Every day we make many decisions: from debating snoozing the alarm clock to the way we conduct with family, friends, and colleagues. Some decisions have minimal effect such as choosing what to wear, or a huge effect such as the way argument goes with someone dear. Certain professions demand decisions that can impact whether a person lives or dies. Other decisions are critical enough to impact the rest of one’s life.
If decision making is so important in life, shouldn’t we take a few minutes and introspect on the strength of our decision-making ability ?
Generally, people say – Follow your heart (manas)! Is that how you make your decisions? If so…
Is your manas making good decisions for you?
Unless your manas decides to do something, you will not do it. If manas makes a wise choice, that’s great. However, manas finds a way to use logic to make some bad decisions sound good. For example: a thief’s manas convinces him that it is fine to steal by justifying those actions and only then he proceeds. Thus, it’s important to assess whether your manas is making the best decisions for you.
How can you be sure that your manas is making good decisions?
If your buddhi guides your manas well, then you can be sure it is making good decisions for you. The buddhi gets its strength from Guru Upade:sam, teachings of a guru. A guru is one who follows an authentically established lineage of gurus. It is therefore said…
vande: guru parampara:m
salutations to the lineage of gurus
Self-Check: are you following a guru’s upade:sam? Then, your buddhi is strong and your manas is listening to your buddhi.
If the heart does not agree with your mind, then what?
Manas gets its strength through focused sa:dhana, practise. One must constantly be aware of what the manas desires and what the buddhi dictates to introspect on, ultimately coming to a decision. Gradually , manas and buddhi will be in sync and life will become beautiful and productive. A true guru’s upade:sam is paramount to the entire process
Ve:da Vya:sa Maharshi is the primary guru who made significant contributions to the manner in which wisdom is preserved, systematised, shared and implemented. Asha:da Pu:rnima ( full moon day in a:sha:da month) is the appearance day of Ve:da Vya:sa and celebrated as Guru Pu:rnima.
He gave us the core knowledge base, Ve:das in a form that we can all comprehend and follow when learned from a guru. Bramhasu:thra:s, Ithiha:sa:s, Bha:gavatham, and segregated sections of Ve:das – Rug, Yajur, Sa:ma, Attharva were all bestowed upon us by Ve:da Vya:sa Maharshi
Everything from how baby develops in a mother’s womb, to how the invisible entity ‘time’ works, every single element of such essential wisdom is beautifully encapsulated and detailed with in the scriptures which great gurus gave us. The Guru Parampara, the lineage of gurus, is the true treasure trove for the mankind’s wisdom.
Rushis tell us
ithi susruma pu:rve:sha:m
e:nasthadvaya:cha chakshire:
we listened to what our gurus taught us, we practised it and are sharing the same
Let us listen to the wisdom from our gurus, practise it and build a strong buddhi to guide our manas. Thus, we can make good decisions benefitting ourselves and the surroundings.
– From the discourse of HH Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji
– 24 th July 2021, Guru Pu:rnima 2021,
-Jiva Asramam, Sri Ramnagar, Hyderabad
HH Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji performed a:cha:rya a:ra:dhana, worship through 108 names remembering the gracious deeds of Bhagavad Ra:ma:nuja:cha:rya, and HH Peddha Jeeyar Swamiji.
Swamiji elaborated on how they infused new life into a degrading society in their times. He stressed the importance of following wisdom shared by gurus as the only means to protect ourselves from the bad decisions we make as society.
