STRESS
AND
TRUE SELF



DR.
SHRINIWAS
KASHALIKAR

The study of stress leads to many questions.

One of them is; “What is true self?”

It is true that most of the experiences of life (including the questions in our mind); are determined by our cognition, affect and conation; which in turn are produced by the physiological processes described (and not described) in physiology and other the literature.

The physical pain and pleasure, the instinctual deprivation and fulfillment, the emotional sadness and happiness, the intellectual confusion and clarity; and the subsequent behavior; constitute individual life and that is “individual self”. This individual self veils the “true self”, which “is” there; but not restricted by individual limitations and “is” beyond the purview of individual life and three dimensions.

As and when; one begins the practice of NAMASMARAN; the veils of individual self become rarefied and the true self (which “is” already there) surfaces. When the “true self” thus surfaces or manifests; the cognition, affect and conation begin to rise above the limitations of individual physiology; and one’s cognition, affect and conation begin to be universal. The universal phenomena (the sickness and health of the billions i.e. universal or cosmic self) begin to determine the cognition, affect and conation, of “somebody”! That “somebody” is referred to as “cosmic self”, “God”, PARAMATMA and “is” “true self”, which is universal, immortal and destination; of every thing in universe; or in other words; everything in the universe is contingent in it.

The surfacing or manifestation of the true self is inevitably associated with actual ushering of cosmic homeostasis through the universal (holistic) perspective, policies, plans, programs and implementation!

This transition of individual self to merger with true self is also inevitable and contingent in the true self.

This transition can be “quick or slow” in accordance with the degree of ignorance, apathy, indolence and fossilization of the individual self.

Having said this much it has to be appreciated that Veda has declared that the true self is beyond description, by the words “Neti, neti” i.e. “indescribable”, but every seer has affirmed that it is realizable, through the practice of NAMASMARAN and SWADHARMA i.e. participation in SUPERLIVING.