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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
Control Emotions And Impulses
When emotions and impulses
trouble you much, be indifferent (Udasina). Say to yourself: "Who am I?
I am not the mind. I am Atman (all-pervading Spirit, Suddha Sat-Chit-Ananda.
How can emotions affect me? I am Nirlipta (unattached). I am a Sakshi (witness)
of these emotions. Nothing can disturb me." When you repeat these suggestions
of Vichara, the emotions will die by themselves. This Jnana method of controlling
emotions is easier than the Yogic method of driving the emotions and struggling
with the mind (Yogas-chittavritti-nirodhah).
Sentiments
Religious sentiment, moral
sentiment, aesthetic sentiment (or sentiment for the sublime and the beautiful)
are the three important sentiments of the mind. Feeling and sentiments are illusory.
They are not in Atman. They are deceptions created by the mind.
Moods
Mood is a mental state.
The Sanskrit term is Bhava. This term also does not express the true significance
of the word 'mood'. We say, "Mr. Naidu or Mr. Atkinson is a moody gentleman."
This means he becomes a slave of the mood quickly. We also say, "That gentleman
is in 'good mood' or 'happy mood.' " "I can approach him now for a
short interview or talk" or "He is in a very 'angry mood.' I should
not see him now."
The English people, during
the course of their conversation, use the term 'mood' in a broad sense. They
say: "He is in a talking mood"; "He is in a silent mood";
"He is in a mood of hatred"; "He is in a mood of love";
"He is in a mood of selfishness"; "He is in a mood of jealousy";
"He is in a mood of separateness"; "He is in a mood of unity."
In the light of Vedanta, these are all Vrittis (thoughts or emotions) only.
Dr. Bhagavan Das, the reputed author of "Science of Emotions" classifies
these under emotions only.
The Two
Kinds Of Moods And Their Effects
In Vedanta, there are only
two kinds of moods, viz., Harsha (joy, exultation or exhilaration) and Soka
(grief or depression). In the mind, these two kinds of moods prevail. Now there
is joy. Five minutes later, there is depression. These currents alternate. They
belong to the Shad-Urmis (six waves). They are two waves that affect the mind-ocean.
People of gloomy moods
attract to them gloomy things and gloomy thoughts from others and from the Akasic
records in the physical ether. Persons with hope, confidence and cheerful spirits
attract thoughts of similar nature from others. They are always successful in
their attempts.
People with negative moods
of depression, anger, hatred do positive injury to others. They infect others
and raise these destructive Vrittis in others. They are culpable. They do great
damage in the thought-world. People with happy and cheerful moods are a blessing
to society. They bring happiness to others.
Just as a young, beautiful
lady covers her face and does not like to come out to mix with others in society
when she has a nasty festering sore on her cheeks or nose, so also you should
not come in public and mix with your friends and other people when you have
a mood of depression, a mood of hatred or jealousy. For, you will infect others
with these moods. You are a menace to society.
How To
Control Negative Moods
Sadhakas should try to
eradicate depression by prayer, meditation, counter-thoughts of joy, chanting
of Om, Vichara and singing divine songs. Never give room for gloomy depression.
Repeat Om with Bhava. Repeat "I am Ananda-maya," "My Svarupa
is Ananda." Depression will vanish. There are various causes for this depression.
Cloudy day, association with evil persons, indigestion, influence by astral
spirits, revival of old Samskaras of depression-all these induce depression.
When you get a talking
mood, practise at once 'Mouna' (silence). This is an antidote to the talking
mood. When you are in a mood of hatred, develop the opposite virtue of love.
This mood will pass off quickly. When you are in the mood of selfishness, begin
to do selfless work. When you are in the mood of separateness, try to mix with
others through service, love, kindness and Kshama. When you are in the mood
of laziness, do at once some kind of active work, drawing water, gardening,
running, brisk walk or biking, etc.
A Jivanmukta is absolutely
free from all moods. He has controlled all moods completely. He has become a
master of all these moods. In Atman, there are no moods. It is pure consciousness.
Identify with Atman. You can destroy all moods very easily.
The Meditative
Mood
But, there is one good
mood in those who practise meditation. It is termed the "meditative mood."
Those who practise concentration and meditation feel this kind of mood. When
this mood manifests, you must immediately give up reading, writing, talking,
etc. You must immediately sit on the usual Asana (posture) and begin to meditate.
Meditation will come by itself without effort. This mood is very favourable
for contemplation. Watch for this kind of mood. If light disturbs you, close
the windows or put on a curtain along the window. Dark room is favourable for
the beginners in meditation.
