Science of Sufferings

With the advancement of technological comforts, we are gradually becoming slaves of the modern gadgets. Our wish to be happy is easily replaced by a wish for possessions, sense gratification, status, wealth and other substitutes. We develop undue desires, false pride, false ego and false hopes which lead to sufferings. IQ (Intelligence quotient) centric modern society is diminishing the EQ (Emotional quotient) and SQ (Spiritual quotient) leading to isolation, despair and depression. Relationships tend to be temporary and superficial. 

Sufferings manifest in the form of unpleasant feelings (hopelessness, grief, loneliness, anguish, disgust etc.), physical pain, physiological pain (hunger, thirst, sleeplessness, itching etc.)  mental suffering (irritation, anger, jealousy, envy, craving, guilt, fear, anxiety, humiliation, etc.) seasonal or chronic diseases, stress, physical & mental infirmity, etc.
The root causes of sufferings, means to remove it and evil and good tendencies have been thoroughly researched by ancient rishis which are discussed hereunder.

Root causes of Sufferings:
Rishi Patanjali researched the root causes of sufferings extensively and founded Yoga Darshan and postulated practical steps to remove the sufferings.

1. Experience of sensual pleasures creates impressions, impressions create memory of pleasures, memory of pleasures creates attachments to it, and attachments develop tendencies to do good or bad karmas/actions which accumulate karmas.
2. The accumulated karmas (संचित कर्म) are enjoyed / suffered. There is continuous flow of pleasure and pain till the karmas are extinguished.
3. The reservoir of karmas (actions, deeds) which is called Karmashya (कर्माशय) has root of sufferings.
4. The sufferings are five types’ viz. ignorance, I-am-ness or egoism, desires, hatred & clinging to life. These sufferings manifest in four forms i.e. intense, strong, subtle and dormant.
5. Ignorance is the lack of correct awareness about permanent (Parmatama)-transient (Prakriti, body), Dharma-Adharma, expecting pleasure (satisfaction etc.) from evils (anger, jealous, attachments etc.) and eternal (Jivatma) into non-eternal (Prakriti). Ignorance brings five defects viz. attachment to the body, attachment to sense organs, attachment to the life, attachment to the thoughts & feelings and forgetting the self.
6. Egoism is not to differentiate among cognizer (Brahman) and power of cognition (Buddhi).
7. Desire is the attraction which continues even after enjoyment. Attractions towards objects of senses lead to attachment; attachments grow into strong desires & passions; these passions & desires develop animal instinct / evil tendencies (anger, lust & greed etc.); animal instinct causes delusion; delusion brings loss of memory and loss of memory reduces rationality & discriminative intelligence which ruins the person.
8. Hatred is the impression which remains even after experiencing suffering.
9. Clinging to life is the strong desire of life and fear of death. Fear is due to impurities. Primary causes of fear are fear of separation, fear of earnings, fear of insult and fear of death.

(A detailed article - Patanjali Yoga Darshan –The Practical steps to Bliss & Powers, is already published 08.09.2018 on my website)

Evil tendencies:
When the person feels deficiencies in comforts, he or she develops evil tendencies viz. Kama (Desires including sexual desire), Krodha (Anger), Lobha (Greed), Moh (Attachment), Mada (Over Pride), Matsara (malice, Jealousy), Swartha (Selfishness), Ahankara (Ego), Amanavta (Cruelty) and Anyaaya (Injustice).
 
 Various incarnations of Narayana were to destroy the above knots viz. Shri Rama to destroy Kama (Ravana), Shri Narsingh Swamy to destroy krodha (Hiranyakasipu), Shri Krishna to destroy malice (Shishupal), Shri Varaha to destroy lobha (Hiranyaksha), etc.
 
Primary attachment is for Artha (wealth) and Kama (sexual desire). It is easy to leave Krodha, lobha etc. but very difficult to leave kama. Kama has instigated even wise persons. Two examples are as under:

1. Once, Jamini rishi had been offering water after having completed the Sandhya. He saw a beautiful woman under the tree being wet by rain. Jamini rishi was distracted to see her beauty. He asked the woman to take shelter in his cottage. She said, she cannot believe men as they might be guileful. Jamini rishi said to her that he is Acharya Jamini of Poorva mimansa and she should trust him. The woman entered the cottage. Jamini was fascinated by her beauty. She was unmarried. Jamini offered her to marry him. She said, her father has pledged that the person who take his daughter to Amba mata ji temple on his back, would be her husband. Further, she has decided to blacken his face while going to Amba ji. Jamini rishi thought to do everything for marring her and he did the same.  
2. Prashar rishi did tapas for sixty thousand years. Once, he was crossing Yamuna in a boat. He was attracted towards voyager’s daughter named as Matsyagandha. Prashar rishi caught her hand. Matsyagandha said, she is low caste voyager’s girl whereas he is pure Brahmin. Sexual appetite is like a storm and blinds everybody. The rishi expressed his sexual desire. Matsyagandha said, this is day time and such act is prohibited during day. Prashar rishi created clouds to cover the sun with the powers acquired by religious austerities. Darkness was spread over there. Even for Prashar rishi, withholding of the sexual appetite was not possible. Instead, he could cover the sun.

 
Means to remove Sufferings:
Body of the human Being is Kurushetra where fight between Pravritti (प्रवृत्ति, tendency to do prescribe actions) and Nirvritti (निवृत्ति, cessation of prohibited actions) continues. Shri Krishna in Shrimad Bhagavad Gita elaborated means to remove sufferings and paths to achieve liberation (path of wisdom, path of Raja Yoga, Path of Bhakti and Path of Karma Yoga).
 

1. Ignorance & Egoism are removed by the recognition of the truth that soul is only uninvolved witness in whose presence prakriti functions.
2. By intellectual reasoning and volition, one can conquer the desires. Pondering again and again on the pain and evils inherent in birth, death, old age and disease bring renunciation of desires. Further, desires are destroyed by mastering the senses (detaching sense organs from sensual pleasures & mind from sense organs), performance of sacrifices, charities & austerities (of mind & sense organs) without selfish motives, observing celibacy, truthfulness, yama, niyama etc. Past sins are destroyed by bearing the pains.
3. Truthfulness and selfless actions bring purification of heart which in turn leads to fearlessness. Removal of ignorance & egoism lead to fearlessness.
4. Good tendencies viz. Tranquillity (शम), Forbearance (Patience, Self-Restraint over mind & senses, दम), Austerity (तप), Purity (शौच), Forgiveness (क्षमा),  Simplicity (Straight forwardness, सरलता), Wisdom (ज्ञान), Faith in god (आस्तिकता), Truthfulness (सत्यवादिता), Compassion (generosity, दयाभाव), Equality, Contentment etc., are the divine attributes which eliminate evil tendencies and bring long term happiness.
5. It is easier to replace evil tendencies by the virtuous    than to eliminate them such as ahankara (Ego, excessive pride) by humility; amanavta (Cruelty) by compassion; anyaaya (Injustice) by equality; kama vasana (Lust) by love; krodha (Anger) by forgiveness; lobha (Greed) by contentment; mada  (Over Pride) by humility; matsara (Jealousy) by tranquility; moha (Attachment) by renunciation and swartha (Selfishness) by generosity.
   
   

(A number of articles on Shrimad Bhagavad Gita have been published on my website which elaborate means to remove sufferings and paths to achieve liberation)