How is your mind today | Monkey or Mahabali?

Does your mind surprise you with the tricks it plays?  One day, you may find yourself at peace amidst chaos, and on another, leaping from calm to anger or anxiety. Some days, you can let go and make way for others, yet on other days, a small cut may hurt deeply. Devdutt Pattanaik, in his book My Gita, offers an illuminating perspective on this—the “expansion of the mind.”

According to Pattanaik, our mind operates at three levels: Vanara, Nara, and Narayana. This concept aligns with psychology’s understanding of the brain’s evolution: the ‘reptilian brain,’ which drives basic survival instincts, and the more developed neocortex, responsible for thinking and judgment.

The Vanara mind—the “monkey mind”—is restless and constantly jumping from one desire to the next. Here are a few of its characteristics:

• It creates desires endlessly. Once a desire is fulfilled, it loses interest and starts chasing something else.
• Like a baby monkey clings to its mother, this mind clings to comforts and pleasures.
• It is territorial and often approaches life as a series of fights or flights, seeing others as either rivals or allies.

The Nara or the human level is able to rise above its survival needs and see its place beyond that. It is capable of ‘imagination’ – the ability to perceive what is not visible. It is capable of ‘judgment’. It starts discriminating between right and wrong, good and bad. 

The third stage Narayana is the state of seeing the world as a witness or neutral observer. It goes beyond judging actions as good or bad, right or wrong. It is able to see the actions of others driven by their fears and hunger. 

Pattanaik compares the mind’s expansion to “uncrumpling” the aham, or fearful mind, to uncover the secure Atma, or true self. Hanuman, the monkey god from the Ramayana, exemplifies this transcendence—from Ram-Dasa, or servant of Ram, to Mahabali, a deity in his own right.

Transitioning from Vanara to Narayana

How can we shift from the monkey mind to the higher self? Here are a few takeaways: 

1. Freedom from Fear: By overcoming our fears, we stop judging others harshly.
2. Seeing the Divine Within: When we recognize our identity independently of others, we no longer need to elevate or diminish them to find value. We remain steady in both pleasure and pain, engaging when needed (like Vishnu) and stepping back when our role is complete (like Shiva).
3. Seeing the Divine in the Others: When we see all beings as interconnected, no one is a foe. We are able to  see the entire world as a series of causes and consequences. We are able to see the hunger and fears of those around us. There are no heroes or villains. We are all actors in a greater story. 

Expanding our mind helps us accept ourselves better, and helps us accept the world around us too. It goes beyond the idea of tolerance. It acknowledges and accommodates the diversity of thoughts and ways of living. Offering what it can to support others on their own journeys.

So the next time somebody’s actions throw you off balance, you can see if this three-level map of the mind can help you ground yourself. 

References

Pattanaik, Devdutt. My Gita. Penguin Books India, 2015.

Reflection question 

Have you had a recent experience where you were able to understand someone better once you recognized their “fears and hunger”. In what ways were you able to accept or accommodate them better?