STRESS DELUSION AND CONFLICTS: DR. SHRINIWAS
KASHALIKAR

We are taught to stand, walk, jump, run, talk, read, write and many such skills! But we are not inspired and guided to know and be ourselves! In fact we don’t even seem to realize that such inspiration and guidance; is even needed!

This statement may appear strange; but if we ponder over it; a bit seriously; then we would be convinced about it.

As a result we live; reflexly, superficially and casually; in accordance with the stimuli impinging and interacting with our sense organs, endocrine glands, autonomic nervous system and central nervous system; from environment inside and outside our body! This amounts to being in the imprisonment of our subjective and individualistic realm; with ever increasing dissatisfaction and not living in the state of freedom of being ourselves.

Since we are not trained to yearn and be ourselves; the process of decent and shackling in our pettiness continues.
Our petty choices compete with and continue to sabotage our sublime urges springing from the depths our being; and drag us to into perennial and infectious abyss.

This kind of life full of delusions about our true identity; dragging and drowning us in those petty delusions; is the root cause of stress, anarchy, chaos, degeneration and decay in individual and global life; in the form of inappropriate perspective, policies and actions; at individual and global levels.

These delusions that our physical senses, endocrine glands, autonomic nervous system and central nervous system inputs are ETERNAL (mere thought of loss of these causes depression, fear and misery); are not usually discussed in psychology, sociology, politics and stress management etc.

In absence of Total Stress Management; all the piecemeal and superficial efforts towards; globalization, development, progress, advancement, modernization, health care, charity and stress management; are bound to fail, in blossoming us and the universe!

Total Stress Management, the core of which is NAMASMARAN; embodies; knowing and being our true selves; and expressing ourselves in perspective, policy making, planning, execution and administration at all levels! This ensures; moment to moment contentment and fulfillment to our innate core i.e. our true self.


But what is NAMASMARAN?

Namasmaran usually embodies; remembering the name of God, Guru, great souls; such as prophets and whatever is considered as holy e.g. planets and stars. It is remembered silently, loudly, along with music, dance, along with breathing, in group or alone. Further, NAMASMARAN is either counted by some means such as fingers, rosary (called SMARANI or JAPAMALA), or electronic counter; or practiced without counting. The traditions vary from region to region and from religion to religion.

However the universal principle underlying
NAMASMARAN is to reorient our physiological and social being with; our true self and establish and strengthen the bond between; our physiological and social being; with our true self; and finally reunification or merger with actually being; our true self!

Since individual consciousness is the culmination of every activity in life; and NAMASMARAN the pinnacle of or culmination of individual consciousness; NAMASMARAN is actually opening the final common pathway to objective or cosmic consciousness; so that individual consciousness in every possible activity gets funneled into or unified with He (our true SELF)!

Thus NAMASMARAN is in fact the YOGA of YOGA in the sense that it is the culmination of consciousness associated with every possible procedure and technique in the yoga that we are familiar with; and also because; it embodies the cosmic consciousness in which culminate all the activities in the universe!

It is YOGA of YOGA; also because everybody in the world irrespective of his/her tradition and the beliefs; would eventually, ultimately and naturally reach it; in the process of liberation. Even so called non believers also would ascend into this YOGA; as they may remember their TRUE SELF through one symbol or another!

Just as NAMASMARAN is YOGA of YOGA it is meditation of meditation also! This is because the natural and ultimate climax of every form of meditation; is remembering true self or merging with cosmic consciousness effortlessly!

In short NAMSMARAN is super-bounty of cosmic consciousness for every individual to realize it (cosmic consciousness)! This is truly a super-bounty because a person, who experiences it, rises above mercenary, commercial and even professional and charity planes and manifests super- transactions in his or her life! This is SUPERLIVING.

These are just few observations to give rough idea about what is NAMASMARAN. NAMASMARAN is an ocean of bliss. Its true meaning is beyond description in words and has to b experienced, not by one or few persons sporadically; but by billions!

The last point is; NAMASMARAN would certainly enlighten, empower and enable some people; out of those billions practicing NAMASMARAN; to evolve, guide and consolidate the global conscience and thereby manifest global unity and harmony and justice, through globally benevolent proper policies!