Whims And
Fancies
A whim corresponds to the
term 'Taranga' in Sanskrit. Taranga means a wave. When a sudden change arises
in the mind, it is a whim. Whims are Tarangas that arise in the mind. They rise
up and break quickly. They drag you hither and thither. They upset you.
Everybody has his own whims.
Very often you say, "He is a whimsical man," when anyone is swayed
by whims. Whim is also termed caprice. Eccentricity is an exaggerated form of
whim. Whim tosses a man hither and thither, if he yields to it. Whimsical actions
bring on misery. It is through whim that mind tempts and deceives men. Mind
cheats through whims. Whims should be checked by reason.
Do not do actions through
whims. Action must be done through Viveka and wisdom. Destroy whims as soon
as they arise, through Vichara. Always enquire whether the proposed action will
bring you pleasure and spiritual gain or not. Be on the alert.
The word 'whim' always
goes with the term fancy. We say, "whims and fancies." A fancy is
a phase of the intellectual faculty of a lighter and less impressive cast than
the imagination of the active play of this lighter faculty. Fancy is a new and
pleasing thought or conception due to this faculty. Fancy is a form of imagination.
It helps a poet, but not an aspirant. It is a hindrance in meditation. It builds
castles in the air. Check it by Vichara and Viveka.
Just as waves and ripples
rise on the surface of the ocean, whims, various caprices, fancies and wrong
determinations also arise on the surface of the mind-ocean. The whims represent
the ripples. You need not be afraid of these. They come and pass off quickly.
You must be careful about the strong waves, wrong determinations. The strong
thoughts must be eradicated by strong Vichara and proper reasoning.
Imagination
Prakriti never creates
a vacuum in the mind. If one anxiety or worry is over, another anxiety immediately
manifests. Mind can never become vacant. It has got infinite preoccupations.
Carefully mark the ways
of the mind. It tempts, exaggerates, magnifies, infatuates, unnecessarily alarms
through vain imagination, vain fear, vain worries and vain forebodings. It tries
its level best to divert you from concentration on your Lakshya.
It took me many years to
understand thoroughly the subtle workings of the mind. Mind works havoc through
its power of imagination. Imaginary fears of various sorts, exaggeration, concoction,
mental dramatisation, building castles in the air, are all due to this power
of imagination. Even a perfect, healthy man has some imaginary disease or other
due to the power of imagination of the mind. Much energy is wasted on account
of imaginary fears.
When his mind is fully
occupied with the affairs of the war, the soldier does not feel any serious
injury as a gunshot wound in the leg. He is not aware of the loss of a large
quantity of blood also. He is filled with enthusiasm. He is not conscious of
his body-so to say-for the time being. When the excitement is over, when he
sees some blood-spots on his clothing or when some of his friends points out
to him the wound in the leg, he gets the consciousness. Then he is alarmed a
bit. The power of imagination plays havoc now. He gets a collapse now. The power
of imagination always exaggerates.
A man may have a little
weakness. When he becomes your enemy, you at once exaggerate and magnify his
weakness and Dosha. You even superimpose on this or concoct many more weaknesses
and Doshas. This is due to evil imagination on your part.
Whenever the mind of two
friends are strained by ill-feelings, these minds begin to exaggerate and concoct
things. Fault-finding increases. It is very difficult to get at the truth of
the statements of these two broken friends with broken friendship. Their utterances
are always coloured by their inner feelings. The power of imagination does havoc
now. Maya plays havoc through the mind and its power of imagination.
Mind tempts and deceives.
Think of one as a good friend of yours and there the thing is created as a reality.
Think of him as your foe and then also the mind perfects the thought into an
actuality. He who knows the working of the mind and has controlled it by practice
is really happy.
I shall explain to you
the nature of "mental dramatisation." Mark the ways of the mind. During
conversation with your friends, the mind sometimes imagines in vain that it
has hurt the feelings of your friend. It spends much of its energy in unnecessary
feeling. You think: "How can I see him tomorrow morning? He may be displeased
with me." Next morning when you meet him, nothing happens. Your friend
starts a pleasant conversation and smiles. You are surprised. To your great
astonishment, the subject of talk takes quite a different turn altogether. A
family-man imagines when a severe epidemic of plague ravages: "What shall
I do if my wife develops plague and dies now? I have got six children."
This is his vain imagination. Nothing happens. Sometimes, when the train moves
slowly on the Pamban Bridge over the sea near Ramesvaram, the mind imagines,
"If the bridge gives way now, what will become of me? I shall be smashed
to pieces." A touch of fear creeps in. There are thousand and one ways
of mental dramatisation like these. The power of imagination plays a vital part
in mental dramatisation.
