Cultivation comes from nourishment and too often our internal dialogue is running on autopilot causing indeliberate violence to our peace of mind. Once aware of the perpetuation of our inner landscape, we begin to consciously decide what beliefs and feelings we want to propagate and grow. It can be an incredibly liberating experience in intense moments when we feel powerless or hopeless.
Bhagavad Gita Chapter 12, Sloka 13
अद्वेष्टा सर्वभूतानां मैत्र: करुण एव च |
निर्ममो निरहङ्कार: समदु:खसुख: क्षमी ||
adveṣṭā sarvabhūtānāṁ maitraḥ karuṇa eva ca
nirmamo nirahankāraḥ samaduḥkhasukhaḥ kṣamī
He who hates no creature, who is friendly and compassionate to all, who is free from attachment and egoism, balanced in pleasure and pain, and forgiving…
Yoga Sutras of Patanjali Pada 1, Verse 33
मैत्रीकरुणामुदितोपेक्षाणां सुखदुःखपुण्यापुण्यविषयाणां भावनातश्चित्तप्रसादनम्॥
Maitrīkaruṇāmuditopekṣāṇāṁ sukhaduḥkhapuṇyāpuṇyaviṣayāṇāṁ bhāvanātaścittaprasādanam
By developing attitudes of friendliness toward the happy, compassion for the unhappy, delight in the virtuous, and disregard toward the wicked, the mind retains its undisturbed calmness.
In the Bhagavad Gita, adveṣṭā sarvabhūtānāṁ is used to describe being free from malice toward all beings even those who are hostile. Likewise, upekṣā in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras conveys a similar intent, that is, to be indifferent to those who are iniquitous. This absence of hatred is not simply an ignorant spiritual bypassing but rather not condoning poor behavior (adharma) and polluting the mind with its negativity. It’s Arjuna’s misplaced compassion for his familial enemies in the Gita’s epic war that brings him to a crisis forgetting that a cultured mind established in clarity is free from desire, fear, and anger. Undisturbed and not reacting, we too can let go of the old spoonfed narrative that plays out in our head and finally hear the song of god.
La Luna Alchemy 