Seeking the permanent from the ephemeral and the infinite from the finite is a mistake man constantly makes. We seek from the world what it is helpless to grant. Finite actions will always produce finite results. The Prime Minister or Minister are only temporary posts. We all seek “A” but all our lives slavishly work for “B”. We strive for a lasting joy but carry a boarding pass for fleeting Joy. Swami Chinmayanandaji once said, “You can go on churning sand to get butter, but you can never get it , because it is not there.” One seeks in vain for joy from worldly objects, relationships,situations and people. Our expectations are wrong, as they are devoid of joy.
This however does not mean that we should hate the world or discard it. It is inherent in spiritual growth that one begins to put the correct value on everything. The value of anything is a mental concept, it’s an evaluation you clothe it with. Once the mind understands the ephemeral nature of things, it grows out of the fascination for them. No adult wants to go on playing with toys. The older child happily “renounces” his “treasured” marbles for the younger sibling. (Vairagya) detachment comes from (Vivek) discrimination. Right and analytical thinking compels the mind to stop chasing fleeting joys , they are not worth the time and effort. As one grows in this wisdom,one doesn’t need to drop sensuous toys with effort, they drop you!
Let’s pray to the Lord to guide our energies to that which could serve mankind, wipe tears from faces, sooth hearts and troubled minds, that which could allay hunger and bring peace to the soul.Such effort minus ‘I’ is the only way to inject peace into one’s frayed nerves and calmness into one’s stressed muscles.
Prarthna Saran, President Chinmaya Mission New Delhi.
Email: prarthnasaran@gmail.com
This first appeared on 18 August, 2019. The writer is not writing due to unavoidable circumstances.