Root of the route of outcomes

Those of us who think that we have two different sets of reasons to achieve or fail in life should think again. A little introspection will reveal that the way we handle the project can lead us to success or failure. For instance, denizens all over the world are most definitely using the worldwide network to share and learn. On the other hand, there is an alarming increase in lifestyle diseases, cybercrime, depravity and an evocation of monstrosity, hitherto unknown. Satan in man has probably never been awakened so fully ever before. We have unwittingly become victims of our own creation for the simple reason that we indulge our senses and give in to unwarranted temptations and slip into irretrievable whirlpools of problems.

Indian philosophy and way of living puts a premium on self-control. The Puranas, Upanishads, Ramayana and the Mahabharata have any number of anecdotes which emphasize the need to be in charge of oneself physically and mentally.

Mandodari the queen of Ravana puts across the point succinctly in the Ramayana. The fair-minded queen, advised and pleaded with her husband time and again to restore Sita to Rama and seek their pardon. Ravana was unable to see the justification in Mandodari’s words because it hurt his ego. When his spouse realized that he was obstinate to the point of being obsessed with his goal of attaining Sita, she knew that the war was imminent.

Nevertheless, she decided to drive home her point one last time before sending her husband to the war field. She reminded him about his ability to rule over the world and establish his supremacy in the past. At that time he had taken the trouble to control his senses, perform severe penances to invoke the blessings of Lord Brahma and Lord Shiva. He accomplished many feats because of his disciplined and dedicated nature. Mandodari pointed out that after having achieved all that and more, he was on the brink of losing everything because he had lost control over his senses. His illegitimate lust for another man’s wife against her will would spell his downfall and death.

Mandodari’s words reflect the eternal truth that the root of the route of the outcomes is common because it depends on how we use or misuse our attributes.