Swami ji’s Sandesh… “अगर हमारा मन शांत है, तो हमें हर चीज़ में सुंदरता नज़र आती है…”

Swami ji said…

We wake up every morning. After that comes a routine. We clean up, we exercise, we get ready. It is something we have been doing every morning of our lives—one day after another—ever since we were born, and something we will continue to do till the moment God allows us to do so.

But, are we truly mindful of the thoughts, the emotions, and the energy that our mind creates within us the very moment we wake up? Do we have a routine to regulate that? Do we try in any way to fix the state of our mind when the day starts, just as we fix our appearance for the world?

It is essential that we are watchful of the messages that our mind transmits to us – as throughout the day – we behave, react, speak, and radiate the exact vibe that our ‘मन’ dictates to us. Do we ever give a second thought to what is playing on our mind ? Do we pause to observe the mental state in which we begin our day?

When the mind is beautiful, pure, peaceful, and calm, everything around us also begins to appear beautiful and wondrous—be it the people around us, the circumstances in which we live, or the world that surrounds us.

When the mind is like a placid sea, untouched by the turbulence of chaotic thoughts and unruffled by the stress and anxiety that may await it, it begins to understand that challenges are unavoidable. They have to be faced. And it is always better to face them with a level-headed, practical, and peaceful mindset. It is then that we feel happy, content, and calm. It is then that we are able to find beauty even in the simple fact that we are alive – irrespective of whatever is happening in our lives.

True peace lies in complete acceptance—not helpless surrender, but, a mature acceptance of life as it comes – with faith in God, steadiness in the mind and purity in the heart.

But how does one even achieve such a state of mind? The mind, as we all will agree, is not one to be tamed so easily. The moment it catches us napping, it takes over, leaving us at its mercy and subjecting us to a multitude of emotions through the varying thoughts that arise within it.

It is this battle with the mind that is our greatest battle in life. And just as we look after our body’s health and our material wealth, we also need to look after our mind.

The mind is the most important of all. A mind in control – in simple words would mean – a life in control. And the mind can only be controlled when one exercises control over it regularly—through meditation, reflection, ‘जप’, prayer, and other such disciplines.

For the spiritual seeker, there is no other recourse than this. All the knowledge in the world, all the books on religion and spirituality – are of no use if there is no effort made to rein in the mind.

In fact, the mind that is subdued is the one that reveals all that we need to know about this world. For a mind that is under one’s control is no longer distracted by the illusions of ‘माया’. It is a mind that sees the world as it is and for what it is. There is no confusion in such a mind, and hence there is no fear of the unknown. Such a mind sees the world unfiltered, with truth revealed to it.

Life’s beauty, life’s cruelty, the good in it, the bad in it—one is able to make peace with and accept all of it in a calm state of mind. We need to remember that –
” मन को ‘दूषित’ भी मन ही करता है – और मन को ‘पवित्र’ भी मन ही करता है…”