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Dukha Mimamsa: The Nature, Cause

(and Cure) of Suffering

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Dukha Mimamsa: The Nature, Cause (and Cure)

of Suffering
Article of the Month May 2008

The Bhagavad Gita places much stress on the need for maintaining an equanimity of
mind under both adverse or favorable circumstances (Bhagavad Gita: 6.7; 12.18
and 14.25). However, this is easier said than done. In the Shrimad Bhagavata
Purana, that relishable text overflowing with the nectar of sweet words fallen from
Krishnas delicious lips, the lord says in unambiguous terms:
"Whether reproached or insulted, ridiculed or belittled, beaten or bound by ropes, or
deprived of ones means of livelihood, spat or urinated upon by the wicked - when
ones foundations are shaken in this manner, one should try to redeem oneself by
recourse to reason."
In response to this instruction, Krishnas great devotee and friend Uddhava queried:

"Such outrages against oneself by

the wicked are the most difficult to
bear because our nature to respond
against any such mistreatment is
very powerful and hard to resist.
Therefore, do explain to me how I
can understand and realize the
exalted spiritual state you are talking
about."
(Shrimad Bhagavata Purana 11.22.57
- 60).

The Uddhava Gita with Commentaries by Srila

Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura and Chapter
Summaries and Purports by Srila
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasavati Thakura

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In his inimitable charming style, Krishna then proceeds to narrate a story,

embedded within which is a creative way to realize the equitable state of mind
(samata) outlined above.
Long long ago, in the ancient city of Ujjain there lived a brahmin, who was however
a brahmin in name only. By resorting to various businesses, he had amassed a huge
wealth. He was an extreme miser, never spending a penny on himself, or on any of
his family and friends. Due to his extreme temperament, all near and dear ones
were unsympathetic, if not downright hostile towards him.
It was not long before such an unnatural state of affairs came to an end, and all his
wealth, earned with much hard work, and stored with an even greater effort, came
to naught in front of his very own eyes. Some of it was plundered by his near and
dear ones, part of it was stolen by thieves, some was confisticated by the
government and the rest was ruined by natural causes such as fire etc. Thus was
lost his entire wealth, which he had never made use of for his personal enjoyment
nor for charity.

The Brahmins Mental State After Losing Everything:

Reduced to this pitiable condition, a very great despondency swept over the
brahmin. As he began brooding over his lot, tears choked his throat and as a result
he felt an almost unbearable anxiety. Suddenly however, the same despondency
became the cause of a strange contended happiness which he felt seeping through
his body, and a strong feeling of renunciation came over him and he said to himself:
"Alas! I tormented myself uselessly by working so hard for accumulating wealth
which was used neither for religious merit (dharma), nor for enjoyment. Truly is it
said that misers always have to suffer - in this world they burn with anxiety for
earning and safeguarding their money and after death they go to hell because of
neglecting dharma during their lifetime."
"Indeed, first earning money, and then the ambition to increase it, keeping it safe,
or spending it all these involve constant hard work, fear, and anxiety. Brothers,
wife, parents, all near and dear ones, who seem bound to us with love, they all
become estranged within no time over a single penny."
"Having achieved this human birth, which is coveted even by the gods, those who
disrespect it (as I had done), they destroy but their own highest self-interest. This
human body is a gateway to both heaven and final liberation (Moksha). Which
intelligent person would let go of this opportunity and rather involve himself in the
business of money, the abode of all calamities. I have fallen from my supreme duty
and carelessly squandered away my life, money and strength, which if properly
utilized could have become doorways to liberation. I do not understand why even
intelligent people allow themselves to be troubled with so much futile endeavors for
acquisition of wealth? Certainly this world is being deluded by an unknown maya."
"This human body is in the constant vile grip of death. Hence what purpose could be
served by money itself, or those who give money, pleasure or those who give
pleasure? What is to be gained by performing karma which but leads to perpetual
rebirth in the never ending cycle of birth and death? However, there is no doubt that
today the great Lord Hari is immensely pleased with me for he has brought me to
this miserable condition which has thus sowed in me the seed of discontentment,
helping me to achieve vairagya, the disenchantment with all things material, which
is but the boat to cross over the ocean of worldly miseries."

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"I have luckily been reduced to this state, and with whatever time now remains of
my life, I will perform austerities and subsist only on bare necessities."
Having resolved his mind thus, the brahmin became silent and set out to wander
freely in this world as an unkempt beggar.

What Happened Next?

