A beautiful mind

Sometimes it so happens that even when a person is physically present, she is oblivious to everything. In such situations, it is said that the mind wanders elsewhere. The mind, unlike the body, is not rooted in a place. It enjoys the freedom to wander wherever it wants and whenever it wants. This is true not only of the conscious state but also of the dream state.

The wandering is directed by the senses which see, hear, touch, smell and taste. The senses shape thoughts, bribing it with pleasure and intimidating it with pain. What the mind manages to suppress in the conscious state gets imprinted in the sub-conscious state and can come back to haunt us in dreams. It is only in the state of deep sleep that the mind goes beyond the body and senses and wakes up rejuvenated.

If this state could be recaptured, even in a small measure, in the conscious state the power of action could transform. It is the mind that makes one engage in action.

Lord Krishna in his ode to action, the Bhagavad Gita, explained to a troubled Arjuna that the despondency was in his mind. The distaste for violence on the eve of battle was attachment shrouding his judgement. The drifting mind overpowered by the senses carries away understanding as a gale carries away a powerful ship at sea. It becomes important to establish control over such a mind, to direct it inward and to make it recognize what it is capable of.

It is important to reign in and channelise the mind so that the freedom it enjoys enables creativity and insightfulness. It is important to make this resolution since a sankalpa is at once an act of faith, as well as a positive action.

The faith is the belief in the resolution and is strengthened by the power of the word, through constant repetition of the resolution. The mind is by nature more subtle and more receptive to suggestions.

A vow that a mind is resolute on following must be driven by intentions that are pure, beautiful and auspicious, and this goes a long way to empower oneself. The mind must be in tune with Shivasankalpa, where Shiva is all things pure, beautiful and auspicious.