Gita classification of human behaviour into 18 modes leading to the Hindu varna system

vande guru-paramparAm

SCIENCE AND SPIRITUALITY
SECTION VII: The Type

Also
Gems from the Ocean of Hindu Thought,
Vision and Practice:
Beach 8, Wave 1
Four character-types of all human minds - The Varna System

Back to CONTENTS of Gems from the Ocean of Hindu Thought ....

The ascent to a reasonable height in Spirituality is not easy.
We have talked about the necessity for this ascent
in Sections I and II,
the necessity for a discipline for the purpose of the ascent
in Section III,
the wonder and the proof of Spirituality in Sections IV and V
and the paradox of Fate and Free will in Section VI.
To sacrifice the will itself to the divine
is a major requirement of Deep Spirituality.
This is usually an effort over
a long period of years in one life.
Hindu scriptures say that
one life may not be sufficient for this;
that it takes quite several lives before one reaches this stage
is a standard refrain of scriptural advice.
The Bhagavad Gita also says this.
And in saying this, the Gita dwells upon why it is so difficult.

The mind is made up of soft matter. As each thought or memory of an action passes through it an impression (like a scratch, perhaps) is left on the mind. When similar thoughts are repeated this scratch deepens into a canal. Every subsequent thought wave has a tendency to flow through that ready-made thought canal. Each individual brings with him at birth this particular shade of imprint called Vaasanaa in his mind from his previous lives. We already saw in Section III how the existence of vaasanaas can be inferred by oneself from the way one's own intellect has to grapple with the spurting of the different tendencies in one's mind. The shade of the aggregate of vaasanaas must be congenial and conducive to the growth of Spirituality.

Krishna mentions the following six distinct entities as important in this connection to be watched, analysed and monitored by self-effort :

KNOWLEDGE
ACTION
DOER
INTELLECT
WILL-POWER

ATTITUDE TO HAPPINESS

For each of these six entities, Krishna classifies human behaviour into three categories. Human behaviour is generally attributed to what is usually called his nature (svabhaava) and to the training that he gets due to his environment and upbringing. This is not denied by Hindu metaphysics. But the tendencies that he brings along from his own past, including all previous lives, also contribute to his svabhaava or own-nature. The aggregate of behaviour that results thus is broadly categorised into three major categories by Indian metaphysics. These are the three categories which Krishna also uses in analysing the six entities that he takes for discussion. First let us introduce the three categories of behaviour.

February 9, 1999

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