Deal with Inner Conflicts: Learn to avoid, suppress and withdraw

By Ram ShankerTiwari

Our mind works continuously till we breathe last. Our intellect creates our Karma. Our desires and ego produce conflicts by making continuous demands. Hence we remain unhappy and agitated even though we may possess enormous prosperity and power. Such a conflict within our inner self goes on all through life and we feel tossed in the tsunami of longings in our mind. How to come out successfully from this conflict? How to attain happiness and filfilment? The author, Dr. Ram Shankar Tiwari, in this book, 'Deal with Inner Conflict' provides answers to such troublesome questions. Herein the wisdom of the ancient knowledge, an analysis of the self, connected with our attitude towards life have been blended together to achieve practical as well as spiritual enlightenment.

• Language: English
• Publisher: V&S Publishers
• Release date: Jan 9, 2017
• ISBN: 9789350578285

Book preview

Introduction

The Divine Song of Action

One must contemplate and thoroughly reflect upon the teachings of Gitā; then other treatises of knowledge are not required because the Gitā has been directly narrated by Lord Krishna Himself.

Mahabharat, Bhisma Parva 43 (1)

The Srimadbhagwad Gitā is a divine poetry in which love, devotion, action, grace and philosophy of life as well as creation have been harmoniously synthesized. This is an art of living and a science of fulfillment. It has been accepted and lauded by all: both from east and west:

Comparatively, our modern world and its literature appear to be insignificant and of little worth.

Henery Thory

It is an experience as if a Kingdom is addressing to us; nothing is small or superfluous, rather all is grand, serene and immutable …!

Emerson

The Gitā is a bouquet composed of the beautiful flowers of spiritual truths collected from the Upanishads.

Swami Vivekananda

The Gitā is one of the clearest and most comprehensive summaries of the perennial philosophy ever to have been done. Hence it’s enduring value, not only for Indians, but for all mankind… The Bhāgavadgitā is perhaps the most systematic spiritual statement of the perennial philosophy. Aldous Huxley

The Gitā is the Vedānta: the essence of Vedas and Upanishads; the elixir extracted from the pristine knowledge of Vedas. In Hindu religion, it is the nuclear scripture. Through the flow of millennia, all the faiths of the world, which were subsequently founded, have imbibed several aspects of the Gitā in varied forms; the golden brilliance of the Gitā thus spread all-over the world, not remaining restricted to one religion or one geographic region. This knowledge has become an integral part of the philosophy of humanity and the human clan in totality.

In the unique dialogue of Gitā, all fundamental systems of faiths and their basic structures have been reflected; it is a synthesis of universal wisdom by adapting to which a balanced way of living could be achieved. Hence, the Gitā can never be delimited within the framework of time-space. With regard to its universality, the Gitā must be understood as ‘spiritual psychology’, because innate tendency of human beings exhibits inborn leaning towards achieving divine characters. The Gitā puts forth such a device which instigates our mind to search the Reality of Existence, to comprehend the Primordial Power, and to enter the unknown dimensions of the human mind. By walking on the path enlightened by the Gitā, we become capable of strengthening our convictions and evolving our values of life; this enriches our experiences. Our turmoil and upheavals are pacified, and there comes a serene synchronization between our life-style and the existence.

Gitā’s greatness does not require any favourable judgment from us; it means, the wisdom is pre-eminently celestial and radiantly brilliant; whether we sing a song in its appreciation or not, the Gitā remains eternally graceful and elegant. Yet, in spite of this, we try to imbibe its blissful, splendid beauty in our being.

Lord Krishna Himself narrates in admiration of the Gitā:

Yogi, knowing this secret, transcends beyond the fruits which one is bestowed by the study of Vedas and from performance of sacrifices, austerity, devotion, or charity, etc. Such a yogi gets absolved from the cycle of life and death and establishes in the highest abode of the Lord, attaining the Supreme.

In other words, the Gitā recognizes Yoga as the best path for achieving knowledge. Study of religious treatises, austerity and liberal donations are also established means to gain spiritual experience, no doubt, but the one who follows the path of meditation surpasses all others; his mind achieves permanent tranquility, serenity, and equanimity. By way of meditation one gets all supernatural capabilities in unobstructed manner – without troublesome efforts, unlike other paths. The truth remains that by adopting the technique of yoga, the personality of the devotee blossoms forth and ultimately all his desires, tendencies and conceptual prejudices are melted and infused into the realm of peace.

The power of discriminative intellect expands the consciousness of a yogi. And, in the end, such an adept achieves self-awareness which is the abode of the Absolute. On the way, such a practitioner does not get entangled into agitation created by desires for fruition of his efforts.

Evidently, the Gitā is the original fountain of Yoga. It is a dynamic supporter to achieve the goal of happiness in life.

In the last chapter of the Gitā, while summing up, Sri Krishna takes Arjuna to the subtlest level of this wisdom; He says that without a thorough cleansing of one’s mind, it would be an attempt in futility to comprehend or to practise this path; it may not yield benediction to a fifthly, cluttered mind.

