Introduction: Cricket is a classic game revolving around the batsman. Batting is a skill honed by long hours of training and practicing. The batsman is part of the team, yet at any point only his innings is under his control. He is expected to establish himself slowly and progress by scoring runs amidst hostile forces constantly attempting to get him out.
The Equation: This picture of the cricket field closely resembles the life an individual in the arena of this world. The following equation makes the picture clear:
• Field – World
• Batsman – Individual
• Bat – Intellect
• Ball – Mind
• Runs – Evolution
• Stumps – 3 Gunas (Sattva, Rajas, Tamas)
• Bails – Prana (life-force)
• Runner – Satsang
• Crease – Spiritual discipline
• Fielders – Sense objects
• Umpire – Self (Brahman / Atman)
• Boundary – Terrestrial perfection
• Pavilion – Heaven / Hell
The batsman enters the field with the bat. The bat is his only strength with which he not just defends himself, but scores runs also. Initially he studies the situation, gets his eye in properly and plays more defensively. His strike rate at this point could be low. Once he co-ordinates with the runner and settles well, he starts confidently middling the ball freely playing his strokes. Boundaries are scored more often and his strike rate increases.
It is the ball that pervades the game of cricket and keeps it alive. The opposition constantly plots the fall of the batsman using the ball. The ball is sometimes fast, other times slow; sometimes spinning, sometimes swinging; sometimes straight, other times deceptive. Though seemingly insignificant, the ball is constantly directed towards the batsman with the aim of getting him out.
A human being enters the arena of this world to play the game of life. His only strength is his intellect, the faculty of discrimination. A strong intellect protects him from the onslaughts of life, enables him to tide over challenges and move towards evolution. In the first phase of life he strengthens his intellect in the company of good people (satsang). Then he becomes well equipped in his further journey of life.
It is the human mind that sits as a devil within a human and constantly plots his downfall. The desires of the mind are deceptive and subject themselves to various modifications. The six-ball over is comparable to the six fold modifications of the mind viz. desire, anger, greed, envy, arrogance & delusion. Disciplining and directing the same mind towards higher values of life results in evolution. Growth is faster if the thoughts are directed towards the transcendental Reality with greater frequency.
Means of getting out:
1. Bowled: If the mind eludes the grasp of the intellect and attaches itself to any of the 3 gunas then an individual is bowled out. The pranas fall off.
2. Caught: The world abounds with temptations in the form of sense objects corresponding to the senses of a human being. A misdirected mind is susceptible to be caught by any of the sense objects.
3. Run out: A human is forced to act in this world by the pressure of his desires. But if he fails to withdraw himself into the spiritual discipline, the sense objects of the world waste no time in getting him out.
4. LBW: If out of fear of getting caught, a batsman deliberately pads the ball instead of contacting with the bat, he is declared out LBW. Similar is the fate of a person who deliberately denies himself legitimate contact of the world for the fear of loss of control. Resultant frustration is spiritual suicide.
5. Stumped: Owing to lack of constant awareness, confidence may slip into over-confidence. A complacent person then takes chances, fails to meet the mind at the right place and gets stumped.
6. Hit wicket: Dry intellectualism bereft of devotion leads to ego and arrogance. Such an egotist causes his own downfall without the aid of any external factor.
Heaven / Hell: After his death, an individual is supposed to pass through the states of heaven or hell depending on the quality of life he has led in the world during his lifetime. Heaven refers to a happy & peaceful state of mind where as hell refers to an agitated & worried state of mind. In cricket, the pavilion proves to be a heaven for a batsman who has got out after scoring a century and hell for one who has scored a duck!
Umpire: Umpire is a detached witness (sakshi) of the entire game of cricket. He controls the whole game by enforcing the laws, yet is not bothered by the outcome. No ball is bowled, wicket is taken or run is counted without his sanction. He is neither happy when a boundary is scored nor sad when a batsman is out. He remains ever neutral and objective.
Similarly Self or Atman in the individual, which is referred to as God, is a detached witness of the entire happenings in the world. He controls all the laws of cause of effect which govern the world. Not a minute movement is possible without His grace. Yet He remains neutral to all pleasant and unpleasant outcomes in a life of the individual.
Namah parama rishibhyo namah parama rishibhyah
(Inspired by the discourse of Shri Jayarama Sarma)
PS: Readers are welcome to explore the equivalent of spiritual enlightenment in cricket – Scoring 10,000 runs or team victory or ……………