528. Swami Chinmayananda

19/02/2019

Playing the *Mind

In an attempt to teach detachment, Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda would “play” with his devotees and sevaks attachments. One such example is of Smt. Vilasini ji who often observed him doing this. In the summer of 1981, she travelled with him as his secretary while he was in the U.S.A. and during this time, he taught her a great lesson. From the first to the last Jnana Yagna, he was changing his mind back and forth about whether she should come to India that year to video his discourses. Her emotions were swinging from great excitement to disappointment. One day, he commented, “Why doesn’t Vilasini come to India in the fall and video the talks?” The next week, he said, “What is the hurry, why rush, she can come in a few years.” A week later, it would be, “Why don’t you come now?” Her mind went up and down like a roller coaster, getting excited and despondent, until she finally realized what he was doing. She told herself to let go and surrender, and said to herself, “Okay, whatever happens is fine.” Immediately, Swamiji instructed someone, “Vilasini is coming to India in the fall. Buy her a ticket!”

Mentally and intellectually, it is necessary that we come to wrestle with the mind and intellect of the Master in order to develop inner health and beauty and vitality.