Suddenly it struck my mind. The toys my children have been playing with the last few months reminded me of something. Before summer holiday this new toy was the must have. Kids at school all had a Fidget Spinner. A Fidget Spinner? Not soon after I heard about and saw the little spinning wheels, they were all over the place. Not only at my house but every local grocery store was selling them. One was spinning and looking more beautiful than the other.
It was to have a calming effect some websites said after I did some Googling about it. Invented for students to focus during periods of stress. For kids with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), autism, and anxiety. Well well well … How could a small piece of twirling plastic relieve my kids stress? Children at school were playing around with them but all looked very excited about the new models kids brought to the courtyard each day. It made me happy it was a meditative toy this time that was buzzing instead of yet another Nerf weapon of mass destruction. Literally, to fidget means to make small movements, especially of the hands and feet, through nervousness or impatience. Spinning stress away almost sounds to good to be true.
But what if it is true? And could it have a deeper secret to it? I couldn’t help myself thinking about it in this way because I was sure I knew this toy from somewhere. It reminded me of …
Swadarshan chakradhari – he who spins the discus of self-realization
In ancient, and yet the not so ancient Deity religion, Swadarshan chakradhari means ‘spinner of the discus of self-realization’. When the soul gets understanding of its 84 births [going around the cycle], this is known as being swa [self] darshan [vision] chakradhari [holder of discus]. Chakradhari means ‘he who holds the wheel’. Swadarshan chakra i.e. (the wheel of self realization).
The history of Swadarshan is not known to human being and is neither written anywhere in the scriptures. But it is remembered and altered through time. What it means is that, once you realize your self, your soul, your inner value, you will become elevated. It is to become who you were in a sense. It is the ultimate experience of introspection.
Spinning the wheel of self-realization also means, hey, I once was in a perfect state of peace and harmony with myself, but through time (birth after birth) I lost that feeling. I lost my concentration, my inner focus and my intellect. From being soul-conscious I have become body-conscious and looking outward most of the time. By focusing again, by knowing the beginning, the middle and the end of the world, the intellect is working towards the realization of the soul.
The difference between Swadarshan and Pardarshan
So how is the fidget spinner a memory of the Swadarshan Chakra? The difference between Swadarshan and Pardarshan is as much as between Sukh (Happiness) and Dukh (Sorrow) respectively. Till today we have been busy in pardarshan only. We are focusing our mind to exterior things.
By remembering other human beings, or remember the materialistic things of this world, to remember the misdeeds of someone, to seek revenge, to keep enmity, one keeps becoming restless (ashaant or disturbed). If you remain disturbed, then the life span keeps decreasing. If you remain peaceful, then the life span keeps increasing. Why does the life span increase by remaining
peaceful? Why do the vibrations of restlessness decrease the life span? Stress and anxiety are results of focusing on others and matter. Peace is a result of focusing, concentrating on inner qualities.
More Swadarshan – self transformation through self sovereignity
We see and read about Shri Krishna the sudarshan chakradhari. In mahabharat and Bhagwad Gita Shri Krishna is shown holding sudarshan chakra. To add more accuracy to this I would like to mention here that the word is Swadarshan Chakradhari. Shri Krishna is virtually a Swadarshan Chakradhari because during the sangam yug he comes as an ordinary human being whom God Shiv then designate as Brahma because Brahma is able to see himself as the first Prince of Satyug (this is termed as Swadarshan = swayam ka darshan karna). When God Shiv gives the spiritual knowledge of soul and supreme soul, Shri Krishna is able to see himself as a top class Brahmin and then through the spiritual study during this sangam yug excels and through hard efforts he earns the kingdom of deities i.e. Satyug and is designated as Shri Narayan (as God) and Radha as Shri Lakshmi (as Goddess). Shri Krishna and Shri Radha are the childhood name and later designated as Shri Lakshmi and Shri Narayan by God Shiv through Murli which has been indicated as flute in the hands of Shri Krishna.
The tough study that Brahma does also indicates the 84 births of Shri Krishna, beginning as Brahmin in Sangamyug to Suryavanshi in Satyug, Chandravanshi in Tretayug and king Chakravarty in Dwapar yug. At sangam yug Shri Krishna comes as a common man and is seen as Brahma Baba – the founder father of Praja Pita Brahma Kumaris Ishwariya Vishwa Vidyalaya. This darshan of shrishti chakra of Shri Krishna starting from Brahman to Sangamyugi Brahma, is shown as sudarshan chakra (or in fact it should have been swadarshan chakradhari). This fantastic description in detail is given by Godfather Shiv through Murli which is also known as Shiv Rudra Gita Gyan Yagya at the Brahma Kumaris centres. When we listen to the murli, we totally understand the lifecycle of shri Krishna and sri Radha of their 84 births and how they come and meet at the Sangam yug in the form of Brahma Baba and Jagdamba Radhe. (Source).
How your kids fidget spinner brings peace
Back to reality. In many scriptures Shri Krishna plays the hero act. But nowadays, you can too. By focusing inwards, by calming the mind, you can become whole again. Using the fidget spinner is actually a way of meditating. To see your true original state, a being of peace and love (soul), you will become elevated. By knowing who you are, there is no longer a need to compare, to wasteful thinking and to be insecure. “It is extremely satisfying to hold this spinning, whirring toy between your fingers,” according to a blog post from North Carolina-based science educator Beth Harris. “Part of this is the small resistance you feel when turning the spinner from side to side. What you feel is actually the angular inertia of the spinning toy.”
Fidgeting is a tool used to cope with anxiety, and it seems that fidget spinners can be used as a tool to help fidget. Whether it is for anxiety, to find focus, or just to have fun, fidget spinners look like a cool toy that will leave you with a spinning good feeling.