The silence

        Ordinarily we spend a major portion of our time in extrovert activities and in pursuit of pleasures. Due to egotism, ignorance or habit we get caught in unnecessary involvements, we interfere without any justification in the activities and freedom of others or we fail in the performance of our duties for flimsy or imaginary reasons. All these result in tensions, conflicts and misery in the life of the individual and the society. It is only through constant awareness we can keep a watch on our thoughts and actions, and discover the deeply embedded motivations in our psyche that trigger our thoughts and shape our actions. During the period of silence we get an excellent opportunity to observe ourselves calmly, without interruption, to probe into the hidden recesses of our mind and bring out the guilts, fears, anxieties and complexes that vitiate our thoughts and corrupt our actions. This purging of the mind periodically will overhaul our duties efficiently with the minimum of effort without wasting our energy.

- Vethathiri Maharishi