Wherever that old brahmin, now in tatters, would go, wicked people would insult
him terribly. Some would snatch away the stick he was supporting himself on, while
others would take away his begging bowl. Someone would make away with his
Rudraksha Mala even as others would throw away his loin cloth. If that were not
enough many would give him objects only to snatch them back. When the old man
would sit on the riverbank to partake the meager alms he had collected, rowdy
individuals would even go to the extent of spitting, urinating, or even breaking wind
on him. They would try and force the silent monk to speak, and when he would not
do so, they would hit him.
Often some miscreants would call him a thief and tie him up with ropes, some would
call him a hypocrite, recalling his earlier days and insinuate that having been thrown
out of the house by his wife and children, he had now made religion his new
business.
The brahmin beggar would however patiently bear it all. He was thus exposed to the
following three torments:
1). Adhyatmic: Physical suffering having source in ones own body e.g. fever etc.
2). Adhidaivik: Suffering on account of the gods: Heat, cold, rains etc.
3). Adhibhautik: Suffering imposed by other living in form of humiliation etc.
Although base people tried constantly hard to shake his determination, he remained
steadfast on his spiritual platform. He took each and every bit of suffering in his
stride, reconciling himself with each of them, thoroughly working out the nature of
"suffering", expressing his thoughts in the following words:
"My joys or sorrows are not due to these people, nor the gods, nor my body, not the
planets, nor my karma or kala (time). The scriptures declare the mind alone to be
the cause of both of these and indeed it is the mind alone which perpetuates the
repeated cycle of birth and death. The mind is very powerful, and actuates the
mental states which then evolve into the various kinds of karma leading to the
various states of existence according to the "quality" of the karma. Mind is the
initiator of all activity. Therefore, the supreme goal of all spiritual enterprises,
whether it be charity, practice of ones duties, yoga, study of the Vedas, celibacy or
fasting, is the subjugation of the mind."
"In fact, one whose mind is peace with itself, what is he to gain by meritorious
activities like charity etc? On the other hand one whose mind is still uncontrolled,
even though he may be performing these meritorious deeds, has still not gained
anything by them. All sense organs are under the sway of the mind, however, the
mind is under the control of none of these. This mind is the strongest of the
strongest, and one who is able to bring it under control is truly the god of gods
(deva-deva)."

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"An undisciplined mind is the greatest of all enemies. Its attack is almost
unbearable. Not only does it torment the body, but also afflicts the softer portions
(like the heart) of our inner being. It is difficult to defeat the mind. However, this is
the first enemy man should try and win over; but what happens is that man does
not try to win over his own mind rather he tries to establish blame for his good/bad
situation on extraneous circumstances or people. If I see that the people who give
me charity are the cause of my happiness and those who harass me are the cause of
my distress then I am merely absorbed in the bodily concept of life and am able to
scrape only the surface of life rather than grasp its ultimate core."
The beggar then set out to systematically outline each of the factors which logically
could be said to have been the cause behind his suffering, and through a thorough
analysis showed why none of these could eventually be the ultimate cause of his
distress.

1). Other Human Beings:

The brahmin said: "If we hold other human beings responsible for our happiness or
distress, then how does it affect out True Self (atman) which is immaterial, while
both the perpetrator and the sufferer are but bodies made of the same dust. If ever
a man bites his own tongue with his teeth, then on whom would he lay the blame for
the pain he would experience?"
The Self remains beyond both the body and the mind. This Self neither fattens with
the body nor shares the joy or sorrows of the mind. The outside world can only
affect the body and the mind and never the Self. When the body of a person is
garlanded his mind is elated, and when his form is kicked, it is the mind again which
rebels. The Self is just the witness to his insult and joy.
All physical bodies are made up of the same five elements empty space (akasha),
air, fire, water and earth. Inside all physical bodies, it is the same divine
consciousness inhabiting them as the ultimate Self. What then is the difference
between any two of us? When people honor or dishonor each other, it is only
modifications of the same earth honoring or dishonoring each other. In the fifth
canto of the Shrimad Bhagavat Purana, there occurs the story of the great saint
"Jada Bharata", on whose name incidentally, the name Bharata was given to the
country today known as India.
Once it so happened that Jada Bharata was compelled by a king to become his
palanquin bearer. The saint, not used to such a job, stumbled, and was chastised for
giving a severe jolt to the king. The great one answered: "One clod of mud is on top
of another. One calls himself a palanquin carrier and the other a king. However, both
are only mud in essence, with no difference whatsoever. Knowing this, the wise man
remains unaffected."

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The pain of the tongue bit by the

teeth is my pain, and the aggression
of the teeth is equally mine. For I
regard both the teeth and tongue as
"me" alone. Similarly, the one who
insults and the one who is insulted are
both expressions, manifestations or
conditioning of the same Self, as the
Self in me is the Self in all. Then who
can insult who, and why should one
react or suffer? All suffering lies in the
sense of otherness that "another"
has hurt me. Not knowing that the
lord was the Self in him, Shishupal
kept fighting with Shri Krishna. When
he died, the light that emerged from
his body merged into the lord. Not
realizing the one Self in all we too
fight with ourselves all our lives.

