Sanskrit Quote : Balance of Mind

गुणदोषौ बुधो गृह्णन् इन्दुक्ष्वेडाविवेश्वर:।

शिरसा श्लाघते पूर्वं परं कण्ठे नियच्छति॥

English Translation of Sanskrit Quote:

" A wise-man accepts (both) the good and the bad. He appreciates the former by a nod of his head and resticts the latter in his throat, just as Lord shiva adorned his head with the crescent moon and restricted the poison in his throat."

Commentary:

As the puranic allusion goes, when the Gods and Demons churned the mythological Milky Ocean, many good and bad things emerged from it. There was this moon who was very much in demand because of his salutary rays. There also emerged fuming poison "हालाहल" (Halahala), whose vapours swooned those who were in the vicinity. Both the Gods and demons abandoned the churning and ran for their lives. No one except Ishwara was left to claim it for himself. We see the crescent moon on the crest of Lord Shiva. He allotted a lofty place for the moon. Though he accepted even the poison "Halahala" he gave it a place it deserved. He restricted it in his throat and never allowed it to pass down to his stomach.


We get a lot of good and bad things in our lives, depending upon the good and bad decisions we make. The fruits of our actions are compulsory for us to accept. We have no choice, other than to accept them. But the human tendency is to reject what we don't like and crave for what we like. This makes our life miserable. There is a way, by which we can neutralize the bad we get, even as we keep it. The technique is to allot it a place where it is least harmful.


We have a tendency to yell at others when they speak something unsavory. Bad speech is a veritable poison which we should not allow to affect us. We are helpless to entertain bad thoughts when we are in a lousy mood. At least we can check ourselves, so that words of abuse are never uttered. The negativity in our thoughts is the source of all bad thoughts and deeds.


It is equally important, how we make use of a little amount of good in us. It should be given a prominent position so it gets due consideration. This way, we can successfully avoid craving and hatred for things as they happen in our life and have a balanced view which is so rare to find but so precious for a healthy life.