Shakespeare echoed the central theme of the Upanishads when he said in ‘As You Like It’ – ‘All the world’s a stage, And all men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances..’. Vedanta speaks of Sakshi Bhava or ‘witness attitude’ as a measure of spiritual growth. Objectivity is the key to material success, happiness as well as growth to one’s potential. Objectivity is maintaining the attitude of an observer, never getting tangled. Being impartial in all circumstances, not partisan. Unbiased, unprejudiced. You are a witness of this wondrous universe. Like a spectator in a boxing ring. If you jump into the ring you get beaten up by both parties!
You are an actor in the drama of life. You have a role to play. Play your role to the best of your ability – wholeheartedly, dispassionately, perfectly. And exit gracefully when the time comes. But you go on stage and change the script, alter your role and mess up the performance. In the end you have to be escorted off stage as you have gotten totally entangled in a make-believe world.
Atman, the Spirit, is 100% objective. It enables all activities of all beings but has nothing to do with their functioning. Just as fuel propels all cars to move but does not determine their performance. Electricity is the same in all gadgets but is not responsible for the manifestations.
In the Bhagavad Gita Arjuna is overwhelmed by emotion. He is grief-stricken and refuses to perform his bounden duty. He asks Krsna, his dear friend and mentor, for help. Krsna’s opening remarks are – “The wise do not grieve either for the living or the dead. All grief is because of wrong identification and attachment”. People believe that the cause of their misery is out there in the world. You blame the spouse, the kids, the Government and even the weather for your unhappiness. As long as you believe the world is causing you sorrow there will never be a solution to your problems.
The responsibility for your sorrow lies squarely on your shoulders! As long as you identify with the body, mind and intellect you will necessarily be unhappy. These instruments are matter. The world is also matter. Matter affects matter. Just as a magnet attracts iron. You are not body, mind or intellect. You are Spirit. The world does not have the power to affect the Spirit. You appear to be affected because of your involvement with the body, mind and intellect. All you have to do is remember you are Atman and interact with the body, mind and intellect. You will remain a sakshi, witness, of everything but never get involved.
You go through three states of consciousness – waking, dream and deep sleep. These are a mere projection of your own mind. The real You is Atman, the fourth state. Live life as if you are re-entering a dream, knowing its illusory nature. Tongue-in-cheek, objectively, joyfully. Just do what you have to do. Without involvement, entanglement or heartburn.
Objectivity is the secret of enjoyment. You are able to enjoy a tragic movie because you know you are apart from it. Had you been even remotely connected with the happenings in the movie you would suffer. Practise objectivity by observing the world around you. Observe external objects, people around you, their appearance, emotions, thoughts. Then shift your attention to your own body, your mind and intellect. You will be in an oasis of peace and tranquillity in the midst of turbulence around.
Your inner personality consists of the mind and intellect. The mind is the realm of emotions and feelings. The intellect is the domain of reason, discrimination and judgement. The mind is involved, attached and partisan. It is the intellect that is capable of remaining objective, unbiased and unprejudiced. Use your intellect, strengthen it. Then you will be objective in all situations. You will view everything from an impersonal viewpoint and find constant entertainment in life.
