Is the ability to discriminate between good and bad, merit and demerit, moral and immoral, ethical and unethical paths in life. It also helps us distinguish between the Self ( Ātmā, indestructible, or permanent) and the non-Self (perishable physical body). No book or teacher can tell us ‘what to do’ under all circumstances and hence we need to develop our own ‘ Vivék Buddhi’. Sometimes teachers and books may give us conflicting advice. It is that time when our own Vivék Buddhi helps us decide the right path.
Vivék Buddhi (discriminatory intelligence that helps decide between good and bad, path to take or avoid) guides and controls the senses through our mind. We all can develop this Vivék Buddhi. It takes into consideration past experiences and a long-term view of possible outcomes of any action. What looks like an easy, pleasant ( préyas) or fun thing to do in the beginning may not be in the best interest of us or others ( shréyas).
अ य े योऽ यदुतैव ेय ते
उभे नानाथ पु षं सनीतः ।
तयोः ेय आददान य साधु भव त
ह यतेऽथा यउ ेयो वृणीते ॥
(In life quite often we have a choice)
One (path) that is ‘Good’ (in long term)
and the other is ‘Pleasant’.
The end results of these two (paths) are different.
One who chooses the ‘Good’ (path) becomes a ‘Noble’ person.
But one who chooses the ‘Pleasant’ (easy path)
May end up in misery or a disaster.
Kathā Upanishad II-i-1
We all want to be ‘happy’ in life but how we achieve that goal is also important. There are two paths that we can take for achieving a goal. ' Shréyas' & ' Préyas' are two Sanskrut words that describe something that is ‘good’ for us in the long run and something that is initially pleasant and enjoyable to do but in the long run it is harmful to us and/or to the society..
Frequently we have to make a choice between these two. Hopefully we will select the path that is ‘ Shreyas’.
तौ स पर य व वनि त धीरः ।
ेयो ह धीरोऽ भ ेयसो वृणीते
ेयो म दो योग ेमा वृणीते ॥ २ - १ - २ ॥
In life we are faced with which path to select -
‘Good or Pleasant’.
The wise, mature, & steady person
considers all aspects of the situation,