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MIND--ITS MYSTERIES AND CONTROL
By
SRI SWAMI SIVANANDA
CONTENTS
OM
1st July 1946
Beloved Dheerender!
Fear not. The mind is
no doubt extremely turbulent. Through repeated attempts you can perfectly subdue
it.
You are the master of
the mind. By Abhyasa and Vairagya assert your mastery. Feel the power, bliss
and splendour that result from perfect self-conquest.
Curb the mind ruthlessly.
Annihilate desire. When desire dies mind is your slave. Become desireless and
be victorious.
May you rest in your
pristine freedom!
Sivananda
Prayer
O Thou Invisible One! O
Adorable One! O Supreme! Thou permeatest and penetratest this vast universe
from the unlimited space down to the tiny blade of grass at my feet. Thou art
the basis for all these names and forms. Thou art the apple of my eye, the Prema
of my heart, the very Life of my life, the very Soul of my soul, the illuminator
of my intellect and senses, the sweet Anahata music of my heart, and the substance
of my physical, mental and causal frames.
I recognise Thee alone
as the mighty Ruler of this universe and the Inner Controller (Antaryamin) of
my three bodies. I prostrate again and again before Thee, my Lord! Thou art
my sole refuge! I trust Thee alone, O ocean of mercy and love! Elevate, enlighten,
guide and protect me. Remove obstacles from my spiritual path. Lift the veil
of ignorance, O Thou Jagadguru! I cannot bear any longer even for a second,
the miseries of this body, this life and this Samsara. Give Darsana quickly.
O Prabho! I am pining. I am melting. Listen, listen to my fervent, Antarika
prayer. Do not be cruel, my Lord. Thou art Dinabandhu. Thou art Adhama-Uddharaka.
Thou art Patita Pavana (Purifier of the fallen).
Om
Santih Santih Santih
Publishers'
Note
To everyone striving for
success in life, the invariable stumbling block proves to be the turbulent vagaries
of the mind. An undisciplined mind makes a man slave and wrecks his life. Controlling
and subduing it is the most vexing of problems to the earnest seeker of happiness.
The vital importance of the subject, therefore, prompted H.H. Sri Swami Sivanandaji
Maharaj to write this comprehensive work "MIND-ITS MYSTERIES AND CONTROL."
It is meant to serve as a valuable guide to all aspirants and it is also of
immense help to anyone in any walk of life. Being the outcome of personal experience
of the revered author and written with a practical end in view, "MIND-ITS
MYSTERIES AND CONTROL" is a treasure worthy to be possessed and studied
constantly.
-THE DIVINE
LIFE SOCIETY
Preface
Happiness has for ever
been the prime aim of every human being. All activities of man are directed
towards acquiring the maximum happiness in life. But, through the wrong deluded
notion that objects will give happiness, man searches for it outside. The result
is that in spite of all his lifelong efforts, he gets disappointment only. Vexation
and misery alone are to be seen everywhere. The real lasting happiness lies
within man. Such happiness or Ananda is the Inner Self, the Antaratman. The
very nature of Atman is pure Joy. This is never perceived because the mind is
completely externalised. As long as the mind is restlessly wandering about amidst
objects, ever fluctuating, excited, agitated and uncontrolled, this true joy
cannot be realised and enjoyed. To control the restless mind and perfectly still
all thoughts and cravings is the greatest problem of man. If he has subjugated
the mind, he is the Emperor of emperors.
For gaining mastery over
the mind, you have to know what it is, how it works, how it deceives you at
every turn and by what methods it can be subdued. In this book, the subject
has been dealt with; and the nature of the mind, the various forms that it assumes,
the secret of its inner workings and the way to control it are fully and clearly
explained. The previous editions were eagerly read and appreciated by thousands
of aspirants who wrote to say how immensely they were helped by the instructions.
The lessons and instructions are eminently practical and many helpful ideas
and suggestions got during my meditations have been recorded and put down here.
Very useful hints on concentration and meditation will be found in the book
which, if faithfully followed, will bring success in a short time without fail.
I pray to every aspirant
to study constantly the valuable instructions with care and follow the practical
hints given in his Sadhana and daily life. It will doubtless enable you to gain
control over your passions and cravings and to get established in Yoga. The
Bhakta, the student of Vedanta, the Raja Yogin, the Karma Yogin-all will find
this book an indispensable guide. The later stages of Yoga Sadhana are common
in all the four paths and Dharana and Dhyana are quite impossible without first
subduing the mind. All Sadhanas are, therefore, aimed at obtaining mastery over
the mind. Hence it is that I have tried to present the ways and means of achieving
this through simple, yet well-tried and effective methods. My efforts would
be amply fulfilled if even a single earnest aspirant is helped on the spiritual
path and attains the Goal.
May the Lord, the Antaryamin,
the Supreme Indweller inspire all to attempt mind-control and Yoga! May He bestow
success on the sincere aspirants that struggle to master the unruly mind! May
you reach the Goal of Life, Immortality, Supreme Knowledge and Bliss!
Sivananda
Chapter
1
What Is
Mind?
"He who knows the
receptacle (Ayatana) verily becomes the receptacle of his people. Mind is verily
the receptacle (of all our knowledge)." (Chhandogya Upanishad, V-i-5)
That which separates you
from God is mind. The wall that stands between you and God is mind. Pull the
wall down through Om-Chintana or devotion and you will come face to face with
God.
The Mind-a
Mystery
The vast majority of men
know not the existence of the mind and its operations. Even the so-called educated
persons know very little of the mind subjectively or of its nature and operations.
They have only heard of a mind.
Western psychologists know
something.
Western doctors know only
a fragment of mind. The afferent nerves bring the sensations from the periphery
or extremities of the spinal cord. The sensations then pass to the medulla
oblongata at the back of the head, where the fibres decussate. From there,
they pass on to the superior frontal gyrus or superior frontal convolution of
the brain in the forehead, the supposed seat of the intellect or mind. The mind
feels the sensations and sends motor impulses through the afferent nerves to
the extremities-hands, legs, etc. It is a brain-function only for them. Mind,
according to them, is only an excretion of the brain, like bile from liver.
The doctors are still groping in utter darkness. Their minds need drastic flushing
for the entry of Hindu philosophical ideas.
It is only the Yogins and
those who practise meditation and introspection that know the existence of the
mind, its nature, ways and subtle workings. They know also the various methods
of subduing the mind.
Mind is one of the Ashta-Prakritis.
"Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, reason and egoism-these constitute
the eightfold division of My Nature" (Gita, VII-4).
Mind is nothing but Atma-Sakti.
It is brain that wants rest (sleep), but not the mind. A Yogi who has controlled
the mind never sleeps. He gets pure rest from meditation itself.
How The
Mind Originated
Mind is Atma-Sakti. It
is through mind that Brahman manifests Himself as the differentiated universe
with heterogeneous objects. Brahma thought, "There, indeed, are the worlds;
I shall create the protectors of the worlds." He gathered the Purusha (Hiranyagarbha)
from out of the waters only and fashioned him. He heated him by the heat of
meditation. When he was thus heated, his heart burst out. From the heart, the
mind came; from the mind the moon, the presiding deity of the mind. (Heart is
the seat of the mind; so, the mind came out when the heart burst out. In Samadhi,
the mind goes to its original seat, i.e., heart. In sleep also, it rests in
the heart with a veil of ignorance between it and Brahman) (Aitareya Upanishad,
1-3-4).
Cosmic
Mind And Individual Mind
Hiranyagarbha, otherwise
known as Karya Brahman and Sambhuti, is cosmic mind. He is the sum total (Samashti)
of all the minds. The individual mind is connected with the cosmic mind. Cosmic
mind, Hiranyagarbha, superconscious mind, infinite mind, universal mind are
synonymous terms. Different authors have used different terms. Do not be puzzled.
Do not be confused. It is Sabda-bheda only.
Hiranyagarbha is cosmic
Prana also. He is the Sutratman (thread-like Self). He represents the electric,
cosmic, power-house. The different Jivas represent the different, small bulbs.
Electricity from the power-house flows through the insulated copper wires into
the bulbs. Similarly, the power from Hiranyagarbha flows into the Jivas.
The mind, being very subtle,
is in close apposition or contact with other minds, though the human skull intervenes
between them. As mind evolves, you come into conscious relation with the mental
currents, with the minds of others- near and distant, living and dead. The individual
mind of A, although separated from the mind-substance used by other individuals,
B, C, D, E, X, Y, etc., by a thin wall of very finest kind of matter, is really
in touch with the other apparently separated minds and with the universal mind
of which it forms a part.
If A is a friend of B,
A's mind is connected with B's mind. The minds of friends, relatives, brothers
of A are attached to A's mind. Several minds are similarly linked to B's mind
also. The minds of those who are attached to A's mind are, therefore, connected,
in turn, with the minds of those who are hanging on B's mind. In this manner,
one mind is in touch with all minds in the whole world. This is the Vibhu theory
of mind of Raja Yoga.
Mind In
Sankhya Philosophy
In Sankhya philosophy,
Mahat is the term used to denote "cosmic mind" or "universal
mind." It is the first principle that is derived from Avyakta. It is the
first principle that is manifested out of the unmanifested Avyakta. The wheel
of the bullock-cart rests on the spokes. The spokes rest on the nave. Even so,
the mind rests on Prakriti and Prakriti rests on Brahman.
From Mahat comes Ahankara.
From Sattvic Ahankara comes mind; from Rajasic Ahankara comes Prana; from Tamasic
Ahankara, Tanmatras; from Tanmatras, gross elements; from gross elements, the
gross universe. Mind is no other than Ahankara, the idea of 'I'. It is, indeed,
difficult to eschew this idea of 'I'. Mind always attaches itself to something
objective (Sthula). It cannot stand by itself. It is only this mind that asserts
itself as 'I' in this body.
The idea of 'I' is the
seed of the tree of mind. The sprout which first springs up from this seed of
Ahankara is Buddhi. From this sprout, the ramifying branches called Sankalpas
have their origin.
