TO KNOW MY OWN SELF

TO KNOW OUR OWN SELF…..

There resides inside all of us ‘self’. The true me, the perceived me, the projected me, the desirable me, the real me, the ideal me, the unknown me, the conceived me, the perceived me, the known me and unknown me; so many version slike this. I have to know the true me. When I think of me, I am really baffled who I am. Sri Ramana Maharishi has described ‘I-am-ness’ or self emanates from our heart and is pure (Suddha) and  Rajasvic (independent activity) and Tamsic (Inertia) can contaminate it. ++++++++

It is essential that we’ve  knowledge about our own conscious self before we want knowing others. When we remain dark about our own self, we cannot advise others to rectify their way of thinking, acting or working since we could be countered by the cold realities of knowing our own self.

In our quest to know our own self, we should improve our habits, pattern of behavior, attitude towards many aspects in our life, our potentials, our weak areas and need to plug these areas. Our effort in this endeavor should be to adjust and be adaptive to the change and not for becoming perfectionist. The improvement in all aspects should be within some parameters set by the society besides these aspects should bestow us satiety and peaceful co-existence.

In Holy Quran it has been said that all good deeds and the ordained ways of worship, such as prayers, giving zakat (charity), and fasting, bring great benefits to the worshipper first, then to his/her family, community, and society at large. All these positive attributes make us empathetic, kind-hearted and we are known by the deeds we perform. If nobody knows about our good deeds then our God and my self know about these.

When we think about ourselves then we tend to focus about the following aspects in relation to our surrounding and the environs in which we are living. It is essential to know our own self first before knowing or judging others. Following are some of essential features in this exercise:-

  • What I am, my position in the society including what I can do to improve my stature which gives me satisfaction?
  •  It has been said that if we drop all ideas about self then we’ve found our self.
  • When you accept yourself as you are without being judgmental about it, then you tend to have found our self.
  • To reach the Truth is essential but following half-truth or ardh-sach could result in losing our own moorings or lose our own self and prove to be hindrance in our path for knowing our own self.
  • Some may say: I am different at different places and at different times, different in different environs/situations then how can I know what we are destined and what we would be. Beliefs and faiths differ as a man differs in habit and attitude. I may say that self can be known but person with different beliefs may say different things at different times.
  • My thoughts on spiritualism and their influences on me. We can have self-realisation through spiritual experiences. Only connectivity with God can help us know and ourselves. The habit of daily prayer can help us. We can realize God. God is our own and he remains with us ever. Self-consciousness and God-consciousness should work in sync. We should work in sync with our natural abilities. Everything should be performed in association with God. By doing so, we shall not deviate from our chosen path.

In Bhagwad Gita it has rightly been said that we should work in harmony with our natural abilities and we should make this work as an offering to God, who pervades this universe and from whom all creatures have arisen. Also, we should work as per our temperaments and interests and not try to imitate others which results in a feeling of guilt and sadness.

  • We should always realize that God is the only TRUTH and every other thing has temporary value.
  • If the force of desire is strong, the potency of Divine Will is the strongest. Purpose of human beings is to seek God’s connectivity.
  • What habits or attitude we should have so as to adjust in the society we are living?
  • My fears of unpredictable incidents and how best I can face if and when these will visit me – even without advance warning.
  • What are our traits which allows us to fit in the environs in which we are living.
  • What decisions we should take or should not take which are agreeable to us and others?
  • Our personality traits which help us adjusting in the community we are living.
  • What others will think about me if I behave in a particular manner?
  • Fear of God in our life to be totally aware that if we commit sinful act, I shall have to suffer the pangs of our karma.
  • We tend to limit ourselves when we transact anything without proper planning for fructification of our effort. .We should open our perspectives and work after giving serious thoughts for their execution. For this knowing self-goal

Bhagwad Gita emphasises the importance of Dharma (righteous way of living in accordance with the code of  conduct as described by Scriptures), Bhakti (Meditation) and Moksha (Liberation from births and deaths) as the three important constituents for living a life of spiritualism. The four paths which lead a person to to spiritualism are Jnana (Spiritual knowledge), Bhakti (Meditation), karma (Action) and Raja Yoga (independent and fearless like a king).  Following these principles we can understand relation of self and Brahma (Absolute Reality) – the relationship of Atama (Soul) and Brahman (God). These are different but non-different too through our thoughts and action thereto. Leading a life according to the Natural Universal Laws makes a person Janani (Self-realized) through learning and experience.

We should remove the ignorance which acts as a poison.  We do not realized our true nature, made in the image of God. His will should be accepted. Eliminate ignorance and you will get everything that you want. If I do not know my own self then I cannot blame others for not knowing myself. Therefore the following poem:-

KNOW THYSELF

WHEN  my own well-wishers and friends so dear

Feel uncomfortable and misunderstand me

Fault lies with me really

Not with my dear ones

Since I gave such negative cues

To them when clarity and sincerity was needed

To remove the misgivings just arisen.

