Bhagavatam-daily 210 – 11.11.15 – Transcend duality by being fixed in a reality higher than duality

Thank you Here Krishna is continuing to explain to Uddhava the characteristics of the liberated soul and how they are they are distinct from those from the characteristics of a conditioned soul When such a person is attacked by violent people Sometimes just suddenly for no reason means by the will of providence somehow or the other there is no specific cause that is ascribable Sometimes you may get worshipped also in the same way Archate means worshipped highly respected Now the Buddha the wise person is not transformed is not affected So now when such a person in general when we are honoured we feel pleasure and when we are dishonoured we feel trouble we feel miserable and stress there can be pleasure at the level of the body we taste good food that is positive sensation we taste poorly cooked raw food or poorly cooked food or tasteless food then there is unpleasant sensation there can be sensation at the level of the mind pleasant unpleasant there are certain things which we like and when we get those things say we like to hear certain kind of music and when that kind of music is played we feel pleased when some kind of music is played that we don’t like we feel displeased so like that there are dualities at the level of the body at the level of the mind and there is duality at the level of the soul at the level of the ego so that is being talked about over here now actually speaking this is going beyond just talking about honour and dishonour Krishna actually talks about these three levels of dualities in the Bhagavad Gita in one verse in 6.7 he states so this is conquer the mind this person becomes peaceful this person is connected with the super soul situated with the super soul then there is happiness and there is distress that is there is similarly there is heat, cold, happiness, distress and then there is so these are dualities at the level of the body the mind and the ego so now of course Krishna is not talking only at the duality level over here he talks about one which is where we are worshipped so there is a very high level of respect being offered and the other he talks not just about somebody being dishonoured but he talks about the person being physically attacked now physical attack is often compared both ways when is compared both ways with respect to say verbal attacks with dishonour disrespect so sometimes it is said that sticks can break my bones but words can’t hurt me so this sort of usage is done sometimes people speak these words so that don’t take words too seriously because ultimately we could just say that words are sound vibrations in the air and if I don’t pay attention to them then they will just go away they won’t affect me they can’t affect me in the same physical sense as say sticks and stones can so sticks and stones can cause physical wound and physical damage now that is one way of saying that don’t take verbal assaults too seriously but another level that is also said that I am talking now it is said I mean talking about not necessarily scripture but one of the pramanas that is talked about will come to later so Krishna talks about four levels of pramanas so he says scriptural testimony direct sense perception the historical the traditional learning this need not be based on scripture but it is traditional learning in all traditions there are some wise sayings some stories about how greed is bad or things like that so in Aiti Hai both these kinds of statements come up that one as I said is that words cannot hurt other is that the tongue can cut sharper than a sword that sometimes a person speaks such cutting words that they can hurt more than a sword although they draw no blood physically but they draw emotional blood they create deep scars and wounds in the heart either way the point is that words also cause hurt and definitely physical wounds also cause hurt so here when comparing the two Krishna in one sense brings both of them together he is not comparing physical assaults with physical honor he is comparing honor with worship which may involve being offered a garland being offered a high seat which is not just for the body which also is for the ego and he is comparing that with being attacked sometimes sometimes even some people are sitting on a on a chair on a stage those people may be some people may throw shoes at them it happens sometimes with respect to politicians are jeered and booed and sometimes thrown shoes are thrown at them so that is of course not a physical threat it is more of an insult but Krishna is talking here about a physical attack by violent people with violent intentions so either way the Buddha the enlightened person does not get affected because how does one not get affected by having one’s vision raised above the world internally one knows that I am a soul and whatever happens at the level of this world ultimately doesn’t matter for me and also one understands that one is seeing a reality bigger than the world and that is the reality of God when we understand that God exists and God’s love endures and irrespective of whether I am honored or dishonored in the world God still loves me and by reciprocating love with him I can always relish great security and satisfaction supreme satisfaction I can relish so by keeping our vision and our heart fixed on God on Krishna we can tolerate all such we can tolerate such dualities and conversely these dualities are very difficult to tolerate especially attack or being equipoised by being attacked or being honored so those who can stay equipoised Krishna says such people are liberated souls they are Buddha that does not mean that liberated souls will not try to defend themselves when they are physically or verbally attacked so they will do the needful because the body is used for serving Krishna so their body is a tool for service to Krishna and whatever if they have certain reputation they have certain social position that also helps them to serve Krishna so sometimes to defend that position is to defend their service to Krishna so they may also clarify and and establish the point clearly by countering certain attacks but either way their focus is not to let their vision shift from Krishna to the worldly things so we can transcend duality by focusing on a reality bigger than the duality and those who can do that it indicates that their being able to do that indicates that they are fixed in higher reality and that indicates that they are liberated