THE KAMSA COMPLEX











Ever since Kamsa was told about is impending fate – that he would be killed by his own sister Devaki’s eighth son, Kamsa’s mind was consumed by only one mission: to kill his would-be killer before the fate befell him. The easiest way of carrying out this mission would have been to kill his sister before she gave birth to any of her sons. But, she was his sister… He could not bring himself to eliminate her. So, he did, what he thought to be, the next best thing – He put her and her husband, both, into the prison… and, as each baby was born, Kansa got rid of the newborn… As divine plan would have it, the eighth son – Krishna – survived, even though his wicked uncle assumed that he had done away with his would-be killer. The prophecy, after all, had to come to pass. When time came, despite Kansa’s frantic efforts and all-consuming obsession with his sole mission, yes, when time came, Krishna slew his monstrous uncle!


When one’s mind is totally consumed by such fear, and when his entire life is driven by this obsession, that state of mind is called ‘The Kamsa Complex’!

Yes, Kamsa constantly lived in fear of his would-be killer - his number-one enemy. His mind-space was totally occupied by this ‘enemy’… He saw this enemy everywhere, every time and in everything around him… He saw the enemy in his sleep, too, and spent many a sleepless nights! But, despite all the power and brutality at his disposal, the mind consumed by fear could do nothing to save him. On the other side, Krishna accomplished his own mission, guided by his heart… He put an end to the wickedness!

There is a Kamsa and there is a Krishna in all of us. But, they dwell not at the same place: Kamsa dwells in our minds, while Krishna dwells in our hearts… The mind, mostly, drives us do what Kamsa did… And, the heart, mostly, guides us to do what Krishna did. This has been the age-old story… To me, this story is a beautiful metaphor!

Have my enemies – my perceived killers – occupied my entire mind-space?


There has been this Good Morning message doing rounds for many years. I had received it several times before. This morning, I received it, once again, from my friend, Joe. Here it is:

“An enemy occupies more space in the brain (mind) than a well-wisher in the heart.
Don’t damage your brain (mind)… Just improve your heart.”


It’s time, we grasped the meaning of this message…



GEALD D’CUNHA

 Pic.: Chetna Shetty


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