Mind over matter
Once a lady remarked to me that her husband was highly “temperamental”. That remark got me thinking as the word “temperamental” highlighted all the maladies affecting humanity — 50 per cent “temper” and 50 per cent “mental!” Though all human problems are caused by the mind, we don’t pay enough attention to it. Even if someone wants to educate us about the mind, we ignore it saying, “Never mind!”
We are not fully aware of the mind and the centrality of its working in our life. We become aware of it only when we are confronted with a serious problem. The mind plays a vital role in human life, so it is imperative to know what the mind is all about. It would be beneficial to know the working of the mind, as “prevention is better than cure.” Disturbances of the mind are responsible for bodily diseases. The Bhagavad Gita explores the human mind extensively. Unfortunately, it is mostly regarded only as a religious book of dogmas or something to be taken up for study after retirement, as if it has nothing to do with our active life!
The Bhagavad Gita directly deals with our life and its problems. In fact, the first chapter opens with Arjuna’s dejection — a mental problem! It says the stage is set for the battle and Arjuna is led by Lord Krishna, his charioteer, between the two armies poised for action. Though Arjuna was initially confident, seeing the opposing army — his teachers, brothers and relatives — he became despondent, drained of his strength. He could not even hold his bow. Sorrow, fear and dejection overwhelmed him. Arjuna, tearful and trembling, could not even stand and helplessly sank down in the chariot. He became fully confused in his sense of duty.
Arjuna became a patient of neurosis and later developed psychosis, for he was seeing things that were not there. He was totally confused about his goals. The prime cause for his failure was that instead of focussing on the action with a sense of duty, he was worried and anxious about the results. His mind lost its dynamism due to anxiety, fear and delusion. Thus, the Bhagavad Gita truly reflects our life and its problems.
In the battlefield of life we may appear to be fully prepared; but at the time of action we are overcome by fear and anxiety, and this leads to our breakdown. Since society is made up of individuals, it disintegrates when the individual breaks down. All of us are suffering from Arjuna’s disease of anxieties and worries in varying degrees.
How can we solve this problem? We shall take that up in the next piece.
Swami Tejomayananda, head of Chinmaya Mission Worldwide, is an orator, poet,singer, composer and storyteller
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