There is a limit up to which control holds.
Everyone has a threshold. Up to that point, you can manage your thoughts and actions, but once it is crossed, control drops sharply.
So it’s not that control was never there, it’s that it was pushed past its limit.
The work happens before that point, not after. One of the clearest things that keeps control in place is staying connected to consequences, remembering clearly what happens when control breaks. That awareness creates a kind of inner anchor. When you lose sight of it, even briefly, the threshold can be crossed before you realize it.
From the Mahabharata
Pandu maintains control for nearly 20 years, constantly reminding himself of the consequences of what will happen if he forgets. That is what held him. But one day in the forest, in the beauty of spring, he saw Madri — and in that one unguarded moment, the reminder was gone. The threshold was crossed, and he completely lost control.
This reflection draws from Swamini Supriyananda’s Mahabharata teachings at Chinmaya Mission Hong Kong.
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