What do you do when you are in turmoil? In the Bhakti Sutras, Sage Narada says “Yo viviktasthanam sevate, yo lokabandha munmulyati, Yo nistraygunyo bhavati, Yo yogakshemam tyajati”
Narada says, go into seclusion, take time off and be by yourself. When you don’t have time to reflect about yourself it becomes a problem. You are in a whirlpool of influence of so many people around you and they all have their opinions: the media, the television, the newspapers. You are then bombarded by their opinions and your mind starts sinking.
Have you taken time off from all this? Let your mind move into its source?
We never have time to relax into the silent core of our being. This is how violence springs up. An unanswered question in the mind gets fermented and becomes violence. That is why violent people always have a question in their heart: “Why this?” “Why me?” They think they're fighting for justice, and behind that is their anger and hatred.
Why are people put in confinement? That way they are away from the associations and companies. They have a chance to go back within themselves.
There is a story: A man renounced everything - his home, wealth and family. He said, “ I'm going into the forest to become a recluse. He had walked ten kilometres. Suddenly he remembered that when he was leaving, a silver cup was left outside the door.” So he walked all the way back to tell his wife to take care of the silver cup. The wife said, “Though you walked ten kilometres, you haven't moved one inch away from your possession of a small little silver cup!”
Such seclusion is of very little use. The fear of “What will happen to me?” binds your soul to the matter. With this worry and fear psychosis, you can never smile. Remove this insecurity from the mind and heart, otherwise you are not making use of what you have. You have to drop this fear and feel free from within. When you can drop the worry to acquire or maintain and relax for a while in seclusion, then it is fruitful. Otherwise, seclusion is of no use.
All your actions are oriented towards gaining what you don’t have or to maintain what you already have. This is Yogakshema. You have a house, you want to maintain it, get a car, insurance policy and pay all the bills. Your worry is about maintaining or acquiring. Krishna says in the Bhagavat Gita: “I will take care of the YOGA KSHEMA of one who does not worry about anything else but just puts their mind totally in me. It is my responsibility to make sure that they will not suffer. So you drop that anxiety from within.”
Once you have taken a step in this spiritual path, more then you can ever digest will come to you. Know that you will get what you want and whatever you have will grow and continue to be with you. That is real faith. If you take some time off like that, then you can overcome the turmoil and cross the ocean of misery.
