TreeInTheSeed18
By
Sēvāratṉā Doctor T.S. Narayanaswami, Images: Aras
Sakthi Vikatan 19
Aug, 2014
Calamity from Fear
In the last issue, we learnt the adversity from desire, anger and fear,
and Krishna’s advice to extricate from those inauspicious qualities. The
elders said, “Easier said than done.” All people try to protect
themselves from the adversities emanating from desire, anger and fear.
The efforts deployed for their prevention are not effective for
all. This heightens the fear.
Unfulfilled desire and the consequent anger and fear in combination
cause evil effects: restricted mind, mental suffering, mental confusion…
The sea roils under the effects of depression in the bay.
The roiling of the mind is like it because of sorrow,
disappointment and failure.
When the desires do not find fulfilment, disappointment is the result.
That provokes feelings of anger and vengeance in the aggrieved.
When a person takes this wrong path, more of disappointment and
consequent expenses and finger-pointing by the relatives, friends and
neighbors ensue. The helpers backtrack. Because of it, there is
diminution of self-confidence and heightened feelings of criminality.
When the sorrows continue to mount, agitation of the mind takes place.
The mental health suffers.
This is the mental health issue. Social scientists say all ages suffer
from mental agitation. Out
of 100 people, thirty-five live with mental agitation.
The effects of Mental agitation
The doctors say it is not a disease, but a disorder. The afflicted
exhibit these symptoms: sorrow, fatigue, fear, sudden burst of anger,
change in the behavior, self-hate, self-imposed isolation, sudden
laughter, crying and shouting out loud.
Behavior may alternate between tranquillity and rowdiness. There
is no attachment to anything in life. There is no sense of participation
or involvement.
Sleeplessness, lack of appetite…may be present.
General reasons for mental confusion
Ok! What is the
remedy for these?
Psychiatric consultation: Mental agitation will make life ruinous more
than any other serious diseases. The only modality of treatment is
counselling. Qualified physician, a learned man or a mental health
consultant (his counselling sessions) will help the patient emerge from
mental agitation.
Counselling sessions with the experts and creative power of the
individual will help expunge fear and this positive step will bring
about a permanent cure. Finding out the cause of the mental agitation,
discussion of the case in utter transparency and finding the remedial
measures will lessen the mental burden. The courage to accept one’s
mistake and the ability to forgive and forget other’s misdeeds: These
will facilitate in a large measure to reduce the mental agitation.
Taking one’s skill set and desire into consideration and determining the
prospect of success or failure at an endeavor will to a certain extent
help avoid failure.
Those who suffer mental agitation are losing their life (shortened
lifespan). It is the duty
of friends, neighbors, acquaintances, and mental health professionals to
lift the afflicted from the quicksand and save them.
Spiritual pathways: worship of God, Satsang, good music, healthy body,
Yoga exercise, meditation, and reading good books: These help the
afflicted to emerge out of mental agitation.
Arjuna’s mental agitation
Before the breakout of the war, we can say Arjuna suffered mental
agitation. “ A person going on a sea voyage on a boat forgot to take
potable water. ‘Water, water, everywhere,
Nor any drop
to drink.',’
said
Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Arjuna
was in that predicament.
He was a great warrior. He possessed
great weapons as boons. All
around him stood heroes like the members of the Pāṇḍava army, Dharma,
Bhīma, Nakula, Sakhādeva, Gadōthgajan, Abhimanyu… Above all these,
Bhagavan Krishna served as his charioteer. Does it amount to fear under
these circumstances Arjuna’s hesitation? Is it hesitation or loss of
self-confidence.
In truth, Arjuna was afflicted with mental agitation. In an unavoidable
predicament, he was looking for reasons to avoid war. Bhagavadgita is
a treatise by Krishna on mental and spiritual counselling to remove
Arjuna’s severe mental agitation.
Kannan’s advice
People with mental agitation do not like to take advice. They entertain
the thought there are right and others are wrong. The psychologists do
not directly approach the subject and advise but use subtleties while
advising. The same technique was used by Bhagavan. The passages by
Bhagavan in Bhagavadgita sound as if they made him feel proud of
himself. They avoid reference to
his smallness. Though Arjuna was in mental agitation, he could accept
Krishna’s counsel.
The second chapter
Sāṁkhya Yogam, 38th Slokam says, “Holding happiness
and sorrow, profit and loss, victory and defeat alike, you will prepare
to fight for the sake of fighting. You will never incur sin.”
Sāṁkhya
Yogam: “Fixed in Yoga, do thy work, O Dhanamjaya,
abandoning attachment, with an even mind in success and failure, for
evenness of mind is called Yoga.”
A dictate, ‘Do this.’ cannot be levelled to one with mental agitation. You may inculcate motivation. You may induce craving. You may offer guarantee that loss or mistake are impossible. Then he may develop an audacity he can do anything. Kannan did that.
The tree grows.
” "I see the lottery results in this paper. The first prize is 10 Lakhs. That is my loss.” The neighbors: “Did you buy a lottery ticket and lost it?” The villager: "No, I forgot to buy a lottery ticket. Therefore, I cry.” Likewise, many of us are unhappy thinking of non-existent problems and live in a state of mental agitation. |