Linga Sarira
And Antavaha Sarira
Mind is the most important
Tattva of Linga Sarira. Linga Sarira is the astral body or Sukshma Sarira that
is linked to the physical body through physical Prana. It separates itself at
death from the physical body and travels to Svarga or heaven. It is this body
that does Avagamana (coming and going). This body melts in Videha Mukti (disembodied
salvation).
There is a difference between
Linga Sarira and Antarvaha Sarira. Linga Sarira is astral body with seventeen
Tattvas, viz., five Karma-Indriyas, five Jnana-Indriyas, five Pranas, Mind and
Buddhi. Antarvaha Sarira is very pure. It is full of Sattva. It is free from
Rajas and Tamas. It is with this body that a Yogi passes from one body to another
(Parakaya-Pravesa). Lila, through the grace of Sarasvati, came out of the physical
body and travelled to higher worlds with this Antarvaha Sarira. You will find
this in the Yogavasishtha. Sri Sankaracharya, Raja Vikramaditya, Hastamalaka
and Tirumular had Antarvaha Sarira. With the help of this special kind of pure
body, they passed into the bodies of other persons. A Yogi with Antarvaha Sarira
has Sat-Sankalpa or Suddha Sankalpa.
Mind Is
Subtle Matter
Mind is not a gross thing,
visible and tangible. Its existence is nowhere seen. Its magnitude cannot be
measured. It does not require a space in which to exist.
Mind and matter are two
aspects as subject and object of one and the same all-full Brahman, who is neither
and yet includes both. Mind precedes matter. This is Vedantic theory. Matter
precedes mind. This is scientific theory.
Mind can be said to be
immaterial only in the sense that it has not the characteristics of ponderable
matter. It is not, however, immaterial in the sense that Brahman (Pure Spirit)
as such is. Mind is the subtle form of matter and hence the prompter of the
body. Mind is made up of subtle, Sattvic, Apanchikrita (non-quintuplicated)
Tanmatric matter. Mind is all electricity. According to the Chhandogya Upanishad,
mind is formed out of the subtlest portion of food.
Mind is material. Mind
is subtle matter. This discrimination is made on the principle that the soul
is the only source of intelligence; it is self-evident; it shines by its own
light. But the organs (mind and senses) derive their principle of activity and
life from the soul. By themselves, they are lifeless. Hence the soul is always
a subject and never an object. Manas can be an object of the soul. And it is
a cardinal principle of Vedanta that that which is an object for a subject is
non-intelligent (Jada). Even the principle of self-consciousness (Aham Pratyak-Vishayatva)
or Ahankara is non-intelligent; it does not exist by its own light. It is the
object of apperception to the soul.
The Mental
Body
Just as the physical body
is composed of solid, liquid and gaseous matter, so also the mind is made up
of subtle matter of various grades of density with different rates of vibration.
A Raja Yogi penetrates through different layers of mind by intense Sadhana.
The mental body varies
much in different people. It is composed of coarse or finer matter, according
to the needs of the more or less unfolded consciousness connected with it. In
the educated, it is active and well-defined; in the undeveloped, it is cloudy
and ill-defined.
There are several zones
or slices in the mental body just as there are various compartments in the brain
for particular types of thought. During intense anger, the whole mind is suffused
with the black hue of malice and ill-will, which expresses itself in coils of
thunderous blackness, from which fiery arrows of anger dart forth, seeking to
injure the one for which the anger is felt.
Types Of
Mind
Every man has a mental
world of his own. Every man entirely differs from another man in mode of thinking,
temperament, taste, mentality, physical characteristics, etc. Physically also
a man differs from another man, although there might be slight resemblance.
Observe carefully the nose, the ears, the lips, the eyes, the eyebrows, the
arrangement of teeth, the shoulders, hands, fingers, toes, look, voice, gait,
way of talking, etc., of different men. You will find vast differences between
any two persons. Even the lines of the palm will differ. No two leaves are alike.
Variety is the beauty of creation.
There are various types
of mind. The Bengali type of mind is emotional and fit for devotion and art.
The Madrasi type of mind is intellectual and clever in Mathematics. The Punjabi
type of mind and Maharashtra type of mind are chivalrous. Bengal has produced
emotional saints, Lord Gouranga or Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa
Deva, etc. Madras has produced intellectual philosophers like Sri Sankara and
Sri Ramanuja. Punjab has produced Guru Nanak, Guru Govind Singh, etc. The Sadhana
and path of Yoga vary according to the type of mind, temperament and capacity.
Tastes also differ. The sight of a fish brings excessive joy to a Bengali. The
sight of tamarind and chillies excites the glosso-pharyngeal nerve of a Madrasi.
The sight of a Palmyra fruit excites the Jaffna Tamil of Ceylon and brings excessive
joy. The sight of meat brings a peculiar joy to a meat-eater. Is this not a
mystery that an object lies outside and saliva appears in the tongue at the
sight of it? Because you have this experience daily in everyday life, you do
not attach much importance to it. Mind is very mysterious. So is Maya, too.
Even an infinitely superior
mind is yet a mind and of the same mould as any man's.
Size Of
The Mental Body
Mind is atomic (Anu) according
to the Nyaya School; is all-pervading (Vibhu) according to the Raja Yoga School
of Maharshi Patanjali; is of middling size (same size as that of the body) according
to the Vedantic School.
Mental
Aura
Mind has got aura (mental
aura or psychic aura). Aura is Tejas, brilliance or halo that emanates from
the mind. The aura of those who have developed their minds is extremely effulgent.
It can travel long distances and affect in a beneficial manner a large number
of persons who come under its influence. The spiritual aura is more powerful
than either the psychic or Pranic aura.
Influence
Of Strong Mind Over Weak Minds
A strong mind has influence
over weak minds. A hypnotist with a strong mind hypnotises a whole bunch or
circle of boys of weak minds.
There are those among us
who are much more sensitively organised than others. As an organism, their bodies
are more finely and more sensitively constructed. These, generally speaking,
are people who are always more or less affected by the mentalities of others
with whom they come in contact, in whose company they are.
He who has purified his
mind becomes a centre of force. All the lesser, impure, weak minds are unconsciously
drawn towards the purified, greater mind, because they derive peace, power and
strength from the greater, purified mind.
Mark the influence of a
highly developed mind over a less developed mind. It is impossible to describe
what it is like to be in the presence of a Master or developed adept. To sit
in his presence, though he hardly speaks a word, is to feel a thrilling sensation
so much as to feel new inspirations touching one mentally. It will be an extraordinary
experience.
If you want to drink water
at a tap, you will have to bend your body. Even so, a lower mind will have to
bend (to be humble) before a developed mind if it longs to imbibe its virtues.
The thought itself must be calm and unruffled. Then only you can draw inspirations.
In such conditions only benign influences can be thrown down into the lower
mind from the higher. In such calm, mental states, you can hold communion with
God. Planning, angry and depressed moods-all disturb the mind and act as stumbling
blocks to God-realisation.
Mind Is
Ever Changing
Mind is nothing but a collection
of Samskaras. It is nothing but a bundle of habits. It is nothing but a collection
of desires arising from contact with different objects. It is also a collection
of feelings aroused by worldly botherations. It is a collection of ideas gathered
from different objects. Now, these desires, ideas and feelings constantly change.
Some of the old desires and feelings are constantly departing from their storehouse,
the mind, and new ones are replacing them.
This constant change does
not in any way interfere with the harmony of mental operations. Only some of
the old desires, ideas and feelings depart. Those that remain work in healthy
co-operation and concord with the new arrivals. The new arrivals are strongly
magnetised by the old ones. They both work in harmony and this harmony sustains
the identity of the mental existence.
Mind is not only made daily,
but always made. Every minute, it changes its colours and shape like a chameleon.
It is very Chanchala (wavering) and Asthira (unsteady)-(Gita, VI, 26). Mind
is constantly changing. You are gaining new experiences daily. Your beliefs
and conscience of 1932 and the faculty which judges right from wrong will change
in 1942. The mind evolves through experience. The world is the best teacher
or Guru.
According to the state
of his knowledge, man's conscience is built up and changes from time to time
with the correction of his views, in the light of further knowledge gained subsequently.
Conscience is one's own convictions arrived at either instinctively or by reasoning.
The conscience of a child or a savage is entirely different from the conscience
of a fully grown civilised man and, even amongst civilised men, knowledge varies
so much that their consciences direct different lines of conduct. The conscience
of a Sattvic man considerably differs from that of a Rajasic man. The conscience
of a Sattvic man is very, very clean and pure.
Fourfold
Mind Or Antahkarana Chatushtaya
Antahkarana is a term used
by the Vedantins to include mind, Buddhi, Chitta and Ahankara. When used in
a broad sense, it means the internal instrument. 'Antah' means internal; 'Karana'
means instrument. It is the inner instrument (as distinguished from the term
Bahya Karana, outer instrument or the senses or Indriyas) through which you
sense, perceive, think and reason out.
Ahankara is derived from
Prithvi-Tanmatra. (Tanmatras are Sukshma Bhutas or subtle elements. The five
gross elements are derived from the Tanmatras.) Chitta is derived from Jala-Tanmatra;
Buddhi from Agni-Tanmatra; mind from Vayu-Tanmatra; heart from Akasa-Tanmatra.
Mind is Chetana (intelligent)
when compared with the senses. It is Jada (non-intelligent) when compared with
Buddhi. Sankhya Buddhi or Buddhi in Sankhya Philosophy is will and intellect
combined. Some put Chitta under mind, Ahankara under Buddhi.
Manas, Buddhi, Chitta and
Ahankara are only Vritti-bhedas or functional aspects of the mind. The Manas
has all things for its objects and extends through the past, present and future;
it is one only, but has various functions. You are a Judge when you exercise
your judicial powers in the court. You are a cook when you work in the kitchen.
You are a president of an association when you sit in the chair in that capacity.