NAMASMARAN should not be blindly believed or blindly disbelieved with casual approach! It has to be taken seriously and studied, thought over, argued, discussed etc. But all doubts vanish through practice only; and we then realize that NAMASAMARAN has to be practiced, encouraged, taught, preached, advised, imparted, promoted, and advertised with TOP PRIORITY for individual and global blossoming.

STRESS AND SUCCESS: DR. SHRINIWAS KASHALIKAR

The implicit implication of the question; “How are you?” is “Whether we have succeeded in conquering the struggle of life (stress); or it is taking the better out of us”!

We usually answer “fine or OK” and get rid of the question! This is because there is nothing much to talk about our success or failure; in terms of monetary profit, political power, competition success etc. Sometimes; if we have earned excess of money, fame, popularity and power; and are euphoric about it; we say “We are on top of the world!” On the contrary; if we have failed in getting all these; then we are frustrated and give outlet to it in some other way and feel hurt for having lost self respect and dignity. In that case we may expect sympathy and help and may or may not get it!

The content of the word “success”; however; becomes more and more profound; as we mature; and develop global and holistic perspective! We begin to understand that success at different age and in different situations can vary tremendously.

Thus for a new born baby the first breath is the greatest success as it makes difference between life and death. Similarly; getting few drops of water can be a great success; for a farmer in famine.
But in general; the success can be comprehended holistically; in following manner!

The first step to success is to understand that there is a problem (stress); and that; it can be managed. The second step is to get holistic solutions to it. The third step is to be able to crystallize and apply them; or articulate them. The fourth step to success; is to understand the scope and limitations of the solutions; in a given individual, situation, time frame, and on an individual or global canvas; and accept it happily without grumbling. The fifth step to success; is surrendering the endeavors, which we thought as “ours” to the source from where they sprang! The sixth step is surrendering ourselves; to; and merging with our own immortal source!

All these six steps apply to every individual; irrespective of age, sex, occupation, caste, creed, religion, race and nationality. Every step may involve years or even decades; depending o the nature of stress or problems.

The example of success in Total Stress Management can be described as follows. The first step of success is; recognizing the stress of mortal life and the second is; getting the holistic solutions. The third step is; crystallizing and applying i.e. treading the path of Total Stress Management and articulating and sharing the details of the sojourn; with others. The fourth step is to happily accept the result; as the solutions have their own scope and limitations. The fifth step of success is; surrendering the endeavors, which we thought as “ours” to the “source” from where they spring. The sixth step of the success; is to return to immortal source of the solutions and be immortal!!!

NAMA (BRAHMA) is the immortal source of holistic solutions to individual and global stress. NAMASMARAN is the process of growth and maturity; so as to recognize the stress, comprehend it holistically, get the holistic solutions, crystallize, apply and share them with others, accept the result (determined by several factors) happily, return the whole endeavor to NAMA from where it springs gratefully; and return to NAMA for ever to be immortal!

STRESS AND CHANGE: DR. SHRINIWAS KASHALIKAR

Many of us; are under STRESS because of some unknown and irresistible obsession and compulsion to change the situation in which we live. Often we think of changing the world, society, family members; and sometimes ourselves!

However rarely do we spend time in going to the root of our obsession, compulsion and the stress!

We use the word “change” frequently; but do we understand its purport?

The next question is; what do we imply; by “changing the world”?

What exactly in the world do we want to change?

Do we want to change the looks of the sky?

Do we want to change the way of lightening?

Do we want to change the way Sodium hydroxide reacts with hydrochloric acid?

If we observe carefully, then we realize that; “change” as is noticed, observed or desired by us; is our perception; subject to the capabilities and interpretations of our brain and our technological competence.

When the changes are beyond our range; of observation and interpretation; then we do not perceive or recognize them. In fact; the world is changing to far greater extent than we believe; and with much faster speed than we can imagine! Even every fraction of a moment is full of myriads of changes!

For us; “change” simply means; “change in whatever we see as the causes of ‘our’ discomfort”! It is obvious that this is a very subjective and fractional perception of the vast reality of the millions of events (changes) already taking place beyond our perception and imagination in the universe!

We are restless to change; the global, national or local circumstances (which do not suit us; and hence are “bad”); to suit our subjective physical, instinctual, emotional, intellectual and spiritual needs and desires (“good”).

