The mind can instigate great attributes like generosity, compassion, love, and also negative tendencies like hatred, jealousy, pride and so on. But little do we know that the mind is prone to remember the insults rather than the praises, the shortcomings of others rather than their virtues, the list goes on.
So when one gets a negative thought one should immediately turn their attention (mind) to something else by reading something or listening to good music. The thought will recede to the background and after such repeated conditioning will totally stop surfacing. But the good thoughts of kindness or generosity need to be built upon. The mind is fickle and gets influenced by the environment that includes negative people.
One or two stories from the Mahabharata seem relevant here. Once a brahmin came asking for alms to Karna, known for his generosity. Karna was oiling himself before his bath. His right hand was oily and he lifted the golden bowl of oil with his left hand and gifted it to the brahmin. When questioned as to why he lent with his left hand which was inauspicious, he replied that perhaps his mind would have changed during that brief span of time of washing his right hand. When such a great warrior of Karna’s stature could feel such uncertainty what can be said about us? There is another story from the same epic highlighting the need to act promptly. Once a brahmin requested King Yudhishtir money to perform his son’s thread ceremony.
As it was dusk, the king asked him to come the next day. On the way out the brahmin happened to meet his brother Bheemasenadeva, who upon knowing the reason for his visit, immediately removed his golden bracelet and handed it to the brahmin. Soon he beat on that palace drum which was particularly used on joyous occasions. When Yudhishtir asked him the reason for his midnight joy, Bheemasenadeva replied that his elder brother’s confidence of remaining alive till the next day had brought him great happiness. Yuddhishtir was a celestial avatar, and this incident merely serves as a lesson to every mortal not to postpone deeds of a charitable nature, for nobody knows for certain that there will be another dawn for him or her.