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by Jayaram V
The human mind is the most amazing, most powerful and
most complex creation of Nature. It gives us an ability to comprehend
ourselves and the world in which we live so that either we can change
ourselves according to its requirements or change it according to
ours. Using our minds we can fathom the entire universe and understand
its mysteries, infinity and dimensions. We may not be always correct
in our analysis, understanding, thinking and conclusions, but we
can say confidently that through trials and tribulations we have
overcome many barriers in the short history of our civilization.
While our minds are endowed with many talents and potentialities,
its principal weakness is its instability, which is caused by our
desire for things we believe are essential for our happiness, survival
and satisfaction and our desire to stay away from things we intensely
dislike for one reason or the other. When we do not get the things
we like or when we get the things we do not want, we become agitated,
anxious and emotionally upset. When we are mentally disturbed, we
fail to discern the truth and make wrong decision.
The Bhagavadgita recognizes the direct connection between the
mind and the buddhi or the intelligence which is responsible for
our conscientious actions and decisions. It explains that the incessant
activity of our senses causes disturbances in our minds giving rise
to craving and aversion to things, which in turn influence our thoughts,
actions and decisions. When we perform actions out of desire and
attachment, we incur karma which leads to our bondage to the cycle
of births and deaths.
Mental disturbances are part of our consciousness. There is almost
an inseparable connection between our minds and their propensity
to remain in a state of flux most of the time due to the constant
barrage of information and stimuli that keeps coming into our consciousness
through various channels. Our scriptures portray our restlessness
not as an aberration or an abnormality but an intentional design
of Nature or Prakriti as a ploy to keep us distracted from knowing
who we are. They consider the triple gunas as the chief perpetrators
of our inner commotion and urge us to develop purity or sattva so
as to cultivate inner peace, which is the key to keep ourselves
focused on the essential aspects of our spiritual growth. When we
understand that the entire discourse of Lord Krishna is actually
a direct response to the agitated state of Arjuna's mind, we realize
how central the problem is in our lives.
The Bhagavadgita recognizes equanimity or stability of our minds
as a precondition to self-realization. A disturbed mind cannot focus
on anything in particular for long. In a disturbed state of mind
it is also not possible for us to withdraw our senses or control
our thoughts. According to the Bhagavadgita, the immediate outcome
of mental stability is clarity of thinking. When our minds are calm
and thoughts are clear, our intelligence shines. A person whose
mind is stable and whose thoughts are at rest is described in the
Bhagavadgita as sthithapragna or one whose pragna or intelligence
is sharp and stable. An incisive, unwavering and precise intelligence
has the ability to penetrate deep into human consciousness and discern
the truth. It can focus on the most important things that are relevant
to our spiritual awareness, not on what is appealing or mentally
stimulating to the mind or the senses. It makes us wiser, reflective,
detached and poised and yet responsive and responsible.
The Bhagavadgita suggests that a man is said to be stable of
mind when he renounces all desires, remains satisfied in the self
by the self, and shows the same attitude towards heat and cold,
pleasure and pain, sorrow and happiness, friend and foe, success
and failure, respect and disrespect, himself and others, and such
other dualities of earthly life. He remains undisturbed and unmoved
by the vagaries of the mind and the outside world. From our own
experience we know how true this is. Most of our problems in our
lives arise because of our like and dislikes or our desire to have
something or not to have something. When things do not happen according
to our expectations or believe what is happening is not in our interest,
we suffer and complain. The truth is we have little control over
the world and things that are external to us. We cannot control
the world, but we can control our inner world, our thoughts, reactions,
attitude, feelings and emotions. We can learn to put a saddle upon
our desires and learn to put a hold upon our minds to the happenings
in our lives.
It is however not easy to remain stable under all circumstances
because we are so deeply drawn into the outside world through our
attachments and entaglments. In the Bhagavadgita, Lord Krishna admits
this truth before Arjuna (6.35) when he says that the mind is fickle
like the wind or the candle light or water in motion. The mind is
unstable because of the activity of the senses and the attachment
of the mind to the sense-objects. An unstable mind verily is the
cause of delusion, an enemy of the self (6.6), where as the stabilized
mind is the very seat of Supreme consciousness, the doorway to self-realization
and a precondition for the attainment of immortality.
But nothing is difficult for a determined seeker who wants to
put a clamp upon his mind. Having traced the causes of our mental
actions, the Bhagavad gita also prescribes the remedy for an unstable
mind. The mind can be controlled through "abhyas" (practice) and
vairagya (dispassion). We can be stabilize our minds through self-discipline
and self-control, by withdrawing our senses from the sense objects
the way a tortoise withdraws its limbs, overcoming our desires through
detachment from the sense objects, living in solitude, free from
possessiveness and by fixing our minds constantly upon God. These
are however not the only means. Through pure and sincere devotion,
concentration, by performing actions without desire and without
seeking to enjoy the fruit of actions, living in solitude, accepting
life as it unfolds, completely surrendering to God and living the
life of sacrifice are equally effective. Moderation in every thing
we do is another method prescribed to achieve this state of mind
(6.16). The mind becomes stable when one realizes the interplay
of the gunas in deluding men and transcends these gunas (14.23-25)
though practice.
With the stability of the mind comes undisturbed peace and unending
calm. All sorrows cease to bother the person who has become stable
in mind as his mind does not crave any more for any thing, accepts
every condition of life equally as divine providence (yaddruchcha
labha samtushta), lives through all experiences with the same attitude
and becomes immune to the play of Prakriti. He goes beyond the sense
of duality (dwandatitha) and overcomes jealousy. He lifts the veil
of illusion covering his mind and sees with his inner eyes the beauty
and splendor of his self deep within and beyond. He becomes united
with the Infinite Consciousness, sees the Self in all beings and
all beings in himself.
We all know how important it is in our present world for us to
keep our inner peace. According to the Anxiety Disorders Association
of America an estimated 40 million adult Americans suffer from anxiety
disorder of one kind or the other, costing the U.S. more than $42
billion a year or almost one-third of the country's $148 billion
total mental health bill. Mental disorders are not just America's
problem. The problem is acute in all the countries, wherever people
are. It is probably more acute in the developing or less developed
world because of the competition and desperate conditions
in which people live.
Rich or poor, people can gain control over their minds through
simple spiritual practices like yoga and meditation. Your mind and
body are within the the sphere of your influence. When you gain
control over them, you have better chances of controlling and molding
your environment and the circumstances in your life. The Bhagavadgita
suggests the best possible way for an individual to live in the
world, performing his duties and not avoiding his responsibilities
and yet work for his salvation without impairing his karma. It is
by having a stable mind which can remain focused on God under all
circumstances, letting everything else become an opportunity to
see Him in action.
Suggested Further Reading
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