Charioteer Of The Heart

Sri Krishna has explained in the Geeta that sorrow is the fruit of Rajoguna (quality of passionate activity). He has also shown that only the person who recognizes this truth and removes Rajoguna and Tamoguna (quality of sloth and inertia) from his heart can be happy. As man has all the three gunas (qualities) in his heart, he is bound.

The entire world is a manifestation of the three gunas. Of these three, Rajo and Tamo gunas are the source of trouble. For all sorrows, grief, trouble and problems, these two gunas are responsible. There are six attributes for Tamoguna––sleep, drowsiness, fear, anger, laziness and inertia.

A farmer who wants to raise a crop in the field has to remove, at the outset, the weeds from his field. If different types of weeds grow, the crop will be affected adversely. Removing the weeds is an essential precondition for getting a good crop. In the same way, a Sadhaka (spiritual aspirant) who wants to realize Atmananda (the joy of Atma), has to remove from his heart the various manifestations of Rajo and Tamo gunas in the form of malice, desire, greed, anger, hatred, and jealousy. These six types of enemies of man are the children of Rajo and Tamo gunas. We won't be able to experience the joy of Atma (individual soul) as long as these weeds are there. Therefore Krishna asked Arjuna to remove the Rajo and Tamo gunas from his heart.

Take Every Effort To Remove Dirt From Your Heart

If we invite some great man, such as a saint or a learned person to our house, some preparations will have to be made at home, to make it presentable. We have to clean the house and the surroundings before the guest comes to our house. A house which is not clean lacks sacredness and great people would not go to such places. In the same way, if we invited a minister or governor to our village, we would clean the road and decorate the path and keep everything fit and proper for receiving the eminent visitor. If we take so much care and precaution when we invite a person who has only a temporary position, how much more clean should we keep our heart when we invite the very Creator and protector of the world Himself to enter! It is only when we purify our heart that God will be able to enter it.

Krishna said: “Arjuna, you are taking Me as the charioteer of your chariot. Take Me as the charioteer of your life. The seat on which I am seated in this chariot is very clean and well decorated. Think how clean and how grand your heart should be to make it a seat for Me if I become the charioteer of your heart. As long as Rajo and Tamo gunas are there, the heart is not pure. These two gunas will go on polluting and dirtying the heart. Therefore, to begin with, remove the Tamo and Rajo gunas. Make every effort to remove the dirt from your heart.”

Vairagyam Removes All The Dirt From The Heart

To take another example: These days when one goes on a picnic, one takes a mirror, a comb and a handkerchief. Why do they take these things? On the way, the wind may blow their hair out of place and they may need a mirror and comb to tidy it. When they get hot and tired, there may be some sweat on the face, so they take a handkerchief to wipe it off. These three things help one to maintain one’s looks. In the same way, if you want to correct the disturbed beauty of the mind, you have to take certain things.

Whether our hair is disheveled or not, is shown by the mirror. To find out whether our mind is disturbed or not, devotion acts as the mirror. This mirror also must be clean. If the mirror is clean, it will be easy to see whether there is impurity in the mind or not. When we recognize that the mind is disturbed, we have to correct it; for this purpose, we need the comb of wisdom. The cloth with which we wipe the dirt from our heart is Vairagyam (detachment). This removes all the dirt. In the journey of life, wherever we go, we need to have devotion, wisdom and detachment.

We must try to understand the different characteristics of Rajoguna. A person who is full of Rajoguna will always be in a hurry. In everything, he exhibits undue haste. He has a lot of anger in him and develops unlimited desires. He cannot keep still even for a moment. These are the feature of Rajoguna. If you go to the zoo and watch the animals––be it a tiger, a fox or any other animal––you will find that they do not keep still for a moment. They are continually moving. The reason is that they have Rajoguna. If Rajoguna enters the heart of man, it makes him move all the time. It doesn’t merely make the person restless but makes him deluded as well. Not merely does he become deluded, but he goes on desiring objects, desiring everything in the world, and thereby becoming more and more deluded and restless. So restlessness, desire and delusion are the three important features of Rajoguna.

Transcend The Three Gunas To Experience Bliss

The three gunas are represented in the Ramayana by the three brothers in Ravana’s family. The embodiment of Tamoguna is Kumbhakarna, of Rajoguna is Ravana, and of Satvaguna is Vibhishana. These three gunas are brothers, but if you allow the first two into your heart, they will cause a lot of harm. When you enter the Kingdom of Liberation, you will have to remove Satvaguna also. Vedanta (concluding essence of the Vedas) teaches that we must transcend these three gunas. If a thorn were to prick a foot, to remove it you do not need a knife; another thorn would be enough to help you remove it. Once you have removed the thorn, you could throw away both the thorns. In the same way, with the help of Rajoguna, you have to remove Tamoguna and with the help of Satvaguna, you must remove Rajoguna.

Before you can enter the mansion of Brahmanandam (the bliss oneness with Brahman) you have to cast off all these three gunas. As long as you have gunas, you won’t be able to experience bliss. That is why Krishna commended Arjuna to transcend all three gunas.

The most important cause for the three gunas is the mind. It is impossible to rise above our human nature and realize our Divine nature until the mind is transformed. We have to offer our mind to the Lord. Once we surrender our mind to God completely, He will take care of us in every way.

One Must Give Up The Mind To Attain Brahman

Once upon a time, King Janaka sent round a message inviting scholars, sages and Yogis to teach him the knowledge of Atma. He announced: “Within the time it takes me to climb onto my horse, one should be able to give me full Brahmajnanam (knowledge of the Absolute).” The sages and scholars were worried, as they felt “This is going to be a severe test for our scholarship and learning.” No one dared come and offer to satisfy the King’s demand.

