STRESS

DIFFICULTY
IN

TOTAL
STRESS
MANAGEMENT

DR.
SHRINIWAS
KASHALIKAR
The stress is as eternal and as infinite as the life itself.

Our life is trapped between at least three distinct

tendencies. One tendency makes us mean, indolent, inert,
lethargic, irresponsible, undisciplined, intolerant,
adamant, fanatic, and cruel. The second tendency makes
us ambitious, intense, keen, competitive, lustful,
perfectionist, obsessive, selfish, sectarian, and active, but
without the subtle awareness about one’s own
blossoming, innate satisfaction and global blossoming.
The third tendency makes us studious, sincere, kind,
considerate, tolerant, selfless, egalitarian, sensitive but
without holistic perspective and hence somewhat gullible
and vulnerable.

Lack of this understanding and holistic perspective is the

main difficulty that leads to repeated and misdirected (in
the petty selfish direction) efforts; under the disguise of
stress management! These efforts, which ignore the role
of globally benevolent perspective, policies, plans,
programs and their implementation; have left us with
exponentially multiplying stress at individual and global
levels; in the form of; child labor, beggars,
unemployment, garbage, misery, filth, indiscipline,
addictions, crimes, and chaos and frustration in several
forms.
The difficulty in Total Stress Management (accurate
perception, feelings and activity; embodying blossoming
of an individual and the universe simultaneously;
referred to as ATMANO MOKSHARTHAM JAGAT
HITAYA CHA in Sanskrut) is huge and global; and
hence the answer also has to be universally accessible and
acceptable! Such answer, which is the core of Total
Stress Management, is NAMASMARAN or remaining
oriented to our true self and must be integral to our
learning and education.

Through NAMASMARAN we begin to blossom and

realize universal unity and harmony and ironically (as it
may appear to some), land up in magnificent bliss and
infallible conviction (some may call it obsession) of
NAMASMARAN! It is through such conviction (and
obsession) of NAMASMARAN, that we realize the need
to acquaint NAMASMARAN at all stages of life and in
all circumstances; with top priority; as a core of
cognitive, affective, psychomotor and productive
domains, which culminate into enlightenment,
empowerment and appropriate streamlining of the
talents, expertise, efforts and material towards individual
and global prosperity and profundity.

We define learning and education as; every endeavor

(conscious or unconscious) that leads to greater accuracy
in perspective or vision, cognition i.e. perception, affect
i.e. feelings and conation i.e. actions or response.

Learning is expected to improve perspective or vision,

making it global, universal or objective, grasp of a
situation and improvement in decision making i.e.
intellectual improvement, improvement in appreciation
and expression of feelings i.e. emotional improvement
and improvement strength, endurance, flexibility, agility,
an skills and their expression e.g. recognizing driving
skills and executing them.

Depending upon the kind of learning, there would be

difference in the degrees to which each of the cognition,
affect and conation would be nurtured!

Thus physical learning such as sports, military,

acrobatics, athletics, martial art, carpentry, music,
involve an element of emotional and intellectual training;
but the emphasis is on physical training. The learning
such as that of literature, acting, direction; involve
marginal physical and intellectual training but emphasis
is on emotional refinement.

The learning of mathematics, languages, sciences etc

involve negligible training in physical and emotional
faculties as the emphasis is on intellectual training!

Learning would be further qualified and may be,

quantified on the basis of “the effect of learning on the
surroundings”.

Admittedly, this may not be always possible and

accurate. This is because the learning of music and
surgery may give tangible results immediately but
learning of literature and politics may not.

But this is not necessarily satisfying or fulfilling! To

overcome in this i.e. bring about Total Stress
Management; I must understand “My problem”!

“My problem” is always a struggle inside; probably

inside every person; about “what is” and “what should
be” or “what should not be”; amidst the ongoing changes
inside and outside! This restlessness is born out of the
tussle between the prevalent sensory input and its
interpretation and the prevalent feeling of wants,
deficiencies or demands (many times wrongly interpreted
and felt) of mine. Not merely I am restless as a common
man; but even if I am a leader in some field including
intellectual and philosophical, I am restless and hence
intolerant about “what should be” and “what should not
be”!!

“My problem” is; further complicated by the fact that

how much ever I am brain washed, I can not be noble
hearted. I can not be generous. I can not be selfless.
Being “better” is not as simple and as instant as “merely
changing clothes or washing make up”! Whenever I seem
to have “improved”, I come across a situation that bares
open my meanness. “My problem” is difficulty in
voluntarily blossoming and becoming buoyant, generous,
loving and benevolent to all.

You can punish me, torture me or kill me but cannot

transform me into unprejudiced and innocent individual.
Can you? You can force me to pay tax ecstatically? You
can influence me to donate but can you inspire me to
voluntarily stop exploiting? You can force me to behave
in a gentle manner. But you can you erase the sexual,
infatuative, and other bizarre ideas, whims and fancies
from my mind? Can you?

Can you blossom (through Total Stress Management the

core of which is NAMASMARAN) and create an
environment of a holistic perspective, globally beneficial
policies, plans, laws, rules, regulations, conventions and
fashions so that I also blossom? You can not; because
“My problem” is “Your problem” and also a “Universal
problem”!

Hence, let us be considerate to every one including

ourselves. Tolerance is not gullible stupidity. It is the
wisdom born out of experience and honesty.

We can conquer “my problem” which is the “Universal

problem” and the difficulty in Total Stress Management
(the core of which is NAMASMARAN); not by mere
egoistic voluntary efforts and/or authoritative rhetoric;
but by coming together through NAMASMARAN!