From a satsang with Pt. Dr. Umesh Persad, Spiritual Leader, SWAHA Gyaan Deepak Kirtan Mandali
Bandau sant samaancitaa hita anahita nahi kou /
anjaligata subha sumana jimi sama sugandha kare dou//
I reverence the saints who are even-minded towards all and have no friends or foe, just as a gracious flower, clasped in both hands, sheds equal fragrance on the two (the one which plucked it and the other that held and preserved it.)
Santa saralacita jagatahita jaani subhau sanehu/
baalabinaya suni kari kripaa raamacharana rati dehu//
Realizing thus the noble disposition and loving nature of the saints, who are innocent at heart and desirous of the welfare of the world, I make this humble submission to them. Listening to my childlike prayer, O you saints, be gracious to me and inspire me with devotion towards the feet of Raam.
Baalakaanda, Shre Raamcharitamaanas
What are the key qualities that make a saint or sage? In the above analogy, the flower gives its fragrance to both the hand that, in plucking it, causes it pain as well as to the hand that keeps it safe. Like the flower, we should remain even-minded to both those that bring us pain and joy. We should treat all alike with love and consideration. The prayer seeks the inspiration of such saints and sages who possess such qualities so that we in turn can manifest such qualities.
Being even-minded and treating everyone equally is the starting point of devotion towards the feet of Shree Raam. We must always, with that knowledge of our own true nature remain in equanimity. This means that the mind does not get perturbed, particularly when negativity occurs.
How do we develop this quality of even-mindedness? It is a quality that we must develop and be aware of, and put into practice. Is it our natural response to assist, to help and to take care of people? There will always be people in the world who perform actions that are hurtful. However, the choice we have is to behave like them, and become like them, or to take the high road and be the principled one.
How can we practise even-mindedness on a daily basis? Our mind is the cause of bondage and it is also the cause of liberation. In terms of our psychology, we all have desires (kaam) on a daily basis to perform our actions and duties. However, kaam could lead to krodha (anger), matsariya (jealousy), mudha (pride), moha (attachment) and lobha (greed). That is, when desires are fulfilled, they sometimes lead to pride, attachment or greed. On the other hand, when desires are not fulfilled, they may make us angry or jealous. These streams of emotion always exist in us and they have an evolutionary basis. It is normal and natural to have a variety of emotions, however, we should not let them cause us to act in a detrimental fashion. Whenever we experience these emotions, they lead to changes in the state of our mind. There are eight winds that blow about our state of mind: gain and loss, honour and disgrace, praise and blame, happiness and sadness. The true self, the internal observer needs to understand how not to be swayed and affected by these winds.
To practise even-mindedness, the first step is to make the decision to be even-minded. The next step is to practise the three Rs: recognize when we are getting upset, reduce the upset feeling, and eventually the emotion will be removed. The Yoga Sutras state that there are specific responses when relating to the four temperaments of other people: happy, unhappy, virtuous or wicked. If someone is happy, we should respond with friendliness and lovingness (maitri); if someone is unhappy, we need to show compassion (karunaa); if someone is virtuous, we should take delight in their goodness and learn from them (mudita); and if someone is wicked, we should keep our distance and practise indifference (upeksha). When dealing with angry or negative people, the strategies are: move away from the situation before it escalates and change your breathing to slow, deep, calming breaths. Other activities which help us control anger and other negative emotions include the various forms of prayer and vrat; physical activity; and meditation.
The nature of the sadhu is even-mindedness and it is something to which we must all strive and practise. Pain occurs because we resist what is happening, whereas acceptance leads to peace. In order to be more peaceful and happier in this world we must continuously strive to practise the quality of even-mindedness in all our interactions with others. Thus, there will be more saints and sadhus in this world.
