My Theory on “Hulchal” or “Stirrings” – Part I

“Hulchal” refers to commotion or stirring caused by exceptional situations. Normally, we find a rhythm to our individual existence and vibrate to that rhythm. Occasionally that rhythm is shaken or stirred by a situation that was not anticipated or underestimated. Modern lifestyle however causes such natural rhythm to be continuously shaken and not occasionally. This causes unnecessary tension, stress and high-strung emotions in people. The difference can be better understood when one can easily visualize life of a human being 40 years before and life of a human being today. 40 years ago, television was just growing. Computers, internet and social media was almost unheard of or non-existent. Today this is a reality and with this, the era of continued change to the rhythm of existence is here. No wonder every 2nd person looks to travel or run away to remote location every now and then to find peace! When we travel seeking a break and hoping for peace, it is truly a search to find our natural rhythm and balanced dance with nature again. Finding our natural rhythm helps us align with nature and “peace” comes as a derivative of that action. That is the reason why travel does not offer peace for many persons since even with remote location, these people continue to keep shaking their rhythmic vibration with nature thanks to the influence through continuous usage of mobiles or internet.

So what exactly is stirred?? What changes to rhythm is so troubling and disturbing the inner peace? Influence each one bears on one another cannot be undervalued or underestimated. This is true for our desires as well. That is why thought leaders are very important. They help shape our desires. In Indian puranas or literature, the period era of human existence are beautifully divided into yugas and it is my theory that each yuga reflects a certain bend of mind that is testimony to the core desire of the human race prevalent in that era. As per Indian Gurus these yugas keep repeating in cycles by going first in forward direction from Satya yuga to Kali yuga and then reversing back till Satya yuga.

In Satya yuga the desire for ultimate truth or connect with a higher self is the most dominant theme. In Dvapara yuga desire for meaningful relationship has highest respect, while in Treta yuga the desire for individual glory and prime health is supreme. In Kaliyuga it is desire for wealth or material fulfillment that is the core driver. While other desires also exist, the humans influence each other and at a sum-total level one desire stands out above others. The present time forms part of either Kaliyuga period or Treta yuga period. Thus, global will today is a tussle between personal glory plus prime health and material fulfillment at an overall level.

When we as an individual, desire for a union with a higher self or a higher truth or seek meaningful relationships, we act in direct conflict with a global will acting towards material fulfillment or personal glory. The time for such desire to be supreme has not yet arrived and yet we strive to seek it. The individual desire here is before time and hence finds huge hurdles or strong resistance in the path. It does not mean that it is unachievable in this period, it just means that strength of hurdles will be higher for one individual desire to overcome.

You might be wondering where is this theory leading to? So let us revert back to our current life situation. Internet and social media fans the desires for material fulfillment as well as personal glory (the current will at global level). An individual born and growing in the present era by default naturally mimics the surrounding influencers be it parents, teachers, friends, work ethics, national leaders and international leaders (in that order!). While there is an inherent desire that is unique to the person, this gets superseded or camouflaged by the barrage of desire emanating from all the influencers. If the internal core desire is neither self-glory or material wealth, the adult individual gets torn in different direction as the core desire that our heart whispers feels right but the desire that is inherited from the surrounding due to mimicry also feels true and more representative of oneself. This conflict of desires results in pain and disturbed state. The person who is able to cut-off from the continuous chatter of multiple desires for wealth or glory, is able to beat to a natural rhythm that emanates from the heart for some-time. This brings the momentary peace. Yet the moment we come back to living with the civilization, resisting the overwhelming sound of a “global will” becomes too much. While we do manage to get charged by a travel break (maybe to an ashram), this happens primarily due to our ability to temporarily fulfill a core desire either of meaningful relation or of connecting with a higher self by self-analyse or retrospection. Normal existence with society as against the temporary breaks that we indulge in is not conducive to a permanent peace. For that to happen, the individual consciousness needs to elevate above the global consciousness. And for able to achieve this, the practice required at remaining fixated on our core desire has to be significantly more than the practice we have at mimicking the global will.

As an example, let us examine a typical family situation. We have just returned from a break and have introspected or found a meaningful relation that gave us momentary peace. We promise to ensure and work for that maintaining that peace by moving rhythmically with that flow. This works well till the day we are living within our home (mostly). A day comes when you go out to socialize either with other family members or with work colleagues. On this day the first rupture to your bubble occurs when desires emanating from others feel correct and suitable for you too. A loose talk of someone else having visited a fabulous place that brings wow from others and make others look away from your story of your break makes you rethink if your story was real. As more and more people around you start putting higher emphasis on stories of personal glory or of material opulence, suddenly your rhythm starts shaking again as an invisible pull makes you re-prioritize your needs and self-shake your new-found natural rhythm. Does this sounds familiar? This is true for most people. Ever noticed that you prefer avoiding certain people or certain activity for sometime after you return from a break in anticipation of avoiding those people or avoiding certain actions that can shake your peace? That’s you seeking to avoid “hulchul” as much as possible! Yet, unwittingly we open our television sets or internet or mobile and we get swayed again by a global will.

It takes a person of Om Swamiji’s calibre to break-out from the global will and emerge as a self-illuminating torch beyond effects of any “hulchul”. Thought leaders like them are responsible for wheels of changes that takes decades to occur at a global level. For the one who can introspect and observe, they are able to realize that these wheels do move albeit not at the speed that one may wish for. So what is our purpose?? We must strive to move forward and staying connected with people like Om Swamiji who is helping usher human race to the next yuga and inch back towards the Satya yuga. Having said this- it is still a cycle and the wheels will still keep turning again even after reaching Satya yuga. In other words, we will again start drifting towards Kaliyuga. This is imminent. We just exist to witness this wonderful maya and learn to appreciate the cosmic dance with our numerous birth and deaths. This is my theory not necessarily correct, yet it explains certain realities and I think helps us adjust better to being who we are now and not get too worried in-case we lose peace. We have to just press “restart” button again, the moment we get alarm ping from our “inner peace-o-meter” and start our striving afresh. If things get more difficult, it is time to cry and hold dearly or vehemently to encouraging stories of forward marching leaders like Swamiji instead of looking behind.