2. Before the conversation commences..

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गणाधीश जो ईश सर्वां गुणांचा |

मुळारंभ आरंभ तो निर्गुणाचा |

नमूं शारदा मूळ चत्वार वाचा |

गमू पंथ आनंत या राघवाचा || १ ||

Hinduism believes that every new task should commence with seeking the blessings of Lord Ganesh, Ganadheesh. Lord Ganesh, is considered to be the remover of all the obstacles. He has mastery over 64 kala (artforms) and 16 vidya (faculties of knowledge). He is the ISH (master) of all GUNA (virtues) and starting point of all NIRGUNA which is the omnipresent divine consciousness.  He is everywhere and in everything, even in our mind and subconscious. He is the focal point of the tangible as well as the intangible. So our conversation with the mind, in the form of Manache shlok, starts by paying obeisance to Lord Ganesh.
As this is a dialogue, there is going to be a lot of exchange of ideas and thoughts. There has to be a certain amount of clarity in the process because only then the meaning of both, spoken and unspoken words will be conveyed to the mind. To bless us with the much needed wisdom, coherence and clarity of speech, we do NAMAN i.e pray to Maa Sharada. Sharada is another name for Goddess Saraswati who blesses the seeker with intelligence and CHATVAAR (four forms) VAACHA (speech). These four forms are : 
  • VAIKHARI - External speech which is spoken and heard in the form of words, sounds and syllables.
  • MADHYAMA- The conversation within. This happens through our thoughts.
  • PASHYANTI - The seed of all thoughts, speech and actions.
  • PARA - The innermost and purest form of speech where words and thoughts are one and remain unexpressed. 
Armed with the blessings of Lord Ganesh (the belief in the form of knowledge) and Goddess Saraswati (the capability in the form of wisdom and speech) there is hardly any goal which is unattainable. A seeker of mental wellbeing should remember to believe in the power of both the above dimensions and blend them beautifully in his/her journey inwards. We need to remind ourselves that the guiding light is with us even when the journey looks impossible. 
A dedicated individual will continue to stay on the PANTH (path) even if it looks never ending. This is because it is the same way that will lead the individual to RAGHAV (Lord Ram). Here Raghav can mean different things to different people. For some it is the actual divine. For some it could be the ultimate truth and state of happiness. While for some it could mean fulfillment of desires. Whatever it means to anyone, it represents the ultimate GOAL of your existence. 
To be able to achieve mental well being and mental health should be the utmost priority of every person in today’s age. One should be able to remember this goal and walk on the path leading to the goal despite its challenges and disappointments. It is imperative to take the first step because that is the only way to complete the journey of a thousand miles

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