When one thinks of oneself then one assesses oneself as being either a very good person or that one is a rude person. It is not possible to evaluate one’s personality according to Swami Satyananda Saraswati. One never looks at one face in the mirror objectively. One may think that one is hideous or drop dead beautiful. It is never possible to see oneself as one is.

One cannot rely on the opinions of others regarding one’s appearance. If someone likes one, they may see that one is a pleasant individual or if they dislike us they may see that one is nasty. One behaves differently at different times. Sometimes one is full of empathy, compassion, hatred, anxiety or peace. So here one is in a state of unrest or tranquility, and now how would one describe oneself.

The only solution is that instead of evaluating and judging oneself, one makes a conscious resolve not to be offensive and unkind. One lives in a world of interactions and engagements. One is not living in isolation and one can become aware of the feelings of others. Then it is possible to become an individual who is self-compassionate and is accepting of oneself.

In the Gita, Krishna says, “The self is a friend for him who masters himself by the self; but for him who is not self–mastered, the self is the cruelest foe.”

Aim Hrim Klim

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