A good state of Mind is what matters to stay connected to God everywhere. Priya Mishra, Vice President, Programming, Sony Entertainment Television speaks about her spirituality to Richa Dubey.

By Birth?

I am from a north Indian Brahmin family.

Religion?

I don't belong to a family which is overtly religious. They are not into a lot of worshipping and Puja. I was not aware of God until I grew up. My awareness about existence of God happened much later. I was not brought up with the whole thought that there is a God. I saw my parents praying but I never did.

I pray when things go wrong. Sometimes those prayers are for me and sometimes for others. When my beloved ones are in trouble then I pray for them. I do not do idol worship. Sometimes you pray for the world also. For me there is no definite time to pray.

I am not a very religious person so I don't know what it is. For my parents God was a very personal thing. We were never taken to Kirten or Satsang and even if they went I don't know about it. At a very early age I went to the hostel so probably because of that also I was not much aware of all these things. I think Religion is something that disciplines you. It teaches you to speak the truth, do good.
Like Hinduism teaches you that what goes around comes around and reincarnation. So in a way it disciplines us so that we do no harm to others. Similarly, other religions have there own theories that prevent people from sinning. So religion is meant to make us lead the right path. It does not always mean bhajan kirten because I have hardly seen that side of religion.

Values?

Basic values are very important and they also come from religion, which are inculcated in us by our elders and over a period of time we learn and understand it.

Be honest, don't cheat are things that you acquire in your upbringing. My parents got influenced by these thoughts so they want me to learn them. This is how basic values come to us. Humanity gave a code of conduct which came to be known as religion. These are all values which are very important.

Belief?
I have not seen God. For me my parents are the representation of God. They are the ones who got me into this world. So my strongest belief is that my parents are God to me. I lost my father when I was very young and I strongly believe that he is up there acting like a protective shield to me. When things go wrong I close my eyes and I see him.

Rituals you follow?

I don't follow any rituals. I do not fast on any occasion. I do nothing because my childhood was such. It is not very important for me.

Spiritual guidance?

If you do good things then you are automatically guided by God. He is connected to you only if you do good things and don't harm others. The kind of profession we are in, one should ideally get mad after reaching home but that does not happen because I think good thoughts. As a nation also we are very spiritual. We have never cracked under pressure like many other countries. That also helps to overcome any trauma. We have a spiritual reason to justify everything. Materialism never broke us down. A good state of mind is not made overnight.

Divine visit?

As a child I visited Vaishno Devi with my father. Since my childhood was entirely in Uttar Pradesh, I visited a lot of religious places like Banares and Allahabad. We were never forced or asked to pray. Also I was too young for it.

You can pray anytime of the day and need not go somewhere specifically for that. As a kid it was more like a picnic for me because we went as family get togethers. But I have been to many such places and enjoyed the experience.

Positive thinking?

Optimism is very important in life. The eagerness to live life and be optimistic about everything is the core of our survival. Even the richest cannot be happy if they are not optimistic about life. Earlier, I was not a very optimistic person. As a teenager I had a tough time facing my mood swings and I used to feel low very often but my elder brother inculcated in me the spirit of never say die. He taught me to get up every morning and tell myself that today is a great day. Eventually it worked for me and now I am happy go lucky.
There can be no set date to be happy. You cannot say that The day I buy a car I will be happy. We cannot demarcate it but we can try to be happy most of the time. We should be happy, come what may. This is optimism and this changed me. I have seen many celebrities who are not happy, even if they have everything they desired they are not happy. It is because of lack of optimism.

Destiny?

Everything is destined. I was completely unaware of destiny until my father's death. His death made me believe in destiny. From that day onward I started believing that few things are just destined and one cannot change them, no matter what. Had it not been pre-destined then it would not have happened the way it happened. He was too young to die. A few people say that there is no need to work because everything is pre-destined but I feel hard work is also a part of destiny. Destiny is an unknown path and we have to move forward to find our goals. I strongly believe in destiny.

A few people get things easily but I always worked hard to achieve everything. It was destined to happen that way so I worked hard. But we cannot do anything when it comes to emotional matters like birth, death. In such cases everything is controlled by destiny.

Karmology?

Karma is a part of destiny.

Relaxing Spiritually?

I used to do yoga since my childhood but these days due to work I have not been able to do it. Other than that, when I have to relax I listen to music. I have not been for vacations for long. For me, every day is a vacation as long as you enjoy your work. I do not think that I will be happy when I go to London for vacation, no. For me going for a movie or to a mall with family and friends is also a vacation because I enjoy that and I am happy doing that.

Otherwise, Yoga is the best. It is scientific and has a very good effect on the body and mind. The best way to relax spiritually is to think good of others and be fair to them. You get disturbed only when you do bad to others and when people do bad to you. Such situations should be avoided. Sanity should prevail.
Seek to cultivate a buoyant, joyous sense of the crowded kindnesses of God in your daily life. Alexander MacLaren