Showing posts with label depression. Show all posts
Showing posts with label depression. Show all posts

Friday, October 01, 2021

How to Motivate Yourself in depressed situations - Bhagwad Gita Perspective

 

This article deals with how you can Motivate Yourself in depressed situations of life.  When you get depressed in life then its very difficult and frustrating to cope with it. With proper guidance, you can come out of depression & eventually can come out of it. To come out of depression shall not be easy but you can motivate yourself through the methods shown below & can do it surely. 

In our day to day life, whether you are working for an organization or are doing your own business or are responsible for your household work, the most common thing many times is that you get depressed while doing your work. Depressed employees in any organization is a common sight. Dejected employees, depressed employees, unmotivated employees, desolate employees, morose looking employees are very harmful to any organization as they not only decrease the productivity but they also create an atmosphere in which other colleagues may also feel de-motivated & dejected. Similarly if you run your own business & remain depressed while doing your work, certainly you shall not achieve that much in your business if you would have been highly motivated & energetic.

Now, De-motivation, Depression, Dejection, Desolation all these D-words relates to your mind or relate to your mental position. It's only your MIND that gets depressed, dejected. You may be physically fit with blood oozing in your nerves, but if you are not well with your MIND then you are certainly not going to perform to your full potential. Mental health is where the key to success lies. If you are mentally supercharged then you can achieve any milestone in spite of having any physical inadequacy.

Now, how to get out of this Depression, De-motivation & how to increase the productivity at work is where the great teachings of "Bhagwat Gita" come into play. Now for those who do not know about "Bhagwat Gita".

"Bhagwat Gita" is an ancient religious book of the "Hindus" & in this book are great philosophies of Hinduism. These philosophies teach you all about, how you should do your duty, how you should lead your life etc. This "Bhagwat Gita" teachings were given by "Lord Sri Krishna", God Himself, to his disciple "Arjuna" on the battle field of Kurukshetra in Haryana state of India in ancient times. "Arjuna" was involved in a war against his enemies (some of them his own relatives too) but he refused to do his duty of fighting a righteous battle as he got infatuated & started thinking of his enemies as his own near & dear ones. He told his master "Lord Sri Krishna" that he is going away from the war & do not want to fight on the battle field. Arjuna's mental health became weak & he got deeply depressed. To overcome his disciple Arjuna's depression & to motivate him to fight a righteous war, "Lord Sri Krishna" gave the great teachings of "Bhagwat Gita" to his disciple "Arjuna". After listening to all these great teachings, Arjuna's mental health became well & he became motivated & energetic to fight the war.

Now many of us & many of our employees in our organization find themselves in the same state of mind, as that of "Arjuna". Their de-motivated, depressed state of mind can be changed to motivated & energetic one by these teachings of "Bhagwat Gita". Through these teachings, mental equilibrium of any depressed person can be overcome & he can come out of any crisis situation. The teachings of "Bhagwat Gita" can simply transform a person.

Now Bhagwat Gita teaches about "Mind Control". Mind is that makes the personality of a person. De-motivated mind makes a person depressed one & a motivated one makes a person cheerful. If one's mind is in one's control & he/she can concentrate deeply on one's work, then that person can do wonders at work. Mind is very powerful one & to control it, to keep it in one's control is very difficult. It just wanders like wind here & there & it takes enough of self discipline & practice of meditation to control it, to get it concentrated on any job or activity. As per "Arjuna" to "Lord Sri Krishna" in Chapter Six verse 34:

"chanchalam hi manah krishna
pramathi balavad drdham
tasyaham nigraham manye
vayor iva su-duskaram" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Six verse 34)

"Arjuna said: For the mind is restless, turbulent, obstinate and very strong, O Krishna, and to subdue it, to control it, I think, is more difficult than controlling the wind."

"sri-bhagavan uvacha
asamsayam maha-baho
mano durnigraham chalam
abhyasena tu kaunteya
vairagyena cha grhyate" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Six verse 35)

"Lord Sri Krishna said: O mighty-armed Arjuna, it is undoubtedly that mind is very difficult to curb & is restless, but it is possible by suitable practices of meditation and by detachment."

"asamyatatmana yogo
dusprapa iti me matih
vasyatmana tu yatata
sakyo ’vaptum upayatah" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Six verse 36)

"Lord Sri Krishna said: For one whose mind is unbridled, uncontrolled, self-realization is a difficult work. But he whose mind is controlled and who strives by appropriate means is assured of success. That is My opinion."

