T Ram Sewak

KAPAT

Kakabhushundiji continues the detailed explanation of the seventh question of Garuda on the afflictions of the mind in Shri Ramcharitmanas 7.121. He states:

Kusht dushtata mann kutilayi dambh kapat ..neharua

While wickedness (dushtata) and deviousness of the mind (kutil mann) correspond to leprosy, hypocrisy (dambh) and deceit (kapat) are akin to disease of the nervous system (neharua).

Using illustrative comparisons of the afflictions of the mind with the chronic, excruciating, debilitating, and tormenting nature of the bodily diseases, Kakabhushundiji continues to warn us about the malignant and devastating effects of these manas rog (maladies of the mind).

In Gita 16.4, 17.5-6, Shri Krishna designates wickedness, hypocrisy and deceit as non-divine attributes that lead a being to bondage. In his discourse, He frequently associates hypocrisy and deceit with ego and pride, thus underscoring that they are all symbiotic and self-perpetuating, each nurturing the other, which consequently causes the being to spiral into delusion and ignorance.

Wickedness, deviousness of mind, hypocrisy and deceit are all used to fulfil one's ego and pride, and the desire for that pride, false recognition, leads to more wickedness and deceit. Such a mind thus becomes tainted and forsakes its innate simplicity concealing one intent within while outwardly projecting another through speech and action a fracture in the harmony between thought, word, and deed. Evidently, a soul estranged from its own truth.

However, transcending these afflictions can lead to a quantum leap in spiritual progress. This is highlighted in Shri Ramcharitmanas 3.36, where Shri Ram describes a behaviour that is simple, truthful, straightforward, and guileless with everyone, and free from any deceit or crookedness, as the ninth form of bhakti. In essence, the simplest form of bhakti is just earnest behaviour with all, without any cunningness or craft. Such conduct serves as a constant, consistent, and automatic purifier of the mind, fostering equanimity and peace within that prepares the ground (mind) for the seed of liberation (moksh) to blossom! / DAILY WORLD /

The author is a former electrical Engineer and resides in the Himalayas. He can be occasionally reached at ramam.namami@gmail.com