Transcending Dualities (Dwandwa) of Life

The fundamental character of the manifested (vyakta) is that it is perishable whereas un-manifested is imperishable. Manifested life forms are born; they live for some time and perishes (dies) in the course of time. Another character of the manifested is that it exists in the pair of opposites. This is referred in the Bhagavad Gita as dwandwa -polar or dual. For example, matter is made up of negative electrons and positive protons. We have magnetic north pole and south poles.

A flowing river is the best example to understand the intricacies involved. A river has two banks and both merge as the riverbed. While both banks are needed for the smooth flow, their merger as a riverbed is also equally important. If these banks don’t meet at the riverbed, then it would be an infinitely deep valley and a river can’t exist. Likewise, we have the manifested world which is invariably polar (riverbanks) and these polarities unite at the unmanifested (riverbed).

A swinging pendulum can be taken another metaphor for polarities in action. It slows down while travelling to one side from its central position. Simultaneously, it gains energy to travel to another side. When it comes to halt on one side, it acquired maximum energy to travel to another side. In both the cases, the point to be noted is that they don’t oppose each other, instead they complement each other.

Duality of Mind

While explaining about manifested, Krishna includes mind as a part of the manifested. Like physical world is polar, the mind is also filled with polarities. Krishna says that when the senses come into contact with sense objects, polarities such as heat and cold, or pleasure and pain, are generated within us. These polarities are transient (anitya), and we should learn to tolerate these transients (2.14). He further says that sense organs naturally experience raag (longing) and dwesh (aversion) for their respective sense objects; one should be aware of this duality (3.34). 

For example, in our daily lives words are used as means of communication. It can be in the written form or spoken ones. Words are nothing but sense objects for ears. When both of them meet i.e. when words reach ear, polarities are generated in the mind. When we call something as good, it is often implied that something else is bad. There are hardly any words which can describe a state beyond polarities. Secondly, the same word evokes different feelings in different people depending on their upbringing, experiences and circumstances. That’s why some cultures use silence for spiritual communication to overcome these limitations of multiple interpretations.

Pain follows pleasure

The common question that intrigues humanity is ‘Why does unpleasantness/pain come to us even when we do our best to attain pleasure’? Instead of looking deeper within, we reconcile ourselves by saying that maybe our efforts aren’t sufficient. However, pride coupled with hope, motivates us to restart the process of pursuing pleasure and this goes on till the end of our lives.

In a polar world, the natural principle is that, when we chase one of these, its polar opposite automatically follows. When we are chasing pleasure polarity, the pain polarity is bound to follow. It could be in different form or it could arrive after some time. It is like lifting of the stick from one end, the other end is bound to rise. Another metaphor is that of the swinging pendulum which gains energy to travel to other side and when it is travelling to one side.

 Delusion caused by dwandwa

Krishna says, “All beings are subject to delusive ignorance (sammohan) by the delusion of the pairs of opposites (dwandwa-moh) springing from longing and aversion (iccha-dwesh)” (7.27). The polarities generate delusion is us.

Ignorance is the first level of delusion and misery is its consequence. For example, we regularly experience emotions arising out of praise and criticism. We have longing for praise and are averse for criticism. Praise makes us forget ourselves like the proverbial crow dropping its meat upon hearing praise from the fox about its singing ability. Similarly, when criticized, our response varies from silence to verbal to physical depending on the degree of criticism and the strength of the critic. We take these stimuli to be true and begin to identify with them. They can be news and views we see or see about people, situations etc. This is nothing but the misery we see all around us.

The next level of delusion is suppression where one gets trained to put up a pleasing personality to show the outside world that one is free of polarities of longing and aversion. They even look down on others and Krishna earlier termed them as hypocrites (3.6). But the reality is that these suppressions are hidden inside and come out at a weak moment.

Witnessing polarities

          A question that arises is how to transcend these polarities. One path is the path of awareness, and another is the path of surrender.

          In the first path, it is regular practice with awareness. Krishna advises practice (abhyaas) and dispassion (vairagya) (6.35). Raag (attachment) is the polar opposite of vairagya. Life gives moments of both raag and vairagya daily, but our mind practices only raag, which is chasing desires. For example, we can get frustrated in a relationship and when it happens, we blame our partner and look for a new relationship. We often fail to realise that attachment (raag) itself holds the seed of dispassion (vairagya). The practice of vairagya is essentially the disciplined control of the senses through determination.

We see polarities as opposing each other. We want to have only one of them i.e. pleasure, but the reality is that second one i.e. pain is hidden in it. That’s why Krishna says that He is both  Amrit (immortality) as well as Mrityu (death) (9.19). Both these polarities are part of same oneness. They exist together and we can’t choose one and drop the second. When we consider them as complementary, then we can start witnessing them.

As long as we live, exposure to polarities is natural. All we need is awareness of these polarities and to observe them when we are swinging between them. This awareness would help us transcend them.

The second path is to surrender Almighty. Krishna says that one must surrender to the Almighty, the Supreme power, to overcome the automaticity of indriyas (2.61). In the context of delusion caused by polarities (7.27), Krishna says that those established in Brahma (absolute), having a firm understanding of divine knowledge and not hampered by delusion, neither rejoice on getting something pleasant nor grieve on experiencing the unpleasant (5.20).