WHEN nobody likes me

And don’t want to have any truck with me

That means there is a small bit or even more wanting in me

The reason for nobody wanting me

Would be quite a revelation for me

Through self-questioning, I’ve to be self-aware

And transform myself to the extent possible

To make myself likeable/lovable consequently

As nobody else will change for me

Change has to originate from within.

WHEN I pray or  perform meditation

Without proper concentration

My mind remains wandering in the wilds

Getting answer to my prayers is asking for the Moon on earth

Thence. Can I blame others?

Certainly not!

It lies squarely on me.

When I  commit mistakes

No problem, all commit mistakes

In one form or other everyone knows

Nobody is infallible in real sense

While transacting something

But fault lies, in essence

When I  heap lies after lies

Just tirelessly

All to justify

Having committed mistakes!

So brazen it becomes really

When my ego stops me from agreeing

To have committed mistake which is mistake most appalling!

WHEN I am ignorant about something important

Fault lies at my doorsteps

Not in others

Since I did not try getting knowledge

About the things to be known

While it was required to be known.

WHEN I get angry on reason so silly

I shall not attract anybody around me

Since nobody wants to have intimacy

With a man with inflexible- mentality.

WHEN I fail miserably

While others succeed easily

It is not the fault of the destiny.

WHEN I am ignorant about something important

Fault lies at my doorsteps

Not in others

Since I did not try getting knowledge

About the things to be known

While it was required to be known.

WHEN I lose my temper just for nothing

I shall not attract anybody around me

Since nobody want company with a stubborn

Fault lies with me for all this self-created situation

Here need is to change my attitude

The quicker I do the better for me

For a peaceful co-existence.

WHEN I go to my scheduled meeting at the time and date fixed

Fully conversant with the intricacies involved

Then I shall meet all contingencies without any pinpricks

Thereby remain affable and unruffled

While meeting the demands of the work at hand.

WHEN I did not get respect from others, as I desired

It is not somebody else fault at all

Since I did not pay respect to others whilst it was vital.

WHEN there is no harmony in our family

I am responsible for this undoubtedly

The mess is created by us only

Since it is all due to misunderstanding between the members

Who have conflicting views on anything which makes a sweet-home

A house is made home when all members

Work for each other and meet each others’ demands.

WHEN you have no ethical and  moral fiber

You cannot advice others to keep theirs

For you have yourself lost yours

By your behavior so indifferent.

WHEN I have not paid my taxes

The tax authorities will book me for the lapse

And  haul me up for this lapse

Fault lies with me solely

Not with others around me.

WHEN I have not done much in life substantially

Fault lies with me and not on somebody

I have to mend my ways.

WHEN I am not able to clear my loans on time

And the creditors are after me

For giving back the loaned amount

Then I have to face music of non-payment of dues

Since it is my liability than otherrs.

WHEN I am not able to adjust with the group

Fault lies with me and not the group

Since I have to be adaptive to change not the group

As nobody would like to change for me surely.

WHEN I am ignorant about something important

Fault lies at my doorsteps

Not in others

Since I did not try getting knowledge

About the things to be known

When it was required to know.

If I get angry on pretexts so silly

I shall not attract anybody around me

Since nobody wants to have intimacy

With a man with no accommodative way of thinking,

If I fail miserably

While others pass with easily

It is not the fault of the destiny

But my own lack of effort to succeed.

If I did not get respect from others

It is not somebody else fault

Since I did not pay respect to others.

If I pray /meditate

Without proper focus

And my mind dithering

Here, there and everywhere

Can I get something in that exercise

Definitely nothing substantial

Thence. Can I blame others?

Certainly not!

If there is no harmony in our household

Certainly my neighbor is not responsible for this

We are ourselves responsible for all this mess

Since it is all due to misunderstanding between the members

Who have conflicting views on anything which makes a sweet home

A house is made home when all members

Work for each other and meet each others’ demands.

If I have not paid my taxes

The tax authorities will book me for the lapse

If  I am hauled up for this lapse

Fault lies with me solely

Not with others around me.

If I have not done much in life substantially

Fault lies with me and not on somebody?

I have to mend my ways.

If I lose my temper just for nothing

Fault lies with me for so doing

Then need is to change my attitude

The quicker I do the better for me.

If I am not able to pay my

And the creditors are after us

For giving back the loaned amount

If I have to face music of not payment of dues

Thence is it else’s liability than mine.

If nobody loves me

That means there is something lacking in me

Through introspection

I’ve to be self-aware

And change myself accordingly

To make myself likeable consequently.

If I am not able to adjust with the group

Fault lies with me and not the group

Since I have to be adaptive to change not the group

As nobody would like to change for me surely

Published by

Harbans

https://emulateme.wordpress.com/about/

14 thoughts on “TO KNOW MY OWN SELF”

  1. In our entire life, we remain blaming others for our faultliens without realizing that we do not know about our REAL SELF. We can also commit mistakes and to know that we have to know our own self. I have tried to pen down some of our own faults which become road-block to know our own REAL SELF.

    Do appraise the write-up and comment. I really love your comments.

