Satsanga with Sri Swami Viditatmananda Saraswati

Arsha Vidya Gurukulam

UPARATI, THE ABIDANCE OF THE MIND AND SENSE ORGANS, OR
TOTAL RENUNCIATION

nivartitnmete tadvyatiriktaviayebhya uparamaamuparatirathav
vihitn karma vidhin parityga [Vedntasra, 21].
Uparati is the cessation of these external organs so restrained, from the
pursuit of objects other than that, or it may mean the abandonment of
the prescribed works according to scriptural injunctions.
The mind and sense organs, which have been thus restrained so that
they remain focused and do not get distracted, is called uparati. The
difference is subtle and should be understood. ama is the mastery of the
mind and bringing it back from its distractions. Dama is the restraint of the
sense organs and bringing them back from their distractions and focusing
them. Uparama is the faculty by which the mind is focused where it wants to
focus, namely, on ravaam, mananam, and nidhidhysanam, and that by which
the sense organs are also disciplined so that they aid, rather than distract from
the focus. Therefore, while ama is the discipline by which the mind is
brought back from where it strays and dama is the control by which the sense
organs that are distracted are brought back, uparati is the faculty that enables
the mind and sense organs that are thus restrained to stay focused. As a
result of the practice of ama and dama, we find that the mind and the sense
organs slowly become abiding. This abidance of the mind and sense organs is
called uparati.
Effort is involved in inculcating ama and dama, whereas, there is no
effort in uparati. Our own experience shows that initially we like many
things; I may enjoy watching movies or football games and, therefore, the
mind immediately thinks of them whenever I have time. However, as I
develop better interests the appeal of movies or games slowly wears off. The
secret of controlling the mind and sense organs is not so much a mechanical
practice, as it is the cultivating of a subtler or superior interest. Raso'pyasya
para dv nivartate [Bhagavad Gita, 2-59] when the mind experiences or
sees something superior, its fascination for the inferior automatically drops
off. Thus, if we want to free our minds from the fascination of worldly
objects, it is necessary for the mind to see something better. For example, in
the beginning, we like to listen to film music; however, as we begin to enjoy
light classical music, the fascination for film music goes away. As we discover
subtler things, our fascination for grosser things drops off. Initially, we keep
disciplining our minds and sense organs; later, it is necessary to expose our
minds to something beautiful, superior, and subtler; something that lies
within. The idea is that beauty and happiness are both present within the
Self. The mind, however, does not have an opportunity to become abiding.
Why should the mind run after sense objects? It is only when a child is not
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happy eating at home that he or she goes to eat out. When the mind discovers
the inner joy or composure, its distractions will automatically stop. Thus, we
have to tackle this problem on two fronts: first, by restraining or bringing
back the mind and the sense organs when they are distracted and, secondly,
by cultivating an interest in something subtler. As we understand the beauty
that the scriptures reveal to us as being inherently present everywhere, the
need of the mind for grosser beauty drops off slowly and the mind becomes
abiding. A time will come when the mind and sense organs will become
abiding effortlessly; they will then have discovered an inner poise, silence, or
joy. This state is called uparati.
Uparati means the cessation of the sense pursuits of the mind and sense
organs. It is the discovery of inner poise as a result of ama and dama. It is
that faculty by which we are not distracted even when in the midst of sense
objects. For example, we dont care for candies now even though we used to
crave them in childhood. Our minds and sense organs become free from
external needs to the extent that we discover inner self-sufficiency or inner
poise.
Uparati can also mean total renunciation
Another definition that is given here is athav vihitn karma
vidhin parityga. Uparati means cessation and so the word cessation can be
understood as parityga, the renunciation of vihitn karmam, all the
enjoined duties, vidhin, according to the stipulations or injunctions. In short,
uparati means sannysa or renunciation. It is the renunciation of actions that
are enjoined upon us. Renunciation has relevance only with reference to the
concept of duty. These actions are specific to Vedic culture and we have to
understand the spirit of renunciation in modern times. Nowadays, our
culture, social norms, and perceptions are different. Renunciation as it is
practiced in India would perhaps not be practical in the west, but we must
understand sannysa or the renunciation of enjoined duties.
When the mind is conditioned to fulfill all its duties, it is not free to pursue
knowledge
Everybody has a duty to perform and an obligation to fulfill because
everyone enjoys privileges in life. To be aware of the privileges that we enjoy
and to be able to pay back or compensate for these privileges is called duty.
Life in India is looked upon as a life of duty. There is a concept of duty versus
right. Generally speaking, we can say that the western society focuses more
on the right of the individual, whereas, Indian society gives more importance
to a persons duty.
Duty is something that I perform because I think it is becoming of me
to do a given thing. It is becoming of me that I should act in a certain manner
because I am a mother or father, husband or wife, son or daughter, or
employer or employee. Every role has its own dignity and demands and I try
to fulfill my role to the best of my ability. This urge is called duty and this
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urge is always deliberately planted. In India, we grow up with an

