Mind- Friend or Foe?

BG 2.56

One who is not disturbed in mind even amidst the threefold miseries or elated when there is happiness and who is free from attachment,fear and anger is called a sage of steady mind.

The mind is a friend of the controlled and the enemy of the uncontrolled. The individual who masters his mind, masters his senses. Controlling the mind is the x-factor in leading a spiritual life. We are where our mind takes us. The mind is potentially the most dangerous weapon. It has the ability to destroy and individual if not controlled.

The mind can be trained and it’s energy can be channelized to do productive work. The mind must be under control at all times. This can be done in several ways however the best and the most effective method is by chanting the Lord’s name, thinking of Him, serving Him. When the mind is trained in this manner it will have no choice but to be at your service.

If the mind is not controlled, it will create absolute chaos. The uncontrolled mind leads the senses to act as they will. If the mind and senses are not controlled the results are evident from the following verses.

BG 2.60

The senses are so strong and impetuous,O Arjuna,that they forcibly carry away the mind even of a man of discrimination who is endeavouring to control them.

BG 2.67

As a strong wind sweeps away a boat on the boat,even one of the roaming sense on which the mind focuses can carry away a man’s intelligence.

Thus, one must engage the mind and the senses in the service of the Lord.

The soul

The real nature of the soul is described in the Bhagavad Gita as ‘INDESTRUCTIBLE’. Consciousness is spread throughout the body. It is this which differentiates between a dead and a living being. Each and every body is the embodiment of an individual soul and the symptom of the soul’s presence is perceived as individual consciousness.

According to the Mundaka Upanishad this atomic soul which is 1/10000 the size of the tip of the hair on your head is situated in the heart of every living entity. Life of an entity is due to the light of the ātma. Medical science has proven that the heart is the seat of all energies in the body.

BG 2.22

As a person puts on new garments, giving up old ones, the soul similarly accepts new material bodies, giving up the old and useless ones.

BG 2.25

It is said that the soul is invincible, inconceivable and immutable. Knowing this you should not grieve for the body.

Therefore the body itself is unimportant and we must cleanse this bodily concept of life. That is I am spirit soul, part and parcel of the Supreme Lord. Just as how a machine is looked after by maintaining it similarly the body must be maintained to perform the prescribed duties.

Spirituality- A beginner’s point of view

Spiritual life means understanding material life is illusion driven and temporary. Practitioners have to develop the requisite knowledge and understanding to distinguish between what is spiritual and what is material. Thus they have to cautiously keep away from material allurements. Lord in Bhagavad-Gita gives a nice example of a Tortoise. Tortoise when it sees external threat withdraws it’s limbs and head into its Shell and remains quiet and peaceful until the threat disappears. Likewise a spiritual practitioner should carefully withdraw his senses and also the mind from material allurements whenever they appear. However much one may feel confident but one must understand that Maya, the illusory energy of the Lord is very difficult to overcome as Krishna Himself States in Bhagavad-Gita. For the devotee the sadhana and association of pure devotees serve as a protective Shell. Without association the Tortoise like devotee might transform into a chameleon meaning changing taste and priority in the presence of slightest distraction. A weak practitioner might behave like a chameleon changing its colors. Or one may behave like an ostrich burying its head in the Sand keeping rest of its body open to attack. Material allurements are constantly present and there is not a time when it’s not going to be there. Therefore understand and apply Bhagavad-Gita in your life diligently.

BG 2.58

One who is able to withdraw his senses from sense objects, as the tortoise draws its limbs within the shell, is firmly fixed in perfect consciousness.

BG 7.14

This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto Me can easily cross beyond it.

The Essence of Bhagavad Gita

The Bhagavad Gita was spoken by Lord Krishna to Arjuna in the battlefield of Kurukshetra to deliver mankind by giving a message which is very relevant in the modern ages. The Bhagavad Gita in a nutshell is “You have the right to perform your prescribed duties but you are not entitled to fruits of action. Never consider yourself the cause of the result of your activities and never be attached to not doing your duty. Perform your duty and have faith in the Supreme Lord”.  It is in fact a boon to mankind and its significance can’t be given in a few words.

This book of 18 chapters and 700 verses.  is the ideal source of inspiration we can look up to. If one looks at the book deeply, one will observe that the solution to every problem in the world is encoded in it be it- controlling the mind, desires, lust, anger, taking a decision. There is no simpler book that enlightens us on the five truths: The jiva( the living), Isvara( The controller), Prakriti( The material nature), karma( Activity) and time.

The Bhagavad Gita is the essence of all scriptures. Reading and contemplating it is equivalent to mastering all the scriptures.One who reads the sacred conversation of Krishna and Arjuna with faith and without envy becomes free from sinful reactions and his /her ignorance will be dispelled. But the necessary condition is “without envy”. Krishna’s concluding statements are “Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear”.

 

Are we living the right way?

Are we living the right way?

The news paper is flooded with articles about terrorisms, famines, child torture, injustice, racism, animal slaughter, loss of natural habitats, economy crash, ISIS and much more. People are crazy for some film actor/actresses. Ask yourself this question. What did the actor/actress do for you that you are showing them such devotion? All of us are misguided souls who is somehow try to fill the voids in our life.

Everyone is identifying everyone else with the appearance- Indian, American, Asian, Chinese, Black, White and the list goes on. We must cleanse this bodily concept of life. “AHAM BRAHMASMI”- I am spirit soul part and parcel of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

In the Bhagavad Gita, it is said:

“Janma mrtyu jara vyadhi

Dukho dusanu darshanam”.

This material world is filled only with misery. One who is born in this material pool is bound to undergo the stages of death, disease and old age.

An excerpt from Adi Shankaracharya’s Bhaja Govindam states

“Punarapi jananam Punarapi maranam

Punarapi Janani jatare shayanam

Iha samsare khalu dustare

Kripaya pare pahi murare”

Again and again one is born,
And again and again one dies,
And again and again one sleeps in the mother’s womb,
Help me to cross,
This limitless sea of Life,
Which is uncrossable, my Lord.
We are eternal servants of Lord Krishna, we are individual sparks. Just like Krishna, who by nature is sat-chit-ananda (eternal-Full of knowledge- happiness) and we being part and parcel of Him are also in search of pleasure. In this world, people try to derive happiness in several ways- playing sports, watching movies, hanging out with friends, intoxication, gambling and the list goes on. All this may seem right, but is it so?

Everyone is busy solving problems by advancements of civilization, scientific knowledge and technology because they cannot solve the four main problems. Hence, they set aside these problems because they can’t make any solution and waste the human life.

What is the purpose of our birth?

The answer lies in Bhagavad Gita (Chapter 18 verse 66):

“Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I will deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.”

The universe consists of 8.64 billion bodies of which the human birth is a rare one and must not be wasted in nescience. In layman terms, if we simply waste our life by eating, sleeping, mating and defending what’s the difference between a dog on the street and us. Every activity that we perform if carefully analysed comes under the category of eating, sleeping, mating and defending.

Every human must understand his position- I am a conditioned soul. He should use this life to understand God and make solution to different types of birth, death and different transmigration from one body to another.

That’s the way to live!!!