THE YOGA SUTRAS – 4 KEYS TO HELP US DEAL WITH THE MANY DIFFERENT SORTS OF PEOPLE WE MAY COME ACROSS IN LIFE
This verse from the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali can be a guiding light in keeping a relaxed and serene mind. Patanjali gives us four keys to help us deal with different people we may come across in life.
By cultivating attitudes of friendliness towards the happy, compassion for the unhappy, delight in the virtuous, and disregard toward the wicked, the mind stuff retains its undisturbed calmness.
This verse from the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali can be a guiding light in keeping a relaxed and serene mind. Here Patanjali gives us four keys: friendliness, compassion, delight and disregard.
Patanjali identifies four locks – or if you like categories that we can easily fit someone we may come across in daily life as being:
1) Happy People 2) Unhappy People 3) Virtuous People and 4) Wicked People.
Patanjali explains – Keep these four keys always with you, and when you come across any one of these four locks you will have the proper key to open it.
The key is deciding which key – this takes practice, patience and being present to what you observe the consequence of your actions to be.
When you see a happy person, use the friendliness key. Why does Patanjali say this? Because even four thousand years ago there must have been people who were not happy at seeing others happy. It is still the same now. Often there is a tendency for people to be jealous of people that appear to ‘have it all’ nice cars, high positions, great relationships, good families. This jealousy can manifest as judging these people, or criticising them, or even playing the victim role – “why does s/he get to have it all and I don’t”
By that jealously, you will not disturb her, but you will disturb your own serenity. Instead think, ‘Oh good for them, such a fortunate person. Make that person your friend. That response is missed in many cases, not only between individuals but even amongst nations!
The next key – ‘compassion‘ We can use this key for the next lock, the unhappy people. If you can lend a helping hand, do it. If you can share something, share it. Be merciful and compassionate always. By doing that you will retain the peace and poise of your mind. Often there is a risk of being intolerant for unhappy people or to get over involved in playing mother Theresa in trying to ‘fix’ them only to be disappointed when they don’t seem to listen to your advice or appear to stay unhappy.
Remember the goal is not to focus on the outcome of what the other person experiences (each to their own) however at the very least you would have been in charge of your own experience of making an effort to maintain peace.
The third key – delight. We can use this for the third lock , the virtuous people. When you see a virtuous person, feel delighted. ‘Oh, how great they are, they are like a hero, perhaps I could learn from their qualities. Often putting people up on a pedestal can turn into envy which can create not only disappointment for you but pressure for that person.
Don’t envy them, don’t try and put them down. Appreciate the virtuous qualities they have and try to cultivate them into your own daily life.
And finally the fourth key- indifference. We can use this key when faced with the wicked. We come across wicked or small minded people sometimes. We can’t deny that. So what should be our attitude? Indifference. ‘Well. some people are like that. Probably I was like that yesterday. Am I not a better person now? He or she might be ok tomorrow.’ Don’t try to advise such people because wicked people seldom take advice. If you try to advise them you will lose your peace.
One rainy day, a monkey was sitting on a tree branch getting completely drenched. Right opposite on another branch of the same tree there was a small sparrow sitting in its hanging nest. Normally a sparrow builds its nest on the edge of a branch so it can hang down and swing gently in the breeze. It has a nice cabin inside with an upper chamber, a reception room, a bedroom below and even a delivery room if it is going to give birth to a little ones. You should see and admire a sparrows nest sometime!
So, it was warm and cosy inside its nest and the sparrow just peeped out and, seeing the poor monkey said, ‘Oh my dear friend, I am so small; I don’t even have hands like you, only a small beak. But with only that I built a nice house, expecting this rainy day. Even if the rain continues for days and days, I will be warm inside. I heard Darwin saying that your are the forefather of the human beings, so why don’t you use your brain? Build a nice, small hut somewhere to protect yourself during the rain.’
You should have seen the face of that monkey. It was terrible! ‘Oh you little devil! How dare you advise me? Because you are warm and cosy in your nest you are teasing me. Wait, you will see where you are!’ The monkey then proceeded to tear the nest to pieces, and the poor bird had to fly out and get drenched like the monkey.
This is a good story to remember, sometimes we come across such monkeys, and if you advise them they take it as an insult. They think you are proud of your position. If you sense even a little of that tendency in somebody, stay away. He or she will have to learn by experience. By giving advice to such people, you will only lose your peace of mind.
Patanjali groups all people into these four ways: the happy, the unhappy, the virtuous and the wicked. so have these four attributes: friendliness, compassion, gladness and indifference. These four keys should always be with you in your pocket. If you use the right key with the right person you will retain your peace. Nothing in the world can upset you then. Remember your goal is to keep a serene mind, this yoga sutra will help you do that.
Adapted from The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali – Translation and commentary by Sri Swami Satchidananda (Integral Yoga publications 1997)
Notes: The Sutras date approximately from 5000BC to 300AD No one knows exactly who Patanjali was or even if he was one man. There are 200 sutras which basically means thread. The idea was to give an outline to a teaching which could then be reinterpreted by the teacher.