Do you mind your mind? Part I

“How dare my mind not listen to me!” said Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda to me when I asked him how he could travel and give talks when his body was sick and in pain. This was a towering king ordering his timid minion, the mind, that was waiting on every order of its master. The whole skill that the Geeta teaches is how to become such a king.
As you think, so you become. We choose our own thoughts, thus ‘choosing’ to be happy or sad. Sorrow and happiness are mere mental responses to external stimuli. So, guarding our mind from external pollution is of prime importance. We perfect the hygiene of the body, the kitchen and the food we eat, but one never cares for the hygiene of the mind.
Mental hygiene requires alert vigilance over marauding thoughts that invade and loot away contentment and peace.
The most powerful and enchanting ‘mighty world of eye and ear’ is the looter. So, running heedlessly towards that which we like, and trying to run away from that which we dislike is all that we do lifelong. We must choose mental inputs very carefully; else you are allowing garbage to freely tumble in.
Thoughts move in the direction of tendencies, let not thoughts become enemies.
The Geeta declares that it is your own mind that acts as your friend or your enemy. The choice, surprisingly, is ours alone! Control, or be controlled! Intelligent moulding and skillful control of the mind is the secret of perfection.
The sign of a pure mind is its reactionlessness to likes and dislikes. A sattvik (pure minded) person is ever cheerful and smiling. He gives no power to situations or relationships, likes or dislikes, man or animal to wipe the smile off his face. ‘Keep smiling’ was Gurudev’s diktat and is our motto.
Prarthna Saran is President, Delhi Chinmaya Mission