Whatever Be Your Mental State The Universe Remains Unaffected
and Uninterrupted; Be In Rhythm With The Universe – Hinduism
The human mind is a turbulent ocean, constantly churning with waves of emotion, thought, and perception. We experience joy and sorrow, triumph and defeat, peace and anxiety—yet through all these fluctuations, the universe continues its eternal dance, unmoved by our inner storms. This profound truth lies at the heart of Hindu philosophical teachings: our mental states, however intense they may feel, do not disturb the cosmic order. The universe operates according to its own immutable laws, indifferent to our approval or resistance.
The Unchanging Nature of Reality
Hindu scriptures repeatedly emphasize the distinction between the changing and the unchanging, between the temporary modifications of the mind and the eternal nature of ultimate reality. The Bhagavad Gita offers this timeless wisdom: "As the same person inhabits the body through childhood, youth, and old age, so too at the time of death he attains another body. The wise are not deluded by these changes" (Bhagavad Gita 2.13).
This verse illustrates a fundamental principle: while our experiences and perceptions constantly shift, the underlying reality remains constant. Our anxieties about tomorrow, our regrets about yesterday, our current emotional turbulence—none of these alter the fundamental nature of existence. The sun rises and sets, seasons change, planets orbit, and cosmic processes unfold whether we are elated or despondent.
The Upanishads further elaborate this concept through the teaching of Brahman, the ultimate reality that remains eternally unchanged despite the apparent transformations in the manifest world. Just as gold remains gold whether fashioned into a ring, necklace, or bracelet, the fundamental substance of reality remains unaffected by the myriad forms it assumes.
The Mind as the Source of Bondage and Liberation
Hindu philosophy identifies the mind as both the potential source of suffering and the key to liberation. The Bhagavad Gita declares: "For him who has conquered the mind, the mind is the best of friends; but for one who has failed to do so, his mind will remain the greatest enemy" (Bhagavad Gita 6.6).
Our mental states create our personal universe of experience, but they do not create or alter the actual universe. When we suffer from anxiety, we perceive threats everywhere. When we experience depression, the world appears colorless and meaningless. Yet these are merely interpretations imposed by our minds upon a reality that continues unchanged. A person experiencing joy and another experiencing sorrow can stand in the same garden—the garden remains identical, but their experiences differ entirely based on their mental states.
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali begin with the foundational statement: "Yogas chitta vritti nirodhah"—Yoga is the cessation of the modifications of the mind. This teaching recognizes that our mental fluctuations obscure our perception of reality as it truly is. When the mind becomes still, like a perfectly calm lake reflecting the sky without distortion, we perceive the universe in its authentic nature.
Coming Into Rhythm With the Universe
The call to "be in rhythm with the universe" is an invitation to align ourselves with the natural order rather than exhausting ourselves in futile resistance. This concept finds expression in the Hindu understanding of dharma—the cosmic law that governs all existence. When we live according to our dharma, we flow with the current of universal intelligence rather than struggling against it.
The Bhagavad Gita presents this beautifully through Krishna's teaching to Arjuna: "Perform your obligatory duty, because action is indeed better than inaction. Even the maintenance of your body would not be possible by inaction" (Bhagavad Gita 3.8). Here, the message is not to become passive, but to act in alignment with the natural order, fulfilling one's role in the cosmic dance without attachment to outcomes.
Consider the natural world: trees do not strain to grow, rivers do not struggle to flow, the heart does not stress about beating. They operate according to their inherent nature, in perfect harmony with universal laws. Human suffering often arises from our resistance to what is, our mental insistence that reality should conform to our preferences rather than accepting and working within the framework of how things actually are.
The Witness Consciousness
Hindu teachings, particularly in Vedanta philosophy, emphasize cultivating the witness consciousness—the ability to observe our mental states without being completely identified with them. The Bhagavad Gita speaks of the eternal soul that remains untouched by experiences: "Weapons cannot cut the soul, nor can fire burn it. Water cannot wet it, nor can wind dry it" (Bhagavad Gita 2.23).