You are the same man, but you function differently and you are called by different
names according to those different functions. Similarly, when the mind does
Sankalpa-Vikalpa (will-thought and doubt), it is called Mind; when it discriminates
and decides, it is Buddhi; when it self-arrogates, it is Ahankara; when it is
the storehouse of Samskaras and seat of memory, it is Chitta; also when it does
Dharana and Anusandhana.
Who gave coolness to water,
warmth to fire, motion to air? These qualities are their very nature. Even so,
mind has got its Svabhava of running towards objects, Buddhi of determining,
Ahankara of self-assertion and self-identification, Chitta of thinking (Smriti)
of those objects which are identified by Ahankara.
When the mind is at work,
Buddhi and Ahankara work simultaneously along with the mind. Mind, Buddhi and
Ahankara work in healthy co-operation. Mind makes Sankalpa-Vikalpa. It thinks
whether a certain thing is good or bad. Buddhi comes for determination. It is
Buddhi which discriminates the Vishaya (Nischyatmika, Vyavasayatmika).
The Svarupa of mind is
thought only. Mind is Sankalpa-Vikalpatmaka. It is Vyakaranatmaka when it forwards
the decisions of Buddhi, the messages from Buddhi, to the organs of action for
execution. Mind selects, attends and rejects.
Functions
Of Mind
Sensation, thought and
volition are the threefold functions of the mind. Cognition, desire, volition
are the three mental processes.
Mind has three states,
viz., active, passive and neutral. Mind always wants variety and new sensations.
It is disgusted with monotony.
Law of Association, Law
of Continuity and Law of Relativity are the three principal laws of the mind.
These are the characteristics
of the mind, viz., change (Parinama), activity (Cheshta), suppression (Nirodha),
ideation in action (Sakti), physical life (Jivana), characterisation (Dharma).
Thinking, planning, feeling,
knowing are the various activities that are going on in the mind. Sometimes
you plan. Sometimes you feel. Sometimes you try to know. Sometimes you think
seriously. Sometimes you will (volition). Volition brings all the mental faculties
into play. You must be able to know by introspection what exactly is going on
at different times in the mind.
Aspects
Of Mind
Conscious mind or objective
mind, subconscious mind or subjective mind (Chitta) and superconscious mind
are three aspects of the mind. You see, hear and read with the objective mind.
Sensational mind, rational
mind and intuitive mind are three aspects of mind according to another classification
of Western philosophers.
Heart is the seat of four
Tattvas-Prana, Mind, Ahankara and Atman. According to Vedanta, the seat of mind
is the heart. Ajna Chakra, which consists of two lotuses and which is tentatively
situated in the space between the two eyebrows, is the seat of mind according
to the Hatha Yoga School.
Seat Of
Mind
Mind has various faculties
and centres and operates through corresponding physical centres in the brain.
Mind, Buddhi and understanding are in the Linga Sarira; but they operate through
corresponding centres in the physical brain. The brain is not mind as the Westerners
think. Mind has its seat in the physical brain. It gains experiences of this
physical universe through the vibrations of the brain.
A king, though he has complete
sway over his whole territory, though the whole kingdom belongs to him, has
got special places for his residence. He has got a splendid palace in the capital
and another beautiful, palatial building in Mussoorie or Mount Abu for his stay
in summer. Even so, the mind, though it is all-pervading throughout the body,
has got three places to reside in during the three states-Jagrat, Svapna and
Sushupti. The seat of mind in deep sleep is heart. In dream, the seat of the
mind is neck. In waking state, the seat of the mind is the right eye or Ajna
Chakra. Just mark what you do in Alochana (deep thinking). You hold your finger
in the chin, turn the neck to the right side, turn the gaze towards the space
between the two eyebrows and then begin to think seriously on the problem in
hand. This goes to show that the seat of the mind is the Ajna Chakra.
Mind Is
Not Atman
In the West, the psychologists
make a serious mistake in saying that consciousness is a function and attribute
of the mind. It is Chit or Atman only that is Pure Consciousness Itself. Mind
borrows its light from time to time from its source-Atman, the Light of lights
or the Sun of suns and glitters temporarily like consciousness, like the golden
gilt in brass. Mind borrows its light and power from Brahman, the source (Yoni),
just as the iron-rod borrows its heat and effulgence from fire. Mind is Jada
or non-intelligent, but appears to be intelligent by borrowing light from Brahman,
just as water exposed to the sun borrows heat from the sun.
Mind can do only one thing
at a time. It is finite (Parichhinna). It is Jada. It is the effect (Karya)
of Sattva Guna. It is Vinasi (perishable). It is Chanchala (ever-fluctuating).
It is a bundle of ideas, Samskaras, habits, impulses and emotions. It borrows
light from the Adhishthana (the underlying substratum), Brahman. You can control
the mind. The thinker is different from thought. There is no functioning of
the mind in deep sleep. You always say, "My mind", as if mind is one
of your instruments just like your walking-stick or umbrella. Therefore, mind
is not the self-shining Atman.
Even in cases of delirium
or in cases where there is paralysis of the mental functions, where a man loses
his memory and other faculties partly or wholly, 'He' remains. The 'I' exists
(Aham Asmi). The mind seems to be as much your property and outside of
you as the limbs, the dress worn or the building you dwell in. Therefore, mind
is different from 'I'.
Mind gropes in darkness.
It forgets every moment. It is changing every second. If food is withdrawn for
a couple of days, it cannot think properly. There is no functioning of the mind
during deep sleep. It is full of impurities, Vasanas and Trishnas (cravings).
It gets puzzled during anger. In fear, it trembles. In shock, it sinks. How
can you take the mind, then, as the pure Self?
Manas is an organ of sensation
and thought. This instrument must be under the control of someone who uses it.
The Jiva or human soul is not the director of the mind, because we see that
ordinary men cannot control their minds. They are simply swayed hither and thither
by petty Raga-Dvesha, emotion and fear. Therefore, there must exist some other
Being, who is Director of the mind. Who is that Being? He is the Manasah pati
(Lord of mind), Antaryamin, Kutastha Brahman.
Just as you see the tree
in front of you, there must be somebody to see and know what is going on in
the mind of Jivas. That somebody is Kutastha. Kutastha is Brahman Himself. There
is a tumbler in front of you. It cannot see itself. An instrument, eye and a
seer are needed. If you say that the tumbler can see itself, then there will
be Karmakartritva-bhava-virodha. It is a logical absurdity. Therefore, you have
to admit that there is a silent Sakshi of the mind, who is eternal, unchanging,
eternal knower, always the knowing subject. He is witnessing the motives and
modifications that arise in the minds of Jivas.
Isvara or Saguna Brahman
(Personal God) has full consciousness of Nirguna Brahman. That is His Svarupa-
Lakshana. At the same time, he has full cosmic consciousness. He knows what
is going on in every mind.
Consciousness per se
or the Absolute Consciousness is common in all. This pure consciousness is one.
It is Kutastha Chaitanya. All the workings of the mind, all modifications that
arise in the minds of all are presented to the one common consciousness which
is the witness of the mental Vrittis. Even though consciousness is one, when
Rama is stung by a scorpion, only Rama feels and not his friend Krishna who
is standing near him. Antahkarana or mind is different in every individual.
It is Antahkarana that limits a man who is, in reality, identical with the Brahman
or Supreme Soul! This identity is realised when the Avarana or veil of ignorance
is removed.
The mind is an object of
perception for Brahman. Atman directly cognises all the phenomena of the mind,
viz., desire, imagination, doubt, belief, disbelief, shame, intelligence, fear,
etc. He remains Himself quite unattached and unaffected like the omnipresent
ether, like the crystal which reflects different coloured objects, like the
sun.
Atman-the
Source For The Mind
Manas, which expands through
Sankalpas and Vikalpas, is generated with Brahman as its cause. The form which
the endless Atman (Supreme Spirit) assumes through Sankalpa is Manas (mind).
It first turned its back to discrimination and hence entangled itself in the
folds of Vasanas of objects. The underlying substratum, Adhishthana of the mind,
the source or basis for mind is Atman or Brahman or Absolute Conscious- ness.
The Power of powers who gives power to the mind, the Light of lights who sheds
light on the mind, the Seer of seers who witnesses the motives of and movements
in the mind, the Support of supports on which the mind rests in sleep is BRAHMAN.
"Om Keneshitam
Patati Preshitam Manah-Willed and directed by whom does the mind go towards
its desired objects?" (Kenopanishad). To that Power of powers I bow with
folded hands. That Power of powers I am (Soham, Sivoham).
That Secondless Supreme
Being who resides in the chambers of your hearts as Antaryamin or Inner Ruler
or Controller or Sutradhara or Sakshi (silent Witness), Antaratman (Inner Self),
who has no beginning, middle or end, who is the source of this world, the Vedas,
body, mind, Indriyas and Prana, who is all-pervading, who is unchanging, who
is One Homogeneous Essence (Ekarasa), who exists in the past, present and future,
who is self-existent (Svayambhu), who is independent (Svatantra) and who is
self-luminous (Svayam- jyotis) is God or Atman or Brahman or Purusha or Chaitanya
or Bhagavan or Purushottama.
During dream, you are splendid,
effulgent light. Where does it come from? From Atman. The light that is present
in the dream clearly indicates that Atman is self-luminous (Svayamjyotis, Svaprakasha).
God is Truth. God is Love.
God is Light of lights. God is Peace. God is Knowledge. God is the embodiment
of Bliss. God is Sat-Chit-Ananda-Existence Absolute, Knowledge Absolute and
Bliss Absolute. God is Eternity. God is Immortality. God is Infinity. God is
Avinasi, Supreme Vastu. God is All-pervading Essence or Substance. God is the
only Sara Vastu. God is Infinite Beauty.
Bhagavan is a synonymous
term for God. He who has the six attributes, viz., Jnana (wisdom), Vairagya
(dispassion), Yasas (fame), Aisvarya (divine powers), Sri (wealth) and Dharma
(righteousness) in their fullest measure is Bhagavan.
According to Vayu Purana,
"Omniscience, satisfaction, eternal knowledge, independence, constant presence
of power, infinity of power-these six are said to be the aspects (Angas) of
the Great Lord."
