| Handling
your Afflicted Mind |
 |
By Swami Bhoomananda Tirtha
Harih
Om Tat Sat! I
generally ask two questions to those who are listening to
me. “Do you think that knowledge is a help?” And “Can
I trust your statement?”
To
the first question, the answer is invariably ‘yes’. I
should say, almost always it is a sure ‘yes’. And then I
ask: “Can I trust you?” Then also they say ‘yes’.
But when the right knowledge is presented to solve the
problems of the mind – either to overcome afflictions or
to get rid of certain prejudices or defects – I find that
they are not able to act upon the knowledge. There is a
resistance – originating from delusion or ego –
operating in their minds. Lack of receptivity and openness
invariably hinders correction and progress.
Yesterday
I was speaking to you about afflictions of the mind, how to
overcome them and how to generate peace and composure in the
mind. The topic is still very much alive in my mind.
Everyone
has a past, and also a future. In between the past and the
future comes the present. It is this present that we
have to be always concerned with. Life implies interactions.
In the whole field of interactions, you as an
individual remain the constant factor. The other factors,
namely persons, places and events with which you interact,
are various and continuously changing. But you, the actor
remain the same. The results of the interactions, whether
good or bad, ultimately come to you. If you want to solve
the problem that confronts you, then you must understand
that the factor that has to be taken into account and acted
upon is yourself, and yourself alone.
You
will find that in every family, there are always good people
as well as bad people. Sometimes it may be that your parents
are not good enough. May be your brother or sister is bad.
Sometimes it can happen that your married partner is bad or
some of the children are bad. This is the way of life. Good
and bad go together. We are on this earth. There are many
planets in the far away sky; and – do you know? – in
astrology, some of the planets are considered evil, and some
are considered virtuous. So, can you escape the effect of punya
and paapa from anywhere at any time?
All
the individuals fall into one of the two categories, good or
bad. Take one’s own home, one’s own neighborhood,
one’s own village or township, one’s own limited circle
in which he or she moves. In the professional life, in the
domestic life, or in the social life, you will find good and
bad.
So
the interaction you have in life will also be with the good
and bad, and the consequences will definitely be experienced
by you. Rather than worrying about who is good and who is
bad, particularly who is bad – because the ‘bad’ makes
you suffer – why don’t you focus on the important factor
that “it is I who suffer”? “Can my present
sufferings be set right or not?” – why don’t you think
about it?
All
the past actions and their results are only in your memory.
Understand this first. People generally complain: somebody
said this, somebody did that, somebody behaved in a wrong
manner. Who says so? Is it recorded in the air? Is it
imprinted on the earth or water? Is it ever embossed in the
sky? All these events are only in your memory. So, it is your
memory that makes you suffer. It is not the
people who make you suffer. When will you understand, my
dear children, this simple truth?
You
will still say: “X behaved wrongly, Y spoke harshly, their
treatment was bad.” Agreed! But right now, where are those
behaviours or treatments? Are they still around? They were
an event, a bygone episode of a few minutes or an hour or a
day. And all of them have gone. You have only your own
memory left with you. And you are still suffering from the
past – now dead – in the form of your memory.
Understand,
my dear children, the mind that is now afflicting you, can
be made to enjoy the memory of something good provided you
do that good today. The great Mahabharata war was over and
Yudhishthira said: “Though you say I have gained victory
in the war, I say I have lost!
I have lost peace of mind! I feel miserable! I am
pained to the core! Of what use is the kingdom which I have
won? I shall go
to the forest again to live on fruits and roots and do tapasya.
Earlier I went to the forest defeated in the game of dice.
Now I shall go to the forest, having won over my enemies.”
None could console him!
Finally
he was taken to Bheesma Pitaamaha, who was lying on the bed
of arrows awaiting his death. Bheeshma said: “My dear
grandson, the whole event has already taken place and
nothing can change it; none can make it otherwise. An event
or an action or a consequence once taken place, is history.
It is a memory and you are suffering from it. If you agree
that past actions in the form of memory can put you
to suffering, my dear grandson, listen to this truth. The present
action will also become past, and they will also
form another memory. The new memory will overcome the past
memory and just as the present memory victimizes you and
puts you to grief, the new memory – that you must
consciously build from now on, if you listen to my words –
will also begin to delight you.
“Resolve
and engage yourself to do some good and benevolent acts.
Take to some chosen, virtuous acts now. Perform them with
devotion. These actions too will have their phalas,
results. Both, the previous and the present phalas,
will live in the form of memory. When you find yourself in
their company, the new memory will start delighting you.
Therefore, my dear son, go and perform an asvamedha yaaga.”
Yudhisthira
agreed. The great asvamedha yaaga required years of
preparations. Being occupied with the preparations from then
on and after performing it, Yudhishthira’s mind began to
develop new memories based on new events, new associations
and new interactions. And then, whereas the earlier
memory was afflicting him, the new memory started giving the
sought after relief, freedom, and salvation. He was free
of all afflictions and was able to conduct the affairs of
the kingdom in peace and tranquility till the end of his
life.
My
dear child, will you take your lesson from this? Understand
that nobody has caused your suffering. It is the memory in
your mind that inflicts suffering. Instead of being
inflicted by the past memory, create a new memory. Allow
some time to pass. Let a year or two pass or may be even
three years and have your chosen interactions. Interact with
the best people, with noble people. Talk of good subjects.
Write and think of good and pleasant matters. Write the name
of God. Write anything that you like. Go on copying
Bhagavadgeeta. Write Visnu Sahasranaama. Go on
writing whatever you like – the Upanishads one after the
other. These are present day holy associations. No one
interferes there. No relative stands in your way. Go on
developing new interactions, new associations, new memories.
Then, you will find, just as old memories were victimizing
you, the present developments will form a new memory in the
hands of which you will be peaceful, prosperous, and
fulfilled.
Actually,
everything that I am saying is an open book. But it has
remained a secret only because it is untried, untapped and
unemployed by people.
Everyone
has got a past – there is no question of choice about it.
If you start reflecting over your own birth, your own
parents, your own family relationship, you will find that
there are many things which your sober mind will not accept
– but again, it is not a matter of choice. May be you
would have liked to have a different brother, may be a
different sister, may be even a different set of parents.
But what is the point!
No choice about it, either ! But from now on you
exercise your choice. My dear children, this is what
the satsang is for.
Be
associated with the satsang. There are good people
here. You can interact with them, listen to good things,
understand good things and no body will put you into
trouble. Let your mind delight in the present memory, in
the present scope, in the present interaction. This is
the way of setting right your aggrieved mind.
Harih
Om Tat Sat.
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