ARANI SERIES
Spark 57
Friday, July 3, 2020
T T D
T T D, for most people, stands for Tirupati Tirumala Devasthānam, the famous Vishnu Temple in the South that North Indians call Balaji Temple. I am however referring to TTD as the three vital domains of sādhanā in daily life – Think, Talk and Do!
“manasā, vāchā, karmanā,” goes the Sanskrit expression for these three spheres of human activity. Few realize the power contained in these to build or to ruin our personality. Noble thoughts, words, and deeds on a daily basis can take us to heights of inner growth. Wrong thoughts, bad words, and evil deeds can push us down the scale of human excellence, leaving us in conflict and turmoil.
Energy saved is energy gained! Not many know how much energy we waste in unnecessary thinking, speaking, or doing. As Dr. Deepak Chopra had long back commented, “A man typically thinks 60,000 thoughts per day, and about 55,000 of them are what he had thought the previous day!” Mechanical repetition marks our thinking patterns, and much of it is not really warranted.
In both quantity and quality, we must re-engineer this thinking machine that we have with us called the mind. We must arrive at an economy of thought where precious energy is not dissipated. We must also have good thoughts, which spread the fragrance of well-being in our bosom. Called ‘chitta-shuddhi’ in tradition, such purity of mind is regarded as the stepping stone to enlightenment.
The words we speak not only have an impact on others but also affect our own emotions. The words that have come out of our mouth cannot be taken back, as we know. Improper words that we speak sometimes leave behind a bad taste in our own mouth! Regrets or guilt arise soon after we utter such words. We repent and are not sure how we can set things right now. Others who were at the receiving end often grind their axe against us, which is a problem for us. In addition, we suffer from a self-image that went down a bit.
Much energy is contained in speech too. Hardly anyone is aware of this. By speaking in an optimal way, we can spend our day more energetically. It is an important dimension of wisdom to say the right thing, at the right time, in the right way. We build harmonious relationships through care in speech. We can lose long-time friends because of our careless talk.
Last but not the least, what we ‘do’ speaks most loudly among the three, abbreviated by us as T T D! Our deeds are most visible to others. Though they are the grossest expression of thoughts and words, their impact is felt by even those who are less observant. Bad deeds of ours leave a lasting impression on people. On the other hand, good deeds bring benefits to us, which also can be valid for a long time to come.
Therefore, leaving aside all the high philosophy, our thinking carefully, speaking wisely, and doing things selectively can go a long way towards success in life in all respects.
Swāmi Chidānanda
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