YOGIC FORMULA FOR THE HAPPINESS OF MIND

Introduction

It is said that everything is there in our mind, if we are happy, it is because of our mind, and if we are sad again it is because of our mind. Nowadays it becomes difficult or we can say impossible to stay calm and keep our minds happy in every situation. Now the question arises what is responsible for that, the answer is, wrong human attitude towards different people and situations is the main culprit. So, we need to work on our attitude. For this, you need to ask these questions to yourself.

• Do you feel envy toward a happy person?
• Do you feel Hatred towards the person suffering from pain?
• Do you feel disapproval/blame towards the virtuous person?
• Do you have the feeling of judgment for the wicked person?

If the answer is yes to all these questions, then, my dear friends, no one can make you happy and calm.

In Yogic science, there are some principles given by our sages to make our minds happy in every situation. We will discuss one of them here in this article.

Here, we will cover :-

• How behavior affects 
• How Yogic formula helps to make mind happy
• Four virtues
• How do these virtues help out?
• Conclusion 

First of all, let’s see the indications of a positive and negative mind.

The mind could be in a positive, negative, or neutral state. In a neutral state nothing could affect the person; this is the state of self-realized yogis. When we talk about normal human beings then they could fall into either a positive state or a negative state of mind.

A Positive state of mind: – This state of mind is represented by, liveliness, enthusiasm, happiness, satisfaction, love, friendliness, compassion, etc. this leads to a stable state of mind.

A Negative state of mind: – This state is denoted by disturbed energy, dullness, unhappiness, anger hatred, jealousy, etc. that ultimately leads to an unstable state of mind.

HOW BEHAVIOR AFFECTS OUR STATE OF MIND 

Humans are social beings, so they have infinite interactions with numerous people. Behavior and attitude matter a lot, as they will ultimately affect the state of mind. Suppose you have given a bad reaction to someone and later realized that you were at a mistake/fault, then it will create disturbance in your mind. There could be many other examples for that, like, suppose you were trying to fix a wrong person and later you realized that you cannot change him/her. In fact, that person has given some bad/ negative energy to your mind which will reflect in your behavior, and again that causes a never-ending cycle of disturbance. That is why it is necessary to work on our attitude towards different people, if we are aware of that then only we will become calm and stable. The mind of everyone must be contented, unwavering, and focused to live a fulfilled life.

HOW YOGIC FORMULA HELPS TO MAKE MIND HAPPY AND STABLE

Maharishi Patanjali has given a few formulas to maintain the stable, pure, and joyful state of mind under the category of chitta prasadan. Among the different techniques of chitta prasadan, we are going to discuss the first one, which is given to understand the appropriate behavior or right attitude toward different people in our life. We interact or see different people like happy people, unhappy, virtuous, and wicked people, we must know what the appropriate attitude towards the different categories of people is. For this Maharishi, Patanjali has given a sutra or a formula which is there in the first chapter of Yogasutra(Sutra no. 33).

Maitrikarunamuditopeksanam sukhaduhkhapunyapunya visayanambhavanataschittapradanam // 1/33

मैत्रीकरुणामुदितोपेक्षाणां सुखदुःखपुण्यापुण्यविषयाणां भावनातश्चित्तप्रसादनम्॥३३॥

“One should have friendship with happy/sukhi, compassion with sad/unhappy/dukhi, joy with virtue/good/punya, and indifference with sinful activities/sinner/evil/paapi, to calm down the mind-stuff”

This is the technique to remove the obstacles by removing the negative attitude and thus provides tranquillity of mind.

Maharishi Patanjali in this sutra says that one should practice the four virtues to attain the ultimate peace of mind; the four virtues are Maitri, karuna, mudita, and upeksha. Let’s understand what these virtues are:-

Maitri is a feeling of friendliness for the happy people, who are more fortunate and are more blessed in terms of strength, prosperity, and property. Sage Patanjali instructed us to develop this positive feeling of friendliness to make our minds calm instead of anxious. Then this will attract happiness and prosperity.

Karuna is the feeling of compassion for depressing, unhappy, or sad people. This feeling helps to support others, who are in pain. This helps in cleansing the mind.

Mudita is the feeling of joyfulness for the good deeds of others. When we develop the feeling of joy for the achievement, for all social work, etc… of others, then we will feel connected, and the negative feeling of envy vanishes, this gives calmness to our minds.

Upeksha is the feeling of unresponsiveness or a neutral stance toward the people doing bad deeds or who are showing negative behavior, we cannot judge them. The judgemental attitude creates wavering in the mind and takes its calmness away.

FEELINGS TO DEVELOP	TOWARDS
(Friendliness)	(Happiness)
(Compassion)	(Misery)
(Happiness)	(Virtue)
(Unresponsiveness)	(Wicked/ sinner)

HOW DO THESE VIRTUES HELP OUT?

• These principles of Maharishi Patanjali guide the person on ‘how to conduct oneself in social life.
• These principles are helpful in bringing harmony in social relationships and also for purity and peace of mind
• Your behavior & responses in social situations matters a lot. It may create happiness but at the same time, it may create disturbance in the mind. By following the given principle, one attains true happiness.  State of mind and Emotions are very important for a happy life. It is always advised to keep them positive.
• Calmness and peace in the mind, prepare us for further higher Yogic practices.
• Clarity and harmony of mind ultimately lead to higher dimensions of personality.
• It helps in getting a higher level of Concentration, Stability, and calmness.
• It purifies our thoughts.

CONCLUSION: –

These virtues as given by Maharishi Patanjali are the real boon to keep our minds calm, still, and joyful. In the present time when everyone is running to achieve one thing or the other thing without knowing the importance of little stuff related to our attitude, they easily become the prey of the malfunction of their outlook resulting in the disturbances of minds. These little changes in attitude as mentioned above will be helpful to give some relief from the unnecessary anxiety and negativity.