28. तमसोमा ज्योतिर्गमय

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Ramakrishna Paramahamsa lived in Dakshineshwar, few miles away from Calcutta. People coming from Calcutta had to cross the river Ganga by boat to reach Dakshnieshwar. Once, one of the devotees came to visit Sri Ramakrishna in Dakshineshwar. He reported to Ramakrishna that in the boat a person was talking too lightly about the master. That person had talked ill of Ramakrishna, but the devotee had kept quiet. Hearing this, Ramakrishna told that devotee “It was wrong that you kept quiet. You should have opposed.” Many devotees were present there when he made this statement.

After a few days, a similar incident repeated. Another devotee told Ramakrishna that a person was talking ill of the master in the boat. But now, this devotee had thrashed the person for doing that. He reported the incident and the ‘punishment’ he gave to that person proudly to Ramakrishna. But surprisingly Ramakrishna now scolded this devotee for engaging in violence. The devotee said “But on that day, to that devotee, you told that it was wrong to have kept quiet. Remembering that I punished him for his mistake”. For this Ramakrishna just replied “That instruction was meant for him alone. It was correct for him to oppose and fight. But it is not correct for you to do the same. You should have kept quiet and controlled your rage.”

This incident looks peculiar, and may seem illogical. Was Sri Ramakrishna himself confused? Was he speaking irrationally just for bossing over his devotees? If we look at Vivekananda’s works carefully, the reason behind the above incident becomes evident. We may have to refer back to the post ‘The Story of Mastery’. The same concept of the Gunas will be elaborated here.

There is a tendency in the world to look at only two aspects – work and laziness, doing and not doing. When someone irritates us, we usually do one of the two – get angry but keep quiet, or burst out and fight against it. But if we notice carefully, we often kept quiet out of fear, not due to inclination for peace. We kept quiet because the opponent was too strong. We opted out of the battle because we were scared of loss. But then we try to decorate it with forgiveness “Ahh, let him do whatever he wants, poor man”. That means there is a third possibility – keeping quiet out of choice – real forgiveness – which has the same symptoms of fear and not acting. But only we will know whether our inactivity was out of fear or out of love/forgiveness. Our real colors will come out when the opponent is weaker than us. We will then see ourselves pouncing on the opponent and fighting for an easy victory! Where has our forgiveness gone now? When we know that we can easily punish, all our punishing attitude comes out in full force. Real forgiveness has to be shown when we have the courage and capacity to punish. That is the real test. When opponent is weaker or in a lower position than us (our children, our subordinates in office etc), we always punish. And when the opponent is stronger or superior (boss in office, an aggressive neighbor etc), we always do not punish and crib inside. In the latter situations we sometimes hide our inability with the mask of forgiveness. We hide one extreme (fear) with the other extreme (forgiveness) because both have similar symptoms and no one else will know.

Extremes often have similar symptoms (Swami Vivekananda). Radio waves and Gamma rays – both are invisible. But are they similar? Infrasound and Ultrasound – both are not audible. But are they similar? They are the extremes of the their spectrums. Radio waves are least energetic whereas Gamma rays are highly intense. Visibility comes only in an intermediate range of VIBGYOR light. Infrasound is least energetic and Ultrasound is very intense. Audibility comes only in an intermediate range of normal sound. Invisibility and inaudibility were common symptoms of both the extremes.

Similarly, keeping quiet and inactivity are the symptoms – but it may belong to either of the extreme – fear/escapism or love/forgiveness. Only we will know where we actually are. Reacting to the situation and fighting back is the intermediate and visible range. The lower extreme is Tamas (inertia), intermediate range is Rajas (dynamism) and the upper extreme is Sattva (controlled activity). Tamas and Sattva, superficially, have similar symptoms. But they are opposite extremes of the spectrum. It is better to be in Rajas than Tamas. It is better to hit back instead of keeping quiet out of fear and inability. But it is still better to forgive than hit back. Sattva is better than Rajas. But a person in Tamas often portrays that he is in Sattva. He often tries to mask his inability with fake forgiveness/disinterest. That is why Swami Vivekananda proclaimed “I respect a wretched sinner who is strong rather than a seemingly virtuous person who is weak.” We can earn the quality of forgiveness only if we first earn the courage to punish. Else it is only a dummy forgiveness driven by fear. We can ensure that we are in Sattva only if we have crossed Rajas. All Vivekananda’s exhortations are to provoke Rajas, because he noticed that India had moved into a state of slumber in the name of Religion and spirituality. All were acting to be Sattvik although in reality all were in Tamas.

Now we may understand the incident quoted in the beginning. The first devotee, probably kept quiet out of fear and inability to argue back. So for him Rajas was the need, he had to develop courage and come out of Tamas. He kept quiet only out of fear, but he was all the time burning inside. So it was hypocrisy. A real forgiver will not burn inside. It is better to react instead of constantly burning inside. So the first devotee has to shatter his Tamas. Whereas the second devotee very well had the mental and physical strength to fight back. So, it was an opportunity for him to develop an even better quality – forgiveness. Since he is sure that he is in Rajas and capable of acting, he should use opportunities to invoke forgiveness rather than boost Rajas further. Once Tamas is shattered, the next step is to control and moderate Rajas and promote Sattva. This is the simple message of the Gita as well.

Arjuna was about to flee from battle out of depression, not out of any love or compassion. He was in Tamas not Sattva. He saw Bhishma and Drona among the opponents and went into depression. But the same Arjuna would have jumped up and commenced the fight if Krishna had stopped the chariot in front of Duryodhana or Karna. His Rajas would have immediately burst up. If he was so forgiving and compassionate, he would have done it long ago and not even come for battle. So followed Krishna’s teachings shattering Arjuna’s Tamas and making him what is right, to fight, instead of taking shelter under fake Sattva.

