AATHMEEYA
The emotional anchor
Meera bai sat quietly, gazing at the idol of her beloved deity - Lord Krishna. Her eyes conveyed everything she wanted to say in silence. This was her daily ritual, which she had been practising since childhood. Her deity - Sri Krishna was her confidante and her eternal friend. It was to Him that she could bare her heart and unburden herself. She would share her insecurities, worries, feelings and all the bottled up emotions which she otherwise could not share with her family or friends. Her deity was the emotional anchor of her life.
An emotional anchor plays an important role in every individual’s life. We all need someone who can listen to us and understand us without judgement. We constantly look towards our near and dear ones for that emotional support. But not everyone meets our expectations, leading to feelings of frustration and inadequacy in relationships. Lack of emotional support is the major cause for disappointments in relationships.
LIFE LESSON
Our emotional dependency is the major cause of disappointments in life. It is important to understand that everyone is fighting a battle of their own and our loved ones may not always be able to cater to our emotional needs due to their own shortcomings. Thus, it is unfair to blame them for not being there for us at those critical times of need or distress. It is also important to understand that practically all relationships have certain limitations. If we all turn towards “God” for emotional support, we can find tremendous courage within ourselves to face life and let go of all the emotional baggage that we carry. The Supreme is the only force that can bring emotional stability within us because the purpose of “Sanatana Dharma" is to connect with the divine. We can find true happiness and contentment only when our mind, faith and refuge are completely established in Him for He is our “Aathmeeya”, the true emotional anchor of our life.
Bhagwan Shri Krishna says the following to Arjuna:
Bg. 5.17
तद्बुद्धयस्तदात्मानस्तन्निष्ठास्तत्परायणा: ।
गच्छन्त्यपुनरावृत्तिं ज्ञाननिर्धूतकल्मषा: ॥ १७ ॥
tad-buddhayas tad-ātmānas
tan-niṣṭhās tat-parāyaṇāḥ
gacchanty apunar-āvṛttiṁ
jñāna-nirdhūta-kalmaṣāḥ
Translation
When one’s intelligence, mind, faith and refuge are all fixed in the Supreme, then one becomes fully cleansed of misgivings through complete knowledge and thus proceeds straight on the path of liberation.
Written by : Saraswathi M V
Mentor: Prof. Shalini R Pujari
