3. “Lie down in the open on your terrace.
Focus your mind on the blue and clear
sky. Gradually the sky would enter in
you. You would have transcended mind.”
“Sit in lotus position. Let the atmosphere
in your room be free of insects, free of
dust, free of noise and free of other
distractions. You may light an incense
stick. You can have a photo or painting of
your Guru or a deity who elevates your
mood or inspires you. Then begin by
breathing slowly and observe your
breathing.”
“Sit in a lotus posture. Breathe slowly.
Focus your mind on a spot at your navel”
4. “Observe a round spot on a plane
background of the wall. Sit quietly. Let
the thoughts flow.”
The instructions vary according to the
different traditions! W h a t i s t h i s
a l l a b o u t ? The readers would have
easily gathered that these are the
instructions for different
‘meditation’ techniques. Everyone is
selling and buying so called ‘meditation’
in the petty and vain hope of stress
management! Hence; Beware of
“Meditation!”
What is the difference between
“meditation” and TSM? Why are
“mediation” or relaxation techniques in
great demand than TSM?
5. 1] TSM (Total Stress Management)
constitutes understanding the concept of
STRESS, going to its root causes and then
treating them in a holistic manner, as
completely as possible! This requires
active intellectual efforts by the
participants. Active intellectual
participation makes it more
difficult and less popular as compared to
relaxation programs in some form of
meditation,
pranayama, devotion, some arbitrary tips
in the management books etc. where
temporary emotional solace comes easily.
2] TSM constitutes efforts towards
simultaneous welfare of one and all and
not merely individual welfare. This
requires broadening of perspective. We
6. can call this paradigm shift. This also
makes it more difficult and less popular
because everyone is already preoccupied
and hard pressed with personal problems
of one kind or the other. Coming out of
one’s own “individual and
petty universe” is a burden for most of us,
because we fail to understand how
welfare of others would contribute to our
welfare!
3] Most of us are not aware of the concept
of STRESS. The STRESS is equated with
tension, anxiety, worry, sleeplessness,
irritability, depression, frustration etc.
Actually this is only a small and conscious
part of STRESS. STRESS is universal.
Every living being has STRESS. STRESS
is actually conscious and also
unconscious. Unconscious STRESS forms
7. a major part and is not perceived! This
leaves most of us to falsely believe that we
do not have STRESS!
4]TSM teaches that perspective, policies,
planning, execution of sound intellectual
solutions to personal and social problems
can not be substituted by un-intellectual
emotional games such as so called
meditation and so called devotion and so
called charity. It teaches that
real meditation, real devotion and real
charity are impossible in absence of
intellectual
efforts to rectify social homeostasis!
Most of us feel that it is impossible to
solve social problems and hence fail to do
our own bit in this direction.
8. Most of us have yet to appreciate that;
giving parties, donations, gifts and doing
charity in other forms though not
objectionable, can at best satisfy our ego.
Even though, there is nothing wrong in
such emotional gratification, it can not
help you to manage stress effectively!
Ac q u i r i n g a n d s p r e a d i n g
wi s d o m ; s o a s to s ol v e
in d i v i d u a l a n d s o c i a l
p r o b l e m s ; i s u n i q u e in
s a ti s f y i n g your
c o n s c i e n c e , i . e . y o u r tr u e
s e l f , b u t it i s n o t e a s y !
5] The concept of TSM is relatively new.
The people from media, politics, religion
and other fields are not aware of TSM. It
is also true that due to the frenzy of
9. material success; they do not feel the
thirst of their innate self [soul] and hence
may not care to learn about TSM. It is
strange but true that people in scarcity
[due to frustration] and people in
abundance [due to delirious
obliviousness] are not able to quickly
grasp TSM and practice it.
6] TSM aims at harmony between
perspective, intelligence, emotions,
instincts and body; and aims at best
efforts of global welfare through laws,
rules, conventions and so on.
7] TSM firmly upholds individual
freedom to achieve total well being and
suggests us to acquire and practice such
freedom!
10. 8] The conceptualization of TSM was
indeed a slow process. It was quite some
time before sufficient conviction was
developed in the accuracy and
appropriateness of TSM. This was
because TSM was not a part of already
existing tradition. It did not receive
practical support from any atheist [non-
believers] or theist [God-believers]
tradition. The
conviction had to result from one’s own
understanding and experiences.
9] The process of developing conviction
was delayed partly because of
demoralization
resulting from non acceptance by the
traditions and also their opponents!
11. 10] Relative delay in acceptance and
publication of books due to various other
reasons! The delay in the work was
sometimes [though erroneously]
interpreted as God’s wish!
11] Sometimes there was apprehension
[whether justified or otherwise] of the
possibility
of being misunderstood and sabotaged.
12] Sometimes there was dominance of
asceticism and to some extent frustration
that led to inaction or non-assertion.
Sometimes this led to escapism of one sort
or the other.
13] There was many times a feeling of
uncertainty of life leading to sense of
urgency of TSM and SUPERLIVING
12. mission. This urgency was subjective and
obviously not shared in action; by most
individuals and hence the delay in the
work was further enhanced.
14] Dictatorial attitude and nurturing of
vested interests was scrupulously avoided.
It is known that most of the times the
work gets going faster because of fear or
because of
vested interest. Since both of these lacked,
mission superliving and TSM was further
delayed.
15] Lack of apparent glamour and glitter
of superficiality and pettiness. The
excitement associated with glamour and
glitter is missing in mission superliving
and TSM for an immature individual.
13. Hence it did not pick the fancy of even
talented individuals.
16] Some of the books on TSM are
comparatively less lucid and little more
tedious. This is so because the emphasis is
given on accuracy rather than literary
qualities.
17] Everything has its own time. When
the social psyche gets ready for digesting
certain concepts (oneness of spiritualism
and materialism); they spread like wild
fire and become vogue of the day.
18] It is also possible that there are still
some inaccuracies and or deficiencies left
in TSM, which is why it is not as popular
as one would have liked it to be.
14. 19] The personal deficiencies of the
propounder may also account for
inadequate spread and influence of the
TSM.
20] Inertia of the sympathizers resulting
from various reasons on the one hand and
lack of finesse and irritability of those
involved; due to urgency and impatience
on the other; probably made the progress
tardy and checkered.
21] Most importantly, the
NAMASMARAN i.e. being connected
with God has somewhere been deficient!
Let us all try to study, refine and enrich,
practice (making use of all possible
modalities; and most importantly
NAMASMARAN) and share TSM (Total
15. Stress Management), superliving, holistic
health; SUPERJOYOUSLY; as a
SUPER-TRANSACTION, in a non-
mercenary, non-commercial and non-
charity manner!
Dr. Shriniwas
Kashalikar
