All of us on the path of this illusionary existence at some time or the other begin to ask ourselves the question, ‘who we are and what are we doing living this life? As we begin to hear this question we begin to get lost in thought. Pondering over it, many options begin to come up. Thoughts which are like wild horses begin to flint across our mind terrain.
Generally people would respond –‘to work and provide for the family, fulfill their needs and make enough money and retire well.’ Some will say something like,’ See my children through their careers and settle them down’. I have met many who believe get married and have a happy life while the young brood today feel marriage is over rated and say they want to live life in the fast lane. Some will speak about travel and seeing places but most will nonchalantly insist – making lots of money. A few will say to be happy and be at peace. Nothing of the above is wrong or right. All of us have our own priorities and work towards them diligently.
While on this karmic path we come across many crossroads and plunge into conflict. Should I buy a car now or save enough for the wedding of my son. Should I get married now or wait for my promotion. Should I wait for my child to go to full day school and then start working? Should I turn 40 and then decide to pursue my dream of playing the guitar. Should I keep a cook so that I can concentrate on returning home and spending some relaxed time with the family? Must I wait for a reward to come my way or grab it? Relationships get embroiled and baked in the pursuit of our desires. Why must my father love my brother more than me; Why is my wife not being loyal to me; what wrong have I done for my grandfather to leave all his property to my cousins; is it the right time to have a child or should we wait. Is it time for me to turn religious? The list is endless. It begins with the mundane and goes to the sublime. We get caught in I should or I should not’s.
These conflicts enmesh our life and make us into these doubting creatures for which nothing seems to be going right. Our mind continuously moves like a ping pong ball and returns without much reward. This continues and similar to the conflict that got the great archer Arjuna to ask Lord Krishna as he stood on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, his hands folded in front of the Lord for deliverance. He was caught in the eternal battle of should I or should I not. He like most of us attaches our source of happiness to our family and friends. We begin to believe that our existence is entrenched in their happiness. We grow up with feeling upset and guilty if we are told, ‘It’s because of you ...that I feel so bad.’ We begin the futile journey of pleasing others so that no one points a finger at us. We are in this constant conflict of wanting to feel safe from the barbs thrown at us. Our confidence goes for a toss and we begin to create in our mind a distorted self image and in time to come an unreal world view.
Our world view is one where people are out to make us feel small and insignificant. The swarm of faces are looking at what wrong I am up to. I must believe the comments of my contemporaries for they know best. My parents are experienced and so their choices must be mine. If the newspaper headlines scream, ‘Corruption is the King’, then I must be wary of the next head honcho I meet. After a few years I get caught in the web of deceit I have created with my belief. I am now this creature I refuse to recognize and surprisingly the world tells me, ‘You have changed!’ I wonder, when did they have the time to notice?’ so now like Arjuna my conflict is visible to me and I need help. All along I let the world pass by me and refused to take active action so that I could be happy. I never thought I should be happy. This was one should I could have achieved without anyone’s help.
Are we not all Arjuna’s caught in this war of should I or should I not? All around us we are surrounded by what is questionable, confusing and possibly disturbing. There is a constant search within us to do what is approved by society and yet we question the very society‘s hypocritical stance. When a child scores good grades he is applauded while in the next exam when the marks don’t come the same child is ridiculed. The conflict begins in the mind of the child. Who am I? The marks at the end of the year define my identity or are my marks only a small fraction of who I am? The wife rewarded by her mother in law for the delicious food she has made is the very next moment humiliated for her laziness. The husband awarded brickbats for forgetting his wife’s birthdays is cajoled to take her out for dinner. All of us are consistently caught in a dilemma. Just like Arjuna who needed to decide on whose side he was on we are also being forced to take sides. This is making us very uncomfortable. We are also being told to string our bow and shoot. Who is telling us? Society norms, cultural dikhats, parental conditioning, peer transactions, personal ambitions, material desires, family pressures, childhood expectations or ghosts from the past. The inner voice says, Let it be; let it go; it’s not worth it, but alas! We are so mystified by personal indulgence and excitement that our dismay is subtly turned into pleasure. This leads us into a quagmire of delusion and the war begins within our mind. We sacrifice our inner voice or divinity or Krishna consciousness and become perplexed. We forget who we are and exist in mayhem.
My Guide Manu whispers that The Age of Arjuna will last the next two centuries and the upheavals will be encountered in all sections of society. There will be a rise of disorder and delirium in the relationships between mankind and nations. Misunderstandings and uncertainty will bring forth the Kurukshetra between our minds. Explorations of the surreal will emerge in a big way. The ability of people to delve into the inner crevices of the soul will be nurtured.
We the Arjuna’s will slowly walk away from conflict. We will learn that the voice of wisdom lies within us and he will begin to search inwards. For the next Sat Yuga to rise there is still time but all the Arjunas of the world will unite and begin the process of change and transformation by 2050. The warriors have started standing up. They are visible with their fierce determination, broad interests and emotional questioning. The smart and manipulative Durydhanas are on their way out. Scams and secret deals are going to be exposed and their conniving ways will take them to the gallows. As Arjunas we have to motivate others, show and act our roles so that many follow us and take heed of the New Age.
There are a few arrows to get us on target:-
Ø The path of service must be explored and experienced. Each one of us must do voluntary service in orphanages, missionaries and begin the formations of New Enlightened Workspaces where each person becomes an angel of light and walks their talk.
Ø Our home is our playground of primal emotions. We must bow down to all who live with us every day. Say to them, ‘I bow down to the lord in you.’ Treat them exactly how you would worship the Lord.
Ø When someone gets angry with you prepare a shield in front of your physical body. As soon as the nasty words are fired with great compassion allow them to reflect back. Your calm demeanor will encourage the opposite person to stop quicker than before and very soon he will release the futility of his reactivity.
Ø Every night begin to sit together in a circle with all your loved ones. Hold hands and close your eyes. Just allow yourself to feel the pulse of the other. Begin to transmit a positive confident thought, ‘From this moment you are feeling confident and caring. You are flowing with the divine energy of love and loving every moment of your life.’
Ø Before you sleep for a few minutes allow and accept who you are. Say to yourself, ‘I allow and accept who I am. I am an infinite and multidimensional image of ALL THAT IS.’
Ø As your day begins to include some of these actions your karmic script will begin to transform and from your disturbed or confused present you will tread towards an amazing bright future. All of us will progress towards light... the light in us and embrace the light in others. Together we will become enlightened.
“One step out of darkness propels the world into light”
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