The Professor began his class by holding up a glass with some water in it. He held it up for all to see and asked the students, “How much do you think this glass weighs?”
’50gms!’….. ‘100gms!’ …..’125 gms’ …the students answered.
“I really don’t know unless I weigh it,” said the professor, “but, my question is: What would happen if I held it up like this for a few minutes?”
‘Nothing’ …..the students said.
‘Ok what would happen if I held it up like this for an hour?’ the professor asked.
‘Your arm would begin to ache’, said one of the students.
“You’re right, now what would happen if I held it for a day?”
“Your arm could go numb; you might have severe muscle stress and paralysis and have to go to hospital for sure!” ventured another student and all the students laughed.
“Very good. But during all this, did the weight of the glass change?” asked the professor.
“No”…. was the answer.
“Then what caused the arm ache and the muscle stress?”
The students were puzzled.
“What should I do now to come out of pain?” asked the professor again.
“Put the glass down!” said one of the students.
“Exactly!” said the professor.
Moral of the Story
Life’s problems are something like this. Hold it for a few minutes in your head and they seem OK. Think of them for a long time and they begin to ache. Hold it even longer and they begin to paralyze you. You will not be able to do anything.
It is important to think of the challenges or problems in your life, but even more important is to put them down at the end of every day before you go to sleep. That way, you are not stressed, you wake up every day fresh and strong and can handle any issue, any challenge that comes your way!
Chintaa se chaturaai ghate / ghate rang rup vaan
Chintaa badi abhaagini / chintaa chitaa samaan
“Worry destroys our intelligence, charm, and eloquence. Worry is a very unfortunate thing. In fact, it is like a funeral pyre – since it burns us alive.”
Since worrying about the problem does not in any way help us in finding a solution, we should not brood over the problems too much. Instead, we should try to do our best and leave the rest to Krishna.
Applying the Lesson
All of us have some problem or the other in our life. Many a time we would have experienced that the moment we think something is solved and take a sigh of relief, we find many more problems queued up in line and waiting to pounce upon us.
Mere worrying about the problem would not help us find any solution. Rather, it only causes a bad impact on our physical and mental health.
Krishna’s Teachings
Krishna, in Bhagavad Gita, teaches us to focus on our duties without being overly attached to the results. This helps us deal with stress and anxiety effectively.
In Bhagavad Gita 2.47, Lord Krishna says:
karmany evadhikaras te / ma phaleshu kadachana
ma karma-phala-hetur bhur / ma te sango ‘stv akarmani
“You have a right to perform your prescribed duties, but you are not entitled to the fruits of your actions. Never consider yourself to be the cause of the results of your activities, nor be attached to inaction.”
This verse guides us to focus on our efforts and leave the results to Krishna, thereby reducing our worries and stress.
Conclusion
Let’s remember the professor’s lesson and not let our problems weigh us down. By focusing on our duties and trusting in Krishna, we can live a life free from the burdens of worry and stress