understanding of the idea of duty. The scriptures have planted this idea of
vihita-karma or enjoined duties and these duties vary depending upon a
persons station in life.
In performing karma-yoga, we should respond to every situation in a
manner that is becoming of us and is fit and proper. If we fail to perform our
duty, there is a sense of guilt. For example, I feel a sense of guilt if I dont do
my regular prayer one day. The feeling of guilt arises when the idea of duty
is entrenched in the mind; otherwise there is no guilt. If you emphasize the
idea of your right, there is always a demand for rights. Duty requires taking
into account the rights and requirements of others and, therefore, one
becomes a giving person. In duty, there is consideration for other people and
a consideration of what we should be doing for others. When we are unable
to live up to our image of our selves, it creates guilt.
As discussed earlier, our duties are three-fold: those towards our
parents and ancestors, towards our sages and teachers, and towards God.
Different actions are performed to fulfill these duties. There is also duty
towards the family and society. A person who has been performing these
duties has an inner urge to do something all the time; as long as this urge is
there in the mind, it is difficult to pay attention to the pursuit of knowledge.
The mind is preoccupied with doing things because it is trained to do that. If
duties are not given up, the mind will never be free. Therefore, there is a need
to give up these duties. Even when people visit ashrams, their minds are on
the duties they should be performing at home. They feel selfish and guilty,
and the mind cannot be quiet when there is guilt. In order to make the mind
free from a sense of guilt, there is sannysa or renunciation. This is when there
is a formal renunciation of all obligatory duties; now, one is free from all
obligatory duties and there is no sense of guilt.
A renunciate gives up all duties to pursue self-knowledge
When we become free from all duties, we also become free from all
privileges. As long as we are enjoying privileges, we have a duty towards the
world. When we renounce all the duties, we also renounce all our privileges.
One who has taken sannysa and has renounced duties, makes no more
demands of society; society has no claim on him either. Teachers of Vedanta
feel that this kind of renunciation becomes necessary at some point in order to
apply the mind to the pursuit of study. The Muakopaniad [1-2-12] says:

tadvijnrtha sa gurumevbhigacchet samitpi rotriya brahmaniham.
For knowing that Reality he should go, with sacrificial faggots in
hand, only to a teacher versed in the Vedas and absorbed in brahman.
A person can go to a teacher only when he gives up his home. Home here
includes all the privileges that the home provides. By giving up the
privileges, the person gives up all the duties required towards home, family,
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and society. This is sannysa or the renunciation of prescribed duties or

enjoined actions.
Vihitn karma vidhin parityga. Sannysa or renunciation is a
saskra, a ceremony, in which all enjoined duties are formally given up or
renounced. It is not that one gives up all actions; for example, one does not
give up actions required for sustaining the body such as eating or drinking.
One does not give up actions required for the pursuit of knowledge such as
the study of the scriptures, serving the teacher, prayers etc. A renunciate has
no duty as far as his family or society is concerned and no claim or obligation
either. This is uparati and is considered to be a very necessary qualification in
the scriptures. We find statements such as:

na karma na prajay dhanena tygenaike amtatvamnau.
It is through renunciation that a few seekers have attained
immortality not through ritual, progeny, or wealth
[Kaivalyopaniad, 3].
Thus, renunciation or tyaga is considered to be almost a necessary condition
for the pursuit of knowledge. One cannot renounce everything right away. It
is not an abrupt event. It is the culmination of many things that ultimately
leads to renunciation. r Sakarcrya always emphasizes sarva-karma
parityga, the renunciation of all duties.

vedntavijnasunircitrth sanysayogdyataya uddhasattv.

