Astroturf | Are we slaves to our mind traits?

Human beings are supposedly born with a sense of freedom.  Accordingly, one wishes to live exclusively on one’s own exclusive terms, often trying to passionately pursue individualistic whims and fancies.  The paradox, however, is that as we move ahead in life, we realise that life doesn’t necessarily move to one’s asking. Quite often, we fail to make it to our desired destination, as if destiny would speak otherwise. Would it mean that freedom is just wishful thinking?

The answer is paradoxically both yes and no. If we look into human construct, as ancient India’s philosophy perceives, every living being is rooted in the whole, lying within our inner realms. With its wholesome powers, the whole drives us through. In this sense, we are all born potentially perfect and thereby free, provided we make optimum use of the indwelling powers. Had the system not been perfect, the life cycle — creation, sustenance, and recycling — would not have withstood the ground unabated.

When it comes to our ‘Performing-Self’ — the extent to which we are able to avail of, out of the wholesome power within — we fall short of expectation.  For, our cognitive apparatus — the mind, which drives us — remains clouded by five elemental limitations.  This is what we term being under the spell of Maya. We call them elemental, because that is in our usual construct. Over and above these, we are also subject to lot of self-acquired limitations, coming as they may as individualistic Karmic carryover from the past.

Coming to elemental limitation, the first in reckoning is limited creative ability, thus necessitating due support of others to meet even our bare existential needs.  Second, we have limitation of knowledge, whereby we do not have a holistic understanding of the dynamics of life. Third, we lack the sense of fullness as we are born with limited creative abilities, which breeds in a sense of want, and thereby desires and cravings.  Fourth, limitation of time, in the sense that we perceive happenings in terms of past, present, and future. Fifth, limitation of causality and space. We are all subject to the cause-effect chain. What is happening this very moment, is the culmination of the doings in the past. And how we negotiate the callings of the present moment, in turn, sets the premise of the events in offing.  We, thus, become a victim or beneficiary of our own doing, which sets the terms of our Karmic carryover. Also, we are under the limitation of space, whereby we identify ourselves in our own right, differentiated from others, which brings in a sense of divide.

The fact that we are bound by the cause-effect chain, and as each of us goes through the varied experiences in life, a deep imprint thereto is made in each mind, a particular way. The footnotes of these imprints play out in our day-to-day life. That makes every individual unique, each manifesting varying mindset — desire trends, virtues and attributes, habit tendencies, likes and dislikes, prejudices and obsessions. We, thus, become slaves to our own mental tendencies, not looking at things with an open mind, free from any preconditioning whatsoever. It is in this sense, Rousseau observed: “Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains.  One man thinks himself the master of others, but remains more of a slave than they are.” Are we born so helplessly fated?  Not exactly.  Remember, it is our narrowed vision and thereby restrictive thinking, owing to the clouding of our mind, that doesn’t let us perceive issues in hand in right perspective.  Consequently, we make inappropriate choices, be it concerning the individual self, or in response to our collective obligations.  And, we become victims of our own making, unmindfully though.  

If, however, we look into the human construct, we are also armed with inbuilt resources needed to rise above our mental limitations through conscious efforts. For, we enjoy the freedom to make choices, which is duly aided by the faculty of discriminate intelligence to dispassionately arrive at the right judgment, and pick up the most appropriate lead. This exclusive human privilege empowers us to self-reflect and identify one’s self-acquired limitations, following which one could rise above the self-acquired limitations. Taking the step further, one could transgress elemental limitations as well, as did ancient India’s seers to decipher the subtle realities of life. It is now for us to make a conscientious choice. Whether we wish to remain slaves to our mental tendencies or set the mind free from limitations, and evolve. The issue continues.

The writer is an astrologer, vastu consultant and spiritual counsellor. Write to him at G-102, Bharat Nagar, New Friends Colony, New Delhi – 110 025Tel: 91-11-49848475/9818037273 Email: pioneerqueries@bharatastro.com Website: www.bharatastro.com