DR SANJAY TEOTIA brings to our readers, Krishna’s message from the Bhagavad Gita on developing the buddhi so that our acts are guided by discipline, ethics and honesty
Buddhi Yoga or the Yoga of consciousness, promotes self-development and consciousness. It helps unite the mind with higher consciousness besides overcoming weaknesses of the mind to finally attain evenness of mind. The opposite of such a state is when the mind is a slave of the senses, driven by the desire for the objects of those senses. In such a person, all his or her actions are determined by such desires and the karma that such actions bring. Buddhi, the intelligence, is not only a process of thinking, but also the rationale behind such thinking. It is the seat of understanding and wisdom. Shlokas in the Bhagavad Gita, in chapter 2, verses 39 to 53, have Krishna explaining how, through Buddhi Yoga, one can free oneself from this bondage. When you feel a rise in your consciousness within the self, your Buddhi is cleared of all forms of ignorance.
The wisdom so gained enables one to discriminate between good and evil, right and wrong, truth and falsehood and the self and the non-self. A person whose intelligence is already disciplined, has a firm determination and a clear aim, while the thoughts of others are scattered and endless.
Singlemindedness of purpose is a great asset for the achievement of one’s goals. The work done only for fruits at the end is far inferior to the work done through intelligence with discipline. The one who is firmly established in his intelligence and logical mind is able to consciously discard whatever is bad and evil as he has overcome his own inner selfishness and he is no longer attracted towards evil. Such a person has already embraced a path of honesty and ethics which transcends evil.
With Buddhi-Yoga, comes spiritual advancement; it is akin to retiring from an active, overly materialistic life and practising penance and austerity at a secluded place. According to the Bhagavad Gita, Buddhi Yoga is the intelligent use of the mind by keeping it engaged in devotional activities. This form of Yoga is the highest form of perfection.
Buddhi or intelligence lies within us, but in many cases, it is dormant and needs to be awakened. A man of lesser Buddhi is constantly driven by senses and worldly desires. However, we can tame our wayward mind through practice of Buddhi Yoga which teaches us how to overcome this weakness and perform our duties with even-mindedness. By adopting the devotional path of Buddhi Yoga, one can remain unaffected by pleasure and pain, gain and loss, victory and defeat.
In the Bhagavad Gita, chapter 10, Sri Krishna tells Arjuna about Buddhi Yoga. The ultimate goal of human life is to untangle yourself from this material world – something that Lord Krishna says is possible through devotional service. When a person knows the goal of his life but does his work with an eye on the end result, then he is acting in Karma Yoga. But when a person knows the goal of his life and still jumps into devotional service completely, he is said to be acting in Buddhi Yoga. Buddhi Yoga is the foundation for attaining perfection in all other paths of self-realization because it is not possible to achieve success in any sphere of life, without proper self-control and adequate discipline of mind.
Dr. Sanjay Teotia is an eye surgeon and is Senior Consultant, Balrampur Hospital, in Lucknow (U.P.) He is a prolific spiritual writer and his articles appear regularly in Navbharat Times and in Times of India, apart from YoursPositively
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