Meanwhile, a sage by name Ashtavakra entered the Kingdom. While he was nearing the capital he saw the scholars and Rishis assembled there. They were looking worried and despondent. He asked them, “What is the cause of all your worries ?” They explained their situation and he said, “Why should you be scared about such a small thing? I can solve this problem.” So saying, he entered the court of King Janaka. He said to the King, “King! I am ready to teach you the knowledge of Atma, but it cannot be taught in this palace which is full of Rajo and Tamo gunas. First I must take you to a Satva area.”

They took a few horses and soldiers and left the palace. On reaching a lonely spot, Ashtavakra told the king, “I am now going to teach you the knowledge of Atma. I am the preceptor and you are the disciple. Are you ready to accept this relationship? If you agree to this, then you have to make the offering the shishya has to give to the Guru (preceptor). Only after you have made your offering will I start my teaching.” King Janaka told Ashtavakra, “I want to attain Brahman and I am therefore prepared to give you anything you want.” Then the Guru told the King, “I don’t want anything except your mind.” King Janaka answered: “I offer it to you; from now on, it is yours.”

Then the Guru brought a horse, made it stand, and asked the King to sit down on the ground in the middle of the road of his kingdom. He left the King there and retired into the forest to sit quietly under a tree.

King Janaka Completely Submits Himself To The Guru

The soldiers waited for a long time for the return of the king but neither the king nor Ashtavakra came. They wanted to know what had happened to them, and one by one, they went to find out. They found their king sitting in the middle of the road with a horse standing nearby. The king had closed his eyes and was absolutely still. Ashtavakra was nowhere to be found. They were rather afraid that this Ashtavakra had cast some magic spell over the king, making him lose his consciousness. They went to the Prime Minister and brought him to king. The prime minister called the king, “Maharaja, Maharaja, Maharaja,” but the king did not open his eyes or respond in any way. The prime minister and all other courtiers were alarmed as they could not rouse the king or give him any food or drink. They were wondering what to do. Left with no alternative, the prime minister sent the chariot to bring the queen, thinking that if she called the king, he would respond to her entreaties. The queen came and pleaded. But the king remained unmoved.

Meanwhile, the soldiers went in search of Ashtavakra into the forest. They found him sitting under a tree in total peace. They took hold of him and brought him to the place where the king was sitting. Ashtavakra said, “The king is safe, he is all right. You may see for yourself.” The minister, the queen and others told Ashtavakra, “He has not opened his mouth or eyes.” Ashtavakra went close to the king and called him, saying, “Maharaja.” Immediately the king opened his eyes and replied, “Swami.” Ashtavakra told the king, “The ministers and the queen have come; the soldiers and many others have come and all have tried to talk to you; why did you not answer them?”

Offer Your Mind To God To Remove Duality

The king replied, “Thoughts, and deeds are associated with the mind. As I have offered my mind entirely to you, first I need your permission before uttering a word. What authority do I have over my mind? I have offered it to you; it is yours. I won’t do anything without your permission and command.” Then Ashtavakra said, “You have reached the state of Amanaska (free from mental limitation)” and he asked him to place his foot upon the stirrup to mount the horse. By the time he had climbed the horse and placed his other leg over the horseback, he got the experience of Atmananda (Bliss of Divine self).

Krishna told Arjuna, “Offer your everything to Me; offer all your Dharmas (righteousness) to Me and I will take care of you and give you liberation and deliverance. Be they physical, mental, spiritual or worldly, offer all your actions to Me.”

Keep The Body Steady To Control Your Mind

King Janaka was able to get liberation when he offered his entire mind and the three types of activity: thought, word, and deed, to Ashtavakra. The essential meaning of this episode is that one should become Amanaska, to realize unity with Divine. As long as you have a mind, there is duality. Cold and heat, day and night, sorrow and joy, loss and profit––all these pairs of opposites––come about only when you have a mind. If you want to learn to treat all these things equally, you have to offer the mind to God. That is why in Vedanta it has been said that it is the mind that is responsible for liberation or bondage. As long as you have the mind, Tamo and Rajoguna will not leave you alone. As long as you have these two gunas, there will be no stillness of body. What is reason for the restlessness of the mind? On account of the desires of the sense organs the mind becomes restless.

Here is a small example for this. When there is some water in a vessel, if the vessel moves, the water also moves. If the vessel is steady, the water also will be steady. In steady water, you are able to see your image, but in moving water, your image will also be moving. Therefore, if you want to enter into a state of meditation, you must keep your body still. The body is like the vessel, and the mind may be compared to the water inside it. If the body moves, the mind inside will be agitated. Therefore, control your mind and make it steady by keeping your body steady.

For meditation, it is very important to keep the back straight. The Kundalini power travels from the Muladhara (at the base of the spinal column) to the Sahasrara (thousand-petalled energy center) in the crown of the head. Therefore, you must be steady. Head, neck and body have to be straight; there should be no bend. This is extremely essential for the students and the Sadhakas engaged in meditation. That is why I tell the students often, “Why do you study?” “To become steady!” If right from boyhood you can keep your body under control, it will be very useful in achieving many things in later life.

Krishna chose Arjuna as an ideal representative of mankind to set an example for humanity. He said to Arjuna, “I am using you as an instrument in order to make an example of you. Therefore, you must first become an ideal person.”

The Mandir, Prasanthi Nilayam, on 12-09-1984