Rarely does the promoter of a company devote substantial time towards the personal well being of his employees. But Mr Subhash Chandra, Chairman of the Essel Group and Zee Network held a session spread over 15 days aimed at enabling Esselites to evolve into better human beings and thereby attain the state of bliss. Applying the lessons of the Chairman’s discourse which are reproduced here in twelve chapters, will help each one of us develop into much happier and successful human beings


Wednesday, February 13, 2008

CHAPTER V

Understanding real Self results in happiness

All of us have a desire to be happy. How can everlasting bliss be achieved? By identifying with our real Self.

But let us first understand the individual mechanism of a human being. As human beings, we are composed of the immortal spirit and matter or the mortal body.

The physical equipment of a human being are the body, mind and intellect. They act according to what they perceive from the outer world.

The body perceives and acts according to the input it receives, the mind feels the emotion, while the intellect thinks and reasons it out. Your core Self provides stability to these three—the body, mind and intellect.

Your core is constant…it is at rest…it is at peace. When you identify yourself with your real Self, it provides you with the guiding force and the right energy. But most of us are not aware of ourselves. In such a situation, our real Self does not react.

On the other hand, when you understand your real Self, your actions, emotions and reasoning become pure. You become more productive and more dynamic. That leads you to real happiness.

Your inner Self determines your personality


Now, let us look at each aspect of the body, mind and intellect, to understand these concepts better.

The physical body comprises organs related to senses and action. Our interaction with the outside world, or in other words, the interaction between the subject and the object is through the five sense organs: eyes, ears, nose, tongue and skin. These are the five gateways to the world.

The five organs of action are speaking, grasping, moving, excretion and procreation.

The mind comprises emotions and feelings. Based on a person’s emotions and feelings, we categorise him as being kind, passionate or cruel.

The intellect is beyond the realm of the mind. For instance, when we act in haste, it means we have acted on the command from the mind. We have acted swiftly on the analysis of a particular situation by the mind.

On the other hand, if the mind tinges its analysis with emotions and allows the intellect to step in, you do not act in haste. You deliberate on your actions. This is called a thoughtful act.

When a person angers you, your mind often commands you to beat him. The mind does not think of the consequences: How will the person react? Will he hit me back? Will he gang up his friends and assault me? But you see reason when you apply intellect to your mind. That is when you take a considered decision. In other words, you think before you act.

But there is something in all of us that is much more superior to the mind and intellect. That is our real Self. It is a silent witness to both the mind and intellect. It is a witness to all your actions. And because of its unique position as something apart, unlike the intellect it can retain its integrity, be itself and, therefore, be in a position to govern and guide not only the intellect, but even the mind. If its powers are developed, this third factor becomes the crucial factor, the most important factor.

The real Self within you is always constant, calm and quiet. It can be compared to electricity. You can touch it and feel it, but you cannot see it. Just like electricity powers the washing machine or refrigerator in your homes, the inner Self powers all the equipment of a human being.

Transactions of life

Life involves three kinds of transactions: Receipt, Reaction and Response.

When you receive, your senses get stimulated. The stimuli that you receive from the five organs of perception become the raw material for all your activities in life.

The quality of your reaction is dependent on the quality of raw material that you have received. For instance, if you associate yourself with righteous people, your reactions will also be good. Similarly, if you mingle with vicious people, your reactions will also be bad. Thus, your reaction is influenced by the quality of inputs you receive.

Your response to a situation is thus manipulated by your reaction. The quality of response is dependent on the quality of inputs and reaction.

These three transactions occur constantly in our lives, except when we are in deep sleep.

Thus, it is important to ensure that we examine and quality of inputs and avoid the inflow of impure stimuli. To quote from a book:

These are germs that can cause psychological diseases. They create mental agitation. You must examine the sight that your eyes see, the type of food that your tongue tastes, check your perception to ensure pure and healthy stimuli.

I would like to share with you my learning from my grand parents which serves as a constant reminder. As kids we would hear our grand parents opposing a matrimonial alliance from a family which had sinned. My grandfather would often remark, “They have fed their children with their ill-gotten wealth.”

A popular belief was: “Jaisa kaye ann, vaisa honge mann.” Literally translated, it means that your personality is influenced by what you eat. In those days these were just beliefs as they were not scientifically explained.

But today, when we understand the composition of the human body and the impact of stimuli on our reaction and response, we relate to what we studied in our childhood.
However, receiving pure stimuli does not always guarantee pure reactions.

The second transaction examines the reaction that takes place within you. You may regulate and receive pure stimuli, yet they may produce impure reactions like jealousy, greed and lust. Depending on your mind and intellect, there are two ways of controlling the reaction.

The initial and temporary way is to be aware of these impure reactions and check their effect from spreading further. A permanent solution is achieved by your reaction rehabilitating your mind and intellect through knowledge and understanding.

The third transaction of life is the responses transmitted through the organs of action and executed by the body. If the actions are self-centered and selfish, they tell upon your life. They agitate your mind and make you unhappy.

Selflessness leads to peace

If you are selfless, it generates peace and happiness. Hence, your actions have to be unselfish. That is the knowledge of Vedanta. Where ever you are, what ever you be, you must perfect the above three transactions in life.

All of us are equipped to correct these three transactions. There is no need to change yourself. You should realise that your present nature is best suited for your development. Do not try to imitate others.

There is no denying that all of us have an ideal. Often, I am asked if I want to be Murdoch. And I have always replied: “Certainly not.” Of course, I have also never said who I would like to be. But today after my learning experience, I can say confidently: “I want to be myself.”

Be positive in your outlook

Please do not think that you are not well equipped to ensure the purity of your transactions. Make good use of your faculties and discover peace and happiness within yourself.

The answer is to remain positive. Everyday, we complain about the state of affairs in Mumbai, the traffic jam, the bad roads, poor public transport and uncleared garbage. Our list of complaints is endless.

But do we realise that with a population of 150 million people, Mumbai is four times the size of some European countries? The entire city is managed by a commissioner. What is his budget? What are the resources at his disposal? Had this been the situation in Europe, the entire country would have collapsed.

When you start looking at things holistically, you start loving your country.

When you open your eyes and start looking at life positively, your whole attitude changes and you are in harmony with the world.

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