Dharma is THE way to Moksha, Moksha is unattainable without focusing on dharma

Focusing on dharma is the way to Moksha. Artha and Kama are nothing but 'perks' of focusing on dharma. A person who tries to attain Moksha loses focus on dharma, and gets further away from Moksha. Krishna himself incarnates to establish dharma. He does not incarnate to enable beings to attain moksha, which is nothing but a by product of dharma for himself as well as others. Moksha is not an end in itself. It is just a means to fulfil dharma better because Moksha liberates a person from the past and future and enables him to focus on the present. Krishna is free from any desire for Moksha because he is in Moksha at each and every moment. Desire is for something in the future, Moksha is in the present. Moksha is his nature, as it is our nature. He leads by example on the need to focus on dharma.

How to and how much to utilize the mind

This is not a blog about improving your memory, concentration, reasoning powers, or analytical skills. It is not about improving the functionality of the mind per se, but it is about utilizing it. The difference between improving functionality and utilization can be illustrated by the example of the scene in the movie '3 idiots', where a student rushes his friend's father to a hospital in a 2-wheeler instead of waiting for an ambulance. The ambulance is probably a machine that is better suited for hosting a patient, but in a situation where speed and time was critical, the 2-wheeler was readily available and was quicker in manoeuvring past traffic. The doctor confirms by saying that if there was even a slight delay, the patient's condition would have been critical. In that movie, the student whose role is portrayed by Aamir Khan talks about using intelligence, knowledge and education for serving the needs of society, and not just for the sake of accumulating textbook knowledge by mugging, scoring good marks in exams, and securing lucrative jobs in banks or MNCs out of campus.


Now coming back to the question of how to utilize the mind, the mind is utilized best when it is utilized sufficiently to keep it occupied, but not overburdened or stressed so that it makes errors. The right amount of utilization is important. A mind that is underutilized is prone to becoming a 'devil's workshop' and a mind that is hyperactive is prone to make mistakes or overdo its part.

The mind functions best when it is utilized in a current task or activity that is relevant to the present context. The mind can be counter productive when engaged in contemplating the future or reliving the past, because this leads to stress, worry, and a feeling of helplessness. The mind can be used to evaluate the future, predict possibilities, and also determine what is likely to happen. It can also be used to internalize learnings from the past and to avoid repetition of past mistakes in the future. However, one must remember that the mind has a limited influence on the past and future whereas it is much more productive when focused on the present, which is within its control.


Coming back to Aamir Khan and the movie '3 idiots', the movie highlights the point about following excellence, and following one's passion, and success follows. Aamir Khan's character is shown to be very spontaneous in his decision making and actions. He takes decisions based on the present situation and acts upon them promptly, whether they are in relation to his behaviour in class, with friends, or in his love life. He does not overcontemplate and overanalyze. He is intelligent, but not bookish.

In the course of taking decisions by focusing on the present, we may take some sub-optimal decisions from the future point of view. However, we should then be ready to accept the consequences of our choices and decisions and take full responsibility for them. When we do this, the learnings from this process will be internalize fully, and our ability to make better decisions spontaneously will also improve over time. If we are consistent in applying our minds with focus in the present context and then accepting the consequences of our decisions fully later, our mind will start functioning in a manner that will be optimum not just for the present, but also for the future. The mind is suited for evolution and adaptation, so this will happen over time. We need not worry about our mind capacity to factor in not only the present but also the future will happen in the future. Utilize the mind for the present and focus.

Realization is not a future goal, it is in the present

Many of us think of spirituality as a pursuit of a goal. The goal is called as enlightenment, nirvana, moksha etc. However, it is this misconception that keeps us from being spiritual. We use many means to achieve this goal, called belief, faith, doubt, reason, logic, etc. However there is one word that is self-explanatory. The word is realization. The word includes the means as well as the ends. It does not distinguish the means as separate from the ends

When we think of realization or spirituality as a goal, we create a barrier between ourselves and the goal. Thus, we are unable to attain it in the present. However, the reason why we are unable to attain this goal even though we make 'efforts' sincerely towards this future goal in the present is because the only time when this goal is attainable is in the present. Thus, thinking of spirituality or realization as a goal is detrimental to achieving it. Spirituality or realization cannot be compared to an external goal like scoring a 100 in an exam or coming first in a race. Spirituality is an inner goal, so you are in perfect control of this goal, unlike external goals that depend on external factors. In spirituality, you are goal and you are the person working towards it. You are the problem and you are the solution. You are your best friend, and you are your own worst enemy.

