Monday Musings Episode 210 - Penance of Mind

Monday Musings Episode 210 - Penance of Mind

MONDAY MUSINGS SEASON 2 - EPISODE 210

Penance of Mind

22nd May 2023

Fight for the sake of duty, treating alike happiness and distress, loss and gain, victory and defeat. Fulfilling your responsibility in this way, you will never incur sin – Bhagavad Gita 2.38
Treat Every success as a failure & every failure as a success.

Because we introspect on our failures, hyper-critical of the entire process and ask questions to zero in on the lessons. We don’t do this on success, and we must reflect on our success as well.

By reflective thinking immediately after you succeed, and before celebrating, you will increase your self-discipline and willpower along the way.

"Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up." - Thomas A. Edison

#PenanceOfMind

Penance is not only for our body. We can practice our mind as well. When do we say it is penance of mind? Lord Krishna explains what are required to exercise our beautiful as well as powerful mind in Bhagavad Gita sloka 17.16. Let us see what they are:

मन: प्रसाद: सौम्यत्वं मौनमात्मविनिग्रह: |
भावसंशुद्धिरित्येतत्तपो मानसमुच्यते- Bhagavad Gita 17.16

Transliteration - manaḥ-prasādaḥ saumyatvaṁ maunam ātma-vinigrahaḥ

bhāva-sanśhuddhir ity etat tapo mānasam uchyate

Translation - Cheerfulness, gracefulness, silence, self-control, purity of intent, these are called penance of the mind.

Shri Krishna lists the qualities that can lead to penance of mind.

1.    He begins with prasaadaha, cheerful, joyful attitude towards whatever life offers. It comes from maintaining our balance and composure in troublesome as well as in happy situations. This goes to prove the adage “Happiness is a state of mind”. Being cheerful is in our mind than in the situations we face.

2.    Saumyatvam refers to developing a gentleness and gracefulness when dealing with people. It requires us to remain free from negative attitudes towards people that manifest as jealousy, hatred, etc.

3.    The next quality is maunam. Literally, maunam mean silence, but here it means silence that comes out of contemplation. Silence also signifies the importance of listening than speaking. Introspecting in silence helps the next trait ie exercising self-control on our words and actions.

4.    We cannot stop negative thoughts from arising in our mind, but we can always control how much time and attention we give to such thoughts. Whenever such negative thoughts arise, we should be able to switch to a positive thought immediately. Doing so requires high levels of self-control or aatma vinigrahaha. If we do not learn how to do this, the mind will hold onto a negative thought and get swept away in a mental whirlpool of negativity.

5.    bhāva-sanśhuddhir. Training your mind to be cheerful, graceful, introspect and exercise self-control when required will develop ‘purity of intent’. What is ‘purity of intent’?

#PurityOfIntent

If you want to succeed, you have to acquire the most fundamental ingredient of success and that is purity of intention. If your intention is pure, you will gain determination and inner strength naturally. ‘Purity of intention’ is not alluding to any notion of nobility or morality. ‘Purity Of Intention’ is simply being true to your cause and that you are honest with yourself.

The first step to attain ‘purity of intent’ is to get the clarity on what you want and be honest about what you want.

#AbundantUniverse

Here is an interesting story:

An old church was badly in need of repairs. The cost of renovation was estimated at $100,000 but no one showed voluntary interest to donate. At the conclusion of Sunday Mass, the pastor announced to a hall full of members, “I’ve got good news and bad news. Which do you want first?”

“Let us start with good news!” the majority said.

“Well then,” the pastor spoke excitedly, “the good news is that we’ve got the $100k needed to renovate the church!”

The announcement received a thunderous applause.

“Now, the bad news, ladies and gentlemen,” he said, drawing himself closer to the mic. “That money is still in your pockets.”

Whatever required to realize our intent in life are already there in the universe. It’s the purity of intention that brings those resources together. If you are not confused about what you want and your actions align with your intention, you are well on your way to success.

For someone whose intention is pure, who is sincere in his/her endeavor, nothing is a barrier. If you stay true to your real intent, it will help you make better choices. Anytime you have to make a decision, simply examine your intention and you will know which way to move.

எண்ணங்களின் உயர்வு ஏற்றங்களில் நிறைவு  - ஜெகந்நாதன்
Enhance your thoughts and elevate yourself - Jaganathan

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#GOOD_NEWS_COLUMN

#DwarapureddyChandraMouli, the son of a watchman from Visakhapatnam, will soon begin his post-graduate programme in management at the prestigious Indian Institute of Management - Ahmedabad (IIM-A). So many graduate from IIM-A, But what sets Mouli apart is that he has achieved this feat despite losing all four of his limbs in a terrible accident. Mouli came into contact with a live wire while retrieving his sister's ring from a shed in front of his house. The doctors were forced to amputate all four of his limbs to save him. However, Mouli's spirit remained unbroken.

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He was hospitalized for almost three months at King George Hospital (KGH). But his family and friends stood by him and helped him all through those testing times by offering emotional, physical, and psychological support. They devoted their time and helped him avoid emotional distress or social withdrawal."

Mouli then got himself a law degree and took up a job with Amazon. However, his sights were set on something bigger. He always wanted to make it big in life and started preparing for the Common Admission Test (CAT) on his own. He took advantage of public online video-sharing and social media platforms like YouTube, which helped him crack the competitive exam. He scored 87 percentile in the CAT (in the persons with disabilities category) and would now begin his MBA classes at IIM-A in June.

Mouli's father, D Venkata Ramana, said, "Taking head on the loss of his limbs, he focused on what could be done rather than what was lost and could not be undone." Several years ago, the father moved his family to Narsipatnam, a town about 100 kilometers from Visakhapatnam, for his children's education. Venkata Ramana, who ran a small business earlier, is now working as a watchman at the state government's BC welfare hostel in Narsipatnam. He has taken out a bank loan to ensure that his son can live his dream at IIM-A.

Mouli's story is one of resilience, determination, and the unwavering support of family and friends. Despite the immense adversity he has faced, he has refused to let his disabilities hold him back. Instead, he used his willpower, intelligence, and the tools at his disposal to overcome the challenges and achieve his goals. His story is an inspiration to all, showing that with hard work and perseverance, anything is possible.

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Conceived, compiled and posted by Jaganathan T (www.authorjaganathan.com) as a weekly newsletter 'MONDAY MUSINGS' every monday so that the readers can start their work week in a positive frame of mind.

RinTchen Kang

CCO at LeoTechnosoft-LTS Secure

1y

so true

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