Man – the Master or a Slave of Machine?
By H H Maa Purnananda
“Ishwarah Sarvabhootaanaam Hriddeshearjun Tishthati; Bhraamayan Sarvabhootaani Yantraaroodhaani Maayaya.” – (Sreemad Bhagawad Geeta – 18/61)
Man makes machines and then becomes its slave! Man buys machine and then becomes its slave. Man appreciates machine and then becomes its slave. Such slavery further weakens man’s mind! Right from childhood, children are addicted to various gadgets; parents helplessly provide the gadgets to their beloved children, as if life is impossible without the gadgets! Parents themselves are completely dependent on machines. Constant association with small and big machines makes the man think, feel and work mechanically, which in turn destroys humanity, the very essence of being a human! What is happening?
Man has always been weak and man’s mind has always been stronger than him. But man’s mind itself is very weak. Then who is stronger than his weak mind? So when man suffers, he does not take the responsibility of having a weak mind, due to which he experiences the suffering. Instead, he blames the world around, the circumstances or the people for his sufferings.
The Holy Texts of Sanaatan Dharm repeatedly remind us that it is mainly due to the weakness of our own mind that we suffer. The mind “Mann” is the “Bhog Saadhanam”, “the equipment of experience”. The negative and positive impact of this “equipment” is experienced accordingly at the physical level which is the “Bhogaayatanam” - “the physical body”. It is the intellect - “Nishchayaatmika Buddhi” that decides whether it is a joyous experience or a sorrowful experience.
If the parent gets badly hurt by an innocent kick of his son who is barely a year old, it could yet be a joyous experience for the father, though causing a “black-eye”! But the same dear son, now a grown up young man, arrogant, abusive, ill-mannered and disobedient; though not hurting physically, yet could be an extremely sorrowful experience for the father. The good and bad experiences of the mind are the decisions of his intellect. It clearly indicates that based on his intellect, the mind is the enjoyer and the sufferer, and accordingly the impact of the mind comes upon the body.
The mind is made up of inert matter – “Maya”, made sentient due to the presence of the enlightening and the enlivening factor, which is the Consciousness – “Aatman”. Maya, being matter, has no strength of its own. The strength is provided by the Consciousness, which is addressed as “Ishwar”- its Master. As the Lord says in the given Shlok – “Ishwar” - The Lord, dwells in the heart of all beings, O’Arjun, causing all beings, by His “Maya” – “illusive power”, to revolve as if mounted on a machine! The mind, in other words, is “illusive”, and therefore it deludes man and compels him to revolve, as if mounted on a machine. So, instead of handling the machine, man is being handled by the machine.
Wisdom says that rather than being handled as a slave by one’s own illusive mind, would not it be advisable to be guided as His servant by the Lord and His invaluable Teachings? The Sacred Texts of Sanaatan Dharm provide complete solution to come out of the delusory “Maya”, provided, one practises as per the instructions given therein. No practice can bear the desired results without the firm foundation of faith beneath it. The word ‘Consciousness” is not sufficient to cultivate “faith”, and therefore, the Men-of-Wisdom term the same as “Ishwar”. The word “Ishwar” is associated with God, Lord, Divine and so on; hence it instantly inspires the sense of reverence and supremacy. This idea of the Supreme purity in turn cultivates faith and belief in the heart.
Finding solace in and reverence to the Higher within, one begins to cling on to it, initially at testing times. Slowly, the faith keeps deepening and ultimately this concept of the Divine within becomes an inseparable part of one’s life. Gradually, his mind gets tamed to consider the thought of the Higher Consciousness within to be greater and more beneficial than the trivial mechanical dependence upon his own illusive mind. This whole process of transformation of mind is an integral part of the seeker’s Sadhna.
Sincere Spiritual practices lead the seeker to grow out of his slavery to his mind and he no more revolves as if mounted on a machine due to the tremendous “illusive power” of the Lord; instead, having deep faith in the Lord, the seeker remains calm in every situation, handling the life prudently, facing the challenges dynamically and taking every moment joyously as the Lord’s Prasaad.
Acknowledge and accept the presence of “Sree Ishwar” within, serve “Sree Ishwar” - the Lord, deserve to get out of the slavery of your mind, and stop living a mechanical life. Fill up your life with the Holy Colours of “Sree Ishwar”, and joyously enjoy peace within.