Manah Sodhanam -Verse 21

I don't really understand the point in wishing "Happy Women's Day", on March 8th and just forgetting about the plight of women for the rest of the year. If you are reading this post, then you are fortunate to have an education and the means to own a device to read this post, the time to spare on doing things for leisure and an openness of a mind to explore new ideas. But sadly, not many are as blessed. Even if I am not able to do something concrete for the upliftment of the society and women, I vow that at least I will support those who strive to do more with their lives. By setting aside all judgmental thoughts and feelings, I vow that I will contribute in whatever small way I can for making this world a better place. Letting others just be...as themselves... is very essential, because so often I want people to act and behave in the way I want them to. And here, I take the opportunity to thank my husband and in laws for letting me just be me, because it is not so easy to accept people as they are.

Today was a great day. I participated in Tamil Nadu Cycling Club's time trial. This is an event wherein you can get a chance to know your speed and position with respect to other competitors. Each participant will start cycling from the starting point, one after another, with a 60 second gap. We had to cycle a total distance of 24 kms and our starting and ending time are noted. The route was so scenic! It was a joy to cycle on that route. Finally, in the results, our speed and our position are announced. I was surprised that I finished 9th among 21 women, at a time of 59.38 minutes. I was only 9 minutes behind the first position! And this is the third time am cycling long distance. In one way, am happy I got the shin splints, because I have finally started cross training in earnest.

And the best thing is, I have logged in 5 activities in my runtastic app last week -from Monday to Sunday. That is exactly the number of activities that I managed to wheeze out in whole of February. Yay! So, with this high note, I move on to verse 21 of Manah Sodhanam

KRPAYA  BHUTAJAM  DUKHAM  DAIVAM  JAHYAT  SAMADHINA

ATMAJAM  YOGAVIRYENA  NIDRAM  SATTVANISEVAYA

This verse says that, sorrow caused by other beings should be overcome by compassion, phenomenal sorrow by practicing equanimity of mind, bodily afflictions by yoga and sleep by sattvik habits.

The sorrow that we experience is caused by 3 factors -1. beings around us (bhutajam), 2. Unseen phenomenal forces (daivam) and 3. within us (atmajam). I can write and think about manah sodhanam and do all sadhanas when I am not facing any difficulty or sorrow. When I am in the midst of some confusion or difficulty, as I was recently, one part of my mind was reminding me about all that I am learning and trying to practice in vedanta. But another part of me was often overwhelmed with anxiety and distress and fear. I often lacked a clarity of mind. In those times, by remembering what I have learnt, I was able to not panic and completely loose my mind.

Why I am mentioning that here is, I realized that it is all the more essential to practice my sadhana when I am facing challenging situations. So the next time I am troubled by other people or other living things, then I should remind myself to treat them with compassion, instead of feeling irritated or angry towards them. When phenomenal sorrow strikes -i.e, distress caused by things that are beyond anybody's control -like floods or the excessive summer heat, or retrenchment at work -then I should face them with an equanimity of mind. Because, anyway there is nothing I can do about the situation, so I might rather not split my hairs worrying about it. And finally, when trouble is caused by my own self -diseases, discomfort etc, then I should remind myself that I am not this body. My Guru says that whenever we are afflicted by illness, the best way to deal with it is to accept the pain and meditate on it. "Vaidyo Narayano Harihi", she says. We should do whatever is medically necessary to get rid of the affliction, but at the same time, we must not worry too much and crib too much saying, "Oh God, why have you made me sick? Why must I alone suffer?" etc. Easier said than done right?

And finally, the importance of Sattvik habits is highlighted here. The sleep that the verse talks about is not only the actual physical sleeping, but the sleep of ignorance. It is easier to continue my life without self inquiry...without constantly monitoring my thoughts, without practicing my sadhanas. But then, what is the purpose of living my life like that? It is so true that what we eat affects how we think. Having born a vegetarian, by default, I mostly take sattvik food. Even then, I can notice a difference in the way I feel when I eat outside food and processed food versus home made food. I feel light and alert as against heavy and sluggish when I eat outside food. And ultimately, what I eat constitutes my body and my body plays a big role in my thoughts. Sattvik food calms and soothes the mind and body and when the mind is at rest, the self reveals. Hari Om!