Pratipaksha Bhavana, Nispandabhava & Anitya Bhavana (Satsang)



The topic for the Satsang on Sunday, 4th November, 2012 was 'Pratipaksha Bhavana, Nispandabhava and Anitya Bhavana' (English).


Following is the transcript of the speech made by Dr. Jayadeva Yogendra and Smt. Hansaji Yogendra on the topic.

Smt. Hansaji and Dr. Jayadeva Yogendra
“We use this word ‘wisdom,’ what is it? It is this kind of an understanding of the nature of things. We are holding on to certain rigid ideas, and we feel sad, we miscalculate and do wrong things, this should go and it does not. We’ve got a very emotional childish nature; we immediately like it and we want it to stay. 

 You see, in yoga you consciously learn to make the mind a little free, to make the mind broader and larger, and build up a new way of looking at life, this can be done especially from an early age. Once we reach a certain maturity, then we think we are very clever and we are not able to make any change, but many have carried out these kind of techniques and they are able to face up to anything in a very balanced way and have helped the society also. Because life is rattling us all the time, every moment something is happening to our own people, happening to the place we work and what not. We have to learn to accept and carry on, it’s a very simple advise, but we have to test whether we really can follow it. If we can follow it, we will be successful people.”

"In life there are ups and downs. Problems come, people change, someone might love you today and hate you tomorrow. The problem is when we have expectations; and then when problems come, we get shaken up to such an extent that we get a heart attack or depression; the whole world starts looking like a bad place. This should not happen.

The world is as it is and we are as we are. But somewhere our Bhavanas (emotions) get disturbed. This is where we have to have some philosophy, some thought on which our life should be based. That is why yoga is called a Darshan Shastra, a philosophical science which deals with what we see.

Once, a king asked the wise men of his kingdom to give him a gift that would make him happy whenever he was sad and make him calm when he got too excited. The wise men gave him a ring which said “This too shall pass.”

This is Anitya Bhavana, where everything is temporary and changeful, nothing is permanent. When we feel that “I know everything” or start feeling comfortable with life, God gives us a shock and we topple down. This is to bring us out of our ego that we know everything. What we think does not matter, there is something else, a law, governing our life and we cannot stop it. So continue gaining more knowledge.

These feelings and the corresponding understanding should come because we get disturbed by our emotions and can come out of it only through emotions. And the technique to stop the mind is Nispandabhava – do not think, just listen, don’t analyse, be quiet.

If we do not want to be unhappy or hurt, nothing can hurt us. So we have to uplift ourselves and bring in balance in ourselves. So when the world starts looking bad and negative, understand that this state is in ourselves. Stop thinking and quieten the mind. Concentrate on slow breathing or a sound. These simple techniques can help. Then bring in the right understanding.

That effort is required. A wise man would say “Don’t worry, everything will be okay.” We also have the same consciousness, why can we not think that way too?"



Q & A
Q. What can be done when others, eg. parents try to change us?
Dr. Jayadeva: At an early age, we have to change or we won’t grow. But after a certain age when we have clarity, we can make judgements and change when necessary or then observe and be balanced.
Smt. Hansaji: Flexibility should remain till we die. We can change, but we can’t impose our ideas on others. If we feel we are 100% correct, fine, but make sure that we don’t bring our ego or likes and dislikes with it, or that will create a problem.

Q. How do we control our mind during adverse situations?
Dr. Jayadeva: We have to cultivate a balanced state of mind and that is an exercise – throughout the day, whenever you get the chance, just enjoy the balanced peaceful state. It can come by viewing nature, keeping the mind without thoughts, by repeating some sentences and words…it can be done in many ways.
Smt. Hansaji: There are two ways. One is preventing the problem. Tell yourself that everyone is justified for their behaviour, according to their nature, Samskaras, etc and not choose to suffer because of them. Fix a time in the morning, afternoon, evening and night t sit quietly and tell yourself to accept things the way they are. The second way is long-term management – when disturbed, use techniques to settle down and quieten yourself.

Q. When everything is changeful (Anitya), then why does the mind not accept something permanent (Nitya)?
Dr. Jayadeva: Because we have Intellect (Buddhi).
Smt. Hansaji: We are ignorant and we should not forget that. So keep learning every time.

Q. How does one deal with one’s emotions when there is a conflict between what you ought to do and what you want to do?
Dr. Jayadeva: We should be realistic, wise and understanding. There is a servant and occasionally he may break a glass vessel. He is scolded for it but he does not get disturbed and says, “Was this particular glassware going to be permanent and last forever? Then why get disturbed?”
Smt. Hansaji: Of course, that does not mean we should be careless, so use the philosophy well.

Q. At times it becomes difficult to keep the mind quiet. What techniques other than Nispandabhava can be practiced?
Dr. Jayadeva: There are many techniques. Every religion tells us of some prayer, some symbolic words. If we can go on pursuing them, then they can help.
Smt. Hansaji: Pooja-Paath (prayer and rituals) can be useful here. If the mind tends to get disturbed, keep a fix time to do them and when you have control over the mind, use it in a constructive way. Other yoga techniques like Asanas, Pranayamas and Kriyas help in settling the mind. Music, a walk in nature, observing birds, trees, animals and the calm atmosphere is also useful.
 

Q. How to develop a good feeling towards a person who keeps hurting you.
Dr. Jayadeva: If you have decided not to get hurt, then you can manage it. But whenever someone hurts you then immediately you get the feeling of hurting the other individual; that you cannot control.
Smt. Hansaji: This is a tug of war. Someone wants to hurt you, don’t get hurt. If they say something hurtful, take it as a joke. The problem is that we are always ready to feel hurt by others. Become strong. It should be a challenge that if a person is hurting you, then you should enjoy it. Then see how the other person disappears.
 
 Q. If someone is unhappy because of debt, what to do?
Dr. Jayadeva: In the beginning, we get a shock but then we should also understand the laws of nature. This is ..some people can’t forget this unhappiness and some people see, understand and go on with their work.
Smt. Hansaji: When we are unhappy, we should think of a worse situation and work. Even if we get one Roti a day to eat, thank God and do not choose to suffer.
 




Satsang is an open meeting held every Sunday from 9:30 to 10:30 am at The Yoga Institute, Santacruz East, Mumbai. It involves an interesting presentation to the public, made by the students of the Teacher Training Course. Each week, a new presentation of a Yogic concept is made in a simple way through skits and decoration for the general public, followed by a short speech from our Gurus, Dr. Jayadeva and Smt. Hansaji Yogendra.