5. Our MIND and KARMA - The perfect percolation

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मना वासना दुष्ट कामा न ये रे।

मना सर्वथा पापबुद्धी नको रे॥

मना सर्वथा नीति सोडूं नको हो।

मना अंतरीं सार वीचार राहो ॥४॥


In the above four lines, Samarth Ramdas exudes his profound understanding of human psychology. Very effortlessly he explains the deep connection between the mind, intellect, body and karma. Once this is evident then it is impossible to consider the above in isolation from each other. Because they are complexly intertwined they affect each other all through our existence.

If we ever consciously pay attention to the thoughts arising in our mind, we will be aghast by their negativity. Ignoring such thoughts as seemingly harmless only emboldens the mind further and these thoughts become more frequent. Soon, our thoughts come out as our words and then our actions. That’s when we realize the full impact of the subtle yet powerful control of our mind over everything. Unfortunately by then it is too late for any kind of damage control. Hindus believe that the divine superpower says “TATHASTU '' to everything. It is a blessing for every thought and word to come true. Imagine the havoc if all our thoughts and words started getting fulfilled! Hence Samarth Ramdas asks us to have moral checkpoints at each level. Guard your mind and try to stay away from DUSHTA (vicious) VASANA (desires). If not possible, guard your BUDDHI (thoughts) . Do not succumb to PAAP (negative thinking). If even that is not possible, guard your actions. Putting restrictions on physical actions is easily manageable. Do not indulge in any deeds which will earn you a bad name and bad karma.
This is a struggle for most of us. Success will come only when we will be able to eliminate all the bad desires from our mind and cleanse our intellect from all negativity. Soon, this control will be evident from our actions because by then they will no longer be impulsive. Instead, every action will be performed only after thorough inspection of right and wrong i.e SAAR (conscientious) VICHAAR (introspection or thought). To highlight the impact of such control over actions, Kabeer says,

मन गया तो जाने दे मत जाने दे शरीर |
नहीं खींची कमान तो कहासे छूटेगा तीर ||

To shoot an arrow, your mind and intellect have to instruct your body to stretch the bow. Once an arrow is shot, it can not be taken back. So if your actions are going to harm others or yourself, why shoot the arrow? Stop right before you stretch the bow and the action of shooting the arrow shall never be performed!

Just like it is difficult to give up on bad habits, developing good habits is equally challenging. So many times we decide to wake up early, start exercising, stop over thinking, quit smoking, eat healthy, etc. But how many times do we actually end up bringing these thoughts into action? It is advised to perform certain activities regularly even though you are not fully convinced of their merits. By doing certain activities daily our mind, intellect and body form a pattern of performing those tasks and the mental resistance towards them gradually recedes. Good actions coming from good thoughts enable us to appreciate goodness around us. Once we are convinced of their benefits, we do not easily lose the thread of NITI (morality) in life.

While imposing rules on thoughts and actions, one has to show SAAR VICHAAR (rational thinking). Being too strict on oneself can backfire and lead to total disregard for doing what is right. Our effort should be to move from good to better, not decline towards worse. Hence a right mix of will power, discipline and flexibility has to be applied in achieving mental transformations.

The right path for thoughts percolation is when a scrupulous mind passes on positive thoughts to a conscientious intellect. The intellect after weighing right and wrong inspires the body to engage in a moral code of conduct. This conduct creates good repercussions in the form of good karma. The equilibrium of mind, intellect and body is thus finally attained blessing us with a pure, unblemished existence.

Watch the video on Shlok4 here on my YouTube channel:

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