According to the National Science Foundation, 80% of our thoughts are negative and 95% of our thoughts are repetitive. WOW. That is a lot of negative, repetitive thoughts!
Also, most of your thoughts are about other persons, which means you are running repetitive negative thoughts about other people most of the time. You may be ruminating about something that was said or happened yesterday or decades ago.
Every time you run one of these memories, you are living through it again. Triggered by the “fight or flight” response, your adrenal glands release cortisol and adrenaline, the stress hormones.
Your body and mind suffer from this barrage of chemicals of negativity. Your tailbone tightens, your stomach hurts, your heart rate increases, your blood pressure soars. You suffer from anxiety and insomnia. Unfortunately, this is how most people live.
The ancient sage Patanjali defines memory:
Anubhuuta-vi.saya-asa.mpramo.sa.h sm.rti.h
— Yoga Sutras 1.11
Memory is not allowing an experience to escape from your mind.
– Rendered by Gurudevi Nirmalananda
When a past experience comes up again and again, you are grabbing it back so it won’t escape from your mind. Why? Because you have built an identity around it.
Your mind works hard to hang on to it so you can use it as a crutch to prop up your identity. Each one of those memories begins with “I am.” I am a thoughtful person. I am an honest person. I am an injured person.
For example, I may have an identity around what I do, “I am a great cook.” If someone critiques the delicious food I made for them, my identity of “good cook” is threatened. Maybe they say it needs less salt or longer cooking. Or that they “have had better.” If they don’t like my cooking, I feel that they don’t like me.
But this is not the problem. There is an underlying problem, truly the only problem you have. You don’t know your Divine Essence. Therefore, you want everyone to support your shaky identities. When they don’t, your mind runs negative thoughts, slicing and dicing those people, those situations and perhaps even yourself.
This is called the human condition. It is your starting point. Yet your human capacity is to know the One Divine Bliss Reality — your own Self. Then you no longer look toward other people to support your identities and fulfill your needs.
How can you come to know? Patanjali gives us a more positive way to use your memory:
Vita-raaga-vishayam vaa cittam.
– Yoga Sutras 1.37
Quiet your mind and uplift your state by thinking of a Great Being.
– Rendered by Swami Nirmalananda Saraswati
When you catch your mind spinning reruns, choose to remember a Great Being. Using your mind’s capacity to concentrate, focus on the one who lives from the Self. This is the Guru. In yoga, you focus on the Guru. How would you feel if you thought of them now? Two minutes from now? Two minutes from then…
The Guru lifts you out of your negativities and gives you your own Self. Such a Guru lives in a state of Self-Knowingness, Beingness and Bliss. Remembering such a Guru gives you the inner experience they live in. As you remember them, your experience of Self deepens within more and more.
Svaroopa®yoga and Svaroopa®Vidya Meditation are a yoga based in relationship with a Self-Realized being. Such a yogi shows you what Self-Realization — the knowing of your own Divine Essence — looks like. They give you the inner experience they live in. They know the specific yoga practices you need for becoming Self-Realized. Being in relationship with such a living breathing teacher is essential.
Swami Nirmalananda is such a Siddha. She lifts you out of the muck and mire of your mind. It’s so easy! You simply use the power of your memory to remember her. This triggers an inner shift, deepening you into the Self that you already are.
I have found that remembering the Guru frees me from negative thoughts about other people and myself. When I see where my mind is headed, I make a choice and remember my Guru. I do this in the midst of life as well as in meditation. It always calms my mind, settling me deeper inside and opening me inward to my own Self.
If you don’t know such a Guru, I’ll share mine with you. She wants to be available to you. Get to know her by attending her programs in person or online. Every Wednesday and Sunday, she offers the teachings of yoga along with deep meditation.
Every month, she writes a free Teachings Article. In her free Q&A programs, ask about your spiritual process. You can even ask questions about how to be in relationship with other people in your life while on your spiritual path. Check out our calendar!
She wants you to receive the greatest gift of all, which she got from her own Guru, Swami Muktananda. He gave her the gift of her own Self. You can receive this gift. Fill your mind full of the Guru. It is the easiest and best way to fill your mind with your own inherent Divinity.
Yudhishthira accepted King Virata’s apology, but King Virata was not satisfied at all. He decided to give his kingdom to Yudhishthira, and he wouldn’t take no for an answer. Yudhishthira accepted the Matsya Kingdom, then gifted it back to King Virata, saying a gift should not be refused. King Virata accepted the kingdom back.
