WISDOM IN PRACTICE

Wisdom is enhancing the ability to understand, comprehend, and realise Brahman, or the Supreme Self, and discriminate between Ultimate Reality and ephemerality. Wisdom in practice is not physical convolution but cognising and becoming conscious of the eternity, non-duality, imperishability and infinity of Absolute Existence. It is a constant endeavour of detachment, equanimity, forbearance, discrimination, discipline and dispassion for non-dual consciousness in any situation or of opposites. Wisdom is compressed into direct experiential statements pronounced in the Upanishads as Mahavākyas, or Great Sayings: "Aham Brahmasmi", or "I am Brahman", Brihadāranyaka Upanishad (1.4.10), Śukla Yajur Veda; "Prajnanam Brahma", or "Consciousness is Brahman", Aitareya Upanishad (3.3), Rig Veda; "Ayam Ātmā Brahma", or "This Self (Atman) is Brahman", Mandukya Upanishad (1.2), Atharva Veda; and "Tat Tvam Asi", or "Thou art That", Chāndogya Upanishad (6.8.7), Sāma Veda. These Mahavakyas fundamentally refer to one as part of Brahman, or the Supreme Being, or the Ultimate Reality, or Pure Awareness, or the Supreme Self. If that is the Reality, what is it that drives beings into ignorance or Avidya? It is uncontrolled mind-driven senses that move outward to relish pleasure from the phenomenal world. The mind considers the psychophysical framework as reality that is the paradigm of ignorance. The mind's thoughts, which are influenced by the external perceptions of the sense organs, remain in vacillation in different states. According to sage philosopher Swami Krishnananda, the mind projects itself in perception, both in waking and in dreams, and actively involves both gross and subtle objects. He says it remains in the brain during Jagrat, or the waking state; somewhere in the throat during Swapna, or the dreaming state; and in the cavity of the heart in Sushupti, or the deep sleep state, leading to a state of quiescence in the deep cavity of the heart, the place of Atman, or Pure Consciousness. Swami Krishnananda says the mind, while it appears to be a little conscious in dreams and more conscious when awake, is not conscious at all in deep sleep (The Significance of the Heart in the Field of Spiritual Living, Swami Krishnananda, Divine Life Society, Rishikesh). It is all about the realisation of Atma-jnana, or Self-knowledge that is of Sat-Chit-Ananda, or Existence-Consciousness-Bliss. Where existence is absolute and non-dual, consciousness is pure and bliss is eternal. Atman is Self-luminous, Self-effulgent, uncaused, limitless, transcendental, eternal, immanent, infinite, imperishable, and not subject to limited adjuncts of space and time. According to Swami Sivananda, wisdom (Jnana) means the direct realisation of the immortal Atman, or Self and its absolute unity with Brahman, or the Supreme Self, which destroys ignorance, egoism, and the illusion of duality. It is not merely intellectual knowledge but an inner, soul-stirring experience of divine presence everywhere (Wisdom of the Upanishads by Swami Sivananda, Divine Life Society, Rishikesh). Swami Sivananda says wisdom in practice is about meditation and virtuosity,  Self-realisation, removing the veil of ignorance, unity in all, fearlessness, humbleness, and selfless service; it is knowing the true nature of the soul as distinct from the changing physical body, mind, and senses. Ignorance can be removed by cutting through Maya, or  illusion, of separation, differences, and egoism with the sword of spiritual knowledge. Srimad Bhagavad Gita (4.42) highlights this aspect by asserting that true wisdom destroys the illusion of ego and separateness born out of the illusory belief that the body-mind complex is perennially with you and, with the sword of knowledge, cuts asunder the doubts that have arisen out of paradigm of Avidya, or ignorance. And establish oneself in Karma Yoga, or the path of action, based on detachment and discrimination. Arise, stand up, and take action! Karma Yoga, or path of action, establishes moral accountability and empowers persons to design their own destiny through conscious thought and deed. The Upanishads famously state, "As a man acts, so does he become... As is his desire, so is his will." "As is his will, so is his deed. As is his deed, so is his destiny" (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, 4.4.5-7). This frames Karma, or action, as a total reflection of one's inner