By: Shilpa shah, Associate Professor HKBBA College
In our daily life we often use the word “wisdom” or discretion but in reality we are much away from its real understanding that means we may not be fully aware about real wisdom or discretion. This word discretion seems so common actually has a lot of depth. If there is any element that makes a human being special or precious, it is the mind he possesses. Which is God’s precious gift to human beings. A rare power of human mind is conscience by which man can decide what is good and what is bad for him. We all know that the decisions taken by man are responsible for all the happiness or sorrows of human life and the contribution of conscience (discretion) in making right or excellent decisions is immeasurable.
Wisdom or discretion is a rare power of mind to distinguish between “SHREYA” (the best benefactor) and “PREYA” (the beloved of choice). Usually what we love is not the best or benevolent to us and the thing which is best we mostly dislike or not loved. Due to which many difficulties and sufferings are faced in life like simple sattvic food is best for our health but it is not liked or loved by us and what we like such as junk food is not good for us i.e. it is not beneficial for us or in-fact very harmful to us. In majority cases or majority decisions of human beings best (SHREYA) and loved (PREYA) are not the same. If for any man all best and preferred are the same, then he will surely get freedom from all troubles. Which is possible only for a person with strong conscience (discretion) or wisdom.
The rise of discretion or wisdom in life is subject to six reasons or factors
1) divine grace
2) good deeds of previous births
3) rites
4) study of scriptures
5) current selfless karmas
6) SATSUNG
If conscience (wisdom) or discretion develops in a human being due to any of above reason, all difficulties from life are ruled-out by excellent judgment. A prudent man never regrets his decisions. But in life we usually have endless regrets due to lack of discernment or discretion. Regret becomes natural at every moment in life due to deficiency or absence of wisdom or conscience in most of the people of the world. The reason why we constantly regret many decisions in life and often regret the decision taken is because today’s modern education has forgotten to teach the lessons of making a person prudent or wise. Modern society praises the decision power of an individual but fails to teach how to make decision, where to make it, why to make it, for whom to make it and how to make it. Most of the time, life is lived by the rule of “live as it comes”. Many decisions, big and small, which are inevitable in moments, lead to bitterness in relationships and life becomes hell because we only consider “liking and disliking that is choice” and miss “the ultimate best” while taking decisions.
In fact, the lack of conscience or wisdom is an extreme level of ignorance. In spiritual terms, “ब्रह्म सत्य और जगत मिथ्या” is a firm belief or understanding called discretion, because the whole world is perishable. We know that wealth-relationships, children, position-prestige, appearance-color, family, nobility, religion, etc. are all perishable and must eventually be dissolved. Yet we spend the whole life after it because we feel momentary happiness in it which is dear to us thus in the desire of beloved things the ultimate best benevolent is perish or released, which is called ignorance. Real knowledge of truth is wisdom. Truth is the timeless, causeless, blissful, unique and truly abiding blissful element. The ultimate goal of life is only truth and the true testing of such truth is conscience. One who has complete self-restraint and discipline is called a truly wise man. A person who is not attracted by the objects of senses and does not succumb to sense impulses is called a wise person. When consciousness arises in a person, the door to the higher mind opens. By which the strength of a human being increases unimaginably. The attempt to understand the changing form of nature and eternal existence becomes possible and successful is only due to discretion or wisdom.
A discerning person can easily distinguish between truth and falsehood and realize the ultimate form of truth. Looking at a beautiful flower, a beautiful woman, a beautiful replica, one thinks that all this beauty is temporary, the color of MAYA, will fade shortly, but the real beauty lies in the hands of the creator, so by attaining him all beauty can be achieved permanently. Person with this kind of sense is a real wise man. Lured by the delusional beauty of a perishable mirage, is a foolish man, in his life it is natural to come sorrow and pain. A wise person does not experience any pain or trouble in his life because with wisdom one gets inner and mental strength and peace through which all problems can be resolved. Regular SWADHYAYA and SATSUNG produce wisdom. Every human being should cultivate discretion to its zenith, wisdom should be firm to the extent that it never leaves the human being in any situation. Discretion should be exercised effortlessly at every moment of life. One who uses instinctive wisdom instantly recognizes right from wrong, good from bad and true from false. A wise man does not inadvertently make a mistake in the choice of “best benevolent” and “beloved”. A true and inexhaustible conscience must arise in him whom no temptation can attract. Every human being has two types of goals 1) subjective goals and 2) ultimate goals. He who loves the Supreme is a truly wise man. A truly wise man is the richest, happiest and most powerful in the world Worthy of being. In whom wisdom or conscious is awakened, all other precious virtues are automatically born. In short, discernment of truth and falsehood is true conscience. Do we conscious or wise?
We suffer all our lives because we do mistakes in selection, preferred wrong in place of right and accept bad as good. We consider the perishable as imperishable and the imperishable as perishable. So we chase after perishable things for the rest of our life and the imperishable is released and the precious vagina like human being fails. In the presence of discretion, negativity of mind and power of senses become weak, they cannot suffer the human being any more. But when conscience is weak, lust-greed-anger become strong. Which makes a man dance like a puppet, wears him down and pushes him to death. Discretion is the liberating element from the painful world. In the presence of wisdom or discretion, a human being can easily understand what is eternal and what is impermanent, what is permanent and what is temporary, what is true and what is false. Wisdom or discretion means truth, purity and virtue. Practically wisdom or discretion means the decision-making power to do the right thing at the right time, at the right place.
People desirous of discernment should maintain the necessary solitude, as too much indulgence of worldly people, too much worldly talk dulls the conscience. Wisdom or discretion removes all undesirable things and accepts only desirable “ultimate best” things. If there is conscience, thoughts will always be safe and lawful. Thought is the fragrance comes from discretion. Thought in the presence of discretion is always sublime and benevolent. If the thoughts are noble then no one can stop the life from being noble So the discretion (wisdom) or conscience must be understood, protected, strengthened. For which the need for firm resolve is equally imperative. So is the need for hard study and hard work. Without it even the best knowledge becomes useless by just reading it and forgetting it. That is why one should constantly practice the sadhana of unceasing wisdom. Apart from that, improvement in our thoughts is not possible. If thoughts and decisions remain inappropriate, life is sure to be painful.