Vivekananda met one tribal man in a forest once. The man asked Vivekananda about attaining God. Vivekananda asked him “Do you know to lie?” for which he said ‘No’. Vivekananda then said “You first learn how to lie. Only then you can become eligible for Self-Realization”. A stone is a stone and it cannot think. But a Yogi in meditation does not think out of choice and freewill, not compelled as in the case of a stone. There is a world of a difference.

In today’s world there is a big addiction to Rajas. It is obviously better than Tamas, but certainly not the end. That is why Sanyasis and saints have been misunderstood as lazy beggars. Many of them may really be hiding their laziness under saffron robes. But Sanyasa itself is not laziness. Physics cannot become bad just because of a few bad physicists. True Sanyasa is the other extreme of the spectrum. They have the capacity for any dynamic activity, but they have found a better state – Sattva. Controlling a mad horse requires more effort than getting tossed on its back and lying “I am controlling this horse.” Rajas, at some point or the other, makes us its slave. We lose control of the acceleration and we forget how to put breaks. Mind thinks and thinks, but we do not know how to switch it off. Getting a hold of the mad horse (mind) is Sattva. So, Sattva is intense activity, even more than Rajas. But superficial symptoms make it looks like the lower extreme of Tamas. A controlled horse looks very peaceful and stationary. But only the rider knows how much effort he has put to tame it.

Buddha shook the whole world with Sattva. He did that which even emperors could not achieve. If he had continued his life as the King, he could probably have conquered 2-3 kingdoms, with violence. But now, he has won over the hearts of billions, without a single drop of blood being spilled. In Autobiography of a Yogi, Paramahamsa Yogananda praises his Guru Yukteshwara Giri – “My Guru could have easily become an emperor or a warrior and shaken the world with his valor. But he chose to take up the tougher job – fighting and slaying the ego”

So, in summary, when we choose inactivity/forgiveness/disinterest etc, we have to be sure that it is out of Sattva and not Tamas. Only we will know what it really is. Everyday, we get plenty of opportunities to either shatter Tamas or control Rajas. Whenever you see a mistake from somebody, and you know that you can freely react and easily get away with it, then that is the time to practice control. That does not mean you keep quiet and not utter a word. That person should be made aware of his mistake clearly. That person should know that you have noticed his mistake but still are choosing not to scold him. This, when repeated several times, changes people. Their own guilt transforms them.

Similarly, whenever you see a mistake from somebody, and you know that you cannot get away easily with revolting, but still you know for sure that the person is wrong, then it is the time to practice Rajas. It is better to revolt and point out the mistakes bravely, no matter who it is, rather than seeing wrong in front our face and keeping quiet out of fear or out of some linked desires (e.g. If I talk against the boss, he may get bad impression on me) in the name of being diplomatic. If mistakes are pointed out with logic, fearlessness and smartness, it again transforms people. Even if it does not, what is the use of the material benefit which is gained by losing our own true Self? As we saw in ‘Hide and Seek’, we lose our own true Self to gain a material benefit, which is in turn meant to bring pleasure to the Self? Isn’t this a paradox?

This way, when practiced with many small incidents over a long time, mind moves towards calmness and positivity. Later, when really a powerful opponent does a mistake, you will be keeping quiet out of real forgiveness, not out of fear. The final state is same as the initial state. Some years back you might have kept quiet out of fear. Even now you are keeping quiet. But now the attitude is in the other extreme of the spectrum. From fear it has moved to compassion. This is a strength and freedom like no other. You will now be free, not bound to react and fight. There is nothing irritating you from within. You really and truly forgive, forget and the move on. And this state is very conducive to Self-Enquiry. Nothing from outside bothers you like before. So, you now have nothing to think about apart from wondering about ‘Who Am I’!

If we do not cross Rajas, and give up activity, there will be a guilt bugging from within. “Am I doing it out of laziness? What will others think about me?”. If there is guilt, then it automatically means than Rajas is not yet crossed fully. An inactive person in Sattva does not feel slightest of the guilt nor does he care for others comments. Because he is dead sure that his inactivity is not out of laziness. He knows the intense activity that is going on within him. He does not require certification from the world that he is not lazy. Self-certification is the only certificate that has to be attained.

We sometimes think that it is easy to just sit and eat whole day. But is it really? Even a retired old man cannot sit idly. Although the entire family asks him to just relax, he wants to be doing something or the other. He may say “Why to sit idle? Let me do some useful work” – this is just a dialogue hiding his inability to control the mind. He also wants the world to think that “Even at this age he does something”. Finally it is slavery to action and recognition that is making him act, not choice. If there is no work possible by him, he will only begin to feel depressed and useless. Because from within he has not moved to Sattva, mind is still accelerating like a car with no brakes. Even when there is absolutely no need to act, he cannot keep quiet. And world says spiritual practice is for old age?! If anything is for old age, it is everything except spirituality!

Shattering of Tamas and overcoming of Rajas can only be done in young age. You will get thousands of opportunities to shatter Tamas and control Rajas only in your youth. And after continuous battling, you can be sure that you are keeping quiet out of choice and not compulsion only in your young age, when you really have the capacity to act vigorously. Only then, in your old age, you will be free of any kind of depression. You will then really relax your retirement, in Self-enquiry and spiritual contemplation. Because you no more think that ‘action’ (Rajas) is the greatest thing. You have really controlled the mad horse and it is tamed. You have tasted Sattva. You know the difference between sleeping and meditation, which superficially look similar to onlookers. You know the intense enquiry that is going on within. You no more look for certification from the world “He works even at his old age”. You are no more guilty for sitting and contemplating whole day. Because you have that one certification which matters – Self-Certification.