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National Seminar on Bhagavadgeeta and Mental Health
Asian Journal of Psychiatry 1 (2008) 60
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Asian Journal of Psychiatry journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/ajp
Conference Proceedings
National Seminar on Bhagavadgeeta and Mental Health Sri Sonda Swarnavalli Seva Pratishthana, Bangalore along with National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore (NIMHANS), and Swami Vivekanada Yoga University, Bangalore, India held a national seminar on this topic on 20th and 21st September 2008 at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore. Bhavagadgeeta (Geeta), a part of the epic Mahabharatha, is a treatise comprising the essence of Upanishads, the quintessential text of Indian spiritual philosophy. Though philosophical in content, the Geeta deals with practical problems faced by humans in everyday life and enunciate the root cause, psychological and spiritual principles behind it as well as practical means to overcome it. The seminar focused on the aspects of modern psychology and the psychology contained in the Geeta with specific thrust on mental health. The 2-day seminar had 21 presentations under four sessions, viz. mind analysis, psychological science, modern life style—its problems and solutions and practical applications of the Geeta. It was brought out that the Geeta, a 5000 years old text, is not a dogmatic text but a universal philosophy of life dealing with human personality integrally in its physical, mental and spiritual dimensions. The Geeta’s approach to psychological problems not only takes into account the physical, mental and spiritual aspects but also establishes the necessity for harmony within oneself and with nature. Isolation of any one of the three aspects of personality while treating problems can be an ineffective solution. It depicts a stable personality (sthithapragna), provides practical methods such as Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga and Jnana Yoga to obtain not just mental health but also spiritual growth of the individual. Psychology and the Geeta were compared on the grounds of the methodology, analysis and therapeutic techniques to understand personality and mental problems. The relevance of many aspects of the Geeta was explained to be useful and practical to be included in the current psychotherapeutic methods. This would also add to the cultural sensitivity of the methods used in treating psychological problems.
1876-2018/$ – see front matter doi:10.1016/j.ajp.2008.09.011
The presentations included the details and results of a few research works based on the Geeta such as studying the personality as per the Triguna concept (viz. Sattva—harmonious, calm and empathetic; Rajas—overactive, perturbed, impulsive and ambitious; and Tamas—lethargic, narrow and inert) and the method of the ‘Reversal Process’’ or Prati-Prasava in calming the mind during therapy, in transforming the person from tamasic to satvic. A self-rating model to obtain a personality quotient based on the trigunas was also demonstrated. The technique of ‘Practical mind transformation’ based on the Geeta, followed in the John Scotus School in Dublin, Ireland was another salient presentation. Emphasis of the seminar was on the contents of the Geeta, which contribute to prevention of the illness by shaping the mental structure and its importance in shaping a mentally healthy society by individual. The overall note was that the time has come for the modern psychology to compare notes with the Geeta and involve and absorb its wisdom, to enable itself to serve the mankind better. Editor’s note: This conference, summarized above, clearly illustrates an effort to mine psychotherapeutic insights contained in the Geeta. A lot remains to be learned by applying the methods of modern psychological inquiry into ancient wisdom from Hindu, Buddhist, Jain and other scriptures. It is hoped that the journal will provide a forum for scholarly submissions on this theme. Shantala Hegde Department of Social and Clinical Psychology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore, India E-mail address: [email protected] 24 September 2008
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Asian Journal of Psychiatry journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/ajp
Conference Proceedings
National Seminar on Bhagavadgeeta and Mental Health Sri Sonda Swarnavalli Seva Pratishthana, Bangalore along with National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore (NIMHANS), and Swami Vivekanada Yoga University, Bangalore, India held a national seminar on this topic on 20th and 21st September 2008 at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore. Bhavagadgeeta (Geeta), a part of the epic Mahabharatha, is a treatise comprising the essence of Upanishads, the quintessential text of Indian spiritual philosophy. Though philosophical in content, the Geeta deals with practical problems faced by humans in everyday life and enunciate the root cause, psychological and spiritual principles behind it as well as practical means to overcome it. The seminar focused on the aspects of modern psychology and the psychology contained in the Geeta with specific thrust on mental health. The 2-day seminar had 21 presentations under four sessions, viz. mind analysis, psychological science, modern life style—its problems and solutions and practical applications of the Geeta. It was brought out that the Geeta, a 5000 years old text, is not a dogmatic text but a universal philosophy of life dealing with human personality integrally in its physical, mental and spiritual dimensions. The Geeta’s approach to psychological problems not only takes into account the physical, mental and spiritual aspects but also establishes the necessity for harmony within oneself and with nature. Isolation of any one of the three aspects of personality while treating problems can be an ineffective solution. It depicts a stable personality (sthithapragna), provides practical methods such as Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga and Jnana Yoga to obtain not just mental health but also spiritual growth of the individual. Psychology and the Geeta were compared on the grounds of the methodology, analysis and therapeutic techniques to understand personality and mental problems. The relevance of many aspects of the Geeta was explained to be useful and practical to be included in the current psychotherapeutic methods. This would also add to the cultural sensitivity of the methods used in treating psychological problems.
1876-2018/$ – see front matter doi:10.1016/j.ajp.2008.09.011
The presentations included the details and results of a few research works based on the Geeta such as studying the personality as per the Triguna concept (viz. Sattva—harmonious, calm and empathetic; Rajas—overactive, perturbed, impulsive and ambitious; and Tamas—lethargic, narrow and inert) and the method of the ‘Reversal Process’’ or Prati-Prasava in calming the mind during therapy, in transforming the person from tamasic to satvic. A self-rating model to obtain a personality quotient based on the trigunas was also demonstrated. The technique of ‘Practical mind transformation’ based on the Geeta, followed in the John Scotus School in Dublin, Ireland was another salient presentation. Emphasis of the seminar was on the contents of the Geeta, which contribute to prevention of the illness by shaping the mental structure and its importance in shaping a mentally healthy society by individual. The overall note was that the time has come for the modern psychology to compare notes with the Geeta and involve and absorb its wisdom, to enable itself to serve the mankind better. Editor’s note: This conference, summarized above, clearly illustrates an effort to mine psychotherapeutic insights contained in the Geeta. A lot remains to be learned by applying the methods of modern psychological inquiry into ancient wisdom from Hindu, Buddhist, Jain and other scriptures. It is hoped that the journal will provide a forum for scholarly submissions on this theme. Shantala Hegde Department of Social and Clinical Psychology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore, India E-mail address: [email protected] 24 September 2008