Sarvajnatva (omniscience,
knowledge of all the worlds, their Jivas and their Karmas), Sarvesvaratva (supreme
rulership of all, the power of dispensing the fruits of all Jivas), Sarvantaryamitva
(inner control of all names and forms and all Indriyas and minds), Sarvakaranatva
(causality for the creation, preservation and destruction of all), Sarvaniyantritva
(doing everything without failure of Niyama), Sarvakartritva (the doing of all
actions), Sarvasaktimatva (omnipotence), Svatantratva (absolute independence)
are the eight attributes of God.
"Knowledge, desireless,
power of control, purificatory action, truth, forgiveness, endurance, creation,
the Knowledge of the Self, and being the substratum of all activities-these
ten unchangeable (Avyaya) qualities always live in the Great Source of all Good."
Srishti (creation), Sthiti
(preservation), Samhara (destruction), Tirodhana (veiling) and Anugraha (blessing)
are the five kinds of action (Panchakrityas) of God.
God is the Niyamaka (ruler),
Antaryamin (knower of the heart) and Preraka (prompter) also. He helps the Sadhakas
in a variety of ways, viz., through dreams, the Inner Voice, by talking through
the mouths of others in daily conversations and advice from friends.
Nitya Sukha (eternal bliss),
Parama Santi (supreme peace), Nitya Tripti (eternal satisfaction), infinite
happiness, Akhanda Sukha (unbroken joy) can be had only in God. Attain this
God-consciousness or Self-realisation or Darshana of God through Ananya Bhakti
or Vichara. This is the goal of life. This is your highest duty. All other duties
are secondary.
The essence of Indriyas
is the mind; the essence of mind is Buddhi; the essence of Buddhi is Ahankara;
the essence of Ahankara is Jiva (the individual soul). Brahman or Suddha Chaitanya
is the womb or Yoni or Adhishthana or substratum for everything. He is the Sakshi
or witness of everything.
Atman is the proprietor
of a big firm, this mental factory. Buddhi is the manager. Mind is the head
clerk. The head clerk has got two functions to perform. He gets direct orders
from the manager and he has to supervise the workmen also. Even so, the mind
has got two functions. It has connections with the Buddhi, the manager and Karma-Indriyas,
the workers.
Mind is more internal than
speech. Buddhi (intellect) is more internal than the mind. Ahankara is more
internal than Buddhi. Jiva Chaitanya (Abhasa, reflected intelligence) is more
internal than Ahankara. Atman or Kutastha is more internal than the Jiva Chaitanya.
There is nothing internal to Atman. It is Paripurna (All-Full).
When, by analysing your
own mind, you come face to face with something which is never destroyed, something
which is by its own nature eternally pure, perfect, self-luminous and unchanging,
you will no longer be miserable, no more unhappy.
One Essence only exists.
It is One without a second (Ekameva Advitiyam Brahma). It is Ananta,
spotless, ever pure and Paripurna. Meditate upon It without fluctuation of mind
and free yourself from all pains with true calmness of mind. Being quite unreal,
Ahankara will perish through efforts.
Proof For
The Existence Of Mind
What is the nature of the
Atman or Brahman? It is Sat-Chit-Ananda. Atman is Vyapaka. Then, what is it
that limits the individual soul's vision? It is only mind. This fact proves
the existence of an internal instrument, the mind.
In the commentary on the
Brihadaranyaka, Sri Sankara gives two proofs of the existence of Manas.
One is that it is Manas
which renders all knowledge through senses possible. It is called Sarva Karma
Vishaya Yoga. Sense-knowledge is the product of the connection between the mind
and the sensory organs. That is why there is no simultaneity of the knowledge
of the impressions received through the various sensory organs. People say,
"My mind was elsewhere. I did not see that." The impossibility of
this simultaneity of knowledge through various sensory organs is an indication
of the existence of the mind.
The soul is a constant
factor. Between the Atman and the organs of senses, a connecting link is necessary.
We have to acknowledge the existence of an internal organ (Mind), through whose
attention and non-attention, perception takes place. If we do not admit the
internal organ, there would result either perpetual perception or perpetual
non-perception-the former when there is a conjunction of Atman, the sense (Indriya)
and the object (Vishaya), the three constituting the instruments of perception.
If, on the conjunction of these three causes, the effect did not follow, there
would take place perpetual non-perception. But, neither is the case. We have,
therefore, to acknowledge the existence of an internal organ on whose attention
(Avadhana) and non-attention (Anavadhana) perception and non-perception take
place. This is the argument for the existence of Antahkarana or mind.
The other proof is the
capacity for judgment which we possess. Somebody whom we cannot see touches
us; and, we infer the person. Now, mere touch cannot make us aware of this fact.
The faculty by which we make such an inference is Manas.
Special
Knowledge That Differentiates
Man From Animal
An animal is not able to
"know itself." It has only physical consciousness. It has no self-consciousness.
An animal feels the discomfort and pain. It is not able to analyse its own mental
states. A man not only "knows", but he "knows that he knows."
This is either mental consciousness or self-consciousness. The man not only
"feels" or "senses" things, but he has words to express
his feelings and sensations. He can vividly describe his feelings. He may think
of himself as experiencing them. He can separate himself from the sensation
of feeling. He is able to think, "I feel; I hear; I see; I smell; I taste;
I desire; I act; I enjoy,"
"I know this book."
"I know also that I know this book." This is self-consciousness peculiar
to human beings only.
In the Police Station,
the Chaprasi (peon) strikes ten at the gate. The sound vibrates and passes into
the ears of men and animals. The animals also hear ten times the beating. But
the man counts them and knows through his Buddhi, "Now it is ten o'clock."
He has got this Visesha Jnana (special knowledge); whereas animals have got
Samanya Jnana (ordinary knowledge). It is this special knowledge that differentiates
a man from an animal. Ahara (food), Nidra (sleep), Bhaya (fear) and Maithuna
(copulation) are common to both. Through this Visesha Jnana he knows right from
wrong, good from bad, what to do (Kartavya) and what not to do (Akartavya).
The Four
Sources Of Knowledge
Inspiration, revelation,
insight, intuition, ecstasy, divine sight and Paramananda state are the seven
planes of knowledge. There are four sources of knowledge, viz., instinct, reason,
intuition and super-intuition or Brahma-Jnana.
Instinct
When an ant crawls in your
right arm, the left arm automatically moves towards the right arm to drive away
the ant. The mind does not reason there. When you see a scorpion in front of
your leg, you withdraw your leg automatically. This is termed instinctive or
automatic movement. As you cross a street, how instinctively you move your body
to save yourself from the cars! There is no Vritti in such mechanical movement.
Instinct is found in animals
and birds. In birds, the ego does not interfere with the free divine flow and
divine play. Hence the work done by them through their instincts is more perfect
than that done by human beings. Have you not noticed the excellent work done
by birds in their building of wonderful nests?
Reason
Reason is higher than instinct
and is found only in human beings. It collects facts, generalises, reasons out
from cause to effect, from effect to cause (a priori and a posteriori
methods of reasoning), from premises to conclusions, from propositions to proofs.
It concludes, decides and comes to judgment. It takes you safely to the door
of intuition and leaves you there.
Belief, reasoning, knowledge
and faith are the four important psychic processes. First you have belief in
a doctor. You go to him for diagnosis and treatment. He makes a thorough examination
and then prescribes certain medicines. You take them. You reason out: "Such
and such is the disease. The doctor has given me Iron and Iodide. Iron will
improve my blood. The Iodide will stimulate the lymphatics and absorb the exudation
and growth in the liver. So I should take it." Then the disease is cured,
by a course of these drugs, in a month. Then you get knowledge of and perfect
faith in the efficacy of the medicine and the proficiency of the doctor. Then
you recommend to your friends this doctor and his drugs.
Intuition
Intuition is spiritual
Anubhava. Knowledge through functioning of Karana-Sarira is intuition. Sri Aurobindo
calls it super-mind or supramental consciousness. There is direct perception
of truth (Pratyaksha) or immediate knowledge through Samadhi. You know things
by a flash. Professor Bergson preached about intuition in France to make the
people understand that there is another higher source of knowledge than intellect.
In intuition, there is no reasoning process at all. It is Pratyaksha. Intuition
transcends reason, but does not contradict it. Intellect takes a man to the
door of intuition and returns back. Intuition is Divyadrishti. It is Jnana-Chakshus.
Spiritual flashes and glimpses of truth come through intuition. Inspiration,
revelation, spiritual insight come through intuition.
Atma-Jnana
Atma-Jnana is above intuition.
It transcends the Karana-Sarira. It is the highest form of Knowledge. It is
the only Reality.
Chapter
2
Mind And
Body
Body, The
Mould For Mind's Enjoyment
The body with its organs
is no other than the mind. The physical body is the outward manifestation of
the mind. Mind is the subtle form of this physical body. The mind contemplating
upon the body becomes the body itself and then, enmeshed in it, is afflicted
by it. All the bodies have their seat in the mind only. Should the mind be paralysed,
then the body will not evince our intelligence. Without water, can a garden
exist? It is the mind which transacts all business and is the highest of the
bodies. Mental actions are the real actions. The mind performs all actions very
speedily in the Linga Sarira and fluctuates thereby. But, the gross body knows
not anything and is inert. Even should this gross body be dissolved, the mind
will assume fresh bodies to its liking very quickly. This physical body is the
mould, as it were, made by the mind for its own enjoyment, for its outpouring
of its energy and thereby gaining different experiences of this world through
the five avenues or channels of knowledge, the five Jnana-Indriyas (organs of
knowledge or perception).
Thoughts
Make The Body
The actions of the mind
alone are indeed actions; not so much those of the body. The body is really
our thoughts, moods, convictions and emotions objectivised, made visible to
the naked eyes. It is a point worthy to note with care that every cell in the
body suffers or grows, receives a life-impulse or a death-impulse, from every
thought that enters the mind, for you tend to grow into the image of that which
you think about most.