Then King Virata requested Arjuna to take his daughter Uttaraa’s hand in marriage. Arjuna respectfully rejected the request, saying that he had been Uttaraa’s teacher and it is not proper for a teacher to marry his student. But Arjuna also was keen to keep an alliance between the families and suggested that he could accept Uttaraa as bride to his son, Abhimanyu. Abhimanyu was the son of Arjuna and Subhadra. King Virata was overjoyed by the proposal and the engagement was finalized between Abhimanyu and Uttaraa.
A date was set for the marriage and Abhimanyu was invited to Viratanagar, along with King Drupada, Dhrishtadyumna, Balarama, Krishna and other Yadava Warriors. On the auspicious day, the wedding took place with all the religious rituals. After the wedding, the Pandavas started living in the Matsya Kingdom, in Upaplavya.
At that point, Duryodhana sent a messenger to the Matsya Kingdom saying that the Pandavas had broken the incognito condition, as Arjuna had revealed himself before the deadline. He demanded that the Pandavas go back to twelve years of exile and one year of incognito. Yudhishthira sent the messenger back, asking Duryodhana to get the correct information from Grandsire Bhishma and the talented astrologers in Hastinapura.
Balarama, Satyaki & Krishna (1)
As Pandavas had fulfilled the conditions of the last game of dice successfully, due to the efforts of Krishna and King Drupada, a gathering of kings was called at Viratanagar to discuss the issue. Duryodhana returning the Pandava’s kingdom needed to be discussed.
At the gathering, Krishna opened the discussion and outlined all the atrocities Duryodhana had done to the Pandavas. He described from their childhood through to the worst that had happened thirteen years back, cheating Pandavas of their kingdom with the help of Shakuni’s loaded dice. It was followed by Panchala King Drupada’s speech where he seconded what Krishna said and requested the guests to uphold the justice by getting Pandavas what they deserve.
But then Balarama got up and said that he didn’t agree with everything Krishna and King Drupada said. His view was that Yudhishthira made a mistake by willingly playing the game of dice and putting the kingdom at stake. He continued, saying that Duryodhana had all the rights to the gambled kingdom, and it would be up to him to give back Indraprastha if Yudhishthira went and begged for it.
Outraged by Balarama’s words, the Yadava warrior Satyaki spoke. He was appalled that Balarama considered a loaded dice game to be legit. He said, “Dishonesty and covertness was written all over the invitation for the Pandavas to play the game of dice. It was all designed to take away their kingdom, which was well planned and executed by Duryodhana and Shakuni.” He then reminded everyone that all the games were nullified except the last one, which they lost, where they had to go into exile and incognito.
After a long debate, the overwhelming majority reached the decision that Pandavas were the rightful owners of the Indraprastha kingdom. They also decided to send a messenger to Hastinapura on behalf of the Pandavas, to request King Dhritarashtra to return the Indraprastha kingdom to Yudhishthira.
It was also decided that the Pandavas and their allies should prepare for war, to fight for righteousness if the peace request fails. King Drupada’s family priest Sanjay was chosen to be the peace messenger.
Kaurava court discusses the return of kingdom to Pandavas (2)
Sanjay arrived in Hastinapura and visited King Dhritarashtra. Sanjay presented the Pandava’s case. Dhritarashtra knew it was the right thing to do. He was also of the opinion that a war with Pandavas will not result in advantages to the Kauravas. He could hear Bheema’s vow to tear Dushasana’s chest to drink his blood, and to smash Duryodhana’s thigh so Draupadi could tie back her hair. Dhritarashtra called on Vidura for advice. Vidura voiced the same, to give back the kingdom, which is what the Pandavas deserved.
The next day, Sanjay came to the court of Dhritarashtra. After Sanjay presented his case to settle the issue with Pandavas peacefully, all the elders, including Dhritarashtra, Grandsire Bhishma and Vidura, concurred with Sanjay.
Angered, Duryodhana got up and said that if it was his fate to go for war, he would have great support: Grandsire Bhishma had vowed to fight for Hastinapura, Guru Drona, his friend Karna, his allies and his brothers would defeat the Pandavas with ease. Karna voiced the same opinion. Grandsire Bhishma’s replied with harsh words, saying people should know their place in a court, so Karna left the court in a rage.