So in the Bhagwat Gita, "Lord Sri Krishna" first of all asks one to do his DUTY. If a person does his/her duty then half of the problems of that person are solved. Not doing one's duty is very harmful as it produces negative results only in one's life, like frustration, depression, de-motivation etc. If one does at least his/her duty, then such negative factors affect that person to a lesser degree or do not affect at all. As per "Lord Sri Krishna", doing one’s prescribed duties, even though faultily is better to have a better Mental Health.

"sreyan sva-dharmo vigunah
para-dharmat sv-anusthitat
sva-dharme nidhanam sreyah
para-dharmo bhayavahah" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Three verse 35)

"Lord Sri Krishna said: It is far better to discharge one’s prescribed duties, even though faultily, than another’s duties perfectly. Destruction in the course of performing one’s own duty is better than engaging in another’s duties, for to follow another’s path is dangerous."

Another teaching of "Bhagwat Gita" is to do one's work for the sake of work only without caring for the fruit arising out of that work. That simply means to get deeply involved in one's work or to just think single mindedly about performing the best in one's job without thinking about the results arising out of those actions performed while doing one's work or duty. Just concentrate on your work, that's it. Below verse of "Bhagwat Gita" explains this.

"karmany evadhikaras te
ma phalesu kadachana
ma karma-phala-hetur bhur
ma te sango ’stv akarmani" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Two verse 47)

"Lord Sri Krishna said: You have a right to perform your prescribed duty, but you are not entitled to the fruits of action. Never consider yourself the cause of the results of your activities, and never be attached to not doing your duty."

Another below verse of "Bhagwat Gita" explains that one should do one's duty equi-poised or to have the equanimity of mind, without caring & renouncing all attachment to success or failure. If one does one's duty efficiently & with single minded devotion, without any fear of success or failure in his/her Endeavour, then certainly that person shall succeed in his/her work, as he/she is doing that work without any fear of success or failure. His/her mind shall be at peace & ease while doing such work without any fear of success or failure. Any person whose mind is at peace, certainly works effectively.

"yoga-sthah kuru karmani
sangam tyaktva dhananjaya
siddhy-asiddhyoh samo bhutva
samatvam yoga ucyate" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Two verse 48)

"Lord Sri Krishna said: Perform your duty equi-poised, O Arjuna, abandoning all attachment to success or failure. Such equanimity is called yoga."

So if a person is dedicated to his work & works for the sake of work only without any fear of success or failure, then that person is going to be certainly successful in his/her carrier. By doing meditation & other yoga techniques, one can control one's mind & a disciplined mind can be made to concentrate on one's job better, producing better results. So by following the teachings of "Bhagwat Gita" one is certainly going to excel in his/her job & in life.

Jai Shri Krishna

Sunday, January 11, 2015

Change the Negativity of Your Mind into Positive Energy

Having negativity, negative thinking, depression, worry, fear etc. in life makes one’s life very miserable & disturbing. If you feel hopelessness, despair, rejection in your mind then there is urgent need for you to reverse all that negative thinking by feeling optimistic & having positive thoughts in your mind. One should start affirming his mind with positive thoughts as it shall bring positivity in your life. Negative thoughts are always counterproductive in life & it drains one’s energy in life. So we should totally eliminate negative thinking from our mind & always think positive. Just think good about you & feel that everything good shall happen to you. Such positive thinking shall change your life completely.
In your normal life, just introspect & check the state of your mind. Normally whether it remains calm or it remains agitated & disturbed. It is generally said that we see this world through our mind, if our mind is peaceful; we see this world in a Good way & enjoy the beauties of nature & love being born to enjoy this life. But if our mind remains in a disturbed, agitated state of mind, we may miss the simple beauty of a flower in our nearby place also. We shall never enjoy our life if our mind remains in a disturbed state of mind.
The main reason why our mind remains disturbed is that we are not satisfied with our present state. If you have something, you are not happy with it. If you have your family, sons, daughters etc. then you may not have harmonious relations with them. If you have a particular amount of money with you, it seems less to you & you want more of it. Same is that, you have Greed for other things & don’t know how to enjoy the one’s you are already having.

To be peaceful at mind, the first & foremost thing is to be satisfied with what you have at present & try to make harmonious relations with the people all around you. Once you are able to do that then you shall find that you are better off & much peaceful.

The great Bhagwat Gita also teaches us on the same matter & teaches us to be like an Ocean in which all the rivers merges & yet it remains undisturbed. So we too should be calm like an Ocean & though enjoying all things of life & doing our duties should be peaceful just like the Ocean.