When your mind is deeply
concentrated, period of two hours passes like five minutes. If the mind is distracted
and wandering, half an hour hangs on as two hours. This is everybody's experience.
In dream also, many events that represent a period of fifty years take place
within ten minutes. Through the play of the mind, a Kalpa is considered by it
as a moment and vice versa. Time is but a mode of the mind. It is Kala
Sakti. It is also illusory like the objects.
Through the trick of the
mind, one furlong at times appears to be a great distance and three miles at
other times appear to be a very short distance. You ought to have noted this
in your daily life.
Marichi Chaitanya, M.A.,
Ph.D., a Brahmachari of Rumania and myself sat for dinner in the Kailasa Kutia,
Svarga Ashram, on the bank of the Ganga. A dish of potato soup was served. Marichi,
who has no idea of Indian preparations, took it for a soup of meat. The colour
and appearance of the potato soup was exactly the same as that of meat-soup.
This is a case of "mental projection." Marichi projected the idea
of meat from his own Samskara within the mind into the potato-soup. Mental projections
are all false.
Kalpana in the mind means
mental creation or imagination. This is the real Yogamaya. You will have to
destroy these various Kalpanas. This is the aim of all the spiritual Sadhanas.
Then you will be established in Nirvikalpa state of bliss. Pure Nivritti is
needed to attain this after you have got Chitta-Suddhi through Nishkama-Karma
Yoga.
Temperament
And How It Can Be Modified
There are secretions from
endocrine glands which are ductless viz., Thyroid, Thymus, Parotid, Pineal,
Suprarenal, etc. These secretions are directly absorbed into the blood. They
play a vital part in constituting the temperament of every individual. The temperament
of a man can be greatly modified by environments, education and experience.
It can hardly be changed in toto. That is the reason why the Gita says: "Sadrisam
Cheshtate Svasyah Prakriter-Jnanavanapi-Even the man of knowledge behaves
in conformity with nature" (Gita, III-33).
Chapter
8
The Mental
Faculties
The Power
Of The Human Mind
If you closely study the
action of mind upon mind, of mind over matter, of mind over the human body,
you will find that each man is a power in himself. You will have to develop
the potential faculties by self-restraint and mastery over the passions. When
mind is so much powerful, what to speak anything of the glory of Atman, who
is the storehouse of everything, who is the infinite, inexhaustible central
magazine of power, knowledge and bliss from whom the little mind borrows its
light and power!
Illustrations
Of The Power Of Mind
Whenever any fire-accident
or any other kind of accident occurs, how agile and nimble you are! Do you not
exhibit wonderful powers? You jump over a huge wall, save many children, run
amidst fire boldly and carry things. All psychic faculties, memory, imagination,
will, etc., are at play. Chivalry, intrepidity, undaunted spirit, mercy and
various other noble virtues are exhibited by you. Wherefrom did you draw these
faculties and powers? From this, you can conclude that you are, in reality,
all-powerful. There is a big, magnanimous magazine of power inside. Go to the
source by meditation and tap it. You will get everything. Rely on the Self within.
If you get a telegram at
12 a.m. on a hot day in summer, which informs you that your father is seriously
ailing in your native village which is twenty miles distant, at once you leave
even your food and begin to gallop. Though you yourself are not in good health
at that time, you do not mind anything as you are very anxious to see your loving
father. You even run the whole distance and reach the place within a couple
of hours. Then you begin to wonder, "What! I was myself very sick. The
day was very hot. I have covered a distance of twenty miles within two hours.
What a marvel it is!" This clearly shows that you are, in reality, all-powerful.
The mind possesses various kinds of powers and faculties. They lie dormant.
You will have to awaken them.
The Six
Important Powers Of Mind
There are three Saktis
(powers, potencies) in the mind, viz., Ichha Sakti (Will), Kriya Sakti (Action)
and Jnana Sakti (Knowledge). A desire arises in the mind. This is Ichha Sakti.
The mind exerts to have this desire gratified. This is Kriya Sakti. It plans,
schemes and finds out methods, etc., for the achievement of the desired object.
This is Jnana Sakti.
Vedana-Sakti (power of
perception), Smarana-Sakti or Smriti-Sakti (power of memory), Bhavana-Sakti
(Power of imagination), Manisha-Sakti (power of judgment), Ichha-Sakti or Sankalpa-Sakti
(will or volition) and Dharana-Sakti (power to hold) are the six important powers
of the mind.
