Consequences of Time and Location – I

We are well aware of how different periods of the day exert their influence on the mind. These days, most people are tamasika even in the mornings and they want to continue sleeping! Whenever you find that the mind is in a sattvika frame, encourage it; read and study spiritual books. Do not read the newspaper or log on to the Internet or check your WhatsApp messages first thing in the morning, as these tend to only excite the mind. Ask yourself: What can you possibly gain from allowing yourself to be whisked into the whirlwind of worldly affairs, which will go on—and continue going on—regardless of your absence? What real and lasting benefit are you contributing, to either the world or yourself, by attending to these non-essentials? What is so important or utterly urgent about such information that could mean the life or death of you? Think thus, invoke your bigger and better self, and reserve these sattvika hours instead for the study of the scriptures or books that uplift, for meditation, worship, and so forth. Use the early morning sattvika period wisely to train and tame your mind, regulate it, give it focus and direction, consolidate it, purify it. Harness these hours to acquire stability of mind and get centred within. Thereafter you can navigate the world of activity more efficiently and effectively, with a sakshi (witness) attitude.Discerning readers will understand, of course, that to avoid activities which potentially agitate in the early morning does not mean we should ignore our duties and commitments to the world at large. Rather, the call is to simply find quiet time for oneself, when one is properly rested and refreshed, and away from the din of everyday activity, to be able to work productively on taming the mind. And the most conducive time as Mother Nature herself provides it, is the early hours of the morning, starting from shortly before sunrise. Whether or not that is practical for some, the idea is that one should rise before the rest of the household, at least an hour prior and, accordingly, go to bed early to ensure enough sleep every day, with a firm commitment to the goal of developing oneself.