Swamiji’s Sandesh…. ‘Chinta’ nahi, ‘chintan’ karo…’

Swamiji says…

” Man’s favourite pass-time seems to be fretting and worrying. Worrying about ‘what’ is known only to him! It could be either about his present life – the prevailing conditions in which he finds himself; or, it could be about his future that is unknown to him…his life ahead of which he has no idea ; but worry he must…as for some strange reason it makes him happy, content and confident , that after investing so much time in just thinking and analysing about his future – some good will surely come out of it, and things will work out perfectly for him – the way he wants life to shape out for him. But will only worrying needlessly make things fine for him ? Doesn’t he need to focus on solving his problems first?”

“The human mind is capable of great creativity. It can think of the most ingenious things in fields as diverse as art, machines, scientific theories. Yet, it is also capable of imagining that it is besieged with problems – problems that it feels are so real, that it keeps people petrified and plagued by these ‘problems’ the entire night. Even in the most normal circumstances, the mind, at times, fabricates its own stories that have no relation to the past, present or future, but we accept them as real, true and feel that we have been touched by them. Man has always feared the unknown.”

” ‘Jeevan, ek sangharsh hai …’ and the earlier we understand this, the better and easier it becomes for each one of us to accept, face and solve problems that come unexpectedly – simply out of nowhere, at various junctures of our life. A certain amount of anxiety about the wellbeing of one’s family, education, career, relationships and finances rises within each one of us, and it is bound to happen that way, but can worrying perpetually about these issues, if they somehow fail to follow the course created by us, truly help us and make us feel strong, either physically or emotionally !”

” Pointless and excessive worrying is exhausting and can drain us of all positive energy. Is it possible for a tired, fatigued mind that always sees its bearer – weighed down by the burden of his over imaginative problems – visualise, even for a fraction of a second, the same person walking with a straight back and look squarely, beyond his problems, at the solution that his ‘working’ mind has thought for him? The ‘thinking’ mind needs to be reprimanded and told sternly to quieten down – as its constant churning and whining, drowns the sensible voice and words of the ‘working’ mind.”

” We must learn to put worries aside and rather concentrate on, and enjoy the tasks that lie ahead of us. A successful attempt should be made by us every day – to ensure that we do not allow worries to get the better of us , but instead develop the art of abandoning the dreadful fear of these so called problems, that we feel, have a strange knack of finding us wherever we may be.”

” The chaotic turmoil and turbulence caused by over- thinking about one’s problems only leads to loss of one’s inner peace, and this needs to be quelled at the earliest. After all, how much can one worry about a particular thing ! What is one gaining by making himself so unhappy ! One has to find the root cause of the issue that is troubling him; think of ways of attending to, and solving these problems without letting them dominate and overpower him. The exhilaration and confidence that he experiences – ‘chintan’ karne par…’ are much more rewarding than all the time that had been wasted on ‘ ‘chinta’ karne par…’ and once he realises that self- motivation had worked wonders, he sees himself as a new, rejuvenated person with the ability of handling problems by finding solutions, effectively and efficiently. His perspective and attitude towards life changes completely.”

“A free, clear, uncluttered mind makes us feel fresh, alert, and energetic and we learn to accept problems as pre-cursors to a joyful, happy life. And this is the best way to treat our worries. Yes, they will come…but one fine day they will go away too. They hover around us – but we must keep our minds calm – and be on guard lest they distress us unnecessarily.”

“A face creased in smiles and a forehead free of furrows of worry and anxiety is a sight of joy for all – and all of us can radiate a similar warm glow of happiness, once we refuse to submit to stormy ‘chinta’ and devote time to result – oriented ‘chintan’.”