Viveka
Viveka or Discrimination
The most natural thing that we do as soon as we meet a person or a situation in life is form an opinion based on our past experience. This is what we call being judgmental. Is Viveka or discrimination the same as judging or different? It is actually a judgment with a difference. The homo sapiens are blessed with the faculty of discrimination which gives him the power to choose between right and wrong, good and evil. This is the ability to react to sensory stimuli and act to choose what may not seem pleasant in the short term but which leads long term joy. It is correct use or abuse of this faculty which enables him to reach the sublime heights of divinity or plunge into the depths of despair.
Most of us live in this world superficially as slaves to our senses and fail to look at ourselves and persons around us as manifestations of the divinity which pervades each and every object. That is the reason why we have connotations like fair, tall, elegant, smart, good looking etc. seen as positive attributes and the opposite as negative ones. We tend to select our friends and favor our acquaintances based on these qualities. One thing leads to another in
The story of Ashtavakra is a metaphor for this. Legend has it he was born with a hunched body due to a curse from his father, who was a scholar. The unborn Ashtavakra corrected his father's recitation of the Vedas, angering him. Now the story goes that RajRishi King Janaka father of Sita even though a wise being fell prey to this fault of judging a person by appearance and did not recognize the genius of Ashtavakra. If this can happen to such a person lesser mortals are much more likely to lack discrimination.
The wise say we must not be biased or judgmental in our dealings with persons. Does that mean we should not decide right from wrong? Should we be indifferent? The answer to this is that we must judge but with viveka or discrimination based on our identification with the divine unchanging Self rather than the constantly changing superficial person of the world. The wise see themselves in all and all in themselves. The detached judgment prevents us from unduly favoring the ones appearing good and discriminating against the ones appearing bad. We must not let negative traits like lust, fear, anger or jealousy cloud our judgement
All conflicts and violence in this world arise from the inability of individuals, groups, religions, classes and nations to rise above selfish differences. Human beings commit crimes against each other and destroy themselves and mother earth when overcome by jealousy, anger, hatred and lust. The wise or the ones who have true discrimination or viveka overcome these negative qualities and are able to see the divinity in each and every creation of God.
We cannot change overnight since man is a creature of habit. The first thing we need to do is to stop impulsively and superficially reacting to any situation. A pause and an awakening of ones consciousness by any means are needed. Looking within oneself and recognizing the Self within through meditation is essential. Use of a mantra to awaken this consciousness is the emergency brake needed to prevent us from being swept away by the surge of negative emotions. Patience and a slow considered approach will prevent us from jumping to wrong conclusions. An unselfish look at the situation where we put others before self is the hallmark of a person with discrimination or viveka.
Simple steps to use our discrimination or viveka in perfect harmony with our consciousness which is part of the universal consciousness can usher in an era of universal peace. Every individual step taken in the use of viveka or discrimination is a step towards ultimate freedom.
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