Human behaviour: A classical
Indian perspective
By A.P.N. Pankaj

WHY people behave the way they do? Why does the behaviour of one individual differ from that of the other even when situations and circumstances are the same? Can behaviour be changed and if yes, how?

These questions have engaged the attention of people in the East as well as the West in both ancient and modern times. We propose to discuss here in brief, the ancient Indian viewpoint on human behaviour.

In the Rig Veda the earliest available document of human thoughts and sentiments, we come across the Hymn of Creation where this statement is found, "In the beginning was Kama, the desire, and this became the first seed of mind". Desire, not only sexual desire, but also other types of desire, was thus identified as the root cause of many mental processes. Desire itself was, in turn, stated to be rooted in the mind.

Not much later, we have in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishada, a story: Gods, men and demons lived with Prajapati, their father, as his students. Upon completing their education, they approached him one by one, for his final instructions. To all of them, he uttered one syllable, da and asked whether they understood its meaning. All of them replied that they did. Their understanding, though, differed from one another. For gods, who were rather permissive, da meant daamyata (exercise self control). Men, by nature, were avaricious and greedy. Da, for them, meant datta (the giver). And demons translated da into dayadhvam (be compassionate) since they were naturally cruel and prone to anger. In this parable, gods and demons are not to be seen outside. They are within man.

From the above allegory, we can easily deduce a few definitive statements: (i) while the message may be the same, different people, depending upon their internal processes, interpret it differently. (ii) Desire, greed and anger are the primal forces which influence our behaviour. (iii) Depending upon the different dominant features characterising our nature, some of us are more permissive, others more greedy and yet others comparatively more cruel and prone to anger and (iv) Learning, when it is pursued, especially under a father-like teacher who can be both considerate and strict, helps one to identify one’s inner processes and ruling characteristics (if, however, one does not persevere with it, it fails to change the behaviour. For changing one’s behaviour awareness, must be followed by action over a sustained period of time.

In the post-Vedic period, when succinct schools of philosophy were evolving, we find a reference to the fourfold instrument: Antahkarana Chatushtaya. While it is stated to be one, it has four functional divisions: Manas (mind), Buddhi (intellect), Chitta (memory and retrieval) and Ahamkara (individualism or ego). This instrument, in effect, constitutes the human psyche. It also has a constant interface — even in dreams and, some thinkers say, also in dreamless sleep — with the phenomenological world. The five senses — of hearing, touching, seeing, tasting and smelling — jointly or severally, remain in contact with their objects. Through the sensations caused by this contact, signals are not to the mind and thereby begins the interplay of emotions and responses. Mind approaches memory to recall similar or opposite experiences (or to store the fresh ones for use later on) and sends return signals to the senses. Depending upon how the mind reacts to the stimulus from a sense, it either returns the response to the same sense or to another or even to more than one senses. When, for example, the eyes see a beautiful flower in full blossom and report to the mind, the mind may prompt the eyes to keep looking at it for some more time, it may also motivate the nose and skin to reach closer to the flower to smell and touch it. Experience of this sensual pleasure then finds expression in some form. Remember Wordsworth:... And then my heart with pleasure fills/And dances with the daffodils.

Intellect, our faculty of discernment, is expected to exercise control over the mind and decide its movement. In the Katha Upanishad, we find the concept of a psycho - physical vehicle. While the body has been equated with a chariot, the senses with the horses and mind with the reins, intellect has been visualised as the charioteer. The objects of senses have been described as different paths. As long as the reins are firmly in the hands of the charioteer, the journey across different paths remains a matter of choice. The problem, however, arises when intellect, instead of exercising control over the senses is tempted to assume a passive role and permits the senses to have their free run with the mind, the later rejoices in this permissiveness. Thus the Bhagavadgita says that senses forcefully drag the mind away. Intellect, in such a situation, either helplessly looks on or becomes a conspirator.

Three, out of the four functionaries mentioned above, i.e. mind, intellect and memory, thus create patterns of different types of human behaviour as they come in contact with the objects or people in the world outside, depending upon individual inclinations, roots, tendencies, past experiences etc. If, fortunately, intellect has not surrendered to mind and senses, choice and free will are available and the self, the individuated identity can exercise options. The irony, however, is that while we use the phrase ‘we have minds’, in effect, things are otherwise. Mind has us. And uses us as its playthings. The self then degenerates into ego and a contributor to emotions like envy, jealousy, hurt, vanity and yes, arrogance and pride too.

When a sense object attracts the attention of the mind through the sense organ concerned, man,says the Gita, starts brooding over it. As we get deeper in our involvement with this object we develop a longing or desire for it. Desire leads to greed. We wish to possess the object. If we succeed in getting what we desire, we feel happy (perhaps satisfied too) but for a while only, since desire then goads us on and we wish to have more of it or something else connected with it. Desire also has a proclivity to become a need if one gets used to its easy availability.

This process goes on till we reach a point where we can no longer have more of it either because we are denied or we are incapacitated or bored and wish to have something different. Desire to possess, however, does not satiate and keeps influencing our behaviour. It may also happen that we don’t get what we desire in the first place. Denial in either situation causes anger or frustration. Feeling of being rejected, of failure, insecurity, fear etc. start breeding inside us. We lose perspective and with it, loss of awareness occurs. Losing awareness results in blockade of intellect and with this, one is brain dead.

Since belief in the continuity of life (remember: the opposite of mrityu - death, is janma - birth, and not life) is an integral part of Indian thinking, the residual processes of previous birth are carried into the present one. They too have a bearing on our behaviour. So do the samskaras the cultural values received by an individual in his childhood from his parents, teachers and familial surroundings. This does not, however, amount to an individual becoming a helpless slave to these contributing factors. There are many instances available in our ancient literature which go to prove that given strong will, practice and perseverance, an individual has the potential to rise above these limitations and apart from remoulding his behaviour, can carve out a new path for himself.

It is at the same time agreed that while even core behaviour may be controlled and managed in laboratory conditions, when there are challenging and provocative situations or encounters, the basic individual nature surfaces and rises above all the tutored attributes. Emphasis in the Indian system has therefore been on examining the basic nature rather than the external behaviour. As Plato, in his Republic, says, "the just man sets in order his own inner life, and is his own master and at peace with himself".

But how can an individual change his nature and consequently, his behaviour? As we have said, it requires will, practice and perseverance. These, however, would remain abstract terms unless a concrete action plan supplements them. There are some models provided in our ancient literature. But their discussion would need another space, another time.