maitrī-karuṇā-muditopekṣāṇāṁ sukha- duḥkha-puṇyāpuṇya-viṣayāṇāṁ
bhāvanātaś-citta-prasādanam The mind {consciousness) becomes purified
(calmed) by cultivating the attitude of friendship towards the happy,
compassion towards the miserable, goodwill towards the virtuous and
(benevolent) indifference towards the wicked. So here Vyāsa poses the following
question prior to the... or to introduce the verse, and he asks: “The method of
cleansing the mind prescribed in the Śāstras - what is it like?" So now this
verse of Patañjali is in response to that question. So I'd just like to mention
first, that although in the translation I've used 'mind', I do not mean 'mind' just
as being the 'manas'... what's called 'manas.' Although we're referencing it as being
the mind, we're talking about the state of consciousness - total content and the
nature of the conditioning of that particular mind. So this instruction may
seem, for many people unfamiliar with the Vedic or or yogic teaching, to sort of
like just come out of nowhere, but actually there is an intimate connection
between what is being discussed and everything
else. This particular instruction can serve as a “roadmap” for life when
encountering others, which of course we must do unless we are living as a
hermit. Even someone living as a hermit will, from time to time encounter others,
and this is the roadmap. So what has been spoken of here, is that there are
two fundamental ways of interacting with others, and this will be according to the
sixth sūtra or śloka, which states: "The five mental states are 1)
correct understanding of what is, 2)
false understanding of what is, 3) conceptualization, 4) deep sleep
and 5) memory. Now two of these... the first two, deal with what is
called right perception - pramāṇa- viparyaya.
So pramāṇa references right perception; correct understanding. And
viparyaya references misconception or false
understanding. So these two ways, or states of consciousness - one of them is
liberating, and the other one binds the living being to material existence. The
mental or emotional effects of encountering different types of people
while under the influence of illusion, they result...or they have a resultant
impact upon the observer as being either love
or hate, or an attraction or repulsion, and the idea of someone being a friend
or being an enemy. And of course, there is a resultant entanglement, and a deeper
connection with the five mental states or vṛttis as a result of this type of
consciousness. So the idea of someone being 'my' friend or 'my' enemy, or someone I
am attracted to or that I am repulsed by... the 'my' that we use when we
make those statements, or have those thoughts, is solely in reference
generally, to the body... the gross physical body or the subtle
body. And we come to these conclusions; we feel the idea of
attraction or repulsion, based upon what's categorized as mental concoction -
something that I feel will be beneficial to me, or disadvantageous. And it's all
based upon not a deep spiritual understanding... I mean quite often when we
interact with others, we don't see them as spiritual beings. We see the body and
the nature of their mind, and how they react and relate to us, and
then we react to that - either what we call in a positive way, or a negative
way. So here these instructions lead to a clarity of the mind, and they require an
actual control of the mind. If we take these
principles and apply them to how we deal with other living beings, this will be
greatly beneficial for us in our path towards spiritual enlightenment or
liberation. So, "The mind (consciousness) becomes
purified (calmed) by cultivating the attitude of friendship towards the...
(what's described here as)...happy." Vācaspati Miśra -
one of the other commentators... early commentators on the Yoga Sūtra, states
that: "By showing a friendly disposition towards those who are happy, and those
who are virtuous, the containment of envy is removed." So these references to
happiness... and you can see here it's tied with the idea of virtuousness, and it's
not talking about a moment of levity - somebody drinking and cracking a joke, or
bursting into loud shouts on what was called 'New Year...the Big Countdown.' We're
talking about a consistent state, where somebody is living in a state of some
calmness and happiness, and there is tranquility in their life. And such
persons...we will see that by nature, they manifest the qualities of being virtuous,
so one is encouraged to cultivate an attitude of friendship towards such
people. The nature of material life is that it produces misery, so in this
second category of people that's been referenced
here as being miserable, this is not a reference to a person's financial or
educational exposure, or any of these kind of things. When a person is...tends to
be more self-centered, and starts moving towards greediness and
self-absorption, it will always produce misery, and one is advised to look upon
people that are broadly considered miserable with compassion. So, "... compassion
for those who are suffering..." and the...it states that the contamination of the
desire to inflict harm on others is removed. So this is quite an
amazing reference towards...you know, this idea of compassion - 'karuṇā'. That when one
manifests compassion for others - those who they perceive and understand to be
suffering - then the desire to inflict harm on others, which is considered a
contamination, becomes removed. So one is encouraged to manifest goodwill in
general towards the virtuous, and now towards what are described as those who
are "wicked" - that one needs to manifest an "indifference". However it should be
understood and appreciated that this indifference that's been spoken of, is a
benevolent indifference. It's not that one does not feel any compassion
towards what's categorized here as "wicked", but one should maintain some
distance. So equanimity towards the pious when... I'm sorry, the impious...
this maintaining of equanimity; of balance. What happens is that the
contamination of intolerance becomes removed. We generally feel towards those that
may be classified as wicked, or those that we despise or really dislike, that
we develop intolerance. This intolerance is actually the result of... simply the
workings of the mind, and for one to feel intolerance one must not be able to
look at the other person as being an eternal spiritual being. One must...one is
forced to actually only look at that which is exterior; that which is material,
and that inspires a level of intolerance. There is this beautiful description in
the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam - Lord Kṛṣṇa defines tolerance as: "To patiently
endure unhappiness." So while some connection, or some
exposure to those that are here classified as 'wicked', may cause some
unhappiness, one does learn to tolerate that. Intolerance means I
feel compelled to generally react in a negative way towards it. So
envy and the desire to inflict harm, and intolerance that we've spoken
about here, are actually characteristics of the modes of passion and ignorance -
rajas and tamas. And so becoming free from their influence, is actually
necessary if one is to spiritually advance. So I'd like to just
close out this sūtra with a wonderful verse from the Bhāgavat Pūraṇa, which
speaks to the same subject. And it states: "An intermediate or second-class sādhaka
(meaning one who is engaged in sadhana on the spiritual path) they are called a
madhyama-adhikārī, and such a person offers his love to the
Supreme, is a sincere friend to all those devoted to Īśvara,
shows mercy to the ignorant people who are innocent and disregards those
who are envious of the Supreme Personality of Godhead." So in this very
wonderful verse, it takes the point that is mentioned here by Patañjali and
explains it from a different light. So it is understood that there are three broad
classifications spiritual advancement - the kaniṣṭha-adhikārī, the madhyama-adhikārī,
and the uttama-adhikārī. So the...each one of these platforms that may contain quite a
broad range of spiritual development. It's not like
there are just three very simple steps - people are going through transitions. But
those in that middle class, they do have this characteristic. Thank you very much.