Vedana-Sakti
Vedana-Sakti is power of
cognition or sensation or power of perception and knowing through Indriyas or
senses (Indriya-Jnana or sense-knowledge).
Smriti-Sakti
The Smriti-Sakti does three
things. It grasps. It holds. It brings to memory whenever a thing is needed.
Though the power of grasping is done by the Vedana-Sakti of the mind (power
of perception or cognition), the Smriti-Sakti also participates in the act of
grasping.
Suppose you hear the sound
of a bell in the temple. The memory Sakti grasps it. Then it retains it through
Dharana. When you hear again the sound of the temple bell, it at once reminds
you, "This is the temple bell. This is not the hostel bell."
In Dhyana, the mind grasps
and takes possession of its perceptions or judgments. It makes the content of
the idea its own. It strengthens the Samskaras so that a voluntary recall is
rendered easy.
Bhavana-Sakti
You have never seen an
elephant riding a cycle. When a man, who has actually seen it, gives you a description,
your mind forms a mental picture at once. This is done by the Bhavana-Sakti
(power of imagination) of the mind.
Manisha-Sakti
Power of comparing and
contrasting, drawing inferences, discussion, conclusion, all belong to Manisha-Sakti
of the mind. The Manisha-Sakti (power of judgment) has got two subdivisions,
viz., Nirnaya (ascertainment) and Tarka (logical reasoning).
A is mortal. B is mortal.
C is mortal. Again, all men are mortal. Mr. Choudhary is a man. Therefore, Choudhary
is mortal. These sorts of drawing conclusions through inductive and deductive
logic with major and minor premises and middle term or through the five parts
of syllogistic reasoning of Gautama Rishi's Indian Logic (Nyaya) are done by
Manisha-Sakti of the mind with the help of Nirnaya and Tarka.
Tarka has got two other
subdivisions, viz., Anumana (inference) and Paramarsa (discussion). When you
see a river in full flood in the morning, you infer that there ought to have
been rain during previous night. When you see smoke on the hills, you infer
that there ought to be fire also on the hill. This is due to Anumana.
Ichha-Sakti
Will is Atma-Sakti. It
is the dynamic aspect of Brahman. Will is Brahman in motion. In Vedanta, will
plays a very conspicuous part.
Much has been said about
the power of imagination in the West-that it is the most tremendous power in
the human mind and that in a conflict between the will and the imagination,
the imagination would invariably win the day.
Some people say that the
will is greater than imagination. In the East, amongst the Vedantins, will is
regarded as a greater faculty than imagination. What would the imagination do
without the impelling power of the will to execute with dynamic power the desires,
wishes and ideals?
There is correlation, co-ordination
and co-operation between the different principles in the mind. Therefore, who
can say which is great or small, important or unimportant when each depends
upon the other for its power? It cannot be truly said that the one is greater
than the other, for their independence and power are derived from one another.
Dharana-Sakti
Dharana-Sakti (power to
hold) is really a part of memory or Smarana-Sakti. In common parlance, we say,
"Mr. Ramakrishna is a man of good Dharana in Vedanta." Here it means
that Mr. Ramakrishna has got fixed and steady ideas in Vedanta. He cannot be
changed by anybody. He is not of a wavering nature. He sticks to Vedanta alone.
Nobody can shake him.
Apperception
Apperception is the mind's
perception of itself as a conscious agent. The principle of apperception is
just like a mail clerk of consciousness receiving, sorting out, correlating,
arranging, pigeon-holing, associating and sending out messages.
How To
Unfold The Latent Powers Of Mind
There are many higher mental
faculties latent in man. Mind is a magazine of power. The unfoldment of these
latent, psychic powers is possible through proper Sadhana. The Sadhana should
be systematic, constant and intense. The student also must have reached the
proper stage of development. There must be genuine Sraddha also. Then only sanguine
success is possible.
Chapter
9
The Three
Doshas
Milk is agreeable to some
and disagreeable to others. There is nothing wrong with the milk itself. Surely,
there is something wrong with the mind. Doubtless, there is a defect in the
mind. The view of a child when it sees its mother is that she is its supporter,
nourisher and giver of all comforts. The husband of the woman regards her as
an object of enjoyment. A tiger, when it sees the same woman, regards her as
its prey. The object, woman, remains the same. The viewpoint differs in these
three cases owing to the Dosha of the mind.
Dosha means fault or defect.
Mala (impurity), Vikshepa (tossing), Avarana (veil of ignorance) are the threefold
defects of the mind.
