Abhinivesha refers to the strong desire to live and implies, fear of death. The deep desire to live, binds you to the physical body; thus, creating the emotion of fear. Abhinivesha is one of the afflictions of mind. And it is also the root of all our fears, that is why as long as we have abhinivesha in the mind, we will have all other fears as well. Some people are fearful of heights. Why? Because they know that if they fall accidentally, they will die. Others have fear of darkness. Darkness is equal to the unknown, which again brings the fear of death. Everybody has some kind of fear - fear of deep waters, fear of snakes and lizards, fear of closed spaces, fear of failing an exam and so on.
All these fears are deeply rooted in our chitta, the subconscious mind. Say you watch a horror film. The memory of the fear experienced, gets stored in the chitta and these fears keep surfacing in the subconscious mind from time to time. So, both chitta and the conscious mind have the abhinivesha. And it is the conscious mind that creates the phobias, trying to protect your life, which is so precious to you. On the one hand, life is so endeared to you. But on the other hand, you are doing everything possible to hasten your death!
When you keep your mind agitated; the body produces cortisol, and this creates diseases. All people who have too much stress, have too much of hydrochloric acid in their stomach, hence they have acid refluxes, indigestion and sleeplessness. When you are stressed out, you constrict your arteries and veins, hence the blood pressure rises. And when you are nervous or angry, you are bringing diseases to your heart, and the possibilities of a heart or a brain stroke. So, vikshepa (agitation) brings you closer to your physical death, yet you are not ready to deal with this situation. Vikshepa is the consequence of raga-dvesha, which are your attachments and aversions. But people seem to cling to the attachments and aversions happily! Isn’t your plan to die early then?
Shouldn’t we create a plan for a long life? Shouldn’t we start doing something for ourselves?
On one hand we wish to live a long and healthy life, and on the other hand we are harming our body. Try to observe yourself. If your mind is disturbed or agitated, first sign will be that your breathing will be shallow. If the breath is shallow, your body will lack oxygen, your internal organs, including your heart and brain will not function properly. If there is not enough oxygen in your blood, the circulatory system will slow down and this will have an effect on your mind. You will feel that your mind is clouded, not sharp and not bright. So, aren’t you harming yourselves? Aren’t you your own enemy?
We need to train our mind, because an untrained mind is our worst enemy and we are living with this enemy all the time, 24/7. Even in your dreams, this untrained agitated mind, is creating a hell for you. And you wish to live peacefully and happily?! Train your mind, sharpen your intellect, create a discipline in your daily life. You will eventually find joy in doing that, because a trained mind can be your good friend and a loyal assistant. Reading spiritual books, reflecting, mantra chanting, tratak on a candle flame, pranayama - all these practices will gradually push the agitation out of your mind, and this will create a beautiful space for peace and happiness.
