Life is a ceaseless course of experiences. In this process, the world around us is one component and the senses in man form the other component. Interactions between the two – man's own senses and the objects of the world – are what constitute life, experience. As long as the eyes interact with objects of colour, the ear with objects of sound, the nose with those of smell, the skin with objects of touch or the tongue with those of taste – the process is bound to bring about sukha and duhkha. It will not be all sukha or even all duhkha, but sukha and duhkha alternately. This alternation between sukha and duhkha cannot be avoided as long as man has his five senses and the world around him consists of objects for these senses to perceive and interact with.
If sukha-duhkhas are something inevitable in the context of sense object interaction, what is a man of viveka to do? He should understand their place well and forbear them, meet them with an unfailing and ready acceptance. Anything will have its nature. The sensory interactions will have their nature too. And so, the sukha-duhkhas have their inevitable place. Towards them, the only attitude called for is one of forbearance or tolerance. This forbearance is called titiksha.
If sukha-duhkhas are something inevitable in the context of sense object interaction, what is a man of viveka to do? He should understand their place well and forbear them, meet them with an unfailing and ready acceptance. Anything will have its nature. The sensory interactions will have their nature too. And so, the sukha-duhkhas have their inevitable place. Towards them, the only attitude called for is one of forbearance or tolerance. This forbearance is called titiksha.
To understand the character of the mind, take a look at the alternations and watch what happens in between the two incidences – sukha and duhkha. In order to separate the two, should there not be a distinct middle? That distinct middle must be the nature of the very mind. Be attentive to the unconditioned or unreacting middle. Grasp its essence more and more. Be infused with its distinctness – distinction from the other two. It is that distinct mind that courts these transitional states. Let the attention turn from the alternating states to the mind proper, which remains neutral and untouched by them.
The seeker should not worry about what external association or interaction stimulates the sukha-duhkhas. He should attend to where and what internally transforms into sukha and duhkha. He will find that it is his mind. The mind substance alone does the alternations. Activity and interaction will go on as otherwise. Instead of getting drowned by the sukha-duhkha effects they bring about repeatedly, he now remains afloat in the waves. The water of the waves is the same. Only the waves appear various. Such a drastic change in the response, attention, sublimational process, makes him deserve immortality. It is no more for him the simple interactional life with the world and its objects. Instead, it becomes a full fledged spiritual sadhana, which endures all along. The worldly life is provided with a spiritual addition, a constant subjective enrichment. The gains are great, with no loss at all. The normal activities and interactions wear and tear one's life, leading to the death of the body at a time, whereas this new life of sankhya-saadhana will steadily take the seeker to spiritual unfoldment and to amritatva (immortality).
[This is an extract from Poojya Swamiji's book, Essential Concepts in Bhagavadgeeta, Vol 1]
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