Mumbai, 22 February 2025: After a resounding success of the first day, the day 2 of ABP Network’s Ideas of India 2025 began with monk and motivational speaker Gaur Gopal Das elaborating upon the “4 N’s” of ‘Mastering the Mind – Living Our Best Lives’.
Commenting on the lives of 21st century corporates, Gaur Gopal Das said, “Today, corporate professionals are stressed and depressed but well-dressed because they are unable to put their minds to rest. We are talking about mental health problems but we don’t talk about mental health. Having a healthy mind is about allowing the mind to rest and reboot.”
Giving an analogy of managing children, Gaur Gopal Das explained, “Children are pretty and cute, but they have tremendous restless energy. They are difficult to manage. But children would go to sleep. There’s a child inside each one of you which is your mind. It is a difficult entity to manage and you cannot put your mind to sleep. We are dealing with a child irrespective if we are parents or not.”
Elaborating on the four ways, Gaur Gopal Das said, “The first step is to learn to neglect. Your mind is constantly asking for your attention like a child. If you give too much attention to your mind, it will ask for more attention. As you channelize your child’s energy for constructive things, you need to channelize your energy for constructive purposes. The next important thing to understand the maturity on what to attend to and what to neglect. Some aspects need attention, others need to be ignored. Mental health will come when you learn to neglect things that doesn’t need to be prioritized.”
Gaur Gopal Das elaborated on the other steps to master the mind, Gaur Gopal Das, said, “The second thing is to negotiate. You need to learn to negotiate with your mind like you negotiate with your child. The third N is Note it down. Journaling is powerful. Start journaling before going to sleep because otherwise you are taking your thoughts to sleep. With Journaling, you are emptying the energy. The last one is non-judgemental observation. When you feel overwhelmed with thoughts, start classifying the chatter in your mind into thoughts and feelings. The farther away you go from thoughts and feelings you stop engaging with them.”
On being asked definition of success, Gaur Gopal Das said, “Today, having more is considered as being successful. While having more, people have lost track of feeling more. They have everything, yet they feel empty. Success is a balance between having more and feeling more. We have to strike the right balance. For the peace of mind, quantity is not important; quality is important.”
Gaur Gopal Das said, “I was not talking to my father because he was ruining his health due to excessive smoking. I couldn’t apologize to my father because of my ego in his lifetime. Of everything of value, people are of the highest value. It is okay to let go and prioritize healthy relationships.”
While responding to a question on how he counsels matters of heart and marriages, Gaur Gopal Das remarked, “I don’t see gender. I see masculine and feminine energy. Some men have more feminine energy; some women have more masculine energy.”
“I manage criticism by allowing people to say what they want to say.”, said Gaur Gopal Das covering many related subjects. “When in doubt, seek guidance. Don’t confuse between self-confidence and self-sabotaging. Self-confidence matters, but we should be vulnerable enough to seek guidance from others. When acquaintances invest between themselves for years, one can identify people who are there to use you and those who really are your well-wishers.”
“Don’t stop listening to your heart. Reconcile your issues with people. What you are searching for is inside you!” Gaur Gopal Das shared his closing thoughts for the session.
The ABP Network’s Ideas of India 2025, centred on the theme ‘Humanity’s Next Frontier’, brought together thought leaders and innovators to explore the challenges and opportunities in India’s rise in a rapidly changing world. In the face of climate change, geopolitical conflicts, and technological advancements like AI, the summit delved into India’s role as both an ancient civilisation and a demographic powerhouse in shaping the future. The two-day summit featured a confluence of ideas from global thought leaders, intellectuals, and change-makers, covering transformative possibilities in science, medicine, social contracts, and global leadership, with experts from diverse fields offering bold visions of a better, more sustainable world for all.