In relations, we should also act like shock absorbers where we are not able to retaliate, if some near & dear one says something which is not pleasing to ourselves. We should make understand others about their mistakes by passive rather than active, retaliatory methods. In all cases, we should not lose the peace of our mind by any of our acts & just be Calm like an Ocean. Below is a good verse, "Verse - 70, Chapter Two of Bhagwat Gita" teaching the same thing.

“aapurya-manam achala-prathistham
samudram apah pravishanti yadvat
tadvat-kama yam pravishanti sarve
sa shantim-apnoti na kama-kaami” (Gita: Chapter II verse 70)

"Sri Krishna said: O Arjuna, As the waters (of different rivers) enters the Great Ocean, which though full on all sides remains undisturbed, like wise a person who is not disturbed by the incessant flow of desires - can alone achieve peace, and not the man who runs after these desires & strives to satisfy such desires."

Keep your desires in control & think positive; do not hanker after these desires & be just like an Ocean & never lose your peace of mind in any of the circumstances. So always be creative in life by thinking positively as thoughts have the power to change one’s life completely. Be always Positive & always be Happy in Life thereafter.

Jai Shri Krishna



Sunday, April 10, 2011

Defeatism & Victory in Life

How many times in your life you have felt yourself depressed, de-motivated & dejected? How many times you have felt yourself defeated in life? If one feels like a defeated person in life then the battle of life is lost for that person. So we should not let our mind delve into the state of depression, de-motivation & dejection. We should never let our mind feel defeated as then there is no positive meaning of life. You can never succeed & be victorious in life if you feel yourself defeated at mind.

In the ancient Kurukshetra war, "Arjuna" the great disciple of "Lord Sri Krishna" also came into such a de-motivated & dejected state of mind. In that war "Arjuna" refused to do his duty of fighting a righteous battle as he got infatuated & started thinking of his enemies as his own near & dear ones. His mind became week & highly de-motivated. He told his master "Lord Sri Krishna" that he is going away from the war & do not want to fight on the battle field. Arjuna's mental health became weak & he got deeply depressed. To overcome his disciple Arjuna's depression & to motivate him to fight a righteous war, "Lord Sri Krishna" gave the great teachings of "Bhagwat Gita" to his disciple "Arjuna". After listening to all these great teachings, Arjuna's mental health became well & he became motivated & energetic to fight the war. Below are verses of Bhagwat Gita which shows how Arjuna became de-motivated & how he refused to do his duty of fighting a righteous war.

"tatrapasyat sthitan parthah
pitrn atha pitamahan
acharyan matulan bhratrn
putran pautran sakhims tatha
svasuran suhridas chaiva
senayor ubhayor api" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter One verse 26)

"Now Arjuna saw stationed there in the midst of the both armies, his fathers, grandfathers, teachers, maternal uncles, brothers, sons, grandsons, friends, and his fathers-in-law and well-wishers as well."

"tan samiksya sa kaunteyah
sarvan bandhun avasthitan
kripaya parayavisto
visidann idam abravit" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter One verse 27)

"Seeing all these relations present there, the son of Kunti, Arjuna was overwhelmed with extreme compassion and spoke these words in sadness."

"arjuna uvacha
drstvemam sva-janam krishna
yuyutsum samupasthitam
sidanti mama gatrani
mukham cha parisusyati" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter One verse 28)

"Arjuna said: Krishna, at the sight of these friends and relatives present before me in such a fighting spirit, my limbs give away, my body quivering and my mouth is parched."

"vepathus cha sarire me
roma-harsas cha jayate
gandivam sramsate hastat
tvak chaiva paridahyate" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter One verse 29)

"My complete body shakes & my hair stands on end. The bow Gandiva is slipping from my hand, and my skin is burning."

"na cha saknomy avasthatum
bhramativa cha me manah
nimittani cha pasyami
viparitani keshava" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter One verse 30)

"My mind is reeling & I am now unable able to stand here any longer. I see the omens also inauspicious; only causes of misfortune, O Krishna, killer of the Keshi demon."

"sanjaya uvacha
evam uktvarjunah sankhye
rathopastha upavisat
visrjya sa-saram chapam
soka-samvigna-manasah" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter One verse 46)

"Sanjaya said: Arjuna, having thus spoken on the battlefield, cast aside his bow and arrows and sat down on the chariot, his mind overwhelmed with grief."

"sanjaya uvacha
evam uktva hrishikesham
gudakeshah parantapah
na yotsya iti govindam
uktva tusnim babhuva ha" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Two verse 9)

"Sanjaya said: O King, having spoken thus to Sri Krishna, Arjuna, again said to Krishna, “Hey Govinda, I shall not fight,” and fell silent."

