Self-work March LP 2022
Sadhana for a peaceful life
Pradeep Krishnan’s prescription for attaining peace is to concentrate on bettering oneself instead of trying to change the world
Does anyone in this world not want to lead a peaceful life? The dictionary meaning of peace is freedom from disturbance, tranquillity, a quiet and calm state of being, living in harmony with people, etc. But the million-dollar question is, How can one attain such a state?
Looking back, I was always struggling to cope with different life situations which disturbed my peace: my wife not behaving the way I wanted her to, my relations not appreciating my loving gestures, or a neighbour reacting in a particular way. In short, I wanted life to live up to my expectations. The result was constant friction with all those who came in contact with me, coupled with inner disturbance and turmoil. Without realising what my problem was, I was pulling on with life, leading a relentless battle with utter chaos all around.
The miracle book
About two decades ago, during one of my annual visits to Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, I happened to get introduced to the late Shri M P Pandit, a senior sadhak (spiritual seeker) and author. During our conversation, when I opened up my heart about the utter disturbance of my mind, quoting the Mother’s words, he remarked, “Pradeep, perhaps you may have to focus more on yourself. Follow some meaningful discipline and see the result.” He then gifted me his book, Life Beautiful, and advised me to follow the practical tips it offered.
The book offered insights and instructions to make one’s life more beautiful. Reading the book convinced me that instead of complaining and grumbling about people and circumstances, one must seriously involve oneself in significant activities to make oneself a better human being. It offered a series of activities for one to follow as soon as one gets up from bed till one goes to bed, based on one’s temperament, to lead an orderly life.
The start of sadhana
Prompted by something within, I started my sadhana (spiritual practice) of 21 days. On waking up, I systematically offered a prayer, did swadhya (the study of scriptures), exercise, yoga, pranayama, and meditation. Though, initially, the journey was not that easy, day by day, I started enjoying the whole programme, and soon it became an integral part of my daily routine.
I can now confidently assert that the constant practice of any positive habit will ultimately help one to blossom one’s inherent talents. Not only that, when one’s creativity has bloomed, the complaining and grumbling mind automatically takes a back seat, transforming one even without their knowledge. Gradually, I became convinced that I am the maker and destroyer of my peace. I am now certain that leading a peaceful life depends a lot on one’s state of mind, and hence one’s life has to be programmed to achieve such a frame of mind.
Since then, by and large, I have been experiencing undisturbed peace. Thanks to the daily routine I have been following, I am now at peace with existence. Please do not conclude that I have already become an enlightened Buddha! I am well aware that I am far away from such an enlightened state. Though I often get irritated and become restless and annoyed, the periods of disturbance have become awfully short; I quickly recover from turmoil.
The mantra for undisturbed peace
In short, my mantra to everyone who wants to lead a peaceful life is that rather than fixing the mind on the behaviour of the other, it is better to focus on improving one’s own state of mind. To sum up, when I started absorbing myself in activities such as yoga, pranayama, meditation, etc., that are beneficial in improving my self-worth, little by little, the need for recognition and acceptance from the other became less and less. I was at peace with existence all around; the usually complaining and comparing mind seized to exist.
Friends, instead of making the world right, concentrate on improving one’s quality of life by filling the day with worthy activities. So, day by day, little by little, miracles start happening in one’s life. In my case, my sadhana helped me to become a better person with hassle-free relationships and efficient performance at the workplace. The result is there for all to see in the form of overall improvement in the quality of life: harmonious relationships leading to a calm and serene life and the long-overdue promotion happening all of a sudden. This has been my experience. Why don’t you try it too and experience abundance in life?