🧠 Between Depression and Anxiety: The Power of Now in Sanatan Dharma
“Thinking about the past can trap us in sorrow; worrying about the future can drown us in fear. Only the present moment is a true refuge of peace.” ~ Adarsh Singh
🪔 The Pendulum of Mind ~ Past and Future
In the vast spectrum of human emotions, two of the most persistent psychological disturbances are depression and anxiety. They represent two extremes of our relationship with time:
Depression is rooted in our past.
Anxiety stems from our future.
This duality, although deeply human, is not inevitable. Ancient Indian wisdom, Sanatan Dharma, offers profound insights on how to transcend these mental afflictions by grounding ourselves in the present moment, the eternal “Now.”
“Time is not our enemy. Our attachment to time-bound stories is. Liberation begins when we stop negotiating with memories and predictions.” ~ Adarsh Singh
🔙 The Weight of the Past: Depression through the Lens of Sanatan Dharma
Depression is often the result of excessive reflection on past mistakes, losses, and pain. Sanatan Dharma calls this Moha, delusion arising from attachment to transient events and emotions.
Scriptural Insight:
In the Bhagavad Gita (2.11), Lord Krishna reminds Arjuna:
“You are grieving for what is not worthy of grief, yet speaking words of wisdom. The wise grieve neither for the living nor for the dead.”
This verse is a direct challenge to our tendency to dwell on the irreversible. Krishna urges us to embrace Viveka (Discernment) and Vairagya (Detachment) as tools to escape sorrow born from past attachments.
“We cannot rewrite the past, but we can rewire how it lives within us.” ~ Adarsh Singh
🔮 The Fear of the Future: Anxiety in Light of Sanatan Dharma
Anxiety is born from uncertainty, the fear of what might happen. It arises from Asakti (Attachment) to future outcomes and Bhaya (Fear) of failure or pain.
In Bhagavad Gita (18.66), Lord Krishna says:
“Abandon all varieties of dharma and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.”
Here, surrender is not passivity. It is active trust in the divine plan, allowing us to shed anxiety by anchoring in the eternal dharma of karma yoga, focused action without expectation.
“Anxiety is the imagination misused. Faith in divine timing turns fear into flow.” ~ Adarsh Singh
🕉️ The Present Moment: Gateway to Peace
The present moment is called “Sat” in Vedic texts, that which is, the real, the eternal. It is the bridge between the illusion of memory (past) and the mirage of projection (future).
Mandukya Upanishad (Verse 7):
“The Fourth state (Turiya) is unseen, beyond empirical experience, beyond reasoning, unthinkable, indescribable... It is a peaceful, blissful, non-dual reality.”
This fourth state is nothing but pure presence : where neither depression nor anxiety can survive.
In the modern world, this is echoed in mindfulness and meditation practices. But the source lies deep in Sanatan Dharma, where Sages meditated on Shunyata (emptiness) and Atman (Self) to rest in the timeless awareness.
“When the mind withdraws from yesterday and stops chasing tomorrow, you meet your eternal self in the now.” ~ Adarsh Singh
🔄 Practical Application: How to Live in the Present
1. Practice Karma Yoga
Do your duty without attachment to results. Focus on the action, not the outcome. This aligns you with the present.
2. Mindful Breathing (Pranayama)
Conscious breath brings your awareness back to the body and now. A single mindful breath is the death of a thought.
3. Meditation (Dhyana)
Sanatan Dharma’s foundation is meditation. Regular stillness allows us to witness thoughts without becoming them.
4. Chanting Mantras
Chanting sacred mantras like "Om Namah Shivaya" or "So'ham" grounds the mind in timeless vibration.
5. Acceptance through Ishwar Pranidhana
Surrender to the divine will. Recognize that we are not the controllers but co-travelers in the journey of Dharma.
“We suffer when we resist what is. Acceptance isn’t weakness; it’s the strength to see the divine unfolding behind every moment.” ~ Adarsh Singh
🌼 The Moment is the Medicine
Depression and anxiety are not just emotional conditions. They are signs that the mind has left the sanctuary of the present. Sanatan Dharma repeatedly calls us back to the eternal self, untouched by past sorrow or future fear.
This present is not just a timestamp. It is Chaitanya, pure consciousness.
And in it, liberation (moksha) begins.
“The moment you arrive in the now, the demons of depression and the shadows of anxiety dissolve like mist in morning light. The present is not just a moment, it is a miracle.” ~ Adarsh Singh
Sat Jun 28, 2025
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