Below are verses of Bhagwat Gita in which Lord Krishna gave sermon to Arjuna to do his duty of fighting a just & righteous war & motivated his mind.

"sreyan sva-dharmo vigunah
para-dharmat sv-anusthitat
sva-dharme nidhanam sreyah
para-dharmo bhayavahah" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Three verse 35)

"Lord Sri Krishna said: It is far better to discharge one’s prescribed duties, even though faultily, than another’s duties perfectly. Destruction in the course of performing one’s own duty is better than engaging in another’s duties, for to follow another’s path is dangerous."

"karmany evadhikaras te
ma phalesu kadachana
ma karma-phala-hetur bhur
ma te sango ’stv akarmani" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Two verse 47)

"Lord Sri Krishna said: You have a right to perform your prescribed duty, but you are not entitled to the fruits of action. Never consider yourself the cause of the results of your activities, and never be attached to not doing your duty."

"yoga-sthah kuru karmani
sangam tyaktva dhananjaya
siddhy-asiddhyoh samo bhutva
samatvam yoga ucyate" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Two verse 48)

"Lord Sri Krishna said: Perform your duty equi-poised, O Arjuna, abandoning all attachment to success or failure. Such equanimity is called yoga."

By the teachings of Lord Krishna, weakness of mind of Arjuna was gone & he became motivated. Below is a verse of Bhagwat Gita in which Arjuna acknowledges that his weakness of mind has gone & that he is now motivated to do his duty of fighting a just & righteous war.

"arjuna uvacha
nasto mohah smritir labdha
tvat-prasadan mayacyuta
sthito ’smi gata-sandehah
karisye vachanam tava" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Eighteen verse 73)

"Arjuna said: O Lord Sri Krishna, my illusion is now gone. I have regained my memory by Your grace. I am now firm and free from doubt and am prepared to act according to Your instructions."

So it is seen above, how the defeated & de-motivated mind of Arjuna became good & motivated by the teachings of Bhagwat Gita. Similarly we can also come out of the state of depression, de-motivation & dejection by reading the teachings of Bhagwat Gita. These teachings show us how to do our duty properly & how to lead a good life. So let's all follow the great teachings of Bhagwat Gita as told by Lord Sri Krishna Himself to Arjuna. These teachings are as much relevant in fast day to day life of ours today as these were in ancient times.



Jai Sri Krishna

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Motivation & Bhagwat Gita - Management Perspective

In our day to day life, whether you are working for an organization or are doing your own business or are responsible for your household work, the most common thing many times is that you get depressed while doing your work. Depressed employees in any organization is a common sight. Dejected employees, depressed employees, unmotivated employees, desolate employees, morose looking employees are very harmful to any organization as they not only decrease the productivity but they also create an atmosphere in which other colleagues may also feel de-motivated & dejected. Similarly if you run your own business & remain depressed while doing your work, certainly you shall not achieve that much in your business if you would have been highly motivated & energetic.

Now, De-motivation, Depression, Dejection, Desolation all these D-words relates to your mind or relate to your mental position. It's only your MIND that gets depressed, dejected. You may be physically fit with blood oozing in your nerves, but if you are not well with your MIND then you are certainly not going to perform to your full potential. Mental health is where the key to success lies. If you are mentally supercharged then you can achieve any milestone in spite of having any physical inadequacy.

Now, how to get out of this Depression, De-motivation & how to increase the productivity at work is where the great teachings of "Bhagwat Gita" come into play. Now for those who do not know about "Bhagwat Gita".

"Bhagwat Gita" is an ancient religious book of the "Hindus" & in this book are great philosophies of Hinduism. These philosophies teach you all about, how you should do your duty, how you should lead your life etc. This "Bhagwat Gita" teachings were given by "Lord Sri Krishna", God Himself, to his disciple "Arjuna" on the battle field of Kurukshetra in Haryana state of India in ancient times. "Arjuna" was involved in a war against his enemies (some of them his own relatives too) but he refused to do his duty of fighting a righteous battle as he got infatuated & started thinking of his enemies as his own near & dear ones. He told his master "Lord Sri Krishna" that he is going away from the war & do not want to fight on the battle field. Arjuna's mental health became weak & he got deeply depressed. To overcome his disciple Arjuna's depression & to motivate him to fight a righteous war, "Lord Sri Krishna" gave the great teachings of "Bhagwat Gita" to his disciple "Arjuna". After listening to all these great teachings, Arjuna's mental health became well & he became motivated & energetic to fight the war.

