The Nishpaksh Yogi Does Not Take Sides
We all have our own identities – I may be the prime minister of a country, an administrative officer, member of the armed forces, CEO of a corporation, actor, student, teacher, patriotic citizen.
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The list is long, though one cannot say it is an infinite list as all earthly identities are circumscribed. Not so, for the Yogi. He is apart from and above all these identities. He is one who is on a journey of
Self-discovery
, rising above the mundane world and soaring beyond even the cosmos, perhaps.
What is the
dharm of a citizen
? As member of a democratic country, it is his dharm to cast his vote (or not) in elections, besides following norms laid down by govt and society, institutions, communities and families and conform to the laws of the land.
Sometimes he could rebel against the system, and that too is part of his dharm as a citizen. A teacher's dharm is to provide students with holistic education; members of the armed forces swing into action when people and country are threatened or hurt by invaders and terrorists. The dharm of a prime minister is to protect and administer the country.
The dharm of a yogi is very different. He has no truck with the material world and its dualities.
A realised yogi cannot claim to voice his opinion as a citizen – that would be stepping out of his yogic domain. Yogis are beyond sankalp-vikalp, decisive thought and doubt, they are nishpaksh, that is, they are impartial, unbiased, fair and so they are neutral. As Ashtavakra says, 'I do not long for the dissolution of the universe. /Nor do I have any interest in its abidance,' (
Ashtavakra Gita
17.7).
The yogi cannot get into the pros and cons of a war, for example, for he remains in peace, untouched by all the turmoil, abiding in a space above dualities.
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The yogi has only one hat to wear – that of a sthitaprajna, one of samabuddhi, as Krishn says in the Gita: 'He who is of the same mind – to good-hearted, friends, enemies, the indifferent, the neutral, the hateful, relatives, the righteous and unrighteous – excels,' (Gita 6:9). The Yogi remains unruffled.
Prince Ram in the Yog Vasisht says to Sage Vasisht, 'I do not long to live and I do not long to die.' He is neutral about life as well as about death.
Even as there is duality all around us, there is a huge expanse of uncharted space that Krishn in the
Gita
describes as being free from opposites: 'He should be known as a
perpetual renunciate
who neither hates nor desires. For, free from pairs of opposites, he is easily set free from bondage,' (5.3).
In
Zen Buddhism
, a dilemma is presented to an initiate and she is asked to resolve it. In the process of reasoning and finding an answer, it is gently revealed that apart from taking either of two extreme positions, there is a very vital position that is described simply as 'mu'.
Attempts have been made to provide an explanation in words.
Mu is the experience of cutting off the ego or reaching a
no-ego state
. This enables the mind to become empty, making it free from prejudices. Like the
nishpaksh Yogi
.
Authored by: Narayani Ganesh
Deepen your understanding of the Bhagavad Gita: Explore chapter 2 with Sri Gaur Prabhu's guidance
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