Mind, Body, Atma (MBA): An Exploration

Contents
Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 2 Mind .......................................................................................................................................................... 2 Body .......................................................................................................................................................... 2 Atma .......................................................................................................................................................... 2 The Importance of Five ............................................................................................................................. 2 Totality ...................................................................................................................................................... 3 Whither Sacrifice? ..................................................................................................................................... 3 Management in The Ramanaya ................................................................................................................ 3 Taitrya Upanishad ..................................................................................................................................... 3 Simplicity and Elegance............................................................................................................................. 3 Hell to Hell................................................................................................................................................. 3 Why is there no connect? ......................................................................................................................... 4 Man and God ............................................................................................................................................ 4 What I learnt ................................................................................................................................................. 4 No Difference ................................................................................................................................ 4 Unity in Diversity ........................................................................................................................... 4 Work.............................................................................................................................................. 4 Trends ........................................................................................................................................... 4 Ancient Wisdom ............................................................................................................................ 4

Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................................... 4

Introduction
The lecture at The Convention Hall, PSGIM on the theme of "Mind, Body, Atma (MBA): An Exploration" by Swami Swaroopananda, Acharya, Chinmaya Mission, on March 4 (Sunday) turned out to be an enlightening experience interspersed with his great sense of humor as the Swamiji took us on a journey of self realization. He began the session with a funny story of how a petty thief tries to steal the money laden purse of his fellow passenger by searching for it everywhere inside the train compartment but fails to do so underneath his own pillow where it was hidden all the while! Likewise, said the Swami, we go about our lives searching for that elusive sense of peace, happiness, success, etc our whole lives without ever knowing ourselves, our hidden talents and our capacity to achieve great things. He prompted us to think how then we, Management graduates, could be expected to handle others?

Mind
The mind is our intellect-that which rationalizes, asks questions, and wants logical answers. It has a sense of right or wrong, values, morals, or the lack of it, the power to influence our thoughts and control our actions.

Body
The body is our physical being which we can see, touch and feel. It is made up of the five elements- Earth, Water, Fire, Air and Space. The body needs food in the form of edibles and the input taken in through the other five senses- smell, taste, hearing, touch and sight to sustain itself. The input is processed and the output is sent out through the reproductive and excretory organs. The cells in the body regenerate every 7 years, the body grows old and eventually wastes away.

Atma
Even when the human form breathes its last, the soul lives on. This is our core being, the Atma that transcends the realms, eternal and immortal. As long as it lives within the human form in this world, the inner being needs spiritual nourishment as well.

The Importance of Five

At this point in time, the Swamiji stressed the importance of the number five in Hinduism-The Pancha Mahabhutas (elements), five is a symbol of the physical body and the planet earth, and the senses are five in number-skin, eyes, nose, ears and tongue. These are considered to be the five external or physical senses and the five means to know. We function through these five senses to interact with the objects of our world. Corresponding to the five external senses are five organs of action or Karmendriyas, hands,

legs, genitals, larynx and anus. These five perform the five functions of grasping, walking, generating, speaking and excreting. They are the five means to do. In addition, there are five subtle or internal sense organs known as Tanmantras which are touch, form, smell, sound and taste. They are the five means to experience.

Totality
Swami Swaroopananda emphasized the connection human beings have with other living and non-living beings, and the entire universe because everything and everyone is made up of the five elements. He cited the example of Mahatma Gandhi who tapped into the totality of non-violence of Indians to oust the British.

Whither Sacrifice?
He narrated another hilarious story of how a group of Diplomats from different countries were invited to a theme party, the theme being their hands would grow stiff and straight the moment they entered the dining hall. The Nigerian envoys, who were put in a separate room, were a circus of sorts to behold as they rolled, twisted and turned on the ground to stuff the food into their mouth with their stiff arms in vain whereas the other delegates had their fill by feeding each other. The question of sacrifice does not arise because we use our own hands to feed ourselves when we feed our neighbors.

Management in The Ramanaya

The wisdom of the ancient texts of India which talks about everything from spirituality to science, medicine, mathematics and management in great detail was brought to our notice when Swamiji gave an example of how Bharat wants to rule the kingdom just as Ram would in his absence. Ram tells him that he can do so if he makes the entire kingdom feel that they should bring food to the Kings mouth implying that that the king is one and the same as his subjects.

Taitrya Upanishad
The Tairtiya Upanishad contains nuggets of wisdom that the youngsters of today can greatly benefit from. It describes the various degrees of happiness enjoyed by the different beings in creation.

Simplicity and Elegance

The exclusive Apple stores stand out wit their uncluttered design and exterior that exudes simplicity and elegance so much so that people just go there to gaze at the products and breathe in the experience. Such is the power of a mind that knows how to lie still shunning all anxiety and loud gaudy ostentatious exhibitions. The Apple products also stand witness to a man who dared to be different and succeeded.

Hell to Hell
The ugliness of the corrupt mind which exploits fellow beings was brought to our attention with yet another jocular narration about Nigeria, a country in shambles despite being blessed with natural resources, a stark contrast to yet another oil rich region-the Middle East. Three men, a Nigerian, an American and a Briton died and went to hell. They wanted to call their loved ones and warn them about the horrible life in hell lest they end up there too. The American and the Briton blew up a heavy phone

bill but the Nigerians bill was a mere pittance. When questioned, he said it was a local call to his country-hell to hell-hence the inexpensive bill.

Why is there no connect?

A similar state exists in India today where here is no unity, rampant corruption and mass exploitation of innocent minds because the connecting chords of language-Sanskrit, religion-Hinduism, spiritually-the ancient Hindu Scriptures haven been destroyed and so we continue to be a Third World Country despite our rich glorious history.

Man and God

If only we pay heed to the wisdom of ages, get back to our roots and realize our totality and connection with each other and the Universe, no one can stop us from becoming the Greatest and comprehend the God in us. Man cannot become God but Man can understand the God in him.

What I learnt
There was a plethora of points I learnt from this talk: No Difference The fact that there is essentially no difference between me and my fellow beings will help me set clear goals at my future workplace and make the idea of serving others easy as I would be actually serving myself. Unity in Diversity I plan to practice unity in diversity by tapping into the totality of the world around me. For example, planting a tree in a public place and nurturing it. Work The fact that we must rest to work and not work to rest is a mantra that I firmly believe in. Trends The modern word for totality is trend. To be aware of the current trend and understand the pulse of the people is highly important to me as an HR Professional. Ancient Wisdom The famous quote from The Mahabaratha which says This is the sum of duty; do naught onto others what you would not have them do unto you. rings true in my ears.

Conclusion
Swami Swaroopananda left us with the thought that negative emotions and the untruth can harm our mind with a practical demonstration when he called two young men on the stage and put a slight pressure on their extended arms. Their hands went down as the muscles became weak and could not withstand the pressure when they told a lie or thought of a negative emotion!