When the mind is turned
to a particular thought and dwells on it, a definite vibration of matter is
set up and often more of this vibration is caused, the more does it tend to
repeat itself to become a habit, to become automatic. The body follows the mind
and imitates its changes. If you concentrate your thought, the eyes become fixed.
Every change in thought
makes a vibration in your mental body and this, when transmitted to the physical
body, causes activity in the nervous matter of your brain. This activity in
the nervous cells causes many electrical and chemical changes in them. It is
thought-activity which causes these changes.
Face: An
Index Of Mind
Mind is the subtle form
of this physical body. The physical body is the outward manifestation of the
mind. So when the mind is rough, the body is rough too. As a man of rough appearance
generally cannot invoke love and mercy of others, so a rough-minded man cannot
invoke love and mercy of anybody. Mind very conspicuously reflects on the face
its various states which a man of intelligence can very easily read. Face is
an index of the mind, just as the tongue is an index of the stomach.
The body follows the mind.
If the mind thinks of falling from a height, the body prepares itself immediately
and shows external signs. Fear, anxiety, grief, cheerfulness, hilarity, anger-all
produce their various impressions on the face.
The eyes which represent
the windows of the soul bespeak of the condition and state of the mind. There
is a telegraphic instrument in the eyes to transmit the messages or thoughts
of treachery, cunningness, fraud, pure love, compassion, devotion, depression,
gloom, hatred, cheerfulness, peace, harmony, health, power, strength and beauty.
If you have the faculty
to read the eyes of others, you can read the mind at once. You can read the
uppermost thought or dominant thought of a man if you are careful to mark the
signs in his face, conversation and behaviour. It needs a little pluck, acumen,
training, intelligence and experience.
Your thoughts, sentiments,
modes and emotions produce their strong impressions on the face. The face is
like an advertisement board wherein is advertised what is going on inside the
mind. In face, you can hardly hide your thoughts. You may foolishly think that
you have kept up your thoughts in secret. Thoughts of lust, greed, jealousy,
anger, revenge, hatred, etc., at once produce their deep impressions on your
face. The face is a faithful recorder and a sensitive registering apparatus
to register and record all the thoughts that are running in your mind. The face
is a polished mirror to indicate the nature of the mind and its contents at
a particular time.
He who thinks that he can
hide his thoughts is a dunce of the first water. His position is like that of
the ostrich which, when chased by the hunters, hides its head underneath the
sand and imagines that it cannot be seen by anyone.
Your face is like a gramophone
record or plate. Whatever you think is at once written on your face. Every vicious
thought serves as a chisel or needle to write down the thoughts on your countenance.
Your faces are covered with the scars and wounds which are made by the vicious
thoughts of hatred, anger, lust, jealousy, revenge, etc. From the nature of
the scar in your face, I can at once read your state of mind. I can at once
diagnose your disease of the mind.
Mutual
Influence Between Mind And Body
The mind is intimately
connected with the body. The mind acts upon the body and the body reacts upon
the mind. Mind has influence over the body. A pure, healthy mind means a healthy
body. Grief in the mind weakens the body. Body influences the mind also in its
turn. If the body is strong and healthy, the mind also becomes healthy and strong.
If the body is sick, the mind also becomes sick. A pain in the stomach causes
depression in the mind.
Bad Thoughts,
The Primary Cause Of Disease
The primary cause of diseases
which afflict the body is bad thoughts. Whatever you hold in your mind will
be produced in the physical body. Any ill-feeling or bitterness towards another
person will at once affect the body and produce some kind of disease in the
body. Intense passion, hatred, longstanding bitter jealousy, corroding anxiety,
fits of hot temper actually destroy the cells of the body and induce disease
of the heart, liver, kidneys, spleen and stomach. Violent fits of hot temper
do serious damage to the brain cells, throw poisonous chemical products into
the blood, produce general shock and depression and suppress the secretion of
gastric juice, bile and other digestive juices in the alimentary canal, drain
away your energy, vitality, induce premature old age and shorten life.
When the mind is agitated,
then this body also is agitated. Wherever the body goes, the mind follows. When
both the body and mind are agitated, the Prana flows in a wrong direction. Instead
of pervading the whole body steadily and equally, it will vibrate at an unequal
rate (unrhythmically). Then the food is not digested properly. Diseases originate.
If the primary cause is removed, then all diseases will disappear.
The pains that afflict
the physical body are called secondary diseases, whilst the Vasanas that affect
the mind are termed mental or primary diseases. If bad thoughts are destroyed,
all bodily diseases will vanish. Purity of mind means healthy body. Therefore,
be careful in your thinking, in the selection of your thoughts. Always entertain
noble, sublime, loving and kind thoughts. You will have harmony, health and
beauty.
A Lamentable
Practice
It is lamentable, indeed,
to note that most of the doctors in the world, particularly the allopaths, do
more harm than good to their patients. They exaggerate the nature of the disease
to their patients. They fill their minds with imaginary fears of all sorts.
They do not know the power of suggestions and their influences on the minds
of their patients. As greed is ingrained in their minds, as the desire to become
rich is deep-rooted in their minds, they try their level best to extract from
their patients as much money as they can. If they say to their patients, "This
disease is nothing. I will make you all right within a couple of hours,"
who is going to pay them amply? They give wrong suggestions to their patients:
"This is a terrible disease. This is an incurable disease. A dangerous
poison, a dangerous microbe is lurking in your lungs." The poor patient
spends sleepless nights on account of imaginary fear, on account of wrong suggestion
given by the doctor. Every moment he thinks: "I may die at any moment.
The doctor has said that my disease is dangerous and incurable." He drags
a cheerless existence. The worry and anxiety and fear destroy millions of red
blood-corpuscles daily. The doctor gives the wrong suggestions to glorify his
skill, dexterity in the profession also.
The Root
Of All Evils
The erroneous imagination
that you are the body is the root of all evils. Through wrong thinking, you
identify yourself with the body. Dehadhyasa arises. You are attached to the
body. This is Abhimana. Then, Mamata (mineness) arises. You identify yourself
with your wife, children, house, etc. It is identification or attachment that
brings about bondage, misery and pain. You never wept when millions of Germans
died in the war. Why? Because, there was no identification and attachment. But,
you weep profusely when your son dies, on account of attachment. The word 'My'
produces wonderful influence in the mind. Note the difference in effects produced
in the mind when you hear the two sentences: 'Horse is dead' and 'My horse is
dead.'
Pain Is
In Mind Only
Pain is evident so long
as you connect yourself with the mind. There is no pain in sleep. If there is
an inflammatory swelling on your back with throbbing pain, you do not experience
any pain at night when you are asleep. Only when the mind is connected with
the diseased part through nerves and thinking, you begin to experience pain.
There is no pain when the mind is disconnected from the body by the administration
of chloroform. During moments of great joy, the severe pain entirely ceases,
as the mind is taken away from the body, from the seat of the pain. If you can
consciously withdraw the mind from the diseased part by concentrating it on
God or any other attractive object, you will not experience any pain even when
you are wide awake. If you have a powerful will and strong Titiksha (power of
endurance), then also you will not experience any pain. By constant thinking
of any trouble or disease, you only augment your pain and suffering. Pain is
in mind. Atman or spirit is Anandasvarupa (full of bliss).
Conquer
The Mind To Control The Body
With the majority of mankind,
the mind is greatly under the control of the body. Their minds being very little
developed, they live on Annamaya Kosha mostly. Develop the Vijnanamaya Kosha
and, through Vijnanamaya Kosha (Buddhi), control the Manomaya Kosha (mind).
The Vijnanamaya kosha is developed by abstract thinking and reasoning, by systematic
meditation, Brahma-Chintana, study of the Upanishads, Yogavasishtha and Brahma
Sutras.
When you have controlled
the mind, you have perfect control over the body. The body is only a shadow
of the mind. It is the mould prepared by the mind for its expression. The body
becomes your slave when you have conquered the mind.
Chapter
3
Mind, Prana
And Kundalini
Prana-the
Outer Coat Of Mind
There are two principal
Tattvas in the universe, viz., mind and Prana. Wherever there is Prana, there
is mind also. Even in the external movement of breath beyond the nose, the mind
is mixed with the external breath. Prana (energy) is the outer overcoat for
the mind. Prana digests the food, turns it into chyle and blood and sends it
to the brain and mind. The mind is then able to think and do Brahma-Vichara
(enquiry into Brahman). The life of the mind is kept up through the vibration
of the subtle psychic Prana which gives rise to the formation of thought.
Prana is gross. Mind is
subtle. Mind is formed out of the conglomerate Sattvic essence of the five Tanmatras;
whereas, Prana is formed out of the sum total of Rajasic essence of the five
Tanmatras. That is the reason why mind is more Sukshma than the Prana.
The Pranamaya Kosha (vital
sheath) is more subtle than the physical body. It overlaps the Annamaya Kosha
(physical sheath) and is more extensive than it. Manomaya Kosha is more subtle
than the Pranamaya Kosha and more extensive than the vital sheath. You have
to touch the body of another man to have a physical influence over him. Whereas
you can stand at a distance and by mere 'passes' you can impart your Prana to
him; because, Prana (vital) is more subtle than the body. You can influence
a man mentally through thought even though he lives a thousand miles away from
you, because mental force is more subtle than Prana.
Inter-Dependence
Of Mind And Prana
Prana and mind stand to
one another in the relationship of the supporter and the supported. Both these
are only like the flower and its odour or a sesamum seed and the oil in it.
If either of them is slain, then the other also will cease to exist. If the
mind and Prana cease to exist, then thoughts will not arise at all. The destruction
of both will confer Moksha on all.
Ekagrata (one-pointedness)
and Nirodha (controlled state) are two Avasthas of the mind. Spanda (subtle
or Sukshma) and Nirodha are two Avasthas of the Prana. When the mind becomes
one-pointed, Spanda Avastha of the Prana comes by itself. If the mind is purified
with true Sattva Guna, the Prana will be distributed freely throughout the body.
The food will be digested thoroughly.
