Every adult goes through some degree of depression in his life. Its so common in this yoga that almost everybody have gone through depression. It would be superstitious to tell even one didn’t have depression in his or her life. Lord Krishna did, Lord Rama did , Lord Jesus had to, Lord buddha, Prophet Muhammed had to, in fact everyone had to go through depression . Though its a harsh expereince which might even take ones life, its not right to say that depression is always bad.
Saint Arunagirinathar had all the while fallen prey to the sense pleasure until he got sick of leprosy , his sisters words had greatly built a guilt in him. He went into deep depression that he was about to fall from the temple gopuram. But then Lord Muruga appeared in front of him, saved his life, cured his leprosy and made him a great sage.
Mirdad was in deep depression which was the oitcome of his killing hundereds of his own people. Its when he was ready to lose himself, his Guru accepted him for the higher teachings and he emerged as the great incarnation.
Every siddha, every sage had gone through utter depression but have emerged themselves with the blessings of Divine. Blessings of divine is always available. Its just we getting ready to receive. And getting ready to receive doesn’t need any of your grooming skills. Its just letting go of what you hold completely. But this happens only during the ultimate depression which is called as dark night of the soul, which is actually a blessing and is rare.
So what could be done when you are in a depression other than the dark night of the soul. All depressions make the mind stronger and push towards righteous living, which when not lived, again the lesson gets harder to learn. When you are in depression, its the time the mind is ready for the war within. But the mind has to be prepared enough for the war. when it is not rightly equipped, it fails very badly in a way to hurt more of itself. The right mode of equipping the mind is to follow right principles. These principles are to be designed by you and for you. These not only give strength but does much more. In war, its not only the strength that matters, but also the right skill and the right teaching to apply the skill. Here the skill is the principle.. The more righteous principles we have in our life, (remember, it might be against the society but it will be from your heart), the decisions made are more appropriate and will be taken at the right time.
i shall let you know how i overcame my depression when i was into it deeply but i can say it was very deep but next to the dark night of the soul. i had both. so i am able to differentiate. Both these had a sense of surrenderance. Yet there was a slight difference that i am aware of. I have to admit my mind went mad and it was not normal when i went throught he dark night. but during the depression the madness was a little less. So i was going through these low times and as for everyone, this occurs when you are alone. you dont like to apeak to others also or you just feel novody is going to be of help those times. Days seemed to be long and you would just want to sleep and not get up. Sleep is the only solace the mind would feel as it forgets the thought story. It need not churn up the story again and again and find some reason to get more depressed. Yet our body needs food and its very natural for one to get hungry when depressed. Few hurt their stomach by not eating, few just cant stop eating and there are other few who just fill something or the other to stop the hunger. I was of the third category. i just have coffee in the morning and wait until my stomach hurts badly the next time, again to have another coffee or some small quantity of food that could be easily cooked. Mostly it was dosa with readymade chutneypowder or it was rice with same chtuneypowder. Though it wasnt eaten for taste, yet the sensory change happening in the tongue did give some effect in the brain and the mind. the fulfillment of hunger still gave a peace to the mind amidst all the innerchatter. When my mind was off depression, i could muse upon what all happen during the state of deperession. Amidst all the chaos within, there was still a search for life in the name of hunger. Somehow as this great understanding arose, i knew inspite of the demons which were against me to eat, i still had the pull from the divine by means of hunger.This pull itself is the divine. I relied upon it whenever i went to depression. This pull doesnt happen always, you know, you are not hungry or thirsty always . But whenever i got thirsy, i drank water with a prayer : Dear water, Give me life. Bless me. Whenever i got hungry amidst the chaos, there was demon talking in, why to eat food, let me die, let anything happen. but being alone and the hunger pain if left would get horrible and mind knew this, it heeded to divines call, when mind just listens to the divines call, then is the prayer we have to place: Dear food, Give me some life, Bless me positivity.
I assure you, its definitely possible to pray this just as you hold on to the Divines pull in terms of bodily needs. And this prayer gets answered as and when the food gets digested. There will be little hope popping up, a little light, again this has to be caught hold. else again we will have to depend upon the bodily calls.
All the negativity, depression and talks related to it are all demonic. There is a demon inside seeking its attention in the form of depression. Once you lend your ears to it, it definitely takes some time to come out of it. The one that is bringing some positivie hopeful thoughts is the Divine in you helping you out. If mind gets demonic nature, then Divine uses body to bring you back. Once you know how to move out from the demonic nature, you understand how to tackle the mind. we will have to work with a monkey to train the monkey. we just cant expect the monkey to listen at the first go. We will have to act along with the monkey , understand its nature and then train for the circus. Its exactly same with the mind. To play the circus of good and bad, the mind has to be trained. Initially the chaos and calmness alternate in a larger way but later on the shift is easy and smooth.
Ready for the play?! All this demonic and divine nature is a play. We just learn the rules and regulations properly to win the match of life.
All the best!!!