Three words, `i
love you', have changed lives miraculously while the three dreaded words `i
hate you' have often triggered off violence. `sorry', `please' and `thank you'
have worked wonders. some words can give you ulcers, heartburns, or bruised
egos. rahim the poet warned us against using rude words. he said, ``be cautious
in speaking. when you injure another with your words the bond of friendship
breaks forever. even if the relationship is mended there will always remain a
knot.'' so, beware of words. ``blind man's son is blind too,'' laughed
draupadi, when duryodhana slipped and fell in the palace of the pandavas,
mistaking the glass floor for water. draupadi's words of mockery set the stage
for battle in the mahabharata .
however, harsh words cannot cause
trouble if we refuse to react in a negative fashion. do not let any one's harsh
words govern your moods. why should envy, fear, anger, lust, attachment and
greed cause a storm in you? be calm and you will always be happy. only in a
happy heart can spirituality unfold itself. to achieve self realisation you
must be happy and successful. to be happy is to be successful. lust and anger
destroy tranquillity and prompt us to run after illusory objects to gain a
temporary feeling of satisfaction and a delusory feeling of fulfilment.
people are the same; they give
back what they receive from you. yet, day in and day out people inflict
poisonous darts on each other.
sri sri paramhansa yogananda said:
``when you feel tempted to speak harshly, control that impulse and talk calmly
instead. let no one hear harsh words from you. be not afraid to speak the truth
when you are asked to do so; but do not force your thoughts on others. you may
be speaking the truth when you speak of a blind man as a blind man, or of a
sick man as a sick man but more politically correct words can be used so that
sensibilities are not hurt. some people turn sick with jealousy, others with
anger, hatred and passion. they are victims of their emotions. you made your
habits; you can change them.''
in the mahabharata, kaikeyi and
mantara were apprehensive of sri rama's return to ayodhya after his
14-year-long exile. realising their predicament sri rama paid his respects
first to kaikeyi and only then went to meet his own mother. he then spoke kind
words and consoled mantara and even asked her to continue living in the palace
as before. kabir once proclaimed, ``speak words that can make others forget
their miseries. utter words that can soothe others and which will also help you
keep your cool.''
The
Candogya Upanishad classifies the four characters of the ``mind-brahman'' as
nose, eyes, ears and speech. these four are instrumental in taking the mind
towards brahman .
the organ of speech or vag indriya seriously
distracts the mind. swami sivananda strongly advised against the misuse of
words. observe mauna or
a vow of silence at least once a week, he said, as much energy is lost in
talking. the energy thus saved becomes transmuted into spiritual energy.
will-power
becomes stronger, one becomes less restless, and a certain inner calm is
achieved. this is the tapasya of
speech. a disturbed mind can never be spiritually inclined. in the beginning
various thoughts force one to break the vow of silence. one has to be wary of
such distractions. the mind has to be occupied with positive thoughts.
restraining ourselves from speaking unnecessarily requires considerable effort.
once inner tranquillity is achieved, mauna of the mind will come automatically. the mind
becomes ready to meditate on brahman .
only he who can fix his mind on god -- even if for two minutes, without
distraction - can indulge in self-analysis. books and gurus can only guide you
on how to behave. ultimately, it is you who has to conquer your mind.
SEEMA BURMAN, Aug 25, 2001, 01.06am IST
No comments:
Post a Comment