For Eternal Beginners
शमो दमस्तपः शौचम् क्षान्तिः आर्जवम् एव च ।
ज्ञानम् विज्ञानम् आस्तिक्यम् ब्राह्मम् कर्म स्वभावजम् ॥ ४२ ॥
zamo damastapaH zaucam kSAntiH Arjavam eva ca |
jJAnam vijJAnam Astikyam brAhmam karma svabhAvajam || 42 ||
शमः [zamaH] Tranquility, दमः [damaH] restraint, तपः [tapaH] focus, शौचम् [zaucam] cleanliness, क्षान्तिः [kSAntiH] composure, आर्जवम् [Arjavam] being straight, ज्ञानम् [jJAnam] knowledge, विज्ञानम् [vijJAnam] wisdom च [ca] and आस्तिक्यम् [Astikyam] conviction - ब्राह्मम् कर्म [brAhmam karma] these are a philosopher’s activities स्वभावजम् [svabhAvajam] born out of inherent nature
‘Tranquility’ is the quite-ness in our organs that deal with the environment.
‘Restraint’ is to control ourselves internally.
‘Focus’ is toil in the form of establishing control over our urge to enjoy, as established in the scriptures.
‘Cleanliness’ is the qualification to perform the work prescribed in the scriptures.
‘Composure’ is when our intentions aren’t deformed, even when troubled by others.
‘Being straight’ is about reflecting our thoughts in our action and our outlook.
‘Knowledge’ is to know what’s superior and what’s not, in authenticity.
‘Wisdom’ is to know and distinguish what’s superior in its uniqueness.
‘Conviction’ is the strong belief in everything we’ve learnt, unshakable by any means. The pinnacle of learning is to know The Lord as the supreme person, the One in whom everything resides, the One who resides in everything.
He is known as ‘Para Brahma’, devoid of any hint of defect. By nature, He is the aggregate of unbroken, unlimited amounts of knowledge, strength and an infinite number of favorable qualities.
He is the entity that has to be known by all knowledge. He alone is the single cause of the entire universe and the basis for its existence.
He is the one who makes everything happen. All forms of knowledge and activities are ways to adore and worship Him.
Conviction is to be certain about the truth - that the Lord, being adored by actions, gives the outcomes of righteousness, material wealth, desires and liberty.
It’s said in the Gita itself:
15-15: ‘I alone am to be known from all the Vedas’
10-8: ‘People with this knowledge worship Me with the conviction that I am the origin of everything; Every entity gets stimulated with the initiative given by Me’
7-7: ‘Just as beads are strung on a string, all of this is mounted in Me’
5-29: ‘A person attains peace by knowing me, the enjoyer of worship and prayer, the Lord of all the worlds, a friend and ally of all beings’
7-7: ‘there is absolutely nothing else that is superior to Me’
18-46: The Lord, by whom all this is pervaded, from whom all beings get their ability to commence action.
10-3: ‘the person who is free from misconceptions knows Me without birth and without an origin, the Lord of the universe.
…This is conviction. A philosopher’s inherent nature brings out all these activities.