The mind is tossed about
among objects of love and hatred like a light feather in a stormy wind. It ever
whirls far and wide in vain among sensual objects away from the association
with the wise, like a strolling city dog; but, no results accrue therefrom.
This baneful mind whirls at the sight of its much-coveted immense wealth. This
ferocious dog of mind, following its mate of desire, ever preys upon poor, ignorant
worldlings as on carcasses. It will flit in a moment from Howrah to Paris and
from Colombo to Berlin. Not resting on any object firmly, it is characterised
by an excessive fluctuating power. It will fluctuate and be confused, will flit
away from an object and then return to it, will rejoice in vain and be intoxicated
with Ahankara. A mind becomes a prey to fear through its fluctuation.
The mind should be rendered
fit for salvation, fit to approach its Adhishthana (substratum), its father,
Brahman. Remove the three Doshas.
Mala (such as Kama, Krodha,
Lobha, Moha, Mada, Matsarya) is removed by doing Nishkama Karma. Mala means
sin also.
Vikshepa is removed by
Upasana, Trataka, Pranayama and Raja Yoga.
Avarana is removed by Jnana,
study of Vedantic literature, Nididhyasana and Abheda-Chintana after duly understanding
the right significance of the Mahavakya, "Tat Tvam Asi."
Without hankering after
paltry, terrestrial, things and causing your mind to fluctuate thereby, may
you be immovable as a rock! Those who have no lower impulses drive away rebirths
to a great distance from them.
Study the nature of the
mind. Analyse the mind carefully. Get rid of the three Doshas of the mind, viz.,
Mala, Vikshepa and Avarana. Purify the mind. Steady the mind. Fix the mind on
God or Brahman. Get the mind dissolved in God by constant and intense thinking.
Practise the Sadhana of Manonasa. Rise above the deceptions and temptations
of the mind. This is your duty. You are born for this only; all other duties
are self-created and self-imposed owing to Avidya or ignorance.
Chapter
10
Suddha
Manas And Asuddha Manas
Through the discriminating
mind, the lower mind is powerfully mastered by the wise.
"Uddharet-atmana-atmanam-Let
him raise the self by the Self." (Gita, VI-5)
The Two
Kinds Of Mind
Suddha Manas or Sattvic
mind (pure mind) and Asuddha (impure) Manas or the instinctive mind or desire-mind
as it is called are the two kinds of mind according to Upanishadic teaching.
There is the lower mind filled with passion. There is the higher mind filled
with Sattva (purity). There are two minds. You will have to make it into one-Sattvic
mind only-if you want to meditate. It is through the higher or Sattvic mind
that you will have to control the lower or instinctive mind of passions and
emotions.
There are two kinds of
Buddhi also-Vyavaharic Buddhi and pure Buddhi. There are two kinds of Aham or
Ahankara, viz., Suddha Aham which identifies with Brahman (Sat-Chit-Ananda)
and Asuddha Aham which identifies with the body. There are two kinds of Sankalpa
(resolve, conation), viz., Suddha Sankalpa (thoughts of God) and Asuddha Sankalpa
(thoughts of body and the world).
The Asuddha Manas which
creates Asuddha Sankalpa, the Vyavaharic Buddhi and Asuddha Ahankara-all these
three form a vicious circle. These three work in co-operation. The seed of the
mind is Ahankara. Mind is merely a bundle of thoughts. Of all thoughts, the
'I' thought is the root thought. It is the first thought also that emanated
from the mind. Therefore, mind is only the thought 'I'. Buddhi is the basis
of Ahankara. It is Buddhi that forces you to identify yourself with the physical
body. It is Buddhi that creates difference (Bheda) and Nana Bhava (the idea
of many in the world).
Characteristics
Of The Sattvic Mind
A Sattvic mind like solitude,
silence, simple living, high thinking, study of spiritual books, philosophical
discussions, concentration of mind and company of Sadhus, Mahatmas and Sannyasins.
A stainless mind can be judged through speech, face and eyes. Through these
expressions, the opinion can be formed whether a person has stainless mind.
Higher desires, noble aspirations, lofty ideals, true religious feeling, mercy,
sympathy, pure unselfish love, devotion, Vichara (Atmic enquiry), inspiration,
genius-all come from the higher, pure Sattvic mind. Suddha Manas (pure mind)
is Brahman itself. It is an embodiment of purity itself.
