DEPRESSION PART I

Sher Agrawal

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Depression Part-1 By Sri.Sri.Muralidhara Swamiji

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Ravishankar Gopal Thu, Oct 30, 2008 at 5:26 AM
Reply-To: ravishankar_g@yahoo.com
To: sss-global@yahoogroups.com
Radhe Krishna To all,

Mind is inert. As per the advaita philosophy there is in fact no such thing as mind. I do accept this. However, in day-to-day life one has to accept the existence of mind. The mind is something wonderful and strange. One who is able to control the mind gains mental strength and succeeds in doing rare and great feats. One who is able to destroy the mind becomes a Gnani (man of wisdom). And the one who is unable to control the mind gets confused and becomes sick both physically and mentally.

A man's face reflects his happiness and sorrow vividly. In happiness his physical health improves and in sorrow it is adversely affected. So there is a connection between the mind and the body. A man with a disturbed mind cannot sit quiet even for a while. And he is always found to be fidgeting with something or moving about restlessly. A man who has control over his mind is able to sit quietly for a long period. Therefore, those who are unable to control their minds directly, practice aasanas (postures as shown in the Yoga) for long hours and thus control their minds through body control. Raja Yoga aasanas help in spiritual progress. Hatha Yoga aasanas help strengthens both mind and body.

One-pointedness of the mind is totally different from the state of mind gained (strengthened) through Hatha Yoga. One who has strengthened his mind carries out feats which create awe and wonder. For example, he is found to possess the power of an elephant in him. He will be able to break a big rock with his bare hands. But his mind will be bereft of feelings such as joy, sorrow, devotion and knowledge.

Likewise, a tender heart (mind) is different from a weak mind. Sattvic feelings like devotion, knowledge are reflected only in the former while the latter (weak mind) lacks steadfastness. If someone advises him that 'Ganesh pooja' is good then he would at once conduct this pooja. If on the other hand he happens to read that pranayama (control of breath) is the only way he would at once start this practice. He would try all ways and means that he sees, hears or reads but would drop it all as soon as begun. It is not so in spiritual matters alone. He behaves likewise in worldly matters, too. Cinema, music or any other subject for that matter attracts him very easily. Such a person would take to self-pity quite suddenly. His inability manifests itself as anger, hatred and tears. His mind then is like a cauldron. He then uses abusive and authoritative words in self-defence.

There is a connection between mind and food. It is seen that some kind of food make the mind sattvic (calm) some make it rajasic (active) and yet others make it tamasic (dull). For example, foods which are not fresh when taken make the mind dull. Liquor makes one loose control of his senses and even makes him unconscious. From this it is evident that there is connection between food and mind.

In most cases of mental sickness there is no definitive treatment in allopathy (English medicine). Our scriptures categorize the diseases as those afflicting the body as vyadhi and those afflicting the mind as aadhi. Ayurvedha (ancient Indian medicine) prescribes medication even for mental illnesses. The ayurvedic practitioners opine that these illnesses are the outcome of heated up brain. Whereas, the allopathic doctors hold the opinion that they are due to nervous breakdown. So, they try to calm down the mentally ill patients through sedatives, electro-convulsive therapy (shock treatment). However, even these doctors agree that their system of medicine only pacifies the patient but does not cure them.
My opinion in this matter is totally different. Epilepsy, nervous breakdown, mental disorder, mental depressions are the result of the trouble caused by spirits. The chances of such mental afflictions are more in families where there have been unnatural deaths (suicide, murder, accident, etc.). Also, such afflictions prevail in families where pithru karmas (religious rites to be done for one's dead parents) have not been adhered to. Also, one who accepts gifts offered during pithru karmas becomes vulnerable to such mental diseases. Use of black magic also affects mental stability. Such diseases can be cured only by counter mantras, the power of upasana (worship) doing angapradakshina (circumambulation not by foot but by lying down and rolling on the ground) to Tirupathi Srinivasa Perumal and never by medicines.

Philosophers say that when one desires to achieve something in life one should imagine/dream of having achieved that status. Only those who have such dreams succeed in life. I neither accept this view totally nor reject it. One should have dreams but dream itself should not become one's life. A man toils in the scorching sun. Even as he works he imagines, "I would be paid my wage on completion of this work. I shall buy good food for my wife and children and make them happy". This sweet imagination lessens the burden of his work. Arduous labour without such sweet imagination would have only weighed him down. But only imagination without work would make him lazy with no end purpose in life. That is why I say that our dreams and imaginations should be combined with effort (work) and be within reasonable limits.

Imagination and superstition take hold of some to the extent that it chains them down with no way of escape. Yet there are those who are bogged down by other notions. For example, a man might have received good news on a Monday and a bad one on the following day, i.e. Tuesday. At once his mind imagines that a good and a bad news would alternate. And if this man awaits some news on the following Friday he would imagine that it would be a favorable one and that which would be received on the next day, Saturday, would be otherwise.

Likewise, a man might have got into the routine of visiting the Ganesh temple every day enroute to his office. If on any day he is unable to make it and happens to face some problem on that very day in his office he would blame it all up on his missed visit to the temple. If by any chance he happens to see a picture of Ganesh in any of his office files or pads he would imagine that Ganesh is reminding him of his missed visit. Likewise, when he misses the visit yet on another day he would anticipate some trouble in his office. The mind of such a man gradually looses its strength. This becomes quite obvious as he starts suspecting everything (PARANOID). For example, when he finds two people conversing he thinks that he is being talked about (IDEAS OF REFERENCE). He becomes careless in his dress, wearing dirty and torn clothes. He then imagines afflictions of various diseases (HYPOCHONDRIAC). He starts speaking incessantly. All these are sure signs of
self-pity.

There are always two sides to a coin. For a depressed man everything will appear contradictory. He starts feeling neglected - that none understands him, none praises him, none respects him and none has any affection for him.

When he learns of the symptoms of various diseases through books, radio, like if one feels frequently thirsty it is a sure sign of diabetes, he would feel that he has such symptoms and so is afflicted with that particular disease. Similarly, in devotional matters, if he happens to read the life history of a saint he would imagine that he, too, undergoes similar experiences.

!!! Will Continue !!!

Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
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