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Tag: Gauranga Darshan Das

Is Chaos Driving You Crazy? Here’s the Secret to Finding Instant Calm

Posted on by prathod

Feeling overwhelmed by the chaos of everyday life? From Chaos to Calm by Gauranga Darshan Das is here to help. In this excerpt, find out tips to calm your restless mind by treating it like a curious child—guiding it with gentle care. Dive in and discover practical tips inspired by the Bhagavad Gita to find peace and focus in your daily life.

 

From Chaos to Calm
From Chaos to Calm || Gauranga Darshan Das

***
Finding Peace Amidst Distractions

 

Once, I saw a little boy, hardly a year old, sitting on his mother’s lap, as she busied herself in a conversation with her friend. The boy was joyful and smiling. Every now and then, he tried to get out of his mother’s lap, or extend his hands and touch the objects around him.

 

When he touched a fruit, the mom smiled and allowed him to play with it. In a few moments, he threw the fruit, and it rolled on the ground. He crawled behind it for a few baby steps, but eventually gave up the chase. Then, he found a knife nearby and picked it up. His mother immediately came over, took it away and put him back on her lap. He was disappointed and flapped his hands and legs for freedom. So his mother offered a toy to pacify him, and he played with it for a while. Then, he left the toy, took his mother’s handbag and tried to put its belt into his mouth. His mother gently pulled it away as she continued to converse. She also put the toy back in her son’s hands. And this continued to happen . . .

 

Whenever the child touched something soft and harmless, the mother would allow him to do so, but when he reached out for something harmful, his mother immediately took it away and brought him back to her lap. Even when the baby cried, the mom comforted him and kept him on her lap. And this is how we need to control our curious, restless, fickle and unsteady minds. Interesting, isn’t it?

 

Getting distracted is natural, but remaining distracted is harmful.

 

The Kid Called Mind

The mind is like an innocent kid, lively and curious. To keep the mind calm and composed amidst the chaotic distractions of this world is a great challenge. The mind is also a storehouse of all kinds of thoughts, desires, emotions and feelings. Some of them positive, while others are negative. The mind collects all these impressions through the senses and interactions with people around us. The mind is always eager to explore everything, but it doesn’t know what’s right or wrong, good or bad. That’s where our intelligence comes in, just like a mom guiding her child. Intelligence keeps a watchful eye on the mind’s activities, just like a vigilant mother, and practises bringing the mind’s focus back to the task at hand. But our intelligence will function in this way only when it has been trained and sharpened. Now, the question is: Are we prepared to do so?

 

Two Keys to Tame the Mind

Lord Krishna responded to Arjuna’s concern by presenting two effective tips to regulate the mind’s distractions. He said:

 

asamśayam mahā-bāho
mano durnigraham calam
abhyāsena tu kaunteya
vairāgyeṇa ca gṛhyat

 

‘O mighty-armed Arjuna, it is undoubtedly very difficult to regulate the restless mind, but it is possible by (1) Practice (abhyāsa) and (2) Detachment (vairagya).’

 

Lord Krishna also describes the hierarchy of the body’s elements, and says, ‘The senses are inferior to the mind, and the intelligence is superior to the mind.’

 

Because the mind is positioned between intelligence and the senses, we can regulate the mind from both sides by (1) Sense Control, and (2) Sharp Intelligence.

 

Combining the above two pairs of keys, we can tame our mind with the following two actionable practices, the first external and the second, internal:

 

1. Practise Sense Control
2. Cultivate Detachment with Intelligence

 

1. Practise Sense Control: The senses act as the entry points through which the mind receives various impressions. Therefore, by regulating the senses from overindulging in the sense objects, we eventually bring the mind under control. By doing so, we restrict unnecessary inputs to the mind, and thus regulate the mind’s distractions. This is the external way to tame the mind. As mentioned before: ‘Out of sight, out of mind.’

 

2. Cultivate Detachment through Intelligence: Although keeping distractions physically out of sight is a good way to control the mind, our inner thoughts can distract us too. With sharp intelligence, we should dismiss such thoughts, and cultivate detachment from things that are unfavourable for our well-being. Knowing the transient nature of the pleasures of this world helps us be detached from them. We can sharpen our intelligence by doing two things: (1) reading wisdom texts like the Gita and (2) learning from experienced people.