Through renunciation, the pure-minded renunciates have ascertained
brahman, which is the object of Vedantic knowledge
[Kaivalyopaniad, 4].

brhma putraiayca vittaiayca lokaiayca vyutthytha
bhikcarya caranti.
Knowing this very Self, the Brahmins renounce the desire for sons,
wealth, and the worlds, and lead a mendicants life
[Bhadrayakopaniad, 3-5-1].
Actions can be renounced only when the mind becomes free of its demands
When can a person renounce action? Action cannot be renounced
unless the cause of the action is also renounced. Actions originate from
desires, kma. Invariably, actions are performed in response to desires that we
want to fulfill. Therefore, we can renounce actions only when our minds have
essentially become free from demands. Otherwise, the demands are still in
the mind while the actions, which are a means to the fulfillment of the
demands, are given up. To give up things like a job or a source of income

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when the need for material comforts remains is an unenviable, tragic, and
pitiable condition. Says Lord Krishna [Bhagavad Gita, 3-6]:

karmendriyi sayamya ya ste manas smaran,
indriyrthnvimhtm mithycra sa ucyate.
The one who, controlling the organs of action, sits with the mind
remembering the sense objects is deluded and is called a person of
false conduct.
A person who does not perform any actions at the level of sense organs, but
whose mind keeps dwelling on the various sense pleasures is a hypocrite. It
is only when the mind becomes free of its demands for sense experiences that
it is ready to renounce. A mind matured through the practice of ama and
dama alone is ready for uparati or renunciation of action.
pravtti-lakao yogo jna sanysa-lakanam,
tasmajjana purasktya sanyasediha buddhimn.
Verse meaning and source?
Yoga involves pravtti or activity and jnam involves nivtti or
disengagement from activity. Uparati is becoming disengaged from action
and maintaining a focus on knowledge. Uparati is cessation or abidance; it is
derived from the word rama to dwell or sport and uparama is the cessation
of all sporting. Uparati or uparama is attained when our sense organs and
mind cease to sport with sense objects and abide in the Self.
A renunciates lifestyle is in tune with the nature of the Self
Uparati, sannysa, or renunciation is a lifestyle conducive to the pursuit
of knowledge. The Self is actionless by nature. A student of Vedanta pursues
Self-knowledge and, therefore, it makes sense that the lifestyle of a seeker
should also be in keeping with the very nature of the Self. What we do
should be in keeping with what we want to become or want to know. Thus, it
becomes clear that if I want to discover the Self, which is of the nature of
knowledge and love, I should live a life that reflects knowledge and love. If I
want to discover the Self, which is pure, my lifestyle should also be pure.
What I want to know is what I want to be. In the case of the Self, what I want
to know, what I want to be, and what I am are the same. Becoming and being
are one.
Normally, in becoming, a person tries to become other than what he or
she is. For example, a physicist investigating atoms or molecules does not
have to become the atoms and molecules that he is trying to know. His
lifestyle and values need not reflect the nature of the atoms and molecules
that he is investigating; who he is has nothing to do with what he is
investigating. In the study of Vedanta, however, the Self that I am
investigating is my own self. Therefore, I, the investigator, must necessarily
be in tune with what I want to know. The frame of mind should conform to

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the nature of the Self. It is comparable to a transistor that I tune to a given

frequency and wavelength to receive the desired music. My mind should be
tuned to the object of knowledge: the Self. The Self happens to be of the
nature of love and joy, and free from any actions, involvement, bondage or
impurities. This is the nature of the Self that I want to know. Therefore I, the
knower, should also be similar to the very nature of the Self. There must be a
tuning up between I, who want to know the Self, and the Self, the object of my
knowledge.
Very often, Vedntins believe that our lifestyles have nothing to do
with the knowledge that we are seeking. They argue that our lifestyles and
values do not matter since brahman is pure and action-less, Atman is brahman,
and everything else is mithy. I am what I want to know. Therefore, there has
to be a tuning up, an agreement or compatibility between the knower and the
known. The Self is pure; therefore, my life should be pure and my mind
should also be free from the impurities of likes and dislikes. The Self is of the
nature of truth; therefore, there should be truthfulness in my life. The Self
does not harm anything or anybody; therefore, my life should reflect nonviolence. The Self is of the nature of accommodation; therefore, my life
should also reflect accommodation. The Self is action-less; therefore, my life
also should be free from activities that are meant to achieve or acquire
something. Lord Krishna gives a practical definition of sannysa: giving up all
desire-prompted actions.

