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STRESS AND SELFISHNESS: DR. SHRINIWAS KASHALIKAR

If we study the Total Stress Management and various philosophical and spiritual issues related to it; such as selfishness; then we face following questions!

1. Do we understand the difference between “self” and “Self”?

2. Do we practice; Self exploration, Self introspection?

3. Do we understand the signals of Self; constituting the agony or the satisfaction; generated from deep within?

4. Do we spend time to understand the propulsive, inspiring or motivating impulses or signals; coming from the Self i.e. from within?

5. Do we practice; Self expression, Self assertion; and Self satisfaction?

6. Don’t we suffer from Self pity, Self abnegation, Self ridicule, Self deride and Self guilt?

The answers to these questions are:

1. We do not understand the nature of Self.

One of the most important and logical proof of this is that; most of the times; we are merely elated or depressed; but never happy. We never experience fulfillment. Our life may be apparently beneficial or troublesome to others. But it lacks the element of simultaneous blossoming of one and all, which is possible only through “True Selfishness (not petty selfishness)”

2. We do not practice Self exploration and Self introspection adequately.

3. We do not understand the signals from within; as we do not introspect Self; adequately.

4. We do not express or assert our Self adequately and are not satisfied adequately.

5. We suffer from Self pity, Self abnegation, Self ridicule, Self deride and Self guilt.

This is because;

Our education system is heavily influenced and governed by the Self ignorance, fragmented, superficial and petty perspective, reductionist and sectarian thinking, misguided motives, and inappropriate aims, objectives, ideals and protocols! This leads to individualistic but anti Self pursuits. Our whole life is drained in the anti Self petty pursuits instead of Self exploration, Self knowledge, Self realization and Self expression.

Besides education system and the curriculums, all the fields of life such as laws, health care, agriculture, industry, trade, entertainment and even our belief systems, which constitute informal and extracurricular education; are also; heavily vitiated by the ignorance of Self. Hence our curricular, co-curricular and extracurricular education is unable to train and inspire us for Self exploration and Self realization.

Hence we do not know and are not on the way to explore, understand and realize the true Self. We are guided by darkness and grope in the wilderness of degradation, degeneration and destruction of ourselves and the others; and hence in true sense; we are Self less or Self traitors or suicidal!

We can be Selfish; involving simultaneous blossoming of one and all; through NAMASMARAN; the vital heritage and crucial legacy; that has come from the seers; through millennia. This valuable treasure has come to us in a noble and sublime manner; through supertransactions; beyond commercial, professional and charitable perspectives!

Total Stress Management (the core of which is NAMASMARAN); is being truly Selfish; through Self introspection, Self exploration, Self knowledge, Self realization, Self assertion and Self expression by conquering the petty self within us and within the society we live in!

STRESS AND SUPERJOY: DR. SHRINIWAS KASHALIKAR

In childhood; we get joy from simple observations; such as a chemical reaction, illumination of a bulb or fire resulting from striking of a match stick.

For us; joy means good food, good clothes, and toys and pampering with other things. It could as well be hugging, cuddling, patting on back or a kiss. Latter it may be associated with adolescent romance and latter still; with material possession, social prestige, accolade from society, political power, art in various forms, and creativity in different fields!

When we are deprived of these sources of joy; we get STRESS!

As we evolve further; (which is not exactly linear or sequential and may be simultaneous with above phenomena) a new experience begins to emerge. This experience is of joy without chemical reaction, without illumination of a bulb, and without striking a match stick! This is not a joy of mere fulfillment of some needs, wants and desires.

This is a joy of being in the core of everything including the chemical process, the electricity, the fire and also all our needs, wants and desires. We have now got freed (tyaga) from the realm of; and bondage of reactive happiness; that results from and depends on; the fulfillment of our needs, wants and desires! We have got rid (tyaga) of our felt needs, felt wants and felt desires.

This is very difficult to imagine in absence of its experience and often we consider this as negation of nature and/or escapism from the struggle of life!

But this tyaga; is actually “returning or withdrawing from our periphery and reestablishing or merging with our center or our core”! In this state we become one with the core of the universe and freed (tyaga) from the bondage and dragging; by the fleeting aspects of universe! This is sublimation of one’s personality into cosmic spirit, cosmic consciousness or absolute consciousness.

In the 12th chapter of Gita there is a verse, stating that through study; we get knowledge, through knowledge we achieve dhyana, through dhyana we practice karmafalatyaga and through tyaga, we attain shanti i.e. peace.

If we consider the life as a learning (abhyasa) process and our experience of life as knowledge, (jnana) then the culmination of such knowledge; is the everlasting unconditional joy in the very process of whatever we do (dhyana), and the state of freedom from every kind of subjectivity and disturbances(tyaga). This is a state of extraordinary ecstasy, which is not an idle or resting state; but a state of, “being transtemporal living space” or cosmic consciousness (shanti)!!

Persons freed from subjective considerations, judgments and interests, are called free souls; MUKTATMAs, yogis, seers, enlightened people, saints, sages, rishis and super humans. They provide universal solace and solution through their life.


The practical step or the process to realize this state; is NAMASMARAN; which has been illumining thousands of generations from time immemorial and will continue to illumine the thousands of generations to come; all over the world!

The apparent feature of tyaga is withering away of all the commercial or professional considerations! Transition from childhood to this state is NOT easy.

Careful observation suggests that we; the billions of people all over the world; perceive, feel and behave; “from our periphery”; in a rather unevolved and hence uncooperative, contradictory and opposing manner. This is why we are in disharmony, discord and at loggerheads with one another.

Moreover; physical pain; sorrows, conflicts, and the irritation or agony of absurdity or injustice and depression of everything ephemeral; bring inexplicable and insurmountable agony! These take over our consciousness and make us miserable, no matter how much moneyed, powerful, influential, popular or erudite we are! Those; who do not feel this way today are bound to feel so; some time latter!

It is essential to realize that; even though while practicing NAMASMARAN we can get the glimpses of SUPERJOY; the fuller appreciation would ensue; as and when people all over the world; practice NAMASMARAN; and tangible individual and global blossoming begins to prevail!

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