Maitryadisu Balani

Maitri =friendliness; adi =etc; balani =power.

By Samyama on qualities like- friendliness, strength.(III-24)

"As you think, so you become" Negative thoughts drain our energy. Positive thoughts like love compassion, friendliness etc give us strength. This is the reason that all the religions of the world emphasize on basic virtues like these. There was a nice quotation in Reader's Digest: Courage is the ladder on which all the virtues mount. It requires a great courage to be virtues. Why we tell a lie? Because we have no courage to speak the truth. And how to be courageous? The answer lies in above sutra. By doing Samyama on positive qualities. When you think positive, you act positive. You live a Dharmic life, you tread a righteous path, you become a man of strong character. And a man of character knows no fear. A man of vice will be weak from inside.

One lady social worker of high virtues and strong character, though frail in body, was returning from her field work later one night when she felt some rowdy element chasing her. She just turned around and looking in his eyes, shouted boldly at him. The muscular man took to his heels. It is known that the ferocious tamasic forces always give way to soft sattvic forces. Compared to a stone, water is very soft but when the river is flooded, huge boulders, anything and everything that comes in the way, is washed away, the fragile Mahatma, Mohandas Gandhi could shake the mighty.

British Empire because of his powerful character. Because he not only contemplated on Maitri Bhavana, the virtue of friendliness, but lived a life of Ahimasa, love and compassion.