Characteristics
Of The Rajasic Mind
A Rajasic mind likes crowded
cities, much talking, luxurious life, low thinking, the company of women, study
of romantic novels, eating dainty dishes and selfish works. Instinctive mind
is the lower, impure Kama Manas with desires, passions and appetities. The vast
majority of persons have this instinctive mind only. Even the so-called civilised
and educated persons live on the plane of the instinctive mind. Their senses
are very sharp and acute and they run after more refined things for their sense-gratification.
They identify themselves with the physical body and the senses. They have no
idea of the subtle Atman which is entirely distinct from the body and the Indriyas.
Their 'I' is the physical, gross body only though they know that there is a
mind.
Sensual enjoyment brings
on diseases and destroys the power of discrimination (Viveka). It makes the
mind Malina (impure). Therefore, shun Vishayabhoga (sensual enjoyment). Try
to realise the Self within wherein lies eternal bliss and immortality.
Sattvic
Mind Needed For Atma-Vichara
A sharp, subtle, one-pointed,
Sattvic (pure) mind is needed for Atma-Vichara (enquiry into Atman or the Supreme
Spirit) and study of Upanishads. A gross mind or practical (Vyavaharic) Buddhi
with selfishness and lust is absolutely unfit for Vichara and philosophical
ratiocination. Selfishness clouds understanding. Selfishness is the bane of
life. The mind of a worldling is ever ready to absorb sexual thoughts. It cannot
imbibe subtle, philosophical ideas. It is callous and cannot vibrate properly
to take in philosophical ideas. You can drive a nail in clay, but not in a stone.
The mind has to be purified by Nishkama Karma, Japa, Pranayama and other spiritual
Sadhanas.
Mind is compared to a mirror.
If the mirror is dirty, you cannot see your face clearly. Similarly, if the
mind-mirror is dirty (full of Mala, impurities-Kama, Krodha, Lobha, etc.), you
cannot see God clearly; you cannot see the Self clearly. The light of Brahman
cannot shine efficiently. Clean it up with effort daily, through spiritual Sadhana,
meditation, strenuous Nishkama Karma Yoga, devotion, etc. You will realise God.
"Manasaiva-anudrashtavyam"
is the utterance of the Srutis. Brahman is to be seen by the mind. Here 'mind'
means the Suddha Manas (pure mind). Brahman can be seen by a mind which is equipped
with the four means of salvation; which is rendered subtle and pure by the practice
of Sama, Dama, Yama and Niyama; which is furnished with the sacred instructions
of a qualified Guru and which does Sravana (hearing), Manana (reflection) and
Nididhyasana (constant musing). Should the pure mind concentrate itself for
some time through a study of Jnana Sastras, association with the wise and an
uninterrupted practice of meditation, then in such persons developing Jnana,
a divine vision will dawn in which there will be a direct cognition of the one
Reality.
Slay The
Impure Mind
The enemy of Atman is the
impure mind, which is replete with excessive delusion and a host of thoughts.
This mischievous and powerful imp of lower mind is the generator of all pains
and all fears and the destroyer of all noble, spiritual wealth. Your real enemy
is this impure mind only which is full of delusion, Trishnas, Vasanas and host
of other impurities. Lest this enemy of mind should spoil you in diverse ways
through the "enjoyments" of the many "pleasures" in this
world, slay it in the hope of getting eternal bliss and spiritual illumination.
Destroy the lower Asuddha (impure) Manas through the higher Suddha Manas. Destroy
your instinctive mind through discrimination and help of your higher, Sattvic
mind. Then and then alone will you get eternal, infinite peace and bliss of
Atman. Then alone will you become a Jivanmukta.
Sattvic minds and Rajasic
minds move in diametrically opposite directions. Sattvic mind unifies. Instinctive
mind separates and divides. Voice from the instinctive mind will mislead you.
Purify the mind and hear the voice of conscience (Sattvic mind). You will have
to develop the Sattvic part of the mind by annihilating the lower, impure, instinctive
mind. If the lower mind is done away with through the higher mind alone, then
only will you have eternal happiness and peace. Then alone will you attain Moksha,
supreme knowledge and perennial bliss. Slay this mind through constant Vichara
and meditation on Om and rest in your own Svarupa, Sat-Chit-Ananda state.
How To
Purify The Mind
As one iron shapes another
iron, the pure mind of a person which makes efforts in the virtuous path should
correct and mould his impure mind. Mind is unfailingly rendered pure through
true, virtuous and pure actions and constant Satsanga (association with the
wise). Speaking the truth and practice of Daya (pure compassion) are very great
purifiers of mind. All lofty aspirations, all-embracing tendencies and pity-all
go a long way in increasing the Sattvic material of the mind. The higher Manas
is developed.
