NAMA, NAMASMARAN AND TOTAL STRESS MANAGEMENT (PART 7): DR SHRINIWAS KASHALIKAR

Student: But how could one bring about socio-political changes, in absence of active participation in politics or social movements? How could one overcome the stress in personal life? How could one get a promotion in job; by this work, which has no value? How could one get financial security without following the demands of the job and market? Don’t you think, this path does not assure social welfare as well as personal well being? I think; in such a situation; you must have gone through a lot of turmoil in spite of your inexplicable whisper of deeper instincts! How can all this help me?

Teacher: That is true. I was in turmoil. Neither personal success, nor the social goals; were being realized. It created self doubts, self abnegation, and self pity and so on. I had nothing to hold on to!
But in spite of all this; there was much more than a silver lining! I always had enormous and intense; though far from complete; fulfillment in terms of being in tune with the whisper of my deep instincts; now growing into the inner voice of my conscience! I assure you; being in tune with the inner voice will help; not only you in trekking this path, but millions and millions! You just have to learn to listen to this inner prompting! Even as it was quite indistinct in those days; it gave me the assurance that I was on right track and was sure to make a wholesome contribution to the content of sociopolitical movements and personal wellbeing!

Student: Isn’t your whisper of deep instincts, the inner voice of your conscience or the inner prompting; a mysterious entity?

Teacher: It appears mysterious when we are not familiar with it. But when we identify and get conversant with it; it is no more mysterious! I did not know the significance of the inner prompting at that time. But it helped me and would help you also; to keep going; from strength to strength! I did not yield to pressure of the surroundings! Even amidst despair, frustration, helplessness and hopelessness; I still did not have the feeling of a total defeat!

Student: Was it at that time; that you turned to NAMASMARAN?

Teacher: No! I did not turn to NAMASMARAN even at that time; but as I said earlier, I was never cut off from any doctrines or traditions. NAMASMARAN was one of the many things I was studying.

Student: But then; how did you manage your frustration? Please tell me. It will help me in managing my stress.

Teacher: Like anybody else; I also tried to contend myself; by being in friends’ company, by being flattered and by indulging. But being hollow; by their very nature; these things could not satiate and quiet me! In fact; they churned me from within; and propelled me for an even more intense search for that essence or abstract link connecting various doctrines! So, I kept on searching for it and also for a panacea that would work in all ailments, all sufferings, for all nations, all races, all classes, all religions and all ideologies; and at individual as well as global levels! But let me tell you; this propulsion was not a conscious, deliberate and planned effort! It was just happening in me! I had no control over it. I could not start or stop it. The search was irresistible! I was possessed by the ever growing inner prompting!

Student: This was; how the exploration brought you closer to the holistic concepts and the panacea!

Teacher: Yes! But I did not even know the word holistic! I simply kept on studying and wherever feasible; practicing and verifying different ideas. I was still far away from any holistic concepts and any panacea!

Student: Sir! Is my desire to seek advice from you; actually a result of inner prompting, which I could not identify till now; as “inner prompting”? Now I am more anxious to understand and actually verify the usefulness of your present concepts of Total Stress Management and NAMASMARAN!

Teacher: Of course! Your desire is born out of your inner prompting!
Actually it is around this time that I began to realize that all what I had written had some value. But was not universal and did not spring from the ultimate depths of my heart! Naturally, it did not reach the ultimate depths of the hearts of others! In other words, the solutions could not be universally effective and far from complete.
In fact; I realized that this was true for all the written solutions, decrees, commandments and prescriptions, which I had come across! They had a great value and a great role for different individuals and different societies at different times. But they could not be universal; in view of the effectiveness; and also in view of personal freedom. They needed enlightened modifications or refinements from time to time with realization of their essence i.e. the abstract yet strong link uniting them! This could make them appropriate to different periods, places, social, cultural, religious and political situations.
Now my task was to re-explore, re-discover or re-invent that single, simple and easy to practice universal solution – panacea, which could evolve a holistic perspective to make this possible! It also had to enable us to think benevolently for the universe and evolve policies, plans and programs benevolent to the universe! This could be according to our capacity, constitution and position; In other words; it had to impart a holistic thinking. It had to evolve irrepressible love and care; i.e. holistic feelings and holistic instincts! Lastly; that panacea had to engender cooperation amongst us to execute the policies, plans and programs of global benefit, which we can call holistic actions or behavior.

Student: In short; that panacea had to bring about a change in the world that would influence every individual life in totality; so as to enable him or her to evolve holistic perspective, policies, programs, plans and their implementation in his or her respective field.

Teacher: That is right! This practical solution – a panacea, which I had not yet found with certainty; thus had to; revitalize and rejuvenate the environment inside and outside of an individual; so as to enable him/her to help evolve himself/herself and others from inside as well as outside. It had to be so much democratic that it had to be available to every individual irrespective of age, sex, occupation, caste, creed, tradition, custom, race, religion, nation and any distinction for that matter!
After thinking of several possibilities, thanks to my Guru; Shri Brahmachaitanya Maharaj Gondavalekar; I realized that “NAMA” is the essence and the connecting link and “the single, simple, easy to practice and democratic universal solution”, which fulfills all the criteria about the panacea; is NAMASMARAN.
In short, much before the concepts about Total Stress Management were crystallized, I identified the potentials of NAMASMARAN.