gita

 

Dear Friends,

7. YOUR BEST FRIEND WITHIN

Today let us enjoy a beautiful sloka from Gita,  It is the sixth sloka from Sixth Chapter.  It is better to study one sloka a day.

बन्धुरात्मात्मनस्तस्य येनात्मैवात्मना जित: |

अनात्मनस्तु शत्रुत्वे वर्ते तात्मैव शत्रुवत् || 6 -6||

bandhur ātmātmanas tasya yenātmaivātmanā jitaḥ

anātmanastu śhatrutve vartetātmaiva śhatru-vat

பந்துராத்மாத்மனஸ்தஸ்ய யேனாத்மைவாத்மனா ஜிதஃ |

அனாத்மனஸ்து ஶத்ருத்வே வர்தேதாத்மைவ ஶத்ருவத் || 6 |

Krishna  beautifully explains that if we conquer our mind, it is our good friend.  Friend in deed is a friend in need.   If  we dont have any copntrol on our mind, it is the worst enemy we can ever have.

A good controlled and conquered mind finds  people near and far as our  well wishers and perceives them as those to be near and dear ones to be helped by us as well.  Our thoughts go out to serve them and make them happy.  The Vedic scriptures say the biggest enemies—lust, anger, greed, envy, illusion, etc  are the outcome of our minds only.  If we harbour them in our mind, then there is no need for any other enemy. We have the worst  harmful one within us. These internal enemies are even more pernicious than the outer ones. The external demons and enemies may do harm and  injure us  only for sometime.

  

We  dont live, but suffer, every moment, in fear tormented by  depression, hatred, tension, anxiety, and stress.  what else?  The fear of Corona is worse than the suffering from Corona.  Illness is not only caused by viruses and bacteria, but also by the negativities we harbor in the mind.Why this avoidable situation, when  the same mind has the potential of becoming our best friend;  all that is required is to bring it under control of the intellect, through spiritual practice.   The mind is a double edged sharp knife. can help and harm. When it can help why should we allow it to be harmful.  

Let us remember what Franklin Roosevel, American president once said  “Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their own minds.” Krishna had advocated this long before Roosevelt.

J.K. Sivan