LIFE LESSONS FROM KUMBH - PART II

 

 

 

Last year I was in Sangam, the holy confluence of the Holy Ganga and Yamuna in Prayagraj, to take the holy dip during the Maha Kumbh. I have, in a previous blog, told that story, anf if you have missed it then this is where you can find it: https://surajitbrainwaves.blogspot.com/2025/02/life-lessons-from-kumbh.html

 

The evenings in Kumbh Mela were very interesting. There was something for everyone. From sadhus smoking strong intoxicants from their earthen chillum to some buried neck deep in the river sand to some reciting mantras in rich Sanskrit, there was a wide plethora of sainthood on display. I was most attracted to a sadhu was delivering a very profound and soulful lecture on life lessons – what prevents us from leading a happy life, and what changes can we bring within us to lead a happy life. He was young and he spoke Queen’s English to translate what he was saying in Hindi, because there were quite a few foreigners in that gathering. To some from Latin America he effortlessly conversed in Spanish too! So, this is what he said that evening:

 

If we take a good look at ourselves, we’ll discover that our lives are lead by many factors that create a great deal of tension, pain, and suffering within us. Instead of letting go of these things and allowing ourselves to feel free, we cling to them zealously, confident that they are our fortune. No more! From now on, we will give up on things that no longer serve us and adopt a change

 

1. You can be nice and not right, once in a while.

Many of us don’t tolerate the idea that we’re wrong. We want to always be right and for us, we are always right, even at the cost of ending great relationships or causing pain and stress to ourselves and others. It's just not worth it! Whenever you feel the need to jump into an argument ask yourself: "Is my ego really so big?", "Do I prefer to be right or would I rather be nice?" 

 

2. Give up the need for control

Be willing to give up the need to always be in control of what is happening to you and your surroundings - situations, events, people, and circumstances. Whether the people around you are loved ones or just strangers on the street - let them be. Let the world catch its trouble just as it is, and you'll see how much better you’ll feel. Just remember: "The world is vanquished by those who let it be, but when you try and try, the world will always be invincible."

 

3. Give up blame

Give up your need to blame others for what you have or do not have, what you feel or do not feel. Stop wasting energy and take responsibility for your life.

 

4. Give up defeatism

So many people hurt and cripple themselves because of negative thinking and a defeatist perception of themselves. Don’t believe everything your brain tells you, especially if it's negative. You're better than that! The mind is a superb instrument if used rightly. Used wrongly, however, it becomes very destructive.

 

5. Give up limiting beliefs

Give up the limitations of 'can or cannot' of ‘possible or impossible'. From now on you won’t let limiting beliefs keep you stuck in the wrong place. Spread your wings and fly high! A belief is not an idea held by the mind, it is an idea that holds the mind. I have elaborated this in a previous blog:   https://surajitbrainwaves.blogspot.com/2017/11/the-death-of-i-cant_30.html

 

6. Give up the complaints

Give up the constant need to complain about all the things, people, situations, events, and circumstances that make you feel unhappy and depressed. No one can make you sad and no situation can make you unhappy unless you allow it. It isn’t the situation that triggers these emotions, but your choice of how to look at things. Never underestimate the power of positive thinking.

 

7. Give up the luxury of criticism

Give up the need to criticize things, events, and people who are different from you. We are all different, but similar in one thing: we want to be happy, loving, loved and understood. Do not judge the means others adopt on their way to achieving this goal.

 

8. Give up the need to impress others

This is a juvenile habit. Stop trying to be something you are not, just to please others. It doesn’t work that way. Once you stop trying to be someone else, once you remove the mask and start being your "true self," people will be attracted to you, effortlessly.

 

9. Give up resistance to change

Change is good. Change helps us move from point to point. Change helps improve your life and that of those around you. Adopt change and don’t oppose it. Joseph Campbell said: "Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors where there were only walls.”

 

10. Give up labels

Stop labeling things, people and events that you don’t understand or that seem strange to you. Try to open your mind, step by step. Minds work only when they are open. The highest form of ignorance is when you reject something that you don’t know anything about.

 

11. Give up your fears

Fear is only an illusion, it does not exist, we create it. It's all in our minds. Fix what you feel inside and things on the outside will work out on their own. Franklin Roosevelt said: "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."

 

12. Give up the excuses

Pack all the excuses in a box and send them away, because today you have no need for them. Many times we limit ourselves to our excuses. Instead of growing and improving ourselves and our lives, we get stuck in our own lies and make excuse after excuse. In the end, 99.9% of these excuses are not real.

 

13. Give up the past

This is difficult, especially when the past looks much better than the present and the future looks scary. But keep in mind that the current moment is all you need and everything you will ever need. Don’t forget that the past you miss so much is the one you ignored when it was present. Stop deluding yourself. Be present in everything you do and enjoy life - after all, life is a journey, not a destination. Adopt a clear vision for the future, but don’t forget to be present here in the Now.

 

14. Give up attachments

For many, this concept is hard to understand, but with time, practice, sincerity and awareness it will become obvious. Make a distinction between the things you love and the things you stick to. These are two different things - love comes from a pure place, clinging comes from a place of fear. Once you have detached yourself you can be peaceful and patient.

 

15. Give up the need to meet the expectations of others

Too many people live a life that is not theirs. They live their lives according to what others think is good and right for them; According to what their parents say, their company dictates, their community members expect and the government determines. The culture in which we live paves a "norm" that causes us to ignore our inner voice and lose control. Over time, we forget what makes us happy and what we want. Don’t let distractions divert you from the path you are paving.

With this the Sadhu sweetly smiled at the gathering, folded his hands and said ‘namaskar’. The crowd slowly dispersed. This was a truly digital Kumbh. Digital innovations and AI were used to help crowd management. Thousands of drones were employed to monitor the security at the Mela site. Meanwhile, devotees had been given radio frequency wristbands to help locate lost family members who got separated in the crowd. Kumbh Mela attracts people from all walks of life, from sadhus to ordinary citizens, including families and international visitors. This is a true ocean of humanity in search of salvation. I do not know whether the holy dip in Sangam brings salvation of the soul or not, but getting acquainted with learned people like the Sadhu we just heard, surely brings salvation to the mind.