 

The mind can be brought from distraction to concentration, by using scriptural intelligence to analyse its thoughts and align them with values. Thus, by restricting the senses externally and sharpening the intelligence internally, we can tame our unsteady mind and make it our greatest friend.

 

When a lamp in a windy place wavers, we protect its flame by enclosing it with our hands. Similarly, we need to protect the flame of our minds from the  wind of distractions with the hands of our intelligence.

 

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Get your copy of From Chaos to Calm by Gauranaga Darshan Das on Amazon or wherever books are sold.

Dhruva’s Pearls of Wisdom to Help You Find Your Path!

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Step into the world of wisdom with Dhruva by Gauranga Darshan Das. The book presents Dhruva’s insights on relationships and success in simple yet profound ways. Learn to communicate better, nurture connections, and achieve success while embracing positivity and self-improvement with Dhruva’s Pearls of Wisdom.

 

Dhruva
Dhruva || Gauranga Darshan Das

***

Dhruva’s Pearls of Wisdom

Relationship Sutras

1. Restrict the urge to speak stiffly and raise the intensity to speak sweetly.
2. Using pleasing words can make a wonderful world within you. Why not be happy free of cost?
3. When you envy others for what they have, you forget what you have. So, beware of envy.
4. Replacing superiority complex with sensitivity and envy with appreciation wins us more friends.
5. Get rid of pride by recognizing how blessed others are. Dismiss envy by seeing how blessed you are
6. Negativity is like seeing dark clouds. Positivity is like embracing the rain. Make your choice.
7. Let’s be wise to seek opportunities to grow amidst reversals and inspire others to do so.
8. Finding hope in hopeless situations is indeed a herculean task. Why not seek help from the One who arranged it all?
9. Let other’s misbehaviour not stimulate our ill behaviour.
10. When you see good in others, you replicate the way God sees you.
11. Don’t be too eager to point out other’s flaws, give them space to realize on their own.
12. Our heart is too tiny to accommodate all sorts of dirt and the Divine at the same time. Let’s cleanse the heart from the dirt of greed, envy and pride.
13. Modern age austerity is to stop gossiping and start speaking for others’ benefit.
14. Selflessness enlivens relationships while selfishness estranges them.
15.  Disapproval of others’ misdeeds is necessary but disowning them is not.
16. Be grateful to those who guided, inspired and supported you. Start with your mother.
17. Get rid of the heavy weight of ‘grudges’ to lighten your heart.
18. Devotion doesn’t stop the rains of distress but it equips you with an umbrella.
19. Never give up your love for your dear ones and tag it as philosophy
20. 6. Rejecting the entire basket of fruits just because one is rotten will make you miss the real sweetness.
21. While selfish agendas expressed through violence are barbaric, selfless service accompanied by necessary violence brings about true peace.

 

Success Sutras

1. It’s not worth being impulsive or getting unduly affected by difficulties. Let’s seek the solution that lies beyond lamentation.
2. An unshakable resolve despite reversals and tests is a time-tested formula for success.
3. It’s wise to learn from those relatively more successful than you instead of being envious.
4. It’s worth befriending someone who is equally successful instead of competing.
5. It’s sensible to guide someone who is not as successful as you instead of being oppressive.
7. Focus on a character that inspires people’s hearts rather than accomplishments that impress their minds.
8. The mind makes us deliberately commit downtrodden acts and then fools us by claiming it to be a mistake.
9. While hoping for the best, we shouldn’t put our hands to rest.
10. Stop worrying about useless thoughts and start pulling your mind away from them. It’s difficult but not impossible if we are determined!
11. With character and determination in place, age and gender don’t even qualify as criteria for success.
12. Don’t be overconfident in your power, seek empowerment from the source of all power— God.
13. Determination means to terminate our temptations. Guidance means finding out how to do so.
14. Let your success make others happy but don’t equate making others happy with success
15. A mother can play the role of a mentor, father, brother and whatnot. Can anyone repay her?
16. Make sure your ‘detachment’ doesn’t become ‘irresponsibility.’
17. Don’t be too possessive about temporary possessions or positions.
18. When the world seems to be full of pains, recognize them to be your mind’s endless complaints. Win the war within to defeat the wars without.
19. Want to dismiss peace? Then give anger a seat.
20.  For the soul this world is foreign. Be a holiday maker, not a stress receptor.
21. Don’t decorate the golden cage (body) forever. Remember to nourish the hungry bird (soul) that’s starving within

 

***

Get your copy of Dhruva by Gauranga Darshan Das wherever books are sold.

