Question
“Swami, it is said that in modern society depression is becoming a bigger problem. What do you think causes that and can you give any advise on how people can deal with that?”

Answer
“ Depression is a very big problem, as you said, definitely, and the state of the depression is very very terrible. It’s a kind of pain, a kind of feeling of the lost, loneliness and suddenly even the body consciousness is not there. Many people they make a suicide out of this.

And when the depressions are coming, there are certain reasons for this, not only one particular reason for depression. Mostly the depression comes to the ladies. Very less men have the depression but the ladies have more depression. And the emotions of the ladies or the psyche of the woman is very effective, influences too quickly with the nature. When the moon is changing there is a very strong influence on the female nature. Very, very strong. When the season is changing. And some ladies get the depression after giving birth to child, and some begins the depression after the 40 or 50 changing of the cycles, and many they have also the depressions monthly, before or after. So there many many different reasons why they hve the depressions.

There is one particular depression that is following from family to family - the nation’s. And more depressions are coming now, this is coming from the two reasons: one is the diet, food, which also influences the male and female, all. The kind of food that we are eating.

And second is the disappointment in this world. We are so much disappointed in every aspect of life, our business life, education, professions, family life, the friends, the colleagues, that always you try your best and you give your confidence there and suddenly there is nothing anymore. You tried so much, and again….

So slowly slowly these disappointments, these impressions that you get from the outer world, it goes to subconsciousness and subconsciousness cannot master this all, cannot keep. Then what happens, the cloud comes from the subconsciousness, the steam, the smoke. But the consciousness mind now, the intellect has no clarity to those feelings. So when the intellect cannot give the answers, can’t find the judgement, if this is a book or the microphone, that time those desires which was in subconscious mind, unformed, they come to the conscious mind unformed, and then suddenly you lose the reality. Now best for that is just to let pass the time. The very best is that somehow you should relax and let pass the time, it will change itself.

Second technique is the physical activities. Swimming, walking, cycling, yoga exercises, meditation. The meditation in that way that you want to come to your clarity, or you concentrate on the candle flame. So you focus your thoughts, your feelings that you come out of un-clarity, you know? Suddenly you will be like an aeroplane coming out of the clouds and you see everything. Or there is a lot of fog and you are driving and suddenly there is a border of the fog, the other part of the road is so clear. “Thanks to God, nice, all is clear.” It comes.

And there it is also when you practise mantra.* The mantra, it is something which functions in our body and our mind.

So this is a big problem in many parts of the world and this problem is discovered very much for those people who are living at the banks of the rivers, you see. And now they have found that these people living more at the banks of the rivers in towns, they have more depression and the higher number of the suicides. For example in Europe we have a river called the Denupe, and there all cities that are located near the Denupe, there is a high number of suicides and a high number of depression people have there.

And then the depression is also caused very much through the darkness. In Australia you don’t have that much darkness as in Europe. In Europe from September you can see it begins, all dark, and fog and cold, and all trees loses the leaves, you don’t see a green leave anywhere except on the photos or your house plants. Until April everything is so dark and cold and that makes many people sad. So best therapy for them, when they come home they should put on the bright light. Or they should go in these days on holiday to Australia or somewhere….

So there are many different depressions and you should know which kind of depression you have. And when you have such a depression then you should try to pass the time. Not to act what your inner feelings say, that’s very important. Out of depression you are desperate and suddenly it can happen, accident. So therefore you have to be more clear. Like you have drunk a few of glasses of whiskey, you know? Now hardly you can balance yourself, but you are to go to open the door, your friend or husband or somebody came home. So you have to take your whole energies, walk slowly that you go and open the door and come back without falling down.

In this way it is very easy for people to speak, those who have no depression, but it is very difficult for them, those who do have depression.