consciousness. Ethical causality is introduced into reincarnation by asserting that those of good conduct will attain a favourable birth, while those of evil conduct will be reborn into lower existences or non-human forms (Chandogya Upanishad 5.10.7). Wisdom is based on the discernment of the unity of cosmo-organic relationships. It is of the view that Atman, or Self, is in all beings and all beings are in Atman (Isha Upanishad, verse 6; Śvetāśvatara Upanishad, 6.11; and Kaivalya Upanishad, verse 10). Atman is not your physical body, thoughts, feelings, or ego. It is the eternal silent witness consciousness inside all beings (Śvetāśvatara Upanishad, 6.11; Mandukya Upanishad, Turiya as the silent witness consciousness; and Katha Upanishad, 2.2.1, 1.3.12). The one indivisible Atman resides in all beings, and the entire universe is viewed as a manifestation of cosmo-organic relationships. Swami Sivananda explains that one realises the whole world does not exist separately from the divine, universal consciousness. Everything is born, sustained, and dissolved in this one supreme reality. One recognises that the same sacred, living spark of pure awareness animates every single living creature equally (Essence of the Isavasya Upanishad, by Swami Sivananda, Divine Life Society, Rishikesh). This perspicacious oneness looks past outer differences (like rich or poor, human or animal) and stops hating, fearing, or harming others, because harming another means harming one's own Self. Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (11.5.19) says that Atman is Brahman, or the Supreme Self, and the experiencer of everything; it has neither an interior nor an exterior nor a prior nor a posterior. The unchanging Reality (Atman) that resides within each human being is the same as the unchanging Reality (Brahman) that sustains the manifold. Individuals of wisdom cultivated certain virtues of fearlessness, purity of mind, steadfastness in spiritual knowledge, charity, control of the senses, sacrifice, study of the sacred books, austerity, straightforwardness, non-violence, truthfulness, absence of anger, renunciation, peacefulness, restraint from fault-finding, compassion toward all living beings, absence of covetousness, gentleness, modesty, lack of fickleness, vigour, forgiveness, fortitude, cleanliness, bearing enmity toward none, and absence of vanity (Srimad Bhagavad Gita, 16.1-3). Attaining an unshakeable state of eternal peace, freedom from sorrow, and total fearlessness once the truth is realised. The practical steps to attain wisdom and right thinking include cultivating pure, virtuous thoughts and positive Self-enquiry (Atma vichara). Selfless Service: Eradicating the selfishness of psychophysical structure and serving others with cosmic love, seeing God in the poor and the sick.

1. Outline
Wisdom in the Upanishads is put into practice through meditation, sensory control, and ethical living. Scriptures speak about turning wisdom into daily habits. Meditation is diving deep into the inner silence where the oscillating mind, intellect, and ego cease their ordinary functions. Meditation, according to Swami Krishnananda, is the reversal of the phenomenal process into the true subjectivity that is the cave behind phenomena, the heart of things (The Significance of the Heart in the Field of Spiritual Living, Divine Life Society, Rishikesh). It is an active practice of stilling the mind and its thoughts and letting go of thoughts by deeply contemplating the Self-effulgent Atman in the innermost cave of the heart as One complete whole, the inseparable essence of Brahman, or the Supreme Self. Sri Krishna in Srimad Bhagavad Gita (15.15) teaches that I am seated in the hearts of all living beings, and from Me come memory and knowledge as well as forgetfulness. I alone am to be known by all the Vedas, am the author of the Vedanta, and am the knower of the meaning of the Vedas. Katha Upanishad (1.2.20) states that the Atman is hidden in the secret cave of the heart of all living beings. Chandogya Upanishad (3.14.3 and 8.1.1) mentions the small lotus-dwelling space or "cave" (Hridaya guha) where the supreme reality resides. It says, “Go into the cave, and you will find the treasures of heaven.” Taittiriya Upanishad refers to Atman as being established in the supreme space within the inner cavity of the heart. is a spiritual centre of consciousness, not the biological blood-pumping organ. It