Krishna and Shishupala

2) Gods as the Cause of our Suffering or Happiness:

In Indian Philosophy, all individual aspects of the human body (adhyatmik) and the
various phenomenal forces (adhidaivik) are but one and the same. Therefore,
according to the Upanishads, the sight in the eyes, and the power of the sun are in
essence one. Similarly, Indra is the ruler of heaven and also at the same time the
presiding deity of our hands, and Agni the deity of our mouth. Therefore, when the
hand slaps the mouth, it is Indra doing so to Agni. Then what? Suppose then the
mouth bites the hand. How does this all affect the one formless Self beyond the
body? Also, when the same gods are present in each of the differently formed
bodies, it is but the same set of deities acting on each other, since there is no
"other", who can be held responsible for what?

3). Can the Planets (Astrological) be the Cause?

The Planets cannot be the ultimate cause of our sukha (happiness) or dukha
(suffering) because they affect only that which is born and subject to modification.
However, the Self is unborn and therefore there is no question of it being under the
influence of the planets at all.

4). Are Our Actions (Karma) behind Sukha and Dukha?

Before saying that our actions are the cause of our joys and sorrows, we need to
understand that any action is possible only by a combination of the inert and the
conscious. The body is inert and the Self is conscious.

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The doer of action (karta), alone can become the enjoyer of its results (bhokta). In
addition, action can modify the object of action and also the one who prompts the
action. The Self is neither the karta, nor the prompter (which is perhaps the mind)
nor the object of action, and hence is unaffected by them. The Self is the actionless
subject which witnesses all actions.
The inert by itself cannot act. Consciousness also cannot act without a body,
instruments etc. It is therefore only with combination of the inert and the sentient
that action is possible. Such a combination is however impossible since the inert and
the conscious are of opposite nature, like light and darkness. Hence, when karma
itself has no ultimate basis in either the body or the soul, then where is the question
of a non-existent thing causing either joy or sorrow.

5). Is Time (Kala) Responsible for the Pain and Pleasure We

Experience?
In the Bhagavad Gita Lord Krishna says:

"I am (of the nature of) Kala"

(10.30)

Shri Krishna's Gita Upadesha

Time or kala can be experienced as the present alone, and the present moment,
down to the microsecond, can be divided and subdivided till time itself disappears
and only the Self, the witnessing Presence alone remains. Then how can time which
is of the essence of the Self itself, be the cause of either suffering or joy. A flame
cannot be tormented by its own heat, nor can ice be affected by its own coolness.

Conclusion:
The material body is dull matter and by itself cannot experience anything, whether it
be happiness or distress. The Spirit Soul (Self) is however pure consciousness and
completely transcendental, and therefore one should fix ones mind on the
transcendental lord who is beyond joy and sorrow. It is only when the
transcendental consciousness, conditioned by the mind, is identified with dull matter
that the living entity imagines that he or she is enjoying or suffering in the material
world.
However, this transformation from the body to the Soul requires a radical shift in our
thought process, and by narrating the story of the brahmin mendicant, Krishna

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shows just how a severe crisis or an extreme moment of suffering in our life can
give us a highly creative impetus, propelling us on to the path of self-realization.

References and Further Reading:

Badrinath, Chaturvedi. Chinmayananda, Swami. The Holy Geeta: Mumbai,

2002.
Devi, Shrimati Dayakanti. Shrimad Bhagavata Mahapurana (With Word to
Word Meaning in 8 Volumes): Allahbad, 1993.
Dogre, Shri Ramachandra Keshav. Shrimad Bhagavat Rahasya (Collection of
Discourses): Delhi.
Goswami, C.L. and Shastri, M.A. Srimad Bhagavata Mahapurana (English
Translation in Two Volumes) Gorakhpur, 2005.
Prabhupad, A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami. Srmiad Bhagavatam (47 Volumes):
Mumbai.
Saraswati, Swami Akhandananda. Bhagavata Darshan (Collection of
Discourses in Two Volumes): Mumbai, 2003.
Saraswati, Swami Akhandananda. Mukti Skandha (Discourses on the
Eleventh Canto of The Shrimad Bhagavata Purana): Mumbai, 1999.
Saraswati, Swami Akhandananda (tr). Shrimad Bhagavata Purana (2
Volumes): Gorakhpur, 2004.
Tagare, G.V. (tr). The Bhagavata Purana (5 Volumes (Annotated)) Delhi,
2002.
Tejomayananda, Swami. Swami. Bhikshu Geeta Mumbai, 2004.
Tejomayananda, Swami. Shrimad Bhagavata Pravachan (Discourses on The
Shrimad Bhagavata Purana): Mumbai, 2006.

This article by Nitin Kumar.

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