Pandit Prasad, could you talk about the benefit and malefic aspects of emotions? How can they serve to enrich? How can they be balanced and maintained balanced?
AND
Hi Pandit! I have been exploring my anger and frustration as in the past I was very uncomfortable with them, to the point that I didn’t know they were there. Recently I have been experiencing body discomforts that I believe are related to this repression. Do you have any suggestions to help this process? Thanks so much!
Some people try to categorize emotions as good or bad, benefic or malefic. For example, love could be categorized as benefic and anger as malefic. However, if a person feels love for a drug, it becomes malefic. The mother of a child who is attacked needs to be angry in order to protect her child (benefic).
Rather than categorizing, it can be more helpful to ask yourself if the emotion you experience is helping or hurting the situation. Is it life supporting or not?
Emotions are generally best kept within certain limits. Too much emotion can be harmful. For example, indulging in a lot of anxiety or fear for a long period of time can cause severe emotional, mental, and physical imbalances. And, sometimes too little emotion can be harmful. Repressing emotions can cause emotional, mental, and physical problems over time.
Emotions, if they are in balance, add to your relationship with everything, especially people. Our relationship with other is many times experienced with emotion.
Emotions can help us become self-aware. They can be a path to get to know yourself more deeply.
Emotions, which contribute to your tonal quality, affect how you see yourself and everything. Your tonal quality affects how you treat yourself and everything/everyone around you.
Emotional balance can be assisted with meditation, mantras, and prayers. These are activities that can help people become established more deeply in themselves. Reflecting on thoughts and emotions so they have less control over your mind and your life can also be helpful.
Food affects emotions. The quality of food a person eats can account for 80% or more of how a person is feeling emotionally. Food and drink should be vegetarian and sattwic (pure).
Rudrabhishekam is the most powerful puja to help balance emotions. The moon mantra (Shiva is moon) can be helpful for emotional balance: Om Sum Chandraya Namaha.
How to most help yourself emotionally: “Positivity, the unyielding commitment to the Divinity within you.” – Maharshi Maheshananda
Thank you for the beautiful and extensive answer dealing with emotions. It brings much wisdom to be contemplated and integrated. Thank you!