Dr Jayadeva & Smt. Hansaji answers some questions about the Goal in Life & Yoga
Q: How does Citta Vritti Nirodha play a role in ‘Goal of life’?
Dr Jayadeva: Once the mind starts over working, problems start. Do you understand that? So here yoga says, stop the mind fluctuations.
Smt. Hansaji: Whatever problems are there are because of the mind. The mind is the culprit. Stop it, and then the problems will be prevented. So we have to work at training the mind.
Q: Can goal of our life change as per the demanding situations?
Dr Jayadeva: See, it has been changing all the time because we are not stable, we are unable to understand. So we get attracted by all things and all our life we are just like that, running after one goal to another.
Smt. Hansaji: Demanding situations are going to tell you where the priorities lie – how much time to give to which area. But the goal will remain the same; we have to see that we move towards that.
Q: If someone from family or society keeps telling us about our goal, then what should we do?
Dr Jayadeva: You are also something are you not? Others keep playing around, and you keep running along with them, that is wrong.
Smt. Hansaji: Family and society are obstacles on your path only if you consider them to be. These hurdles are part of life. Where there is life, there is difficulty and problems. It is all about dealing with them and moving on with life.
Q: It is not easy to be happy or peaceful when one is financially unstable. How does one maintain a balanced state of mind in such a situation?
Smt. Hansaji: As long as we have materialistic goals, i.e. ‘we will be peaceful only if we have money’, that is where problems arise. I can show you thousands of people who have lots of money but are sick, unhappy, can’t do their duties well in life and are in a disturbed state at the mind level. So we will have to change our thinking.
There is a story of a king who wants his treasure chest to be full always. A Yogi tells him, “I know the trick. Give me the shirt of the person who is happy in life, and I will do magic with it.” The king searches but everyone says they are unhappy. Finally, he finds someone who claims he has no problems. He asks for the man’s shirt, but the man says he doesn’t have one! So, there is no connection between money and happiness.
Q: How does one cope up with family members who are always dissatisfied and expect more and more in spite of giving them your best service and time?
Dr Jayadeva: You see, if you consider them as family members, then you have to accept them, and you have to carry on what they say.
Smt. Hansaji: Understand one thing, that if your goal is to make everyone in the family happy, then you will fail miserably. You can’t give happiness. You can work hard to satisfy their needs. But happiness is a very different affair. That is something which has to come in the personality. So differentiate – don’t do an act to make somebody happy. That’s not the way to live life. You do it because that is your family, that’s the need and it is your duty. If somebody is happy, thank God. If someone is unhappy, still thank God.
Gurus of The Yoga Institute
Q: If my goal is to be a great man, what should be my motive?
Dr Jayadeva: The goal of being a great man itself will create problems. What is, is. Live like that, and there will be no problem.
Smt. Hansaji: Read Philosophy, and you will understand, what does a great man mean? Every human is great. Every human is potentially divine. We are already great. So just understand situations and move along.
Dr Jayadeva explains – If you want to live your life, do your duty, whatever you can do at various levels, start doing, not just taking benefits from the world, but giving to the world. And once you start giving, you get happiness. When you are at the receiving end, there is no happiness.
Smt. Hansaji explains– Duty concept is something where you are first doing something for yourself, taking care of your health, and then you go ahead and do your duty towards your family, work, society, humanity, etc.
So the basic goal we need to keep is this concept of duty – a healthy body and balanced mind. The body should be free from diseases, so work hard to keep them away, and the mind should be level headed so that those thoughts will give you the right direction. The final goal will be achieved if this goal is achieved.”