Our needs and desires could be in terms of our hunger, thirst, security etc. Or they could be; physical lust, whims and fancies, craving to govern, craving to control. They also could be our obsession of an ideological prototype or a blue print; of the world, nation, province, town, village, institution, family or an individual.

Thus; if we try to change the circumstances or other person coercively and violently for our sexual needs, then we call it “crime”! If we try to sermonize and persuade the people for changing the world; then we call it “mission”!

Thus the quality of “change” we seek; varies from crime to mission! It is possible to introspect and find out what we are implying when we want to “change”.

Actually; our desire for change is a result of restlessness within; because of millions of metabolic, hormonal, neurohormonal and neural reactions and interactions; and their various permutations combinations. We must remember that we do not create all these! Further, the restlessness is compounded by the billions of interactions between all these; and those going on outside our body!

Hence let us understand that; our perception that the world is not “good”; actually means; “the interactions between us and the world are discomforting for us”! Hence it is obvious that we seek comfort; when we say we want to “change”!

But we, the world; and the interactions between us and the world; keep on changing beyond our perceptions of “bad” and “good”; we keep get dragged and the STRESS continues unchanged!

The nonliving entities, the plants and the animals do not seem to be under STRESS and do not seem to need any change in the world!

Thus the idea (ideology, obsession, struggle, mission etc) of “changing the world” is born out of the conflict between the perceptions dominated by the evolved parts of our cerebral cortex and limbic system versus the perceptions dominated by our general and special somatic and visceral sensations, hormones and autonomic nervous system.

In simple words; this is a conflict between our higher selves and lower selves; with respect to our discomfort, opinions or judgment on prevailing circumstances! Due to a variety of permutations and combinations of the interactions between outside and inside; the nature of the concept of “changing the world” could be different!

In other words; the idea of “change and its characteristics”; is a function of differential evolution and hence varies; amongst individuals, nations, religions and ideologies and other characteristics of groups of people; and even within one individual! This is why the “blue print” of dream world varies.

But as and when we “grow” more objective; we can see that the experienceable cosmic consciousness; which is beyond time and intelligence has been universal, ubiquitous and impeccable; and “engulfing, pervading and vitalizing” us; from time immemorial. Our instincts, emotions, thoughts and our overall “living” through the time is a variable reflection or function of this energizing and enlivening of our existences; by the cosmic consciousness.

The incoming “change in the universe” “irrespective of our subjective needs”; is “increasing recognition, acceptance and manifestation of the cosmic consciousness; through us, at individual and global levels; in our perspective, policies, plans, programs and activities; without; any uniform and/or fanatic blue prints. In other words this is Total Stress Management (the core of which is NAMASMARAN).

Is not such “Total Stress Management” a day dreaming?

If we carefully observe, then we find that everyone is responding to life; as per one’s own and hence differing perceptions! Not only are the responses different; but they are rigid and inflexible as if they were inevitable and predetermined; without any other alternative!

Some of us say the world is beautiful, while others say it is a hell. Some of us say; the past was better, while the others have exactly opposite opinion. Some of us seem to live almost mechanically and have no opinion as such, while many others seem to have surrendered completely and accepted the life whether good or bad. They have come to terms with it. They get dragged every day rather than “living”. They have ceased to dream. They do not have even the slightest of hope that anyone can help them in any way!

This phenomenon of different perceptions and different responses, which are often diagonally opposite has resulted into a kind of cacophony and chaos with indiscriminate violence in various forms. Amidst this; the blossoming of an individual and the universe; ushering in; universal unity, understanding, cooperation, generosity, harmony, justice, romance, sublime love and over all prosperity and profundity; seem to be sterile ideas.

This cynicism is one of the reasons; why the practice of NAMASMARAN, has been relegated; to a position of an escapist religious ritual (and passive entertainment in the retired, idle or ailing life); by majority of us.

The infinite scope and power of the NAMASMARAN has to be re-explored; with utmost sincerity and dedication. It has to be practiced every day; in every walk of life. It can enable us to see the world as it is and act in accordance with and in harmony with the innate (and cosmic) voice and light. This is a golden opportunity for us!

The STRESS of “changing” the world and/or ourselves; can be conquered through Total Stress Management (of which NAMSMARAN is a core) by “seeing” the “incoming change in terms of individual and global blossoming” and concur with it; through holistic perspective, policies, plans, programs and their implementations!