Points to Ponder: February 27, 2018

In the Hindu mythology Lord Shankar has been described as the Adiyogi or First Yogi. The portrait of Shankar is very interesting. It is a symbolic depiction of what a yogi stands for. Today we shall explore just one aspect of that image- The half closed eyes paired with the third eye. The third eye stands for wisdom. Wisdom is based in truth. Truth is quite different from belief. Our two eyes are very conditioned by prevalent beliefs. A yogi is one who perceives through wisdom even while his two eyes are open. Wisdom says that each one of us is unique. One may be wrong or right according to me, but according to his journey as a soul and according to their personality which is a product of their journey, they must be right. So, when I perceive with my two eyes, I become judgmental as I question the other’s intent but if I perceive with my third eye, I am in a state of stability and acceptance as I understand that they may have good intentions but insufficient knowledge and power. 

For example, someone gifts me a pen while I am expecting a necklace. It may not be because they did not find me worthy of a necklace but may be because they did not have sufficient funds or they value the pen more or they are unaware of my love for a necklace or they are just trying to make me value the pen more even while they are aware of my love for a necklace or so on and so forth. Even if I claim to know that they do not have good intentions, I understand that they are spiritually weak and incapable of good intentions. Having good intentions is the sign of a powerful soul while most of us are weak today.

Becoming a yogi is not just about sitting in a back straight, legs folded yogic posture. It is about keeping the third eye open even while walking, talking or performing any other action. Truth remains the truth even if I argue with it, deny it or run away from it. We are all unique souls is a truth. Each one and each thing is neither good nor bad, it just is what it is. Another truth is that the only thing that I have a control over and am responsible for is my state of mind. However, under the influence of expectations arising from current belief systems, our third eye is not able to function properly and our two eyes mislead us.