Krishna says in B.G – “Samatvam Yoga ucyate” – “Equilibrium/Equipoise is Yoga”
All of us know that Samsara is chaotic. For a Jivatma to attain this equilibrium amidst all the chaos is next to impossible. But our Dharma makes it possible by laying down a proper fundamental framework and asks us to follow it to escape the chaos and attain that equipoise. There are many components in this framework and all of them together make this framework robust and flexible at the same time giving ample scope to the Jiva to perform his duties, unfold his true powers and evolve to the higher realms of existence.
The many nodes in this framework include (not in any order) the many varnas, ashramas, sanskaras, Yagnas, forms of worship, the purusharthas and the likes. While we have seen what happens to the Jiva after death, these aspects indicate how a Jiva should live in order to attain his goals. The life philosophy that has come out of this framework allows enough scope for a Jiva to fulfill all his legitimate desires while keeping them in control so not to go overboard at any point of time in his life.
There is a continuous and a gradual building up of a personality in the Jiva from the day he is born in this loka. This growth trajectory is not the same for any two Jivas. Our rishis and ancestors have studied and understood him and his surroundings at different levels and have given us the framework that can work for every individual jiva regardless of his position in the evolution process. While we can consider the different aspects of this framework as a mere list and learn about them in isolation, they are not meant to be internalized so. These principles are meant to be definitive, systematic and universal with proper relationship with each other and hence should be absorbed as a whole and not in parts, to live a righteous life.
There is no doubt that a Jiva will be able to live a full and a meaningful life if he follows all the principles laid out in the framework appropriately and that he will be able to move up the ladder in his quest. From the next post onwards, we will look at each of these principles closely and understand how they impact our lives.
mythological squirrel 