symbolises, according to sage philosopher Swami Krishnananda, turning your awareness away from the outer physical world and looking deep within your own Self to find Sat-Chit-Ananda, or Existence-Consciousness-Bliss. The essence of the matter is its fundamental nature, which cannot be objective or externalised; the heart remains unchanged in its true form. The Upanishads say the heart is the mind's centre and the source of all psychological activity. The mind goes to sleep in the heart. In meditation, in swoon, in death, and in sleep, the mind is in the heart. In dreams, the mind is said to be operating somewhere near the throat. In the waking state, it is in the brain. Swami Krishnananda goes on to say there is a heart that doctors operate upon and that physicians transplant; there is a heart that is deeply hurt when a person is insulted; there is a heart that is elated when a person is praised; and there is a heart wherein resides the centrality of the universe (The Significance of the Heart in the Field of Spiritual Living, by Swami Krishnananda, Divine Life Society, Rishikesh). Meditation (Dhyana) and wisdom are intertwined; one propels the other to realise the union of the Jivatma, or individual Self, with Paramatma, or Supreme Self. They use deep contemplation, inner focus, and sacred sound to transcend the restless, ego-driven mind. Self-enquiry (Atma Vichara) is a shift in thought from "Aham idam", or "I am the body", to "Aham aham", or "I-I". "I-I" means "I am I" or "I am that I am". Ramana Maharshi says the consciousness "I am", when felt along with an adjunct (Upadhi), becomes a thought. Of all thoughts, this thought is the first. But the consciousness that shines alone as ‘I-I’ without any adjunct is the Self (Atman) or the Absolute (Brahman). This is not a thought. It is our ‘being’ that is our true existence (Ramana Maharshi: Liberation and Non-Duality, Tom Das). It is a shift in identification from a transient body-mind complex to a self-luminous, eternal, pure "I am awareness". Self-enquiry is the everyday sense of an enquiry by an individual who starts with a single "I"-thought. The "I" thought is the Aham Sphurana, meaning "I am awareness, shining forth", or the pulsation of "I-I". Ramana Maharshi used this term to describe the direct, inner experience of Atman, or the true Self, as pure light and consciousness, distinct from the physical body and the ordinary ego (Ramana Maharshi: 'I’ and 'I-I', a Reader’s Query, by David Godman). When a seeker turns attention inward to trace where the "I"-thought comes from, a soundless pulsation, or "Sphurana", the flashing forth of "I-I" arises spontaneously in the spiritual heart. Liberation is remaining fixed in this effortless, undivided awareness of the "I". This practice eventually dissolves the ego and Vasanas, or subtle desires, permanently, leading to Pure Consciousness, or living liberation. It is the self-luminous reality, an unbroken, inner awareness of "I-I" that is always present and does not depend on the body-mind complex. Pratyahara withdraws the mind-controlled senses of sight, touch, taste, sound, and smell from externalisation to internalisation, directing them toward the cave of the heart. It is stopping energy from leaking outward to phenomenal pleasures. Use your mind to guide the senses like a driver controls horse reins, stopping them from chasing empty desires. Katha upanishad (1.3.3–1.3.4 describes two types of life journeys based on who is actually running the show. The Upanishad addresses our inner architecture into five distinct components: the passenger is Atman, or Self, the silent observer who simply sits in the back, experiencing the journey but not actively driving; the chariot is Sarira, or the physical body, which is merely the physical vehicle that enables movement through life; the charioteer is Buddhi, or the intellect or higher reason, which is the faculty of discrimination, wisdom, and judgement that decides where to go; the reins are the mind, which is on the driver's commands to the horses; the horses are Indriyas, or senses of sight, hearing, taste, touch, and smell, which pull the vehicle forward into the phenomenal world; and the roads are Vishayas, or the objects of desire and the world around us. The Upanishad describes the journey as depending on a leashed or unleashed mind. In the case of the former, the mind-controlled senses move smoothly toward the ultimate destination of