kmyn karma nysa sanysa kavayo vidu,
sarvakarmaphalatyga prhustyga vicaka.
The wise know sannysa as the renunciation of actions for desired
objects; the learned people say that the renunciation of the results of
action is tyga [Bhagavad Gita, 18-2].
Arjuna wants to know the meaning of the words tyga and sannysa.
Generally, they are used as synonyms, but tyga means abandoning or giving
up something, and sannysa means giving it up for good. We are not told to
give up actions per se; we require actions meant for self-purification so that we
may pursue knowledge. It is only actions that are prompted by desire, which
should be given up.
The Self is asanga, unconnected or unattached. In India, there are
wandering monks who follow the stipulation that a monk should not stay in
one place for more than a few days. There are all kinds of such disciplines
and stipulations. Their wandering shows that there is no attachment or
identification with any one place or set-up. The purpose of this constant
moving is to ensure that the monk remains unattached and unconnected to
anything. If my life shows all kinds of attachments, naturally, I am not in
tune with the Self. We should not think that we can get away with any
lifestyle, east or west. One may not be able to practice sannysa or
renunciation in the west as it is practiced in the east because the requisite
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social set-up is not available; however, it is the spirit that should and be
maintained.
A certain setup is required for the pursuit of self-knowledge
A sdhu is a simple person whose needs are minimal. Our lives should
reflect this simplicity, minimal dependence, and lack of demands. Sannysa is
a lifestyle that is conducive to the discovery of the nature of the Self,
regardless of whether one is wearing orange robes or living in a monastery or
ashram. It is a lifestyle that reflects certain values in keeping with the nature
of the Self. One can continue to live at home and be a sannysi. It may be
more difficult because it is not very easy to remain a renunciate while living at
home amidst all kinds of attachments, relationships, and objects. Seekers of
knowledge require a certain atmosphere and, therefore, living in an ashram
with a teacher is recommended. Such seekers or students used to be called
antevsi; they lived a life of celibacy and simplicity with their teacher and
served him.
In theory, you dont require any particular set-up to be a renunciate.
Practically, however, a place and a certain set-up are required. You can study
Vedanta wherever you are, but it is not that easy. It is difficult to chant Hare
Rama, Hare Krishna in Times Square; the place exerts its own influence on your
mind. Therefore, Lord Krishna talks of viviktadea-sevitvam-aratir-janasasadi
[Bhagavad Gita, 13-11], the disposition of repairing to a quiet place and not
longing for the company of people. There is freedom from the need for the
company of other people and love for solitude. That does not mean you
become an isolated person or indifferent to people. You can remain the same
pleasant and cheerful person, but become abiding and self-sufficient. These
values are given to show that a certain atmosphere, set-up, or life-style is
required. Without certain values, one cannot gain Self-knowledge. If our
lives do not reflect the values, this knowledge is not going to be assimilated
even if one studies all the scriptures.
Sannysa is a lifestyle conducive to the pursuit of knowledge and that
lifestyle can be different in different societies, cultures, and social set-ups. The
spirit of renunciation is very important, regardless of place, time, or dress.
The knowledge of the Self is the same everywhere, regardless of place, time,
or condition. Therefore, it is very important to understand the spirit of the
lifestyle of sannysa.
Renunciation happens as we understand and assimilate Vedanta
Renunciation is not something that we can force; it is something that
should happen. We will automatically become renunciates if we are sincere
in our pursuit and assimilate the knowledge. r akarcrya, in particular,
emphasized the need for renunciation. Who is a renunciate? It is a person
who is self-sufficient. Basically, when we renounce things, what we give up is
dependence and attachments. An insecure person cannot renounce. We
grow out of our dependence on things to the extent that we discover security
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and self-sufficiency within ourselves. Thus, we discover freedom or

independence as we understand and assimilate the teaching. It is not that we
force a certain lifestyle; rather, as we understand and assimilate the teaching,
our dependence, needs, and demands drop off slowly and we discover an
inner sufficiency. This is uparati.
ama is restraint of the mind, dama is restraint of the external sense
organs, and uparati is the culmination of that restraint. When the mind and
the sense organs become centered upon the Self, we discover an inner selfsufficiency, poise, or silence. We call a person who has discovered that selfsufficiency a renunciate, regardless of where he lives and how he lives 1 .

Based on Vedntasra lectures. Transcribed and edited by Malini, KrishnaKumar (KK) S. Davey and
Jayshree Ramakrishnan.

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