Now many of us & many of our employees in our organization find themselves in the same state of mind, as that of "Arjuna". Their de-motivated, depressed state of mind can be changed to motivated & energetic one by these teachings of "Bhagwat Gita". Through these teachings, mental equilibrium of any depressed person can be overcome & he can come out of any crisis situation. The teachings of "Bhagwat Gita" can simply transform a person.

Now Bhagwat Gita teaches about "Mind Control". Mind is that makes the personality of a person. De-motivated mind makes a person depressed one & a motivated one makes a person cheerful. If one's mind is in one's control & he/she can concentrate deeply on one's work, then that person can do wonders at work. Mind is very powerful one & to control it, to keep it in one's control is very difficult. It just wanders like wind here & there & it takes enough of self discipline & practice of meditation to control it, to get it concentrated on any job or activity. As per "Arjuna" to "Lord Sri Krishna" in Chapter Six verse 34:

"chanchalam hi manah krishna
pramathi balavad drdham
tasyaham nigraham manye
vayor iva su-duskaram" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Six verse 34)

"Arjuna said: For the mind is restless, turbulent, obstinate and very strong, O Krishna, and to subdue it, to control it, I think, is more difficult than controlling the wind."

"sri-bhagavan uvacha
asamsayam maha-baho
mano durnigraham chalam
abhyasena tu kaunteya
vairagyena cha grhyate" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Six verse 35)

"Lord Sri Krishna said: O mighty-armed Arjuna, it is undoubtedly that mind is very difficult to curb & is restless, but it is possible by suitable practices of meditation and by detachment."

"asamyatatmana yogo
dusprapa iti me matih
vasyatmana tu yatata
sakyo ’vaptum upayatah" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Six verse 36)

"Lord Sri Krishna said: For one whose mind is unbridled, uncontrolled, self-realization is a difficult work. But he whose mind is controlled and who strives by appropriate means is assured of success. That is My opinion."

So in the Bhagwat Gita, "Lord Sri Krishna" first of all asks one to do his DUTY. If a person does his/her duty then half of the problems of that person are solved. Not doing one's duty is very harmful as it produces negative results only in one's life, like frustration, depression, de-motivation etc. If one does at least his/her duty, then such negative factors affect that person to a lesser degree or do not affect at all. As per "Lord Sri Krishna", doing one’s prescribed duties, even though faultily is better to have a better Mental Health.

"sreyan sva-dharmo vigunah
para-dharmat sv-anusthitat
sva-dharme nidhanam sreyah
para-dharmo bhayavahah" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Three verse 35)

"Lord Sri Krishna said: It is far better to discharge one’s prescribed duties, even though faultily, than another’s duties perfectly. Destruction in the course of performing one’s own duty is better than engaging in another’s duties, for to follow another’s path is dangerous."

Another teaching of "Bhagwat Gita" is to do one's work for the sake of work only without caring for the fruit arising out of that work. That simply means to get deeply involved in one's work or to just think single mindedly about performing the best in one's job without thinking about the results arising out of those actions performed while doing one's work or duty. Just concentrate on your work, that's it. Below verse of "Bhagwat Gita" explains this.

"karmany evadhikaras te
ma phalesu kadachana
ma karma-phala-hetur bhur
ma te sango ’stv akarmani" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Two verse 47)

"Lord Sri Krishna said: You have a right to perform your prescribed duty, but you are not entitled to the fruits of action. Never consider yourself the cause of the results of your activities, and never be attached to not doing your duty."

Another below verse of "Bhagwat Gita" explains that one should do one's duty equi-poised or to have the equanimity of mind, without caring & renouncing all attachment to success or failure. If one does one's duty efficiently & with single minded devotion, without any fear of success or failure in his/her Endeavour, then certainly that person shall succeed in his/her work, as he/she is doing that work without any fear of success or failure. His/her mind shall be at peace & ease while doing such work without any fear of success or failure. Any person whose mind is at peace, certainly works effectively.

"yoga-sthah kuru karmani
sangam tyaktva dhananjaya
siddhy-asiddhyoh samo bhutva
samatvam yoga ucyate" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Two verse 48)

"Lord Sri Krishna said: Perform your duty equi-poised, O Arjuna, abandoning all attachment to success or failure. Such equanimity is called yoga."

So if a person is dedicated to his work & works for the sake of work only without any fear of success or failure, then that person is going to be certainly successful in his/her carrier. By doing meditation & other yoga techniques, one can control one's mind & a disciplined mind can be made to concentrate on one's job better, producing better results. So by following the teachings of "Bhagwat Gita" one is certainly going to excel in his/her job & in life.

Jai Shri Krishna