Anxiety, tension, stress, depression – these have become an integral part of modern life. The WHO has declared that mental diseases are going to be the greatest health hazard of the present century. Mental diseases gradually transform either into a variety of physical ailments known as psychosomatic diseases or they can transform into addictive drives such as smoking, drinking, drug addiction, which also destroy the body. Thus the diseased mind poses an enormous threat to the entire human race .
When a bodily tissue causes pain to a person it is considered to be diseased. Similarly when mind is causing trouble to us it should also be considered diseased. What is it that makes the mind sick? Modern psychology offers little understanding of what the mind actually is & provides practically no way of curing it of its disease. The Vedic scriptures of ancient India explain that the mind is a reservoir of thoughts, unfulfilled desires & past experiences. When the mind is filled with self-destructive desires, it is considered to be sick. Lust, anger, greed, pride, envy & illusion are considered to be deadly germs, which infect the mind. Among these, the Bhagavad-gita declares lust, anger & greed to be gateways to hell. These not only lead a person to hell but they create hellish existence for him even in this life. Let us see how.
Lust creates uncontrolable sexual urges, which destroy the intelligence of a person & compel him to bestial acts. Sex may be seen to be a natural biological drive but modern society with its glaring rotted imaging has made it into an obsessive psychological compulsion. People bombarded from all direction with obscene images living state of artificial sexual stimulation & perpetual mental agitation created due to lust is enormous. A person infected by lust can never be peaceful because lust can never be satisfied; when lust is satisfied it transforms into greed & when not satisfied it transforms into anger.
Modern society with its constant emphasis on consumerism & increases greed is the hearts of people. A greedy person craves for far more than what he needs is life. This craving deprives him of all mental peace. The hope of acquiring more & more naturally leads to anxiety & agitation of the mind, because no matter how much he achieves or acquires, a person victimised by greed can find no fulfillment ever.
Anger makes a person speak words and perpetuate acts, which cause immense suffering to people around him including especially those whom he loves & to even himself. People savour scenes of ghastly violence in movie & then wonder why, in fits of anger, they loose control over themselves. The GIGO( garbage in garbage out) computer principle is at work. In our modern times, many highly talented and successful personalities have been ruined by these mental enemies. For example, Bill Clinton was destroyed by lust, Hansei Cronje by greed and Mike Tyson by anger.
Thus if we want our mental health to be restored, then we need to carefully avoid exposing ourselves to pornographic obscene literature & imagery. We need to protect ourselves from being captivated by the illusory glitter of the consumer culture, before it consumes our whole existence & we need to avoid exposing ourselves to scenes & situations involving needless violence.
Over & above all these preventive measures, in order to destory the germs which have already infected our minds and to immunize ourselves from further infections, we need to take the spiritual medicine of mantra. manas trayate iti mantrah A mantra is a sound vibration which is specially empowered to free the mind from anxiety. Indeed mantra is actually spiritual power encased in sound. Among all the mantras described by the Vedic scriptures, the Hare Krishna mahamantra is the most important. One who regularly & attentively chants the mahamantra : Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Ram Hare Ram Ram Ram Hare Hare will be able to access inner mental strength which will empower him to face the ups & downs of life without being unduly disturbed.
The holy name is like a mental cleanser, which removes the unwanted influences of lust, anger, greed, etc. & thus creates mental hygiene & health. Millions of people all over the world have experienced the purifying potency of this mantra. During the period of the counterculture in the US in 1960s and 1970s, Srila Prabhupada, one of the greatest exponent’s of India’s ancient wisdom, propagated the congregational chanting of the Holy Names and saved thousands of young people from a condemned life of drug addiction. Protected and empowered by mantra meditation, we can all learn to live lives that are natural, peaceful, satisfying, meaningful and constructive. Would you not like to attain your right of mental serenity and wisdom.
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Investigating Reality from the Higher Dimensional
Perspective of Vedic Wisdom |