STRESS

AND

PRARABDHA DR. SHRINIWAS KASHALIKAR

PRARABDHA, SANCHIT and KRIYAMANA refer to past deeds and the present deeds respectively.

It is customary to describe a particular calamity as a part of PRARABDHA, when there is no etiology. In medicine also we often use the term idiopathic i.e. where the cause is not known.

The stress results when we attribute all the problems to the PRARABDHA and give up efforts. This is true in personal as well as social life; but especially in social life; because social evils do not bother us so much; as our own personal problems do.

In our religious and spiritual endeavors aimed at self realization or our immortal state; we often neglect; the social evils (attributing them to PRARABDHA) and in our striving for social welfare we forget the essence of life viz. immortal bliss.

As a result; the spiritual and religious endeavors gradually crumble into petty fetish for some esoteric personal gains and

the social endeavors get fossilized to mechanical activity without innate fulfillment.

The pursuit of spiritual, religious and social endeavors is actually the same; viz. individual and global blossoming into the experience of immortal self and universal unity and eternal bliss. The former two; focus on the inner development while the latter focus on the all the material development conducive to such inner development.

We need spiritual and religious endeavors such as NAMASMARAN just we need oxygen; and we need all the wisdom and expertise in the science, technology, medicine, agriculture also; just as we need food, water etc. These two are inseparable for life to culminate into efficient individual and global blossoming.

Further; we need NAMASMARAN for our personal inner growth and enlightenment and self realization; but we need holistic perspective, policies, plans and programs for the social development and harmony conducive to NAMASMARAN and

growth and enlightenment; in everyones life. These two are inseparable.

Therefore; all our institutions e.g. education, research, health care, administration, defense, police and so on; need the detoxifying vital sap of NAMASMARAN as an integral part; and all our religious and spiritual institutions need awareness, motivation and participation in global welfare.

The spiritual and religious endeavors cut off from the mainstream life; degenerate into petrified and parasitic rituals; and the mainstream activities cut off from spiritual and religious endeavors (e.g. NAMASMARAN) degenerate into belligerent and destructive chaos.