This witness consciousness represents our true nature, which remains serene and unchanged regardless of mental turbulence. By identifying with this deeper aspect of ourselves rather than with our passing thoughts and emotions, we naturally come into rhythm with the universe. We recognize ourselves not as separate entities struggling against cosmic forces, but as expressions of those very forces.
Practical Wisdom for Modern Life
In our contemporary world, characterized by unprecedented levels of anxiety, depression, and mental health challenges, this ancient wisdom offers profound relevance. We live in an age where we believe our thoughts and feelings should be immediately validated, where we expect external circumstances to conform to our internal preferences, and where we often identify completely with our mental states.
The Hindu teaching that the universe remains unaffected by our mental turbulence is not meant to invalidate our experiences or emotions. Rather, it provides liberating perspective. Your anxiety about a job interview does not alter the fundamental order of reality. Your depression, while real and requiring compassionate attention, does not darken the actual sun. Your joy, while wonderful, does not actually make flowers bloom more brightly—though it certainly changes your perception of them.
This understanding offers tremendous freedom. If our mental states don't control the universe, then we need not be tyrannized by them. We can acknowledge our anxiety, sadness, or anger without granting these states ultimate power over our lives. We can work with our emotions while simultaneously recognizing their temporary, fluctuating nature.
Meditation and the Practice of Equanimity
The practical path toward achieving this cosmic rhythm involves meditation and the cultivation of equanimity. Hindu traditions offer numerous meditation techniques designed to still the mind and reveal the unchanging reality beneath our mental fluctuations.
The Bhagavad Gita describes the state of the person established in this understanding: "A person who is not disturbed by the incessant flow of desires—that enter like rivers into the ocean, which is ever being filled but is always still—can alone achieve peace, and not the person who strives to satisfy such desires" (Bhagavad Gita 2.70).
This metaphor of the ocean is particularly apt. The surface of the ocean may be disturbed by waves and storms, but the depths remain calm and undisturbed. Similarly, while our surface consciousness may experience turbulence, our deeper nature remains eternally peaceful. Meditation helps us access these deeper levels of consciousness, where we naturally exist in harmony with universal rhythms.
The Dance of Shiva
The iconography of Nataraja, Shiva as the cosmic dancer, beautifully encapsulates this teaching. Shiva dances the eternal dance of creation and destruction, of manifestation and dissolution. The dance continues regardless of who watches, who understands, or who approves. The universe is always dancing, always in motion according to its inherent nature.
When we align ourselves with this cosmic dance rather than attempting to choreograph our own separate performance, we discover profound peace. This doesn't mean becoming passive or fatalistic. Rather, it means acting from a place of deep understanding of our role within the larger pattern, contributing our unique note to the universal symphony while recognizing that the symphony existed before us and will continue after us.
Universe Remains Unaffected By Our Mental States
The teaching that the universe remains unaffected by our mental states while simultaneously inviting us to find rhythm with cosmic order represents one of Hinduism's most profound and practical insights. It liberates us from the tyranny of our own minds while empowering us to align with something far greater than our individual concerns.
In a world increasingly dominated by psychological frameworks that sometimes overemphasize the power and importance of our mental states, this ancient wisdom offers a necessary correction. Our thoughts and feelings are real and deserve compassionate attention, but they are not ultimate. They are weather patterns moving across the sky of consciousness, while consciousness itself remains vast, unchanging, and inherently peaceful.
By understanding this truth and practicing alignment with universal rhythms through meditation, selfless action, and the cultivation of witness consciousness, we can navigate life's inevitable ups and downs with greater equanimity, wisdom, and peace. We discover that true happiness lies not in controlling the universe to match our mental preferences, but in bringing our minds into harmony with the universe as it actually is—eternally perfect, eternally dancing, eternally at peace.