Mind, Prana
And Virya
Mind, Prana and Virya (semen)
are under one Sambandha (connection). If you can control any one of these three,
the other two are controlled by themselves, quite easily. Hatha Yogins try to
control the Prana. Raja Yogins try to control the mind. Jnana Yogins start their
Sadhana with Buddhi and will.
Benefits
Of Pranayama
By Pranayama (control of
Prana or restraint of breath), you can also increase the mental energy and develop
thought-control and thought-culture. This will help concentration and meditation.
This will make the mind steady. This will remove Rajas (passion) and Tamas (inertia).
This will burn the dross in the mind.
By Pranayama, the mind
gradually moves from the gross to the subtle. It, therefore, exercises a wholesome
check upon sexual irritation. When some evil thought disturbs your mind, at
once take to Padmasana or Siddhasana and do Pranayama. The thought will leave
you immediately.
The Superiority
Of Prana Over Mind
The sight is more internal
than speech as the sight generally informs without contradiction. Similarly,
the hearing than the sight, as the eye may convey false impressions, e.g., the
mother of pearl as silver, but the ear never hears a non-existing sound. Similarly,
the ear only exercises its functions with the aid of the mind's attention and,
similarly, the mind depends on the Prana or life. Prana is, therefore, Brahman,
the Innermost of all.
"Forsooth, mind departed
from the body. It returned after a year's absence and enquired of the organs:
'How did you survive my separation?' 'In the same way', replied the organs,
'in which an infant not possessing the power of reflection breathes through
the agency of his respiratory organs, speaks through the organ of speech, sees
by his eyes, hears by his ears.' Mind resumed its place. Then did mind say unto
Prana, 'The quality of containing all, which belonged to me, is due to thee.'
The function of mind belongs to Prana; from Prana or life proceed all."
(Chhandogya Upanishad, V-xiv-15). This parable illustrates the superiority of
life (Prana) over mind and other organs. In reality, there was no dispute of
any kind.
Mind And
Kundalini
Kundalini, the serpent-like
coiled power that lies dormant with 3 coils with the face downwards in the Muladhara
Chakra, the basal lotus at the end of the spinal column, is connected with Prana
and Prana is connected with the mind.
Even a Vedantin (student
of the path of Jnana) can get Jnana-Nishtha (superconscious state) only through
the awakening of Kundalini Sakti. No superconscious state or Samadhi is possible
without the awakening of this primordial energy, whether it is in Raja Yoga,
Bhakti Yoga or Jnana Yoga.
Kundalini Sakti can only
be aroused when the mind is actually free from passions and desires. Sakti-Chalana
or Asvani Mudra, Tadana, Pracharana-all help in awakening the Kundalini. Mahabheda
helps in taking the Kundalini higher up. When the Kundalini Sakti is awakened,
the mind enters, along with Prana and Jiva, the Sushumna and all perceptions
are in the mental space (Chidakasa). After Kundalini is awakened, Prana passes
upwards through Sushumna or Brahma Nadi within the spinal cord, along with mind
and Agni. The Yogin is freed from physical consciousness. You are shut out from
the external objective world. As soon as Kundalini is awakened for the first
time, a Yogin gets these six kinds of experiences which last for a short time,
viz., Ananda (spiritual bliss), Kampana (tremor of various parts of the body),
Udbhava (rising above the ground from his Asana), Ghurni (intoxication divine-the
body moves in a circle), Nidra (sleep) and Murchha (fainting). After awakening
the Kundalini, you will have to take it up to Sahasrara in the top of the head.
When this Kundalini moves
from Chakra to Chakra (from centre to centre), layer after layer of the mind
opens up. The Yogin experiences different kinds of bliss (Ananda) at each new
centre. He gets different experiences also as well as different powers. He gets
control over the five elements. He perceives the universe in its subtle or causal
form. He gets full knowledge of the types of various kinds of the causal plane.
When Kundalini reaches the Sahasrara Chakra, you are in the Chidakasa (knowledge
space).
Chapter
4
Mind And
Food
"Aharasuddhau Sattvasuddhih
Sattvasuddhau Dhruva Smritih
Smritilabhe Sarvagrantheenam Vipramokshah."
"When the food is
pure, the whole nature becomes pure; when the nature becomes pure, the memory
becomes firm; and when a man is in possession of a firm memory, all the ties
are severed."
(Chhandogya
Upanishad, VII-xxvi-2)
Mind Is
Made Of Food
Mind is manufactured out
of the food that we take. Subtlest part of food reaches upward to the heart
and thence entering the arteries called the 'Hita', and thereby bringing into
existence the aggregate of the organs of speech and being changed into the form
of the mind, it increases the mind. And thus, the mind, being increased by food,
is material and not eternal as held by the Vaiseshikas.
The Upanishadic philosophers
believed that the mind depends upon the food for its formation. "The food
that we take is transformed in three different ways: the gross or the heaviest
part of it becomes the excrement; that of medium density is transformed into
flesh and the finest part goes to form the mind." (Chhandogya Upanishad,
VI-v-1) "Just as in the churning of curd, its fine particles rise up and
are transformed into butter, so when food is consumed, the subtlest part rises
up and is transformed into mind." (Chhandogya Upanishad, VI-vi-1 &
2). Later, even in the days of the Bhagavad-Gita, we find that the three different
mental temperaments-the Sattvic, the Rajasic and the Tamasic-were supposed to
be due to the three different kinds of food what we eat. (Bhagavad-Gita, XVII-8
& 10).
Quality
Of Mind Depends Upon Quality Of Food
Food has a direct and intimate
connection with the mind and plays a vital part in the make-up of the mind.
Sattvic diet calms the mind. Rajasic diet excites the mind. Mark the difference
in nature between a tiger which lives on flesh and a cow which lives on grass.
Food exercises important influence on the mind. You see it clearly every day.
It is very difficult to control the mind after a heavy, sumptuous, indigestible,
rice meal. The mind runs, wanders and jumps like a monkey all the time. Alcohol
causes tremendous excitement in the mind.
Food plays an important
role in meditation. For purposes of meditation, the food must be light, Sattvic
and nutritious. The body is Annamaya (made up of food). Bhairavi Chakra is in
Annamaya Kosha. Bhairavi Chakra is Maya. Light Sattvic food, such as fruits,
milk, etc., takes you to Vishnu Chakra and thence to Nirvikalpa state quite
easily.
When the quality of the
mind depends upon the quality of the food taken, it is natural to insist in
the interest of the highest morality upon a kind of Sattvic regimen of diet
for those aspirants who lead a contemplative life and householders who are attempting
to lead a spiritual life in the world. It was because Narada had his impurity
destroyed that the venerable Sanatkumara pointed out to him the way beyond darkness.
The way which leads up beyond darkness, therefore, must be sought for in the
purity of food, which involves in its train, the purity of mind.
Harmful
Foods
Different foods produce
different effects in different compartments of the brain. Spiced dishes, sour
things, black gram, onions, garlic, tea, wine, fish, meat, mustard oil, etc.,
excite passions and emotions and should, therefore, be avoided. They should
be particularly avoided by a Sadhaka. A Jijnasu (spiritual aspirant) should
strictly give up meat, fish and alcoholic drinks as these make the mind coarse
and produce excitement in the mind. Heavy food brings Tandri (drowsiness) and
Alasya (laziness). Tea should be given up. It destroys Virya. Sugar must be
taken in moderation. It is better if it is given up.
Food Items
Helpful In Meditation
Milk, fruits, almonds,
sugar-candy, butter, green oats, Bengal oats (Chenai) soaked in water overnight,
bread, etc., are all helpful in meditation. Thed, a kind of Kandamula found
in abundance in Brahmapuri, Vasishtha Guha and other parts of the Himalayas,
is very Sattvic. It helps meditation. My friend and spiritual brother Swami
Purushottamanandaji used to live on that for some days when he was at Vasishtha
Guha, fourteen miles from the reputed Rishikesh. Sunthi-Sevana (taking powder
of dried ginger) is very good for aspirants. It can be taken along with milk.
It refreshes the mind and helps digestion. Yogins take it very often. Triphala
water also is taken by Yogins. It removes constipation, cools the system and
stops wet-dreams. Myrobalan or Haritaki (Harad of the yellow kind) can be chewed
by Yogic practitioners very often. It preserves semen and checks nocturnal discharges.
Potatoes boiled without salt or roasted in fire are very good.
A Note
Of Caution
Evolution is better than
revolution. Do not make sudden changes in anything, particularly in food. Let
the change be gradual. The system should accommodate it without any hitch. Natura
non facil saltum (nature never moves by leaps).
A Raja Yogin who wants
to control the mind must be able to avoid the two extremes, viz., luxury and
severe Tamasic Tapas. Too much fasting brings about extreme weakness. You cannot
do any Sadhana. You cannot think. You cannot ratiocinate. Take any food that
suits you. Do not make much fuss about it. Any food that is readily available
and that agrees with your system is harmless.
When Food
Can Be Dispensed With
Food is only a mass of
energy. Water supplies energy to the body. Air also furnishes energy. You can
live without food for very many days, but you cannot live without air even for
some minutes. Oxygen is even more important. What is wanted to support the body
is energy. If you can supply the energy from any other source, you can dispense
with food entirely. Yogins keep up the body without food by drinking nectar.
This nectar flows through a hole in the palate. It dribbles and nourishes the
body. A Jnani can draw energy directly from his pure, irresistible will and
support the body without food. If you know the process of drawing the energy
from the cosmic energy or solar energy, you can maintain the body with this
energy alone for any length of time and can dispense with food.
The Secret
Of Madhukari Bhiksha
The mind is made out of
the subtle essence of food. So it is attached to those persons from whom it
receives the food. If you live with a friend for a couple of months and take
food with him, your mind gets attached to that friend who feeds you. That is
the reason why a Sannyasin lives on Madhukari Bhiksha from three to five houses,
avoids attachment and travels from village to village. He is not allowed to
stay for more than a day in a village during his Parivrajaka (wandering itinerant)
life. The mind of a Paramahamsa who thus lives on alms is as clean as the Ganga
water and is absolutely free from attachment of any kind. ATTACHMENT BRINGS
BONDAGE. Attachment is death. Attachment is the root of all evils.