Sacrifice, gift, compassion,
study of the Vedas and speaking the truth: these five are purifying. The sixth
is penance well-practised. The last one is highly purifying. Pilgrimage to sacred
places is also purifying. You come in contact with holy persons there. You can
have good Satsanga.
Charity, Japa, Nishkama
Karma, Yajna, Agnihotra, Brahmacharya, Sandhya, Tirtha-Yatra, Dama, Sama, Yama,
Niyama, Svadhyaya, Tapas, Vrata, service of saints-all tend to purify the mind.
There will be, doubtless, unalloyed bliss in the mind thus purified.
A Mantra purifies the mind.
Mere repetition of a Mantra, parrot-like, has very little effect. It has some
benefit. It must be repeated with Bhava (feeling). Then it produces wonderful
effects. The Mantra, unless inspired with the powerful will-force of one's own
mind, cannot produce much effect.
Study of philosophical
works, right thinking, exercise of good and noble emotions, prayers and beneficent
endeavours and, above all, regular and strenuous meditation are the means to
improve the mind. These will bring about the rapid evolution of the mind. When
the mind is purified, a hole is formed in the centre through which purity, light
and knowledge flow from Brahman.
A goldsmith converts 10
carat gold into 15 carat gold by adding acids and burning it several times in
the crucible. Even so, you will have to purify your sensuous mind through concentration
and reflection on the words of your spiritual preceptor and the Upanishadic
sentences, meditation, Japa or silent repetition of the Name of the Lord, etc.
It takes a long time to
purify Harital (yellow oxide of arsenic orpiment). It has to be soaked in cow's
urine for seven days, in lime water for ten days and in milk for seven days.
Then it has to be burnt out hundred and eight times before a Bhasma or proper
oxide (ash) is obtained. Even so, it takes a long time to effect Chitta-Suddhi,
purity of mind. Severe Tapascharya (austerity) is needed.
As a result of purification
of the mind, it becomes more sensitive, gets easily disturbed by a sound or
shock and feels any pressure acutely. An aspirant must be sensitive and yet
have the body and nerves completely under his control. The greater the sensitiveness
becomes, the more difficult is the task; there are many noises which pass unheeded
by an ordinary person, but which are torture to one who is very sensitive. You
must do your best to get over this oversensitiveness.
Initiation
Of Pure Mind Leads To Quiescence
Purification is the first
part of Yoga. When purification is over, the natural tendency of the mind is
to go towards liberation, Moksha. If only a disciple whose mind is cleansed
of all its impurities, is initiated into the sacred mysteries by a Guru, then
his mind will get complete quiescence. He will enter into a Nirvikalpa state.
The Nirvikalpa state is termed Asamvedana.
Chapter
11
Vrittis
Vritti-its
Nature And Function
Vritti means a whirl-pool.
It is a wave of thought that arises in the Antahkarana. Vrittis are modifications
of the mind. They are the effect of Avidya. When Avidya is destroyed by Jnana,
Vrittis get absorbed in Brahman (Laya), just as water thrown in a heated pan
is absorbed in the pan.
Wherefrom does a Vritti
arise? From the Chitta or mind. Why does a Vritti arise? It is Svabhava of Antahkarana.
What is its function? It causes Avarana-Bhanga (removes the veil of Sthula Avidya
that envelops the objects). It helps the evolution of a man till he attains
perfection (Jivanmukti). It is Vritti that opens the Kundalini in a Jnani in
the Ajna Chakra and joins it in Sahasrara. This is one path.
The Chitta is the mind
stuff. It is the mental substance. Vritti or thought-wave is a modification
of that mental substance. It is a process. Just as waves and bubbles arise from
the surface of the ocean, so also these Vrittis arise from the surface of the
mind-ocean. Just as rays emanate from the sun, so also these mental rays (modification
of Vrittis) emanate from the mind-sun. Just as the sun merges itself in the
horizon at sunset by collecting all its rays, so also you will have to merge
in that Sun of suns, Absolute Consciousness, Eternal Peace by collecting all
the dissipated mental rays and dissolving the mind itself.
The function of a Vritti
in the mind is to cause Avarana-Bhanga (removal of the veil of ignorance covering
objects). Sthula Avidya or gross ignorance is enveloping all objects. When the
veil is removed, perception of objects becomes possible. The Vritti removes
the Avarana or layer of ignorance. When you pass through a big crowd or persons,
you are able to notice a few persons. You do not see some persons, though they
happen to come in front of you. Why? Because there was not complete Avarana-Bhanga.
When this is done, the object shines before you.
