As you sow
Looking at himself in the mirror, Pradeep Krishnan comes to a realisation: to set the world right, one has to start with oneself
Have any of us intensely looked at the beauty of our own body? Till recently, I hadn’t. The other day, when I was combing my hair after my bath, I curiously looked at the image in the mirror. I intensely gazed at myself for a few minutes. I observed myself from tip to toe. A unique creation of God that initially came to Earth in my mother’s womb as a single cell 59 years ago, was born as a baby boy and named Pradeep Krishnan. This boy became a man of five feet five inches and was now gazing at himself in the long mirror.
I amazingly observed my own body. I have perfect eyes to see the rising orange sun, faultless ears to hear melodious bhajans, a flawless nose to smell red roses, an immaculate tongue to taste delicious dishes, and glowing skin to feel the loving touch of dear ones. Thank God, I have agile hands, active legs, broad shoulders, and an alert brain. Suddenly, I fell in love with myself.
Mirror image
When I smiled, offered namaste, and pointed fingers, ‘he’ too responded alike. When I twisted and turned my face as if mocking him, he too reciprocated my gestures. Whatever I did, the man in the mirror just imitated me. I began to realise that whatever I give to the world will come back to me as it is. He in the mirror represents the world outside that responds to my actions. So, to improve my conditions outside, not only must I consciously behave with the world outside, but also intentionally take steps to better myself. I remembered the golden words of Mahatriaji: “If you make the man right, the whole world will become right.”
I pondered, How can I make myself right? To do so, should I not have at least a basic understanding of the ‘me’ that I want to improve on and the exact processes by which I can elevate myself? Then I remembered that man is a combination of body, mind, and spirit. That is why, since time immemorial, spiritual masters have been emphasising the need to have a harmonious synchronisation of these three faculties to lead a happy, peaceful, and purposeful life on earth. To smoothly sail through life, one must have a healthy body, flawless mind, and a spiritual inclination.
Healthy body, healthy mind
Several studies have proved that a healthy body makes a serene mind and vice versa. When the body is not well, do we not often feel down? Conversely, when our mind is peaceful and calm amidst Mother Nature, our body too feels comfortable. So, making one’s body perfect with regular exercises, pranayama, hatha yoga, etc., helps also to keep one’s mind calm and serene to an extent. However, that alone is not enough. In addition, it is important to feed the mind with good thoughts: reading the scriptures, listening to talks of masters, singing bhajans, etc. will definitely help to elevate one’s mind. But that too is not sufficient to make a faultless man.
One with the Spirit
Then comes the spiritual aspect of man, revealing the unique connection with his Creator, or God. Whatever one achieves in life, either bodily or with the mind, will be incomplete without not having the right spiritual bent of mind—the ultimate realisation that the whole world is Her creation and that everything in the Universe is interconnected. Is it not a proven fact that even a tiny speck of dust which originated in a faraway galaxy millions of light years away will make its impact on the surface of Mother Earth? Not properly grasping this integral connection is the cause of all conflicts happening around us: wars, destructive weapons, environmental disasters at the macro level, and jealousy, hatred, cunningness, etc. at the micro level.
The only way shown by masters all through the ages to these pressing problems has been to follow a spiritual path at the individual and collective level. Mahatria says, “Spirituality is the science of the ‘life-giving substance.’ ” At the individual level, one’s connection with their God happens through meditation. The process helps one to realise, step by step, one’s inherent divine nature. Though the path is not that easy, one has to commence the journey at the earliest; else, existence will definitely make it happen for all.
Seeing the new me, I quipped, “It is my privilege to make me right so as to make the whole world right.” I smiled at him in gratitude, and from the mirror, he smiled back.