Atma-jnana, or Self-knowledge, Self-awakening, and Self-realisation to be one with the original source, Brahman, or Supreme Self. In the case of the latter, moving along the cycle of sufferings and diseases associated with birth and growth, known as the cycle of Samsara Chakra, is chaotic. Detachment (Vairagya) is dispassion and renunciation of fleeting, transient material pleasures but, at the same time, moving inward to realise eternal bliss, peace, and harmony. Srimad Bhagavad Gita (2.55) elucidates that when one discards all selfish desires and cravings of the senses that torment the mind and becomes satisfied in the realisation of Atman, or Self, such a person is said to be transcendentally situated. True contentment (Tushti) does not come from external objects, people, or recognition. It comes from turning one's controlled mind inward to experience Sat-Chit-Ananda. Vairagya, or detachment, evolves through continuous practice of dispassion, discrimination, and discernment. The four levels of Vairāgya (detachment in yoga philosophy, as detailed by commentator Vācaspati Miśra in Tattva-vaiśāradī, which comments on Vyāsa’s Bhāṣya for Yoga Sūtra 1.15) are Yatamāna, Vyatireka, Ekendriya, and Vaśīkāra, with lower-state dispassion (Vairāgya) progressively developing through these distinct levels of mental mastery. The four progressive stages are: Yatamāna (striving / endeavouring) is when the practitioner actively tries to lead their mind away from worldly and sensory pleasures. They notice where their thoughts cause stress and work to redirect them. Vyatireka (Separation / Discriminating) is when the practitioner examines their mind to see which desires they have let go of and which linger. The practitioner becomes clearly aware of their personal likes and dislikes. Ekendriya (concentration/one-sense) is active; cravings quiet down, and their senses come under control. A subtle or faint trace of attachment may linger in the background of the mind. Vaśikāra (mastery / control) is the highest level of lower Vairagya. The virtues of Satya (truth) and Dharma (righteousness) are intertwined. One cannot let go of the other. Speak the truth, fulfil your responsibilities with sincerity, and show respect to all. Satya and Dharma are treated as identical; what is true is inherently righteous because truth supports cosmic order (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.14). Satyam vada, Dharmam chara" (Taittiriya Upanishad, Shiksha Valli, Section 1, Anuvaka 11) is part of the final address or farewell advice given by an ancient Guru (teacher) to students leaving the Gurukulam (school) to begin their lives as householders.

2. Scriptures
Scriptures speak definitively on the centrality of the heart in the wisdom practice. Taittiriya Upanishad (Brahmananda Valli, 1.1) says emphatically, "He who knows Brahman, which is Satyam Jnanam Anantam Brahma, or Reality, Knowledge, and Infinity hidden in the cave of the heart and in the highest Akasa (space)— he, being one with the omniscient Brahman, enjoys simultaneously all desires." The task of wisdom is to be aware of this Reality. “Go into the cave and you find the treasures of heaven,” says the Chandogya Upanishad. Swami Vivekananda, in his commentary on Chandogya Upanishad, highlights this part by commenting that the heart in the Upanishads is the great centre where all currents of the body meet—the meeting place of the finite and infinite. The ancient yogis discovered that consciousness has a particular seat in the heart region, connected to the sushumna nadi. When will you excavate the treasure buried in your own heart? " Ramana Maharshi equally says wisdom in practice has to reveal that this is the seat of Atman, or Self, where the 'I-thought' originates. Place your attention here. Don't concentrate forcefully—just become aware. Rest there. You'll discover a presence, a luminous awareness that has always been present but overlooked. " Maharshi says to sit quietly, close your eyes, and gently place attention on the right side of your chest. When thoughts arise, ask: "To whom do these thoughts come?" The answer is "To me". Then ask, "Who am I?" and let attention sink deeper into the heart-space where the 'I' thought originates. Here is the key to the door of the secrets of life, and the secret is man himself. 