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20 November, 2010

TEARS


When you can say it, you say it. When you are not able to say it, it comes out as tears. The mind, using the five organs of actions – namely, the hands, legs, vocal cords, anus and genitals, expresses whatever must be expressed. However, when the mind encounters very deep emotions, emotions that are beyond its comprehension, it chooses an alternative channel of expression, which are tears. People say, “I don’t know why I cried so much?” In fact, if you know why, you will not cry. It’s only when an experience incapacitates the mind, it comes out as tears. If the mind can comprehend the emotion, then it won’t comes out as tears.

Spontaneous tears are the most honest of all human expressions, as the mind isn’t involved. Of course, when I say ‘spontaneous tears’, I am not referring to the manipulative tears that are caused by a decision in order to serve as an emotional blackmail. When I say ‘spontaneous tears’ I am referring to involuntary tears.

When you can handle the loss, you talk about it. When you are not able to handle the loss, it comes out as tears. When you can express your gratitude, you say it. When your sense of gratitude is so deep that it is beyond words, tears trickle down out of gratitude. When you can talk to Him, you pray in words. When He talks to you, when you can hear the whispers of His silence, spontaneous tears trickle down.

Holding back tears is painful, causing muscle tension and chest discomfort. Controlling tears makes you sick. The muscle tension required to put on a “brave” face and to control your tears is responsible for much of your high blood pressure and coronary artery diseases. Tears that do not find expression through the eyes will cause some other organ to weep, which are the various diseases. Having a good cry is a cathartic experience, while suppressing tears create stress. It is typical for asthma sufferers to report that they do not often cry. And, after they learn to shed tears the frequency of their asthma attacks reduces.

Don’t be afraid to cry. Never be ashamed of your tears. Expressing your tears is vital to mental and physical health. Teaching boys that men do not cry is lying to them about the importance of tears. Women of today, assuming masculine roles in the workplace, have also acquired a masculine style of inhibiting tears. As a result, they are now developing disease patterns similar to that of men’s.

The whole concept of keeping a stiff upper lip is a cultural aberration against the forces of nature. Tears lubricate the pathway of emotional expression and facilitate release, allowing the process of healing to begin. Tears can bring emotional absolution and relief, making you human and whole again. Tears at the right time and in the right place have such healing powers as to make them seem almost holy.

Tears confirm you are still capable of deep emotions. Tears reveal you are able to feel deeply. Tears simply mean you are still human. If something is worth your love, it is worth your tears.

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Courtesy: Frozen thoughts magazine.
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14 November, 2010

EFFICACY OF BLESSINGS



Question

In Daily life, we see elders give asirvad or blessings. What is their efficacy? How does it work and what is its matrix like? Very often we find that it fails to give the intended result. Even mass prayers do not meet with the desired outcome. Are these merely good wishes then? If so, why are they given so much importance in the Hindu Religion?

Answer:

All religions of the world praise the power of prayer. Offerings of prayers have been prescribed by scriptures in all religions and cultures. Hindu religion is no exception. In fact, it is said that prayers offered with sincerity, devotion and surrender to the Lord yield the best long-term results that are appropriate and the beneficial to the individual. And in many cases, they do give the desired results. However, your point that some times they do not seem to give desired results is also valid. Let us analyse both view points.

Our Rishis have recommended inculcating the practice of daily prayers in our life from our childhood as part of our daily rituals, for the sake of obtaining blessings of the Lord and, in some cases, for the sake of obtaining worldly objects. These are practices prescribed by the Vedas. According to our tradition, these practices are for attaining, dharma, artha, kama or moksa. Of course, faith in these practices is a primary requisite to obtain any positive result. Our prayers or hymns also include the phala sruti which indicates the result which will accrue if the prayer is under taken sincerely for a certain period of time. This shows that prayers and blessings certainly work. Let us see how.

Prayers are performed for purification of mind and the blessings gained from these prayers are directed towards the soul (jiva), not necessarily the physical entity (body). The soul is the beneficiary of our prayers. Also, prayers either at Karma (action) level or vak (special) level will yield two types of results, the seen (drsta) and the unseen (adrsta) results. Seen results, as the word suggests, is the evident result which we can see or experience, whereas the unseen result is not immediately available for experience. Prayers and blessings are designed to give more ‘unseen results’ or ‘adrsta phalam’ which are in the form of peace of mind and merits (punya) for the soul. These merits will then express as joy in the life of that soul (jiva). Therefore, if there is an expectation of receiving certain types of results from the prayers we offer, and these results are not ‘seen’, we easily derive the wrong conclusion that prayers and blessings are ineffective.

Blessings by a great sage or mahatma are special. Mahatma are known to have given up their individuality or reduced it to a great extent, they identify themselves with the totality. Because of this and the lack of selfishness in their lives, their prayers or blessings are more effective than those of ordinary individuals and will yield desired results.

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Source: Br, Prabodh Chaitain, Chinmaya Mission, Tapovan Prasad Aug 2010.
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