Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Managing the mind

ಮನವನಾಳ್ವುದು ಹಟದ ಮಗುವನಾಳುವ ನಯದೆ |
ಇನಿತನಿತು ಸವಿಯುಣಿಸು ಸವಿಕಥೆಗಳಿಂದೆ ||
ಅನುಕೂಲಿಸದು ಬರಿಯ ಕೂಗು ಬಡಿತಗಳಿದನು |
ಇನಿತಿತ್ತುಮರಸಿನಿತ ಮಂಕುತಿಮ್ಮ ||

Mend your mind in a way you mend a stubborn child; slowly capture its mind with some sweet little stories; shouting and spatting will not help, befriend it by giving small pleasurable things.

"Fantastic". Unfortunately there is no better adjective than this to qualify this verse. Wonderful analogy, again. A child knows little about whats right and whats wrong, it knows to catch your attention and get what it wants. Most people seem to either give in for the crankiness or shout at a crying child. Both these are temporary solutions. When we give in to its demands we are reinforcing its strategy and the future cries and demands. On the other hand when we shout and force the child to be silent, it will be so for a while but deep within it will continue to carry those negative thoughts and burst out as a volcano in future. We may have to understand "why" it is crying. Even if we do not get them what they want, we should know to calm them down. Most importantly, a crying child will not listen to us and by punishing we make it even more stubborn.

So, the first step towards managing a cranky child is to divert it, to calm it down. Either give it something else it likes or tell it some nice little stories, show it a moon and bring it to peace. Now, gradually feed it with positive thoughts, which is the second step. Most parents act instinctively by shouting the child to silence and think that they have achieved their objective, but they do not realize that this is a temporary workaround.

The mind is like a child. You may spoil it by giving in to its tantrums and demands, but it will keep demanding more and more as you try to satisfy it. If you try to forcibly shut its demands, it will fool you by either get into depressive state or a violent state in future. So, convince it with nice words and stories. First, one need to control it, bring it to a stable state. Then slowly and gradually teach it to be happy with what you have, teach it to enjoy with what you have, it will gradually learn to be calm. But, controlling mind is like controlling wind, it is said in Bhagawad Gita.

Sri Shankara says in Bhaja Govindam too: yal-labhase nijakarmopáttam vittam tena vinodaya cittam. If we can teach our mind to be happy with what we get through right deeds, it will learn, but we let it indulge and it will.

Chapter 6. Sankhya-yoga text 35.

sri-bhagavan uvaca
asamsayam maha-baho
mano durnigraham calam
abhyasena tu kaunteya
vairagyena ca grhyate

The Blessed Lord said: O mighty-armed son of Kunti, it is undoubtedly very difficult to curb the restless mind, but it is possible by constant practice and by detachment.

Chapter 6. Sankhya-yoga text 36.

asamyatatmana yogo

dusprapa iti me matih
vasyatmana tu yatata
sakyo 'vaptum upayatah

For one whose mind is unbridled, self-realization is difficult work. But he whose mind is controlled and who strives by right means is assured of success. That is My opinion.

|| ಸರ್ವಂ ಶ್ರೀ ಕೃಷ್ಣಾರ್ಪಣಂ ಅಸ್ತು ||
|| ಹರೇ ಕೃಷ್ಣ, ಹರೇ ಕೃಷ್ಣ, ಕೃಷ್ಣ ಕೃಷ್ಣ, ಹರೇ ಹರೇ ||
|| ಹರೇ ರಾಮ, ಹರೇ ರಾಮ, ರಾಮ, ರಾಮ, ಹರೇ ಹರೇ ||

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