Sadhana Panchakam, Instruction 28

Translation and Commentary by Jayaram V

4.4 Be content with whatever is obtained by fate

Strictly speaking this has to be read in conjunction with the previous three instructions. When a renouncer goes out for begging he shall be content with whatever he obtains or does not obtain. Sometimes he may get little food, sometimes more and sometimes not at all. He shall remain equal to all situations, accepting it as the will of God and an opportunity to bear with his hunger and practice contentment, equanimity and sameness. However, he has to extend the same attitude into all areas of his practice to stabilize his mind in the contemplation of the self. In worldly life anxiety is a major problem due to desires and expectations or fear and insecurity. In spiritual life, it has to be resolved through sameness, detachment and contentment. When you are contended, you do not complain and you do not feel disturbed by failures and disappointments. Instead, you will accept life on its terms and bear with what befalls you as divine providence. Thus, contentment, faith and devotion are interlinked.

The purpose of renunciation is to give up all desires and live freely unencumbered by the burdens of life. It does not mean those who renounce worldly life do not experience desire-ridden thoughts. They simply do not act upon them and allow them to subside and dissolve in their consciousness through indifference. The world has a great pull upon the mind and body. Spiritual people learn to cope with them without giving in to them. With discernment and indifference, they rise above attraction and aversion and remain indifferent to the modifications of their minds and bodies. Contentment leads to mental stability as you are not disturbed by what life brings to you through chance or providence. Lord Krishna says in the Bhagavadgita (2.55), he who remains satisfied in himself and by himself alone is called a person of stable intelligence (sthithaprajna). He is unperturbed by the uncertainties of life.

One of the areas where ascetic people learn important lessons about patience, tolerance, equanimity, sameness, etc., is when they out seeking food, where they have to face a lot of uncertainty and remain at the mercy of others and Nature. It is on such occasions that they have an opportunity to cultivate discriminating intelligence. If they receive food, they shall feel gratitude. If not, they shall restrain their feelings and remain contended, remembering that they have an opportunity to practice indifference and detachment. A yogi learns to withstand the vagaries of life through discriminating intelligence (prajna). Lord Krishna exemplifies it in the following words, “Who is without attachment everywhere, who neither seeks that which is good nor rejects that which is bad upon attaining it, that person's discriminating intelligence is firmly fixed.” When he reaches that state even his sense of taste falls away.

In worldly life we are not happy when our desires are not fulfilled or our expectations are not met. On such occasions, we try to take control to ensure success. We either increase our effort or use different methods to reach our goals. This approach does not always work, since we cannot control all the factors which determine the outcome of our actions. Yet, we keep trying because persistence is the only known way to reach our goals.

In spiritual life also we can persist but it has to be done without desires, egoism and attachments. Those who take up sannyasa, giving up worldly life and attachments, are not supposed to persist in actions due to desires or egoism. They may direct their will to seek things, but accept the outcome as the will of God. By surrendering their will to the will of God and placing themselves in his hands, they have to live randomly with abiding faith performing their actions without desires.

The virtue of contentment (tushti or santushti) is extolled in many scriptures. Contentment arises from non-covetousness, which is considered one of the highest virtues along with nonviolence, truthfulness, non-stealing, etc. It is practiced through detachment and contentment only. It is also a sattvic quality which leads to peace and happiness. The Bhagavadgita (10.5 & 9) lists contentment as a divine quality which arises from deep devotion to God. When the mind is absorbed in the Self, one becomes established in contentment also. In the same scripture (12.14), Lord Krishna declares that the yogi who is ever contented, self-controlled, strongly determined, etc., is dearer to him. From contentment arises other virtues such as freedom from fear, impatience, and annoyance, and the ability not to feel disturbed by the actions of others or disturb them.

There is no limit to human desires and expectations. What prevents people from losing balance and falling into evil ways to reach their aims is contentment only. When people realize that through discernment, they cultivate self-restraint, and become satisfied within themselves with whatever they have, accepting things as they are and practicing moderation. Having restrained their minds and senses and suppressed their desires, yogis become established in contentment, treating the dualities of life with sameness. Contentment also arises from the knowledge that all this belongs to God and no one has the divine right to claim ownership of anything. The Isa Upanishad begins with the declaration that all this inhabited by God and everything that happens here happens because of him. Hence, by renunciation only one should seek enjoyment, without coveting.

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