STRESS PHALA

AND

MAYA

DR. SHRINIWAS KASHALIKAR

One of the major causes of stress; is inability to cope with the failures, rejections, lack of any kind of achievement in the form of effects, results, fruits (phala) of our action. Failure are insulting to our intellectual esteem, hurting to our deep seated concerns or humiliating to our physical dignity. We feel hurt if our ideology, faith, love are defeated; and besides us; our near and dear ones are criticized. We get agitated even if our pets, our possessions are underrated! Thus not the poverty (deprivation), disease and loss per se, but the implication that that we are undeserving, incapable, lowly or sinners; causes agony! The karma-phala-tyaga i.e. detachment from the result or fruit of our action; thus is actually; the detachment; from our thoughts, emotions, instincts and body; i.e. everything subjective or personal (MAYA)! The aphorism of the saints is that; the degree of steadfastness and happiness in NAMASMARAN; irrespective of any result or fruit, is the indicator of the evolution, development, or

progress of a sadhaka. NAMASMARAN is everything for them! Even the social dreams are left to follow just as the day follows the sunrise! But even as we talk about this ideal; most of us (including leaders with a mission of a dream society) appear to be motivated and engaged in a variety of (constructive and destructive) administrative, creative, artistic, technological, intellectual activities; and vacillating between pleasure and pain; with gains or losses and successes and failures. But that is exactly what is MAYA; according to saints, who advise us to be steadfast in the practice of NAMASMARAN; even as the people continue in their activities; according to their stages of development; and the trillions of our body cells continue in anabolic and catabolic activities!