Do the Dew. That's the advertisement of Mountain Dew.
Fears of the material world – fear of the doctor, a surgery,
a dreaded disease, a policeman with search warrants, a new start up, climactic
exams deciding destinies of children – are humungous, scary and very relevant.
But my mind transcends these. By genes or environs, I have always been haunted
since childhood by the fear of Death. Kaala and Krishna should never be
forgotten!!!Ignorance of the unknown is the root of this fear,
I know that. Even Brian Weiss’s ‘soulmates’ never return to their near and dear
ones to relate what happened to them once they had exited their respective
mortal frames.
Fortunately our scriptures address this fear and through
Parikshit (grandson of the famed warrior Arjuna) lead us out of this
inscrutable maze of Maya.Everybody (i.e. all those who are aware of it) tries to
overcome this fear in accordance with their intrinsic nature. Having blessed
with the DNA of Action and Love, I have taken refuge in Karma Yoga and Bhakti.
Karma Yoga provides relief from diverse angles. It mandates
that I perform the work – everything I do – with full dedication and as an offering
to God. Action is necessary and must be performed. The outcome of the action
will happen – maybe as I wanted or maybe not as I desired. Whatever happens, the
outcome I surrender to the Almighty. This ensures that all activities - from
the household chores of cleaning and dusting to cooking and working in the
office or running my business - are done impeccably and to the best of my
ability. The other great advantage which accrues automatically is once the
action is done with the mental attitude of making an offering to God, the
result of the action, the outcome, becomes ‘prasad’ received from God.
Karma yoga has delivered me from the fear of medical tests, doctor’s verdicts, exam results, illnesses, job interviews...This gives me equanimity. This is not easy, but developing this attitude has saved me in many harrowing situations.
Bhakti becomes easier by listening to the Gita discourses and reading the Srimad Bhagwat as well as by listening to Krishna bhajans. Saguna Bhakti is definitely more helpful for me. When asked for a choice between the two, Yashoda anytime preferred to exult in Krishna than the knowledge which would have delivered her from her fears. The gopis spurned the message of Gnyana by Uddhav for the same reasons. Udhav the mighty scholar who could answer the deepest of all queries relating to religious ethics and philosophy was rendered speechless by the depth of emotion of the gopis who had overcome all their fears through the love of Krishna.
Thus, by incorporating the philosophy of Karma Yoga, and by soaking it in love of Bhakti, I am able to rise above my fears and many a times I face my fears bravely. Complete success eludes, but it is victory enough when I feel I have moved from the initial cowering and crawling stage to the present level.
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