We have to control our minds, sharpen our intelligence

Swabhava’ is the English equivalent of human nature in Hindi, which has intrigued humanity for a very long time. The modern understanding of human nature essentially is that it’s a concept denoting fundamental dispositions and characteristics, including ways of thinking, feeling and acting, that humans are said to possess.

The term is often used to denote the essence of human kind, or what it ‘means’ to be a human. According to the present thinking, areas of human nature are power, pleasure, profit, pride and permanency. These are functional aspects of human nature. Characteristics of human nature have been described briefly as emotion, rebellion, chaos, hard times, work for what we want and self-image.

Sources of human nature are genes, one is born with, and nurture, which one receives. For proper understanding of ‘svabhava’, we have to take help from the spiritual texts. Everything that we see originates from ‘mahat-tattva’, which has given rise to the three guna. These are sattva (goodness), rajas (passion) and tamas (darkness). A combination of them results in the material nature, bodies and ‘svabhava’. These three gunas are forever competing for supremacy, as described in the Bhagavad-Geeta.

Lord Krishna states, “Goodness becomes predominant by overpowering passion and darkness; darkness becomes predominant by overpowering even goodness and passion; and passion becomes predominant by overpowering goodness and darkness.” (14.10) In short, each mode tries to become predominant by overpowering the other two modes.

Geeta has more detailed information about ‘svabhav’. Lord Krishna has spoken about it in several verses. In the verse # 3.33, the Lord states, “Even a man of knowledge endeavors according to his own nature; people follow svabhava. What shall repression do?” When Arjuna expressed his unwillingness to participate in the battle, the Lord told him, “What you are assuming, taking yourself as the doer, that “I won’t fight”, your resolve is false; your nature will engage you in the battle.” (18.59) Then the Lord repeated the same message in the next verse by telling Arjuna that he will helplessly do what he was refusing to do, bound by action caused by his nature. And for all of us the Lord has counselled that we should consider our svabhava before choosing our profession/work. (3.35 and 18.47)

How do nature relate to minds, intelligence, ahankar (ego) and consciousness? It is said that svabhav is a combination of all these. Our thinking, willingness and feeling – functions of the mind influence nature. Similarly, intelligence or its level has great influence over it, as do ahankar and our consciousness.

To improve svabhav, the first thing to do is to increase the percentage of the mode of goodness in self. This can be done by associating with it by doing all activities as far as possible in goodness. For example, one should eat what is in goodness like grains, vegetables, fruits, milk products, etc. Don’t we know that what we eat our bodies become? Consequently, our minds, intelligence, ahankar, and consciousness will all begin to get better, which in turn will help make our svabhava better.

We have to be very determined, because it is a long ‘tapasya’, not easy at all. Additionally, we have to try to control our minds, sharpen our intelligence to turn spiritual, make ahankar do what it is supposed to do, i.e., take pride in doing one’s duties and not be falsely proud of claiming to be a doer, and turn our consciousness in the direction of spirituality. Rise in the mode of goodness will be beneficial in more ways than one, and will open the door to connect with God.

(The author is a spiritual teacher)