Duryodhana (3)
After this, Duryodhana declared his final intention, saying he would not spare even a needle point piece of land to the Pandavas, let alone a part of his kingdom. Hearing this, Gandhari got up and poured her heart out to her son to get him to reconsider his decision. But Duryodhana ignored her. King Dhritarashtra and Gandhari dismissed the court and left for the palace with a very heavy heart, knowing what would be going to happen.
Sanjay came back from Hastinapura and reported what had transpired at the Kaurava court. He said the outcome was that the peace mission had failed. Hearing this, Yudhishthira’s hopes melted away, though he had been ready to settle for anything for the sake of peace.
Sanjay, Krishna & Pandavas (4)
He turned to Krishna, asking for his help to make a decision in that difficult situation. Krishna said that, as a last resort, he personally would go again to Hastinapura as a peace messenger and do all his best to avoid the war. Despite Yudhishthira’s fears for Krishna’s safety, Krishna went to Hastinapura to make one last attempt to prevent the imminent bloodshed.
When Krishna arrived in Hastinapura, he didn’t go to visit King Dhritarashtra and Duryodhana. Instead, he went to Vidura’s house to meet his aunt Kunti, who was the mother of the Pandavas. Krishna refused the invitation from the Hastinapura palace and had dinner at Vidura’s place and had a long chat with Kunti. This made Duryodhana very angry. Was this intentionally done by Krishna? Of course, nothing happens otherwise.
Vidura possessed a bow named “Govardhan.” It was a bow from Lord Vishnu himself. It was said with, with that bow, Vidura didn’t have a match in archery —not even Grandsire Bhishma, Drona, Arjuna and Karna were a match for him. So Krishna needed to make sure that Vidura would not be a part of the war which was coming.
Krishna as peace messenger (5)
The next day when the court of Hastinapura convened, the peace messenger Krishna entered the court with Vidura, the chief minister for Dhritarashtra. Duryodhana was angry with Krishna, who had come as a messenger for the Pandavas. In his opinion Krishna disrespected them by not accepting their invitation to the palace.
Duryodhana attacked Vidura for no reason. He condemned him for not respecting the court and for coming to it with the messenger of their enemy. The argument was so intense that Duryodhana insulted Vidura by calling on his low birth, having been born to a servant girl. At the end, Vidura took his powerful bow, Govardhan, and broke it into two pieces, vowing not to support Duryodhana and the Kauravas in the future in any way. He left the court, amidst Dhritarashtra begging him to stay.
After that incident, Krishna got up and requested the portion of the kingdom that was the Pandava’s to be returned to them, as the exile and incognito from the game were completed successfully. Duryodhana rejected it outright.
Then Krishna requested five villages to be given to the Pandavas to satisfy them. Duryodhana said as earlier that he would not give even a needle point piece of land to the Pandavas. Dhritarashtra and the other elders were in disbelief that Duryodhana would not even spare five villages to the Pandavas.
Several people in the court tried to convince Duryodhana but failed. At last, Krishna rose and said the next meeting between them and the Pandavas will be in the Kurukshetra field of war.
On the way back to Upaplavya, Krishna stopped at Vidura’s place to say goodbye to his aunt Kunti. Kunti sent a message to her son Yudhishthira to not to let go of his rights and righteousness, and that if peace has failed, not to hesitate to go to war.
Before leaving, Krishna met Kunti in private and inquired about her first born. Kunti was shocked that Krishna knew about this, as no one except her friend and her trusted maid knew about it. With a heavy heart, Kunti told the story (Krishna Avatar – Part 16).
Baby Karna & Kunti (6)
After she finished, Krishna told her that the basket that she set afloat on the waters of the Ganga River, with the baby wrapped in one of her sacred cloths, had reached Hastinapura. A charioteer named Adhiratha and his wife Radha found the baby, and that the baby was none other than Karna, the arch enemy of Arjuna. Kunti was taken by the words of Krishna, which ascertained what she had always doubted. She always had a soft corner for Karna.
Krishna said to Kunti that she needed to go and visit Karna. Krishna continued, when the war comes to reality, Karna would be a key part of it. He added Karna was the only person who had the ability and the vengeance to kill the Pandavas. The others like Bhishma and Drona, even though had the ability, they would not have the heart to do it.
When visiting Karna, Krishna wanted her to ask Karna to join the Pandavas. If he would refuse, then she should ask him not to use the “Nagastira” (Bow of the Serpents) on Arjuna more than once. If she would get that promise from Karna, the Pandavas may be saved from being killed.
Krisha returned to the Pandavas with Kunti’s message about the war. Yudhishthira became grim upon hearing the message.