    WITH WARM REGARDS

    HARBANS

  2. Thanks for sharing this beautiful subject dear friend Harbans 🙂

    To discover ourselves in order to find our Selves what we are, where we come from and where we have to go when leaving this body – this all is a kind of self-analysis, this is indeed spirituality, with other words: “Man know thyself” according to the competent Masters. In doing so, discovering ourselves, we are able also to solve the riddle and mystery of death and life, of course with the grace of God. Spirituality cannot be bought, cannot be transered, it must be experienced, each of us has to experience this. Spirituality cannot be explained just by the intellect as there are many things which are hidden in ourselves and which have no words, which directly comes from our soul and soul can only be expressed by our mind acting as a kind of media or translator, however, the unknown, unlimited, timelessness, cannot be put in words alone as words are themselves limited, are screenshots of the moment, but not of the whole. That is why our interlect cannot explain the unknown, the borderless infinity. In this sense our our senses and mind are blind, like the famous Indian story of blind people who touch an elephant but come all to different views and interpretations what they touch, but do not arrive to a whole picture. With the help of receptivity we can catch spirituality like a disease that is infecting us. With kind of self-analysis we are also able to understand us better and better, to understand also the functioning of our mind. So first we have to understand this kind mind mechanism to understand ourselves, to enter into our Selves…

    Thank you very much, my friend 🙂
    Have a great weekend in Him
    Didi

    1. GOOD MORNING DIDI SIR.

      Thanks sincerely for your invaluable commentary on finding our own selves – through self-analysis. Our endeavour should be to know what we are and also what we are able to under certain norms recognized by our fellow beings. Also, everything that has to be done has to be done within certain limits.

      Your add-on with regard to knowing self is really wonderfully explained. The percept that even our intellect cannot ‘explain the unknown’ is really mystical in nature.

      Yes sir, in order to know our own self we have to understand our own mind and also to control it to work according to spiritually oriented parameters. By doing so, we’ve double benefits; to smoothen our mind working thereby to know our own SELF.

      My grateful thanks for your enlightening comments.

      WITH WARM REGARDS
      HARBANS

  3. An aptly thought-provoking post. Knowing oneself takes a lifetime. A fundamental part of our counselling training was understanding what we brought to a situation and how and why we reacted as we did to our clients.

    1. My sincere thanks for your thoughtful and inspiring commentary indeed; as ever.

      Affirmative sir, to our self is an essential exercise and we should aspire to know our own self before we are able to comment on others’ point of view.

      WITH WARM REGARDS

      HARBANS

  4. Good morning and thanks for this nice article, my dear spiritual friend across the oceans. This is a good exposition of doing some serious introspective work on us, from time to time at least. Yes, nobody can do it for us. We have to sit down calmly in a quiet place, away form the noise and distractions of modern life, Following the sage teachings of Sri Ramona Maharishi we have to acknowledge our personal “I-am-ness” as the first step in the long journey, with multiple, difficult obstacles,towards self-improvement of our personalities. Willing to change, ready for some action, is necessary to start this process because the first obstacle is to overcome the “Tamsic” (inertia) For the commoners the opposite of “good” is not “evil” because we rarely engage in blatantly malicious behavior towards others. In daily life the opposite of “good” is “indifference”, which is the greatest obstacle in the path to self-improvement and getting closer to the Divine Light. Saint Augustine already warned us about the foul implications of “standing by” or “doing nothing.” Thank you for prodding us to get out of our comfort zone and shake our dire complacency.
    A big hug. Arrivederci!

    1. Good morning Dr. Sahib:
      My sincere thanks for finding time and visiting my blog and giving your invaluable commentary. Introspection can deliver us from many an intractable problems; as everything that happens to us starts from us and ends with us only though others around us too are silent partners in this.

      Yes Dr. sir, we in fact are friends and enemies. If we change the wrong directions we are following within shortest span of time, then we can reach to our direction otherwise, we are doomed to fail; therefore choice remains with us only.
      Saint Augustine’s sage advice in this direction is really on the dot. I think there is nothing more wrong than just ‘doing nothing’ at all; inactivity is our own enemy.
      WARM HUGS AND REGARDS
      HARBANS

      1. Good morning and thanks for your nice words. Always eager to read and comment your great articles. Please take a few seconds to check our Christmas greeting with the picture of my son Gian Luca. Arrivederci!

      3. I know that even though you might not celebrate this Christian festivity at home, you are one of the few persons I know that tries very hard to keep the “Christmas spirit” alive in all your writings and your family life as well. By that I mean a keen predisposition to be kind and do good to all those that come in contact with you. Thank you very much, my dear friend.
        A big hug. Arrivederci!

      4. Good morning Dr. Sahib.

        I celebrate CHRISTMAS with my family and friends and WHY NOT! I have learned much from HOLY BIBLE much. I consider CHRIST CONSCIOUSNESS & KRISHNA CONSCIOUSNESS the same. I have and HOLY BIBLE and HOLY QURAN and BHAGWAD GITA and all inspire me immensely as to how to keep balance in life despite all ups and downs. In all these, words and phrases may differ but the main gist is the same.

        WISHING YOU MERRY CHRISTMAS

        WITH WARM HUGS AND REGARDS

        HARBANS

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