Since the time I had this topic in my mind, my mind was refusing to criticise itself. I have struggled to come to this point where I think I have conquered my mind to a great extent. There are days when my heart knows what is right and yet my mind refuses to follow what my heart says. I have seen both of these angels and demons sitting on my shoulder and whispering in my ears, their voices start a debate in my brain and confuse me to make a "right" decision.
Shri Krishna says in Bhagvad Gita Chapter 6, Verse 5 & 6
उद्धरेदात्मनात्मानं नात्मानमवसादयेत् । आत्मैव ह्यात्मनो बन्धुरात्मैव रिपुरात्मन: ॥ ५ ॥
बन्धुरात्मात्मनस्तस्य येनात्मैवात्मना जित: । अनात्मनस्तु शत्रुत्वे वर्तेतात्मैव शत्रुवत् ॥ ६ ॥
uddhared ātmanātmānaṁ nātmānam avasādayet ātmaiva hy ātmano bandhur ātmaiva ripur ātmanaḥ
bandhur ātmātmanas tasya yenātmaivātmanā jitaḥ anātmanas tu śatrutve vartetātmaiva śatru-vat
Translation :
One must deliver himself with the help of his mind, and not degrade himself. The mind is the friend of the conditioned soul, and his enemy as well.
For him who has conquered the mind, the mind is the best of friends; but for one who has failed to do so, his mind will remain the greatest enemy.
What Is Addiction?
I have come across many people who drink, smoke and when I speak to them regarding their habit, sometimes they confess saying they don't want to continue but they are not able to get rid of it.
So who is stopping them? Their Mind! It's overpowering them!
I myself have been an addict of social media. How do you know you are a social media addict?
There are some simple questions you can ask yourself. I asked these questions to myself a few months ago and answers were scary!
Do you check your social media when you wake up even before getting outside of the bed?
Do you carry your phone to washrooms and keep scrolling feed, stories?
Do you reach out to your phone every now and then and keep checking feed, stories, chats?
Do you post something on social media everyday?
Do you check how many people liked, commented, viewed your post?
Do you "plan" to post on social media?
Is social media a place for you to reach out to reduce your stress?
Do you reach out to social media to reduce your loneliness?
Do you keep scrolling your feed mindlessly even though you are not looking for anything?
Do you feel restless if you don't do any of the above things for a long time?
How long can you stay away from all the social media or phone without feeling restless?
Maya & Dopamine
What everyone else calls it as product strategies for user engagement is what is described as Maya in Bhagvad Gita. Maya is nothing but Shri Krishna's one of the energies ruling the materialistic and physical world. It's like a curtain on a conscious mind. It controls the ability to think rationally and makes one fall for things which please the mind through different senses. Mind is the controller of all the senses! People might not like how a drink tastes of a drink in a bar but yet they want to take a selfie with that colourful drink just to impress some instagrammers. They buy new clothes and accessories so that, people on social media see them in some different and new outfits. They may be spending on luxury that they can't afford. And why do they do it all of these? To get some rewarding likes! Some people may say they don't care about likes but then some of them are self obsessed and like to admire themselves in the mirror or within a closed group of people. It's an influence of the same Maya!
Due to the effect it has on the brain, social media is addictive both physically and psychologically. According to a study self-disclosure on social networking sites lights up the same part of the brain that also activates when taking an addictive substance. The reward area in the brain and its chemical messenger pathways affect decisions and sensations. When someone experiences something rewarding, or uses an addictive substance, neurons in the principal dopamine-producing areas in the brain are activated, causing dopamine levels to rise. Therefore, the brain receives a “reward” and associates the drug or activity with positive reinforcement.
The Great Escape
Few months back, I had this realisation that there were many things that I did which were beyond my control and I needed to take over my mind that was controlling me. It was difficult for me to fight with my mind, so I needed guidance. I started reading Bhagvad Gita as well as some modern books like Ikigai, Habits for Happiness, In the Habit - Introduction to changing habits, Make Time, The Power Of Your Subconscious Mind, etc., All of them led to a common conclusion. It was just that the same conclusion was put forth by different authors, researchers and philosophers which is described in Bhagvad Gita. Researchers are the people who are re - searching something that already exists!
Shri Krishna saya in Bhagvad Gita Chapter 2, Verse 59
विषया विनिवर्तन्ते निराहारस्य देहिनः । रसवर्जं रसोऽप्यस्य परं दृष्ट्वा निवर्तते ॥ ५९ ॥
viṣayā vinivartante nirāhārasya dehinaḥ rasa-varjaṁ raso ’py asya paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate
Translation :
Though the embodied soul may be restricted from sense enjoyment, the taste for sense objects remains. But, ceasing such engagements by experiencing a higher taste, he is fixed in consciousness.
There is a saying in Marathi - तुझे आहे तुजपाशी परी तू जागा चुकलासी ! Meaning, sometimes everything you need is right there with you and yet you are searching for it everywhere else. The ultimate guidance and knowledge one may need, comes walking to him and stands right in front of him, when he decides to listen to the voice of his subconscious mind. It's the voice of Shri Krishna (Higher Consciousness , Super Soul - Parmatma) who resides in the everyone's heart. All that is needed is, to listen to Him carefully! He is a true friend of every living being and wants everyone to come to Him to seek help & guidance. That's the higher taste one needs to develop over any materialistic attractions which are going to fade away with time.
Ringmaster
Mind is like a roaring lion and king of the physical body we possess. Anyone who comes in front of a lion when he is hungry, he will not spare him. Yet the same lion, when trained by the ringmaster in the circus, jumps through the rings of fire even when he is not fed enough!
Same is the case with mind. One has to be a ringmaster of this bodily circus and keep it under control. That means even if one has to use a hunter to control it, it must be used without hesitation!
In my case, I did cut off myself from social media completely, stopped Netflix subscription, turned vegetarian, stopped checking my SIP updates more often, restricted sleeping pattern to 10:00 pm to 04:00 am etc., This has been an attempt to control 4 principle activities of materialistic world - Eating, Sleeping, Fearing & Mating. Because in today's modern world everyone is driven by Lust, Wealth, Anger & Libration. I have described more about it in हृदयस्थ श्रीकृष्ण. It's been a while now and none of these things affect me at all! I decided to keep it this way at least until I'm sure however strongly they try to influence me, I'll remain unaffected, no matter what!
Mind is a wanderer. This material yet beautiful world is created by God (Shri Krishna), so that all living beings can enjoy it. Let's say it's a playground for kids. Parents love to see their kids play but still they are watching over their kids to see if they are enjoying or quarrelling, falling, etc,. And when play time is over, parents expect their kids to come back on time and spent time studying, learning so when they grow up, they become independent and respectable in society.
Similarly, Shri Krishna expect that all these wandering minds and souls stop wandering further from one life to another, grow spiritually, break the cycle of life and death and finally come back to home in spiritual world - Vaikunth. The lost path of these wandering minds is a path of devotion. Once this path of devotion is discovered, mind becomes a true friend! And that's my own personal experience!
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