This is never to be spoken by you to one who is devoid of austerities or devotion, not to one who does not render service, not to one who desires not to listen, not to one who cavils at Me.

This statement points out that an intensive faith and unshakable belief is mandatory for imbibing this wisdom. In addition, there must not be any conflict or doubt in the mind of the seeker. One must be benevolent, wishing to do good, actively friendly and helpful and charitable; one must be inquisitive for seeking knowledge and a rock-believer in the supremacy of the Almighty. Only such aspirant may be totally blessed with the approbation from Above.

That man also, who hears this, full of faith and without malice, he too, liberated, shall attain to the happy worlds of those righteous deeds.

Faith is that faculty of human intellect by which subtle meanings of spiritual sagacity and Viveka could be understood. There remains no place for doubt, uncertainty or emptiness when our heart is filled with unquestioned trust and belief. The faith comes to flowering when there is a total intellectual surrender at the altar of the Almighty.

Another necessary factor includes non-resistance, lack of disgust or disliking. No hindrance should be created by our mind in the continuous flow of the knowledge; no blockade in the stream of wisdom: as it trickles down naturally, let it play freely. Then only we will be able to quench our thirst for knowledge.

In the modern context, we are subjected to slavery of absurdities around us. We feel rejected and dejected amid the explosion of our unfulfilled desires. Consequently, we are caught up in the violent cycle of depression. Although affluence weds us, in the end we experience a total defeat.

Yet, the Gitā promises:

Wherever is Krishna, the Yogiraj, wherever is Partha, the archer, there are prosperity, victory, happiness, and steady policy; this is my conviction.

This fact was expressed by Sanjay who was narrating details of Mahabharata war to the blind king Dhritarāshtra. Sri Krishna was established in Yoga, completely unified with the dynamic Awareness, righteously a sharp analyst, and prudent performer of action (Karmayogi); Arjuna was an invincible warrior, courageous fighter, calm and intelligent prince. Thus, according to Sanjay, the victory had to be on the side of Sri Krishna and Arjuna.

If you wish to earn prosperity, virtuous bases of action, contentment, and ultimate freedom (moksha) encompassed by the melody of happiness and peace, you must cultivate characteristics of Sri Krishna and Arjuna, Yogishwar and Yogi – maybe in minuscule degrees, to start with, because: Yogi is always happy and contended; he neither grieves for someone, nor expects something for himself.

Summary:

Almost similar mentality pervades through the minds of humans, all-over the world. This is a natural trait.

Toiling to ‘have’ abundance in excessive materialism, we usually become empty.

We don’t ‘be’ abundant.

We search for support of mutable, not that of the immutable.

Ancient wisdom extends powerful support to us to solve the problems of our life.

The Gitā is the in-affable edition of wisdom.

Knowledge can never be imbibed without faith.

Tranquility can never be achieved without knowledge.

Where does fulfillment lie without inner peace?

Hate germinates conflict.

There is confusion in rituals and fanaticism.

Where there are dynamic awareness and action, there are prosperity and moral rectitude.

Patience, kindness and incessant judicious actions lead to well-being and autonomy.

Yet we have many pertinent questions:

How can we survive the agony and worries in this world, and how can we escape the turmoil of mental tsunami cyclones in life? How can the psychological approach of the Gitā help us in this battle with emotional typhoons?

We shall see satisfactory answers in the following pages.

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Chapter – 1

Tsunami of Mind

Tsunami is a Japanese word which is used for the horrid death-dance of oceanic waves created by violent tornado and torrent of wind, and downpour of rain. It is a vault and salutation of annihilation: sea waves appear to engulf the sky; tidal force breaks the barrier of sea-shore and invades the dwelling, encroaching miles of land; cataclysm occurs in a wide-spread region; high velocity wind rages and unimaginable destruction giggles. Several ships, boats, plants and vegetation, houses and hutments, and inhabitants of countryside, animals, creatures and birds – all come in the clutches of body-thirsty Tsunami. Life structure at sea as well as nearby land is shattered and strewn far-and-wide, like a palace of straw. Loss of life, property and ecology happens to be incalculable. Holocaust, trauma, the great doom!

In the month of December, 2004, a furious tsunami had struck the south-eastern region of Asia – it is known to all. Also, in the current year tsunami has struck again at many areas of Pacific shore. The geo-scientists say that such havoc occurs because of subsurface movements of rocks under the oceanic bed. Extensive ‘cracks’ are developed below in the crust under the water-body – the mega-cracks which can swallow huge mountains! Subsequently, earthquakes are triggered off and the crust of the earth expands a little, disturbing the critical balance of the geo-dynamics in that region. As a result, the ocean ‘boils’ up. Lofty waves try to engulf the sky.

Tsunami does not occur at defined interval of time, hence it’s unpredictable: Erratic! Whenever and wherever a tension develops in the layers of sediments, it results into pull, push and thrust therein, and, at times, the flow of lava, deep down in the earth, increases; then the blanket of the earth below the sea-bed becomes uneasy, agitated and full of turmoil, causing tsunami, disturbing even the atmosphere.

In the minds