Diamonds, gold, bank balances and family, all are very precious. You need them all and care for them. So, if there is something so useful without which you can do nothing, then how much care will you take of it? Think! Losing a cell phone is a present day calamity, but supposing you lose your mind? Supposing it develops defects, gives you wrong advice, does not listen to your commands or acts as your enemy, then what? It can make you go into depression, or take you to prison or even force you to kill yourself. Think! How much care would you take of such an instrument? Whenever we buy any gadget, we check it for quality, maintenance, its security and service, but we never consciously take care of our mind.
The speciality of human life is your ability to think. Negative thoughts in the mind lead to human bondage. The symptoms of bondage are: tension, anxiety, worry, depression and sorrow. These are all mental responses to the world of objects, situations and people. “Vishayasakti” (attachment to anything) even for your body can cause these symptoms.
Use and enjoy everything in life, but treat it all as a temporarily rented house! If we start imagining that the house belongs to us, then the floodgates of sorrows and anxieties open. Only when we become aware of our attachments can we work towards liberating ourselves. Bondage and liberation (moksha) belong to the mind. “Four walls do not a prison make, nor iron bars a cage.”
Our mind is the most powerful and precious thing that we own. No action, right or wrong is possible without it. We therefore have to keep it clean, secure, healthy and nourished. Don’t allow the mind to drag you into sorrow. Never mind, just mind your mind.
Prarthna Saran, President Chinmaya Mission Delhi. Email: prarthnasaran@gmail.com