Chapter XII
Do not Be a Slave to Impulses
Those guided by impulses and instincts
wander about the world like drunkards, devoid of discrimination between right
and wrong, true and false. The overpowering influence of these animal impulses
makes them forget the dire consequences of yielding to them. They have no shame
or fear; instead, they simply revel in the search for worldly pleasures, in the
accumulation of comforts, and in the sheer enjoyment of luxuries.
For those plunged in these impulses,
the intellect is a useless, functionless possession. By constant pursuit of
sensory pleasures, the impulses become hardened, and they strike deeper and
stronger roots.
That is why the advice has been given
in the Gita to give up the fruit of one’s actions. The impulses become stronger
because the fruits are always kept in mind whenever actions are performed. This
makes people proud and conceited, and they try to thrust their pride in the
faces of others.
The impulses enslave them, and under
their influence they stoop even to the lowest type of wrongdoing in order to
get rich and earn the money needed to satisfy them. They start worshipping
mammon as their God. Of course, riches are essential, but surplus riches — riches
that give worry, anxiety, and pain — are not desirable at all. One should not
seek to acquire riches to that extent.
Besides, people strive to earn the
praise of others and avoid being blamed by others. This too is to be classed as
an impure impulse.
Introspection
Swami Sivananda writes,
Impulses
An impulse is a sudden propelling force.
There are three kinds of impulses, viz., impulses of thought, impulses of
speech and impulses of action. Mouna (silence) checks the impulse of speech.
Meditation checks the impulse of wrong thinking and wrong action.
There are two important impulses. They
are the sex-impulse and the impulse of speech. There is an intimate relation
between impulse and imagination. Imagination induces the impulse. Impulses must
be controlled by reason and will and meditation on God.
Emotions
An emotion is a combination of thought
and desire. Every idea is charged with emotion. Emotions are desires which are
penetrated by the thought element. In other words, emotion is desire mingled
with thought. The vibrations of emotions will arouse corresponding excitement
in purely mental matter and all the man's thoughts will be disturbed and
distorted.
There is emotion-desire. There is
emotion-feeling also. If the desire element is predominant, it is
emotion-desire. If the pleasure element is predominant, it is emotion-feeling.
Raga and Dvesha (love and hatred) are the two
important emotions of the mind and all the different emotions can be classified
under these two headings. Wonder is a compound emotion. It is admiration and
fear combined. Reverence is a compound emotion. It is awe and respect combined.
Amarsha is a compound emotion. It is
anger and jealousy combined. As soon as the man is pulled down to a lower
level, the anger of the inferior man who was jealous vanishes.
Pleasure is a particular kind of
emotion in the mind. The mind expands during pleasure. Coolness prevails in the
mind. What takes place of the mind when pleasure feeling arises is not exactly
understood by the western psychologists. It is incapable of being understood
also by ordinary persons. Only a Yogi or a Jnani knows this psychic phenomenon.
During pain, the mind contracts. Considerable heat is produced in the mind.
Many of the physical desires and
emotions in man are akin to those of the lower animals. Anger and sex-impulse
in man are the brutal instincts. In the undeveloped man, these desires and
emotions which belong to the lower nature (Aparaprakriti)
predominate and overpower the higher nature (Paraprakriti).
It is a symptom of weakness to have
emotions in the mind. They should be controlled by the intellect and the will.
How to Control Emotions And Impulses
When emotions and impulses trouble you
much, be indifferent (Udasina). Say
to yourself: "Who am I? I am not the mind. I am Atman (all-pervading
Spirit, Suddha Sat-Chit-Ananda. How
can emotions affect me? I am Nirlipta
(unattached). I am a Sakshi (witness)
of these emotions. Nothing can disturb me." When you repeat these
suggestions of Vichara, the emotions
will die by themselves. This Jnana method of controlling emotions is easier
than the Yogic method of driving the emotions and struggling with the mind (Yogas-chittavritti-nirodhah).
Swami continues,
Seeking praise and blaming others are impulses
The world is a nest of crows; some caw
in praise, some caw in derision. But you should be above the reach of praise
and blame. Make light of praise; treat it as something spat out by others. Then
only can you be free and enjoy real happiness. About blame: See how the world
has not allowed even Rama, Krishna, Vishnu, Siva, and (Sai) Baba to escape from its tendency to blame! People
talk ill even of the gods, imputing to those perfect beings evil motives and
actions!
From foul-minded people such as these,
can any consideration be expected toward mere “man”? Any excuse is enough for
them. The white hates the black; the black hates the white. The Shaivite
scandalises the Vaishnavite, and the Vaishnavite spreads stories about the
Shaivite. Everyone loves their own religion, their own native place, and
themself; one loves one’s own methods of worship and forms and ceremonies. This
love takes the form of praise of one’s own creed and blame of the other’s
faith. Though all this is related to one’s relationship with God, such impulses
are and must be classed under impure (malina)
impulses.
Such mean attitudes, saturated with
ignorance, have to be removed by repetition of the name and meditation that
fill the heart with broad and universal Atmic wisdom. Then the limited impulses
will be transformed and transmuted into holy impulses and will vanish.
It is indeed a wonder why people fail
to put forth all effort to remove the impure impulses, for by following their
path they get only pain, sorrow, and agony! The deluding effect of these
instincts and impulses makes them believe and feel that they are on the correct
path toward the goal of happiness. That is why they are reluctant to give them
up, that explains why they hold on to them so fast. If they read some good
books about the supreme Atma, the brain could be brightened. They could at
least grasp the essence of the scriptures (sastras).
Love.
