joy when you possess the object.
In all three stages, the mind creates complex psychology, constantly scheming to maintain and secure this closeness. Ultimately, this results in an illusion. The physical form is temporary, and purposeless indulgence leaves the mind restless. Pleasure is not inherently wrong when aligned with the purpose of spiritual evolution, but seeking pleasure simply to distract the mind leads to profound misery.
The Danger of Vishaya Chintan (Brooding on Objects)
When the mind is not directed toward higher, Sattvic joy arising from compassion, goodness, and meditation, it wastes its time in Vishaya Chintan—constant brooding over objects. This does not only mean dreaming of pleasures; constantly dwelling on painful experiences, bodily conditions, or negativity is also Vishaya Chintan.
Swamiji draws upon the Bhagavad Gita to explain this sequence: continually thinking of objects creates an attachment to them. From this attachment, deep desires arise. When these desires are unfulfilled—or even when they are fulfilled—agitation (Krodha) follows. This agitation clouds the mind in delusion (Moha), which causes the intellect to lose its right path. To cure this, we must replace Vishaya Chintan with the remembrance of the Divine, maintaining a positive mental attitude through integral yoga in daily life.
Understanding Brahman and Prakriti
The Yoga Vasistha utilizes beautiful allegorical descriptions to help the mind grasp the nature of reality. We learn how the entire universe emanates from the Absolute. In absolute reality, Brahman alone exists. However, in relative reality, we perceive Brahman through the medium of Prakriti—the magical power of creation.
This singular pure consciousness reflects within the waters of countless individual human minds, giving rise to the individual soul (Jiva). The world you experience is essentially a mental projection. Just as the scenes of a movie play out upon a theater screen, the colorful world of sentiments, forms, and perceptions plays out upon the untouched screen of Brahman.
Awakening from the Dream
This world—abounding with numerous living beings, subject to pleasure and pain, birth and death—is much like a dream. Our ultimate purpose is to wake up from this dream of the world process. To do this, we must align the three planes of our existence: the physical body, the realm of sentiments, and the domain of insight and intellect.
When we associate with worldly distractions, we become further deluded. But through Satsanga (good association) and the study of scriptures, we develop inner maturity. As a tree’s roots grow stronger when faced with the shaking of the wind, the challenges of life, when met with a pure and positive perspective, deepen our spiritual roots.
Scholar’s Corner
Scriptural Citations:
- Yoga Vasistha, Sthiti Prakarana, Section 59: Discusses the nature of the mind, the creation of the world by Brahma, and the necessity of waking up from the illusion of sensory reality.
- Bhagavad Gita: “Dhyayato vishayan pumsah…” The progression from thinking of objects to attachment, desire, anger, and the loss of discrimination.
Glossary
- Vishaya Chintan: Constant brooding or thinking about worldly objects, whether positive or negative.
- Brahman: The Absolute reality; pure, unchanging consciousness.
- Prakriti: The primordial nature or magical power of Brahman that manifests as the physical and subtle universe.
- Satsanga: Good association; keeping the company of the wise or engaging with spiritual teachings.
- Viveka Buddhi: Intuitive intellect; the ability to discriminate between the real and the unreal.
- Jiva: The individual soul, described as the reflection of Brahman in the mind.
Watch the full lecture here: https://youtu.be/cUATjkRKXIk
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