The mind is analytical. It prefers a step by step logical approach. It uses the concept of time. According to the mind,

1) Spirituality/Enlightenment/Realization/Detachment is a goal
2) Pains are required to work towards the goal
3) In order to be prepared to take the pains, one has to be convinced t(either logically or by faith) to work towards the goal

Logically, this makes perfect sense to the mind. However, it is this analytical approach and the mind that keeps one from reaching the goal. To realize, one has to look at the whole and not just the parts. One has to let go of the serial thought process based on the past and future that is a creation of the mind and be aware of that which is all at once in a timeless state.

Instead of the 3 steps, there is only one step - Be aware now. Everything else is a by product of awareness. There is no goal for the future and no effort required in the present to achieve the future goal. A goal is something that you work towards in the present with the motive and hope to achieve it in the future. It is this process that keeps one from being aware in the present. Awareness comes spontaneously and without effort to reach it. One has to let go even of this effort to be aware. No effort is required if one is not only aware, but is also aware that one is aware. Then one need not even ask oneself if one is aware, but one is already aware of the answer.

Then comes the question, if all we need to do is to be aware, and if it is indeed so simple, why are most of us not aware? We are not aware because we identify with the mind and its analytical 'problem/solution' approach. We enjoy the drama that the mind creates because life is more interesting that way. We like the pleasure knowing that pain will follow soon after. We like the success knowing that failure too will make its presence felt. We make best friends knowing that these best friends can also become our worst enemies. We enjoy the extreme highs knowing that the morning after we will only be left with a headache. The mind creates problems and then tries to find solutions. When we accept things as they really are, we don't create imaginary problems, and there is no need to find solutions either. Most of our 'problems' are a matter of perception, and when we become aware and change the frame of reference of perception, the problems seem to disappear.

In certain rural areas, there is a perception that a good doctor is one who gives a painful injection. A doctor who tells you that you are fine when you are fine is considered to be useless. Hence, doctors in rural areas of administer injections with placebos (e.g., saline solution) to patients. This is because patients do not feel that they or the doctor has made any 'effort' to cure themselves, and so they cannot get well until and unless they make an 'effort'. The placebo satisfies them mentally, and they get well soon after. Our natural state is a healthy one, both mentally and spiritually, but it is we who create barriers to realization of this natural state. When we realize that we are the cause of the 'problem', we also realize that no 'solution' is required and we become 'cured' automatically.

Absolute - One path to all

People have questions and they are looking for answers. These questions are related to a wide range of topics, such as happiness, success, love, truth, peace etc. Some are able to find one or more of these on their own. However they are unable to see the interconnection between these things. There are many who believe that there is no such thing as an absolute, and that there is nothing that is timeless, unchanging, and permanent. Each goal is relative to others, and when one is attained, another is compromised. They say that there is no standard and everything is relative. Such people have to attain each goal individually. In the process of chasing certain goals, they have trade off other goals. For example, to attain 'success', they have to trade off 'love' or 'truth'. To attain 'peace', they have to trade off success. This analytical approach of dividing and looking at each goal as distinct and mutually exclusive prevents people from attain multiple goals simultaneously. Some people are so used to this conflict that the moment they see that one person has attained one goal, they naturally assume that that person has failed at another.

For example, spirituality is assumed to be the domain of 'saints' and 'sages', so when they see a person who is 'spiritual' they assume that that person has to be poor, and when a person is 'rich' they assume that the rich person must have attained the wealth at the expense of others by cheating and that wealth and spirituality cannot coexist. They think of spiritual persons as introverts or those who living in constant meditation and yoga etc, but when they see a person who is equally comfortable with the inner world as well as the outer, they assume that something is wrong. Some people are able to find peace when they are alone, but when they mix with others, they lose their peace and they also do not allow others to find peace. Others are happiest and at peace with others but they cannot stand to be alone. Some people are able to love select persons and have a romantic or idealistic notion of love for these select persons whom they consider ideal or perfect, but what if those persons do not think of them as ideal or perfect? What if one person leaves? Then we have cases of love that is not reciprocated, which often leads to pain and hurt. Then there is the universal problem of suffering. Why do we suffer? Suffering is on so many levels - physical, mental and emotional. Their questions relate to these aspects. Humanity has so many problems. When a solution to one is attained, another problem is created.

The problem of conflict and imbalance is because of this inability to see the oneness in all. To see the one in the many and the many in the one is the highest knowledge. To see the specialization in the general and generalization in the specialized is both general and specialized knowledge, or what we would simply called 'knowledge'.