Man lives with ideas. Positive ideas make him a happy person; whereas the negative ones ultimately bring unhappiness. This great lesson is taught by Bhagavad Gīta (BG) using two terms, as mentioned in my previous posts, Daiva Sampath and Āsura Sampath. The Daiva category is the group of constructive ideas and the Āsura category the group of destructives.
It is interesting to see the fact that the description of the constructive ideas are presented in just three Śloka-s in BG. On the other hand, the list of destructive ideas is presented in 13 Śloka-s. (Śloka in Sanskrit language refers to the four line unit of verses in which usually a complete idea is presented, almost equivalent to a sentence in a language.)
Man has the ability to see into himself; to observe his ideas and feelings. Each individual should utilise this ability to look into one’s own mind. The idea-s appear in mind can be observed and the nature of them can be recognised. If the idea-s in mind are destructive, as taught by BG, one needs to ponder upon it. The teaching of BG helps one to recognise the destructive thoughts in one’s own mind. Others cannot know about their existence in one’s own realm of thoughts and feelings. Only that person can observe them inside.
Sage Patanjali advises in his Yogasūtra-s:
Vitarkabādhane pratipakṣabhāvanam. (II - 33)
To get rid of the destructive ideas one should build up progressive thoughts which function against the negative thoughts to transform them for good. He teaches to build up constructive ideas in the place of destructive ones. When any kind of destructive thought appears in mind, the individual should think that “I have already abandoned these kinds of negative ideas from my mind; I am Yogi; I want to be purified from these negative thoughts.” These kinds of thoughts are called ‘pratipaksa bhavanam’; waves of thoughts in an opposite direction; opposite to the negative, which means positive direction.
The ideas are food for thought; the thought process occurs on the basis of the ideas available in memory. If constructive ideas are available in the memory the thought happens based on them; if the destructive ideas are there in the available memory the thoughts will progress in that direction. It is necessary to understand the nature of destructive ideas to get rid of them. The destructive group of ideas called Āsura Sampat is described elaborately in the Chapter 16 daivāsura sampadvibhāga yoga of BG.
It is necessary to know what destructive ideas are there in one’s own mind to get rid of them. The description of BG of the destructive group of ideas is as follows:
4. dambhō darppo ’bhimānaśca krōdhaḥ pāruṣyamēva ca
ajñānam cābhijātasya pārtha sampadamāsurīm
Śloka 4. O son of Prthā, the ideas and behaviour of one destined to have destructive nature are religious ostentation, pride, haughtiness, anger, rudeness and ignorance.
7. pravṛttim ca nivṛttim ca janā na vidurāsurāḥ
na śaucam nāpicācārō na satyam tēṣu vidyatē
Śloka 7. Neither do the persons having destructive ideas understand what is to be done and what is not to be done; they do not have internal purity, good conduct and truthfulness in them.
8. asatyam apratiṣṭham tē jagadāhuranīśvaram
aparasparasambhūtam kimanyat kāmahaitukam
Śloka 8. They say that there is nothing true in the world; that it has no basis and that it is without a true controller. They think that the world and the creatures are born of mutual comunion brought about by passion! They cannot see any other cause for their existence other than desire.?
9. ētām dṛṣṭimavaṣṭabhya naṣṭātmānō ’lpabudhayaḥ
prabhavantyugrakarmāṇaḥ kṣayāya jagatō ’hitāḥ
Śloka 9. Holding on to this view, these people who are of depraved character, of poor intellect, given to terrible and harmful actions, grow strong for the ruin of the world.
10. kāmamāśritya duṣpūram dambhamānamadānvitāḥ
mōhād gṛhītvā ’sadgrāhān pravartantē ’śucivratāḥ
Śloka 10. Giving themselves up to insatiable desires, filled with vanity, pride and arrogance, adopting wrong objectives due to delusion, and having impure resolve, they engage in destructive actions.
11. cintāmaparimēyām ca pralayāntāmupāśritāḥ
Kāmōpabhōgaparamāḥ ētavaditi niścitāḥ
Śloka 11. Beset with a vast web of thoughts which end up only in complete destruction, holding that the enjoyment of pleasurable objects is the highest goal, feeling sure that this is all in life due to the inability to understand more valuable aspects.
12. āśāpāśaśatair baddhāḥ kāmakrōdhaparāyaṇāḥ
īhantē kāmabhōgārtham anyāyēnārthasancayān
Śloka 12. Bound by hundreds of shackles in the forms of hopes and desires, giving themselves wholly to longing and anger, they endeavour to amass wealth through foul means for the enjoyment of pleasurable objects.
13. idamadya mayā labdham imam prāpsyē manōratham
idamastīdamapi mē bhaviṣyati punardhanam
Śloka 13. They proclaim: ‘This has been gained by me today; I shall further acquire this desired object! This is in hand now; again, this more wealth will also come to me!’
14. asau mayā hataḥ śatruḥ haniṣyē cāparānapi
īśvarō ’hamaham bhōgī siddhō ’ham balavān sukhī
Śloka 14. They say that ‘that enemy has been killed by me, and I shall kill others as well. I am the controller, I am the enjoyer, I am well-established, mighty and cheerful.’
15. āḍhyōbhijanavānasmi kō ’nyō ’sti sadṛśō mayā
yakṣyē dāsyāmi mōdiṣyē ityajñāna vimōhitāḥ
Śloka 15. ‘I am rich and high-born; who else is there similar to me? I shall perform expensive ritual sacrifices; I shall give big donations, I shall rejoice,’—thus they are diversely deluded by lack of ability to discriminate.
16. anēkacittavibhrāntāḥ mōhajālasamāvṛtāḥ
prasaktāḥ kāmabhōgēṣu patanti narakē ’śucau
Śloka 16. Bewildered by numerous thoughts, caught in the net of delusion and engrossed in the enjoyment of pleasurable objects, they fall into a foul hell.
17. ātmasambhāvitāḥ stabdhā dhanamānamadānvitāḥ
yajantē nāmayajñai stē dambhēnāvidhipūrvakam
Śloka 17. Self-conceited, haughty, filled with pride and intoxication out of wealth, they perform the pretentious of good acts which are just of name sake only, with ostentation and regardless of the injunctions.
18. ahankaram balam darppam kāmam krōdham ca samśritāḥ
māmātmaparadēhēṣu pradviṣantō ’bhyasūyakāḥ
Śloka 18. Resorting to the selfish motif, power, arrogance, desire and anger, hating the True Source of All Powers in their own bodies and in others’, they grow envious by nature.
================================