Chapter
5
The Three
Avasthas
Mind has got three Avasthas,
viz., Jagrat (waking state), Svapna (dreaming state) and Sushupti (deep sleep
state).
Jagrat
Avastha (waking State)
The individual soul (Jiva)
is called awake as long as it is connected with the various external objects
by means of the modifications of the mind-which thus constitute limiting adjuncts
of the soul-apprehends those external objects and identifies itself with the
gross body which is one of those external objects. During waking state, the
mind occupies the brain.
Svapna
Avastha (dreaming State)
When the mind enters the
Hita Nadi, which proceeds from the heart and surrounds the great membrane round
the heart, which is as thin as a hair divided into thousand parts and is filled
with the minute essence of various colours of white, black, yellow and red,
the individual soul or Jiva (ego) experiences the state of dream (Svapna Avastha).
In dream, the senses are
thrown off just as you throw off your suit when going to bed. In dream state,
the senses are quiet and absorbed in the mind. Mind alone plays during dream.
The mind alone operates in a free and unfettered manner. There is no land, no
sea, no horse, no elephant in dream; but mind creates everything out of its
own body, out of the materials supplied from waking consciousness. The mind
itself assumes the various forms of bee, flower, mountain, elephant, horse,
river, etc. It is the subject. It is the object as well. The seer and the seen
are one.
The objects perceived in
dreams are revivals of impressions received in waking state and have an external
reality only to the dreamer. When modified by the impressions which the external
objects have left, the Jiva sees dreams. Perception takes place through the
internal organ called Manas; so it is called "inner perception."
Every man has his own subjective
mental world and his own dream-creatures. The dream-creatures of a young lady
are her husband and new-born babe. Her mind has two strong mental images, viz.,
those of her husband and baby. The mental images are strengthened by constant
thinking. The dream-creatures of a doctor are his patients, while those of a
barrister are his clients.
There is temperamental
difference. Some rarely get dreams. A Jnani who has Knowledge of the Self will
not have any dream.
The Difference
Between Jagrat And Svapna
The difference between
the waking and the dreaming states consists in this, that in the waking condition
the mind depends on the outward impressions, while in the dreaming state, it
creates its own impressions and enjoys them. It uses, of course, the materials
of the waking hours.
In Jagrat state, the objects
exist independent of the mind. So, every day you see the same objects as soon
as you wake up from sleep. But in dreams, the objects of dream exist only so
long as there is mind, so long as the dream lasts, because the dream-creatures
are manufactured out of mind only. In dream, mind itself creates the dream-creatures
out of the materials supplied by waking experiences with some modifications.
When mind drops down to waking state, all dream-objects vanish.
Waking
State, A Long Dream
You dream that you are
a king. You enjoy various kinds of royal pleasures. As soon as you wake up,
everything vanishes. But, you do not feel for the loss because you know that
the dream-creatures are all false. Similarly, even in the waking consciousness
if you are well established in the idea that the world is a false illusion,
you will not get any pain. When you know the real Tattva (Brahman), the waking
consciousness also will become quite false like a dream. Jagrat state is only
a long dream (Dirgha Svapna). The state of waking consciousness does not exist
either in dream or sleep. Therefore, it is illusory. Reality always exists in
all conditions or states. Wake up and realise, my child!
Svapna-Jagrat
Manorajya (building castles
in the air), recollection of the events and things of dream, recollection of
things long past in the waking state are all Svapna-Jagrat (dreaming in the
waking state).
Sushupti
Avastha (deep Sleep State)
When the mind enters the
Puritat Nadi, the state of deep sleep sets in. In Dridha Sushupti (dreamless
sleep), you have a cessation of empirical consciousness. There is no play of
the mind in this Avastha (state). There is neither Raga nor Dvesha (attraction
or repulsion, like or dislike). The mind gets Laya into its cause. Manolaya
(involution of the mind) takes place. There is no play of the Indriyas (organs,
senses) too.
This state of profound
sleep is not a complete non-being or negative, for such a hypothesis conflicts
with the later recollections of a happy repose of sleep. The self continues
to exist, though it is bereft of all experiences. The consciousness is continuous.
You feel you have existed even during sleep as soon as you are awake. You feel
that you exist always. Vedantins build their philosophy around this Sushupti
Avastha. This stage gives them the clue to the non-dual state (Advaitic state).
A careful study of the three states-Jagrat, Svapna and Sushupti (waking, dreaming
and deep sleep)-is of immense practical use for the clear understanding of the
Vedanta.
Says Ajata Satru to Gargya
in Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (II-i-16): "Where was the spirit whose nature
is like knowledge at the time when one profoundly sleeps? When the spirit whose
nature is like knowledge thus profoundly slept, then the ether in the midst
of the heart, drawing in, together with the knowledge of the senses, slept therein
in the ether. When the spirit draws in that (knowledge of the senses), then
he sleeps indeed. Thus, life is drawn in, speech is drawn in, the eye is drawn
in, the ear is drawn in and the mind is drawn in."
When, on the cessation
of the two limiting adjuncts (i.e., the subtle and the gross bodies) and the
consequent absence of the modifications due to the adjuncts, the Jiva is in
the state of deep sleep, merged in the self as it were, then it is said to be
asleep. "When a man sleeps here, then my dear, he becomes united with the
Sat; he is gone to his own self. Therefore, they say of him, 'He sleeps (Svapiti),
because he is gone to his own (Svamapiti)'." (Chhandogya Upanishad)
Sankara observes that the
phenomena of duality caused by the action of the mind are present in the waking
and dreaming states only, but absent in deep sleep state. In waking and dreaming
states, there is the play of the thoughts (and the simultaneous occurrence of
names and forms) and hence the world as well. In dreamless sleep, there are
no thoughts; and hence, there is no world too. We taste the nature of absolute
bliss in dreamless sleep, where a man is cut off from the distracting world.
It is the mind (lower Manas) that creates differences, distinctions, duality
and separateness. If this mind is destroyed by increasing the Sattva and Ahangraha
Upasana, then you will feel oneness everywhere (Sarvatmabhava). This needs continuous
and strenuous efforts on the part of the Sadhakas.
Degree
Of Consciousness In The Three States
In sleep, some action or
other is always going on in your mental or vital being; things happen there
and they govern waking consciousness. For instance, some are very anxious to
perfect themselves and make a great effort in this direction during the day.
They go to sleep and when they rise the next day, they find no trace of the
gains of their previous day's efforts; they have to traverse the same ground
once again. This means that the effort, and whatever achievement there was,
belonged to the mere superficial or wakeful parts of the being, but there were
deeper and dormant parts that were not touched. In sleep, you fell into the
grip of these unconscious regions and they opened and swallowed all that you
had laboriously built up in your conscious hours.
Be conscious. Be conscious
of the night as well as of the day. First, you will have to get consciousness,
afterwards control. Such of you as remember your dreams may have had this experience
that sometimes, even while dreaming, you knew it was a dream; you knew that
it was an experience that did not belong to the material world. Once you know,
you can act there in the same way as in the material world. Even in the dreaming
state, you can exercise your conscious will and change the whole course of your
dream experience. And, as you become more and more conscious, you will begin
to have the same control over your being at night as you have during the daytime,
perhaps even more. For, at night, you are free from slavery to the mechanism
of the body. The control over the processes of the body-consciousness is more
difficult, since they are more rigid, less amenable to change than are the mental
or the vital processes. At night, the mental and vital parts of your being,
especially the vital ones, are very active. During the day, they are under check;
the physical consciousness automatically replaces their free play and expression.
In sleep, this check is removed and they come out with their natural and free
movements.
Sushupti
And Advaita Nishtha Distinguished
In sleep, the mind is in
a subtle state. The Vrittis have also assumed a subtle state. But, in Advaita
(Vedantic) Nishtha, there is no mind. There is no universe. The world sinks
down in Brahman (Prapanchopasamam)-(Vide Mandukya Upanishad, II-1).
The Supreme
Self In The Three Avasthas
The Supreme Self which
has four forms, is inside the bodies of all living beings and is known by the
names Visva, Taijasa, Prajna and Turiya. The seat of the Visva is the right
eye; within the Manas dwells Taijasa, (Manasyantastu Taijasah -Gaudapada's
Karika on the Mandukya Upanishad), while Prajna resides in the ether of the
heart. The objects of enjoyment are of three kinds-gross, subtle and bliss itself.
Satisfaction is also threefold.
Jagaritasthano Bahishprajnah
Saptanga Ekonavimsatimukhah Sthulabhuk Vaisvanarah Prathamah Padah-The first
foot of Omkara is Vaisvanara, whose region is the waking state, who has objective
consciousness, who has seven limbs1 and nineteen mouths2 and who enjoys gross
objects." (Mandukya Upanishad, I-3). The objective mind or conscious mind
plays in the waking state.
"Svapnasthano'ntahprajnah
Saptanga Ekonavimsatimukhah Praviviktabhuk Taijaso Dvitiyah Padah-The second
foot of Omkara is the Taijasa, whose region is dream, who has subjective consciousness,
who has seven limbs and nineteen mouths and who enjoys subtle objects."
(Mandukya Upanishad, I-4). Taijasa is the reflected Chaitanya or consciousness
associated with the dream state. Taijasa is the enjoyer of the subtle world.
The subjective mind and false ego play in dreams.
"Yatra Supto Na
Kanchana Kamam Kamayate Na Kanchana Svapnam Pasyati Tat Sushuptam Sushuptasthana
Ekeebhutah Prajnanaghana Evanandamayo Hyanandabhuk Chetomukhah Prajnastritiyah
Padah-The third foot of Omkara is the Prajna, whose region is deep sleep,
in whom all melt into one, who is a mass of knowledge, who is full of bliss,
who enjoys bliss and who is the door (to the two states of consciousness-waking
and dreaming). That is the state of deep sleep wherein the sleeper does not
desire anything and does not see any dream." (Mandukya Upanishad, I-5).
