Hold on within
Tatparam Purushakhyatehe Guna Vaithrushnyam
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By knowing what does one achieve detachment from the world - which is nothing but an amalgam of the three Gunas or characteristics - Satwa - Tranquility, Rajas - Dynamism and Tamas - Inertia. Any person, animal, plant, being, objects and situations that comprise this world is a permutation combination of the three Gunas.
To achieve a steady mind, one needs to be detached from the Gunas and remain a dispassionate observer of people and events. The detachment achieved in this manner does not make one a helpless spectator, pushed by situations and people. On the contrary, a sense of detachment with the world and attachment to the Parama Purusha or the Cosmic Consciousness within one's mind can make an individual strong and steady, ready for action when required.
Take the example of the game of tug of war. A team which is focussed on its strength can easily pull the opposing team to its side. However, if the team members are agitated by fear and confused by focussing on the Gunas (characteristics) of the opposing team, then they lose their balance as the outside forces get an upper hand and scatter them to their side.
This detachment without and attachment within brings to my mind a scientific reply for a question on how the creamy layer forms over milk when heated. The scientist said that one end of the fat molecules that constitute the milk is hydrophilic and the other end is hydrophobic. When the milk is agitated with heat, all the hydrophobic ends huddle together and attach to each other while the hydrophilic ends expand outward to the water element, forming a thick layer of cream. Same with the mind which attaches strongly to the supreme consciousness within and expands from the outer circumference with freedom into the world. Such a mind of dispassion without and compassion within is steadily rooted in Yoga.
(Picture: The earth below, cloud in between like an umbrella over the city of Chicago and the sky above. The Gunas are many which form the world of matter, and the one consciousness is like the sky plain and expanded. The mind that connects the two is like the cloud.)
- Swahilya Shambhavi.