Mastering Prince Dhruva’s Six-Month Success Sutra

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Experience the essence of success through the inspiring story of Prince Dhruva by Gauranga Darshan Das. Rooted in the timeless trio of desire, endeavor, and prayer Dhruva’s journey showcases steadfast determination and the influence of mentorship. Read this excerpt, to extract insights that surpass age and background, presenting valuable lessons for those on the path to success.

Get ready for the Ultimate Six-Month Success Formula!

Dhruva
Dhruva || Gauranga Darshan Das

***

The trio for success –

1. Desire,
2. Endeavour and
3. Prayer One’s ‘desire’ must be pure and strong,
one’s ‘endeavour’ has to be sincere and determined,
yet without the Lord’s sanction, one can’t be
successful, therefore, ‘prayer’ is necessary.

 

After being instructed by his mentor in the process of worshipping Lord Vishnu, Dhruva went to Madhuvana. Arriving at the bank of the Yamuna, he entered the river to take a bath. Later that night, he diligently observed a fast.

Then, as advised by Narada Muni, he began his worship of the Lord in the beautiful forest of Madhuvana. Dhruva’s austerities in the forest set a great example for all seekers for eons to come. The level of his determination and the intensity of his resolve was unparalleled even as a five-year-old child.

 

Increasing Intensity of Austerities

Dhruva began worshipping Lord Vishnu sincerely and restricted his eating only to fruits and berries named Kapittha and Badara, only once in three days, to keep his body alive. In this way, he spent one full month.

 

In the second month, Dhruva survived on some dry grass and leaves that he took only once in six days. Without wasting even a moment searching for food or other things, Dhruva became absorbed in his worship of the Lord.

 

During the third month, Dhruva’s austerities and his absorption in Lord Vishnu increased. He simply drank water only once every nine days. Thus, he remained rapt in meditation and eventually entered a trance while worshipping the Lord.

 

As the fourth month set in, Dhruva’s sadhana spiritual practice intensified further. He mastered pranayama or breathing exercises, and would inhale air only once in twelve days. Being completely fixed up in his position as a devotee of Lord Vishnu, he took only air as his food.

 

By the fifth month, Dhruva’s meditation reached its crescendo. He had completely controlled his breathing, attained perfection in the process and was able to stand simply on one leg. Like a motionless column, Dhruva fully concentrated on the form of Lord Vishnu in line with the teachings of his guru, Narada Muni. He continually chanted and meditated on the mantra ‘om namo bhagavate vasudevaya.’

 

The power of sincere meditation on the divine form of the Lord makes one completely absorbed in a trance.

 

Complete Self-control

Dhruva attained complete sense control. His senses were not at all agitated by any sense object. Generally, the greatest obstacle in spiritual life or even in one’s normal life is the distraction caused by the senses—our eyes constantly chase beautiful objects, our ears long to hear pleasant sounds and music, our hands hanker to touch soft objects that give pleasure to the body, our nose continually pursues sweet fragrances, and the tongue wishes to taste palatable dishes even if they may hamper one’s health. In this way, an average human being is constantly tormented by sensual attractions that are nothing but distractions. But Dhruva’s senses were riveted on his goal—worshipping Lord Vishnu.

 

Another great obstacle for a person engaged in spiritual practices is mental distractions. In fact, the senses become distracted because of a distracted mind. Whenever the senses come in contact with sense objects, they create various pleasant and unpleasant impressions within the mind. For instance, when a person sees a beautiful object, a pleasant impression is immediately created in the mind and when the same person sees an ugly object, an unpleasant impression is generated in the mind.

 

Thus, the mind becomes a storehouse of millions and trillions of material impressions that keep popping up regularly and distract the person from his or her goals. Therefore, mind and sense control are vital to attaining success in any endeavour, especially in spiritual life.

 

One who can control one’s mind and senses is a deserving candidate and becomes entitled to success.

 

Although immature in age, Dhruva exhibited complete sense and mind control in his devotional meditation on Lord Vishnu. He was also fully determined to follow the path instructed by his guru.

A student who is sincere in following the instructions of a potent guru is sure to attain success in spiritual life.

***

Get your copy of Dhruva by Gauranga Darshan Das wherever books are sold.

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