The mind with the Vasanas rests in deep sleep in Mukhya Prana (chief vital air)
in the heart. Mukhya Prana means Brahman. All the Vrittis assume a Sukshma state.
1.
The seven limbs are: (i) Heaven (is His head), (ii) Sun (is His eye), (iii)
Wind (is His breath), (iv) Akasa (is His waist), (v) Water (is His pelvis),
(vi) Fire (is His mouth) and (vii) Earth (is His feet).
2.
The nineteen mouths are: Five Jnana-Indriyas, five karma-Indriyas, five Pranas
and four Antahkaranas (Manas, Buddhi, Chitta and Ahankara).
Chapter
6
The Three
Gunas
Gunas And
Vrittis
The mind has three Gunas,
viz., Sattva (light, bliss, goodness), Rajas (passion, motion) and Tamas (inertia,
darkness). There are three Vrittis in the mind corresponding to the three Gunas.
Santa Vritti (peace) comes out of Sattva Guna, Ghora Vritti from Rajo Guna and
Mudha Vritti from Tamo Guna. Equilibrium or balance is Santa Vritti; anger is
Ghora Vritti; laziness (Alasya), carelessness (Pramada) and drowsiness (Tandri)
are Mudha Vrittis.
Characteristics
Of Sattva Guna
Sattva Guna is purity.
It is Prakasa (illumination, light). Sattva Guna is a force favourable for the
attainment of Moksha. Daivi Sampat-virtues such as fearlessness, purity of heart,
etc.,-will confer liberation on you. The effect of Sattva Guna is Brahmavichara
(enquiry or search for Truth; differentiation between Sat and Asat, what is
real and what is unreal.)
A Sattvic mind is always
steady. It finds delight internally. It may stick to one place indefinitely.
It keeps friendship with persons for a long, long time. It can read the Gita
or the Yogavasishtha any number of days. It can live on Dal-roti for years together
without any grumbling.
During Sattvic moments,
when there is preponderance of pure Sattva in the mind, you are in touch with
the Divine Source owing to the cleanness of the mind-mirror. You will get inspiration.
You will compose beautiful poetry, etc. Preserve those inspired writings. Jot
them down in your notebook.
Sattvapatti is a state
of mind wherein the mind is full of Sattva or purity. There is purity of thought
(Bhava-Samsuddhi) and purity of heart (Sattva-Samsuddhi). It is the fourth Jnana-Bhumika
or fourth stage of Jnana.
Characteristics
Of Rajo Guna
Rajo Guna is a hostile
force to pull you down into Samsara. Asuri Sampat-vices like Dambha, Darpa,
Krodha, etc.-will drag you down into hell. A mind endowed with Sattva Guna will
make a man still and inactive, while a mind with Rajo Guna will make him restless.
It will not allow him to sit idle and will force him to work.
The Rajasic mind always
wants new sensations and variety. It likes certain persons, objects and places
now and, after some time, it becomes disgusted with them and wants new persons
for company, new vegetables to eat, new books to read and new places to see
(finds pleasure in sightseeing).
The mind of Rajasic type
wants always company and talk. These are the two defects which distract the
mind much. Avoid company. Live alone. Observe Mouna. You will get peace of mind.
Most of the pain comes from bad company. Be careful in the selection of your
companions. You will rarely find a good, sincere friend. Never take a friend
into your close confidence without testing him for a long time. There is no
company or talk in Brahman who is Asanga and Asabda.
The Rajasic mind has a
tendency to look into the defects of others. It also remembers the bad deeds
or wrongs done by others and forgets easily their good acts. These two tendencies
intensify hatred and cause frequent disturbance in the mind.
A mind which is devoid
of Sattva Guna will not be good enough to consider others' happiness as its
own and will, therefore, be ever reeling. Again, as this mind has not the complacency
to rejoice at another's virtues, there is no internal contentment. Then, as
it does not consider others' sufferings as its own, there arises in it no compassion
for them.
It is the Rajasic mind
that splits, separates, divides and deceptively shows plurality (Nanatva). The
sun is one. The moon is one. Akasa is one. The idea behind languages is one.
The feeling of sincerity is one. There is no inside or outside. Husband and
wife become one in heart. Intimate friends are one in heart. Matter is one.
Energy is one. Sattvic mind is one. It unifies. Cosmic Mahat is one. Karma (law
of cause and effect) is one. Dharma is one. Religion is one. Truth is one. Brahman
is one. Ekameva Advitiyam Brahma (Brahman is one without a second).
Intense Rajas takes Sattvic
turn. Dacoit Ratnakar became the sage Valmiki. Jagai and Madhai, who were intensely
Rajasic and who pelted stones at Lord Gouranga, became his first disciples.
Importance
Of Sattva Guna
The real peace of mind
does not come from outside. It is produced in the same mind when the mind is
controlled and its thoughts are checked. You must put forth great efforts to
check the passions and desires. Then alone will your aptitude for activity be
subdued and you will be at rest and your thoughts will be stilled. Develop,
therefore, Sattva Guna by Japa, Vichara, Satsanga, meditation, light Sattvic
food, Tapas and Svadhyaya.
An ordinary worldly-minded
man can hardly hear the inner voice of Atman. He cannot get pure thoughts or
Vichara (enquiry into Self) also. Every Sattvic (pure) thought emanates from
Sattvic Buddhi (pure intellect). In the case of worldlings, all thoughts proceed
from the mind only. He who does Nishkama Karma Yoga (selfless service) and has
purity of the mind, begins to entertain thoughts of God and meditation. Generally,
the mind raises various sorts of curious, fantastic thoughts. It deludes all.
It may pretend to do Vichara also. But, when it comes to actual practice, it
will do nothing. If there is a serious determination in you to concentrate and,
if you put it into actual practice for months steadily and, if the longing for
Darshana of God or Self-realisation becomes keen and acute, then alone think
that all these kinds of thoughts proceed from your Sattvic Buddhi only.
All Sadhanas aim at the
development of Sattva Guna and the attainment of pure, irresistible Will. This
will bring about Avidya Nivritti (removal of ignorance) and Paramananda-Prapti
(Sat-Chit-Ananda state). Increase of Sattva Guna and pure, strong, determined
Will pave a long way in achieving God-realisation.
In the world also, there
are persons with a few Sattvic virtues such as patience, generosity, forgiveness,
etc. But, a spiritual aspirant tries to develop the mind as a whole, to acquire
all Sattvic virtues.
Chapter
7
The Psychic
States
Sit in silence in a solitary
room and watch the various mental phenomena, mental states, moods, impulses,
emotions, sentiments, whims, fancies that occur in the mind. It will be of absorbing
interest to study the subtle states of the inner psychic world.
Instincts
There are two powerful
instincts in the human beings and animals too. They are the instinct of self-preservation
and the instinct of reproduction. Hunger is a manifestation of the self-preserving
instinct. Lust is a manifestation of reproductive instinct. An instinct is an
involuntary prompting to action.
The Jiva or the individual
soul with egoism wants power, name and fame. This is for self-aggrandisement.
Exploitation is greed. It is the act of using for selfish purposes. Domineering
is to command haughtily. The Jiva wants to exercise power over others. This
is Jiva-Bhavana. The rootcause for industries, business, commerce, etc., is
greed and self-preservation. If you want to have constant Brahma-Bhavana, you
will have to give up exploitation and domineering.
There is another third
instinct, viz., the herding instinct (the instinct for company). Woman take
delight in the company of men. Men take delight in the company of women. The
rootcause for this is reproductive instinct. Another reason is that a weak man
gains strength in the company of a strong man. But, a man who wants to realise
God should shun ruthlessly company-particularly, the company of women and worldly-minded
persons. He should live alone. Then he will become very powerful and strong.
He will develop a strong individuality. One will find difficulty in the beginning
in the practice of living alone. Fear will come in. You will have to overcome
all difficulties, one by one, if you want to attain immortality (Amritatva).
The reward is very great: Brahmavit Paramapnoti (A Knower of Brahman
gets the Highest); Amritamasnute (He drinks the nectar of immortality).
Impulses
An impulse is a sudden
propelling force. There are three kinds of impulses, viz., impulses of thought,
impulses of speech and impulses of action. Mouna (silence) checks the impulse
of speech. Meditation checks the impulse of wrong thinking and wrong action.
There are two important
impulses. They are the sex-impulse and the impulse of speech. There is an intimate
relation between impulse and imagination. Imagination induces the impulse. Impulses
must be controlled by reason and will and meditation on God.
Emotions
An emotion is a combination
of thought and desire. Every idea is charged with emotion. Emotions are desires
which are penetrated by the thought element. In other words, emotion is desire
mingled with thought. The vibrations of emotions will arouse corresponding excitement
in purely mental matter and all the man's thoughts will be disturbed and distorted.
There is emotion-desire.
There is emotion-feeling also. If the desire element is predominant, it is emotion-desire.
If the pleasure element is predominant, it is emotion-feeling.
Raga and Dvesha (love and
hatred) are the two important emotions of the mind and all the different emotions
can be classified under these two headings. Wonder is a compound emotion. It
is admiration and fear combined. Reverence is a compound emotion. It is awe
and respect combined. Amarsha is a compound emotion. It is anger and jealousy
combined. As soon as the man is pulled down to a lower level, the anger of the
inferior man who was jealous vanishes.
Pleasure is a particular
kind of emotion in the mind. The mind expands during pleasure. Coolness prevails
in the mind. What takes place of the mind when pleasure feeling arises is not
exactly understood by the western psychologists. It is incapable of being understood
also by ordinary persons. Only a Yogi or a Jnani knows this psychic phenomenon.
During pain, the mind contracts. Considerable heat is produced in the mind.
Many of the physical desires
and emotions in man are akin to those of the lower animals. Anger and sex-impulse
in man are the brutal instincts. In the undeveloped man, these desires and emotions
which belong to the lower nature (Aparaprakriti) predominate and overpower the
higher nature (Paraprakriti).
It is a symptom of weakness
to have emotions in the mind. They should be controlled by the intellect and
the will.
How To
Contro |