'Heart' is a very enigmatic word. It escapes definition because of its variegated connotations. There is a heart which doctors operate upon and which physicians transplant; there is a heart which is deeply hurt when a person is insulted; there is a heart which is elated when a person is praised; and there is a heart wherein resides the centrality of the universe (The Significance of the Heart in the Field of Spiritual Living by Swami Krishnananda). Yoga-Vasistha (Book 3, Utpatti Prakarana, Chapter 22, Verses 1 to 20) teaches that the waking body and world are as unreal as a dream body, liberation comes from thinning out mental conditioning of desires, subtle desires, or vasanas, and pure awareness transcends phenomenal illusion. Yoga-Vasistha focuses on the cessation of the ego, the unreality of mental conditioning, and the distinction between physical actions and true inner awakening. Just as knowing a dream is false shows the dream body is not real, the waking body is also realised to be unreal when latent mental impressions (Vasanas) fade away. Just as the dream body vanishes upon waking, the waking physical body loses its absolute reality when mental conditioning is dissolved. When the false notions of the dream and mental projections cease, the subtle, transcendent vehicle of consciousness (Ativahika) shines forth. Just as deep sleep follows the end of dream impressions, ultimate liberation (Vimuktata) arises in the waking state when the seed of conditioning is gone. The remaining apparent inclinations of a person who is liberated while living (Jivanmukta) are not true bondage; they are pure goodness (Shuddha-sattva) and mere baseline existence. Latent impressions that remain dormant in deep sleep constitute ordinary slumber (Sushupti); when such impressions persist in the waking state, it is called foolish delusion (Moha). The state where mental conditioning is completely withered away is known as the fourth, transcendent state (Turiya). He who has crossed the ocean of conditioning is truly wise and liberated, no longer trapped by the illusion of dualities. The mind that drops all heavy mental constructs attains a pure, subtle state of universal consciousness. That subtle, freed mind unites naturally with the highest state of supreme consciousness and the company of perfected beings (Siddhas), unlike the ordinary bound mind. Yoga-Vasistha (3.22.11–20) emphasises that when personal ego and sense of "I-ness" fade through persistent spiritual practice (Abhyasa), pure awareness arises naturally, marking the end of seeing objects as separate from the Self. It says the physical body interacts only with other physical objects in the material world, but the enlightened mind remains untouched and uninvolved in the mechanics of routine activities. Just as a dream dissolves upon waking, the illusion of a solid, independent external world fades when deep-seated mental tendencies (Vasanas) quiet down. Yoga-Vasistha (3.22.23) says that nothing of value or lasting success in life can be achieved without intense, disciplined, and rigorous Self-effort, which often requires enduring hardship and great exertion. It recognises the supreme value of Self-effort (Purushartha) and rejects passive fatalism or luck, asserting that human will and striving drive all accomplishments; the necessity of rigorous discipline (Abhyasa); the sustainability of Self-effort and Self-discipline; and the need to overcome resistance of laziness, comfort, and obstacles for the completion of a goal.

3. Remarks
Mutual contemplation is the basis of the true practice of wisdom, which is defined as discussing, pondering, and mutually enlightening one another about Brahman, the Ultimate Reality, or the Supreme Truth.  It means fixing the mind exclusively on that ultimate reality rather than engaging in empty or superficial repetition at the phenomenal dimension, which itself is non-existent. The highest practitioners of wisdom are those whose intellect is filled with nobility, aesthetic grace, and deep detachment (Vairāgya), vibrating with pure inner joy. The visible universe (Dṛśya) was never truly created as an independent entity at any beginning, nor does it possess an absolute separate existence. Constantly perceiving that "this world and I" are non-different from pure consciousness is the actual practice of awakening. When a person wakes up from the deep sleep of worldly delusions through constant discrimination, the cold light of truth dissolves all mental darkness and sorrow, just as autumn dispels thick clouds.

-Asutosh Satpathy