Where Do We Go From Here ?
Authored by
THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM
ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattvasthā madhye tiṣṭhanti rājasāḥ jaghanyaguṇavṛttisthā adho gacchanti tāmasāḥ ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattvasthā madhye tiṣṭhanti rājasāḥ jaghanyaguṇavṛttisthā adho gacchanti tāmasāḥ if we are complete, unattached and undisturbed by all that is happening in and around us, we act out of satva guṇa.
nānyaṁ guṇebhyaḥ kartāraṁ yadā draṣṭānupaśyati guṇebhyaśca paraṁ vetti madbhāvaṁ so'dhigacchati
When we see that there is nothing beyond these modes of nature in all activities and that the supreme Lord is transcendental to all these modes, the seeker can know My spiritual nature.
Only the presence of super-conscious energy, the Enlightened Master can dissolve saṁskāras, the root patterns and burn out our vāsanas, the conflicting patterns developed through these root patterns and establish us in satva.
guṇānetānatītya trīn dehī dehasamudbhavān janma-mṛtyu-jarā-duḥkhair vimukto'mṛtamaśnute
When the embodied being is able to transcend these three modes, he can become free from birth, death, old age and their distresses and can enjoy nectar even in this life.
Those who go beyond the three guṇas, beyond the activity-producing attributes, beyond the root thought patterns and become complete, free of bondages, enjoy bliss in this world.
Kṛṣṇa provides the key to liberation here. Those who go beyond the three guṇas, beyond the activity-producing attributes, beyond the root thought patterns and become complete, free of bondages, enjoy bliss in this world. This is the assurance of the Master. This is a guarantee.
These words are a great technique.
- 1. Step one is when we realize that each of our thoughts, words, and activities arises from one of the three root patterns, guṇas—satva, rajas and tamas.
- 2. Step two is the understanding about which guṇa, root pattern it is and exactly what that guṇa is doing to us; what disempowering cognition that guṇa is building about our inner image (mamakāra), our outer-image (ahaṁkāra), others' image (anyakāra), others' expectation about us, and life's image (svānyakāra).
- 3. Step three is to do the completion and the creation process; do completion with that guṇa or root pattern and do creation of the satva guṇa, the right inner space to create the reality that we want. Finally we transcend satva guṇa and enter into nirguṇa or 'no guṇa state'.
Whatever we are doing, whatever is happening to us, we need to become aware of the attribute, the guṇa, the pattern that is driving us and complete with it. If it is a fantasy, we work out of tamas. If it is fear and greed, we work out of rajas. And if we are complete, unattached and undisturbed by all that is happening in and around us, we act out of satva guṇa.
Here Kṛṣṇa assures, 'Those situated in the mode of goodness gradually go upward to the higher planes ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattva-sthā (14.18).' A continuous tireless completion process creates the basis for higher level practices, for higher planes.
We have talked about the saṁskāras or root thought patterns that are buried in our unconscious. They drive us through one of these attributes (guṇas). Conscious, logical and analytical procedures cannot easily identify them, let alone remove or repair them. That is why so-called catharsis processes that aim to rid us of negative emotions give only temporary relief. The basic negativity remains buried.