According to Raja Yoga
of Maharshi Patanjali, Pramana (right notion or right proof), Viparyaya (misconception),
Vikalpa (fancy or imagination), Nidra (sleep) and Smriti (memory) are the five
mental Vrittis or mental functions. If these five mental functions are suppressed,
the suppression of desires and other functions will follow.
Vishayakara
Vritti And Brahmakara Vritti
Through its own efforts,
the mind assumes the shape of any object, it concentrates itself upon. If it
thinks of a woman, it assumes the shape of a woman. This is termed Vritti Tadakara.
If it thinks of God or Brahman, Brahmakara Vritti develops. In the former case,
Rajas (passion) will be infused into the mind; while in the latter, Sattva (purity)
will be infused.
When the mind thinks of
objects and dwells on them, it assumes the shape of those objects. It is termed
as Vishayakara Vritti. When it thinks of Brahman or Infinity, the Brahmakara
Vritti is formed. The Sadhaka should be very vigilant and circumspect in watching
the mind and its activities. He must convert Vishayakara Vritti into Brahmakara
Vritti. As soon as the mind drops down from Brahmakara Vritti into Vishayakara
Vritti, he should again make the mind assume Brahmakara Vritti. There is very
hard struggle, indeed.
You cannot have Vishayakara
Vritti as Ghatapatadi Vritti (modification of pot, cloth, etc.) and Brahmakara
Vritti (thought of Brahman) also at the same time. It is Sruti Virodha (i.e.
against the utterances of the Srutis). It is against practical experience also.
It is not the object that
binds you. It is Vritti and identification (Tadatmya Sambandha) with the Vritti
that causes attachment and bondage. It is through Avidya or ignorance that you
identify yourself with Vritti as, for instance, when you say: "I am angry."
Kinds Of
Vritti
Vrittis have been classified
into five kinds: (1) Mano-Vritti, (2) Buddhi Vritti, (3) Sakshi Vritti, (4)
Akhandakara Vritti and (5) Akhanda Ekarasa Vritti. No. 1 belongs to the instinctive
mind. Nos. 2, 3, 4 and 5 belong to the Sattvic mind. Mano-Vritti is the Vishayakara
Vritti of worldlings. Buddhi Vritti belongs to Vivekins. When you identify yourself
with the Sakshi Vritti, you can witness the modifications of the mind. When
you try to feel that you are the Infinite Self, the Akhandakara Vritti is generated.
It is also known as Brahmakara Vritti. There is no Vritti in Brahman.
From Mano-Vritti, you must
jump to Viveka Vritti. Mano-Vritti concerns Manomaya Kosha. Viveka Vritti belongs
to Vijnanamaya Kosha. By developing the Vijnanamaya Kosha, Mano-Vrittis are
conquered. From Viveka Vritti, you must jump to Sakshi Vritti. From Sakshi Vritti,
you must jump to Akhandakara Vritti. From Akhandakara Vritti, you must jump
to Akhanda Ekarasa which is Brahma Svarupa. This is Kaivalya or final goal of
life.
Antarmukha
Vritti And Bahirmukha Vritti
When the outgoing tendencies
of the mind are arrested, when the mind is retained within the heart, when all
its attention is turned on itself alone, that condition is Antarmukha Vritti.
The Antarmukha Vritti is the indrawing energy of the mind owing to increase
in Sattva. The Sadhaka can do a lot of Sadhana when he has this inward Vritti.
The Bahirmukha Vritti is
the outgoing tendency of the mind due to Rajas. When the vision is turned outward,
the rush of fleeting events engages the mind. The outgoing energies of the mind
begin to play. Further, on account of force of habit, the ears and eyes at once
run towards sound and sight. Objects and desire are externalising forces. A
Rajasic man full of desires can never dream of an inner spiritual life with
Antarmukha Vritti. He is absolutely unfit for the practice of introspection.
You will get Antarmukha
Vritti (inward-moving mind) only after you have destroyed all the externalising
powers of the mind. Vairagya and introspection help a lot in the attainment
of this mental state. You must starve the mind by Vairagya and Tyaga (renunciation
of desires, objects and egoism). You must learn the art of making the mind introspective
or turned inward upon itself through the Yogic Kriya, Pratyahara (abstraction).
Just as you have to take back with care your cloth that is fallen on a thorny
plant by removing the thorns one by one slowly, so also you will have to collect
back with care and exertion the dissipated rays of the mind that are thrown
over the sensual objects for very many years.
You will have to gather
them patiently through Vairagya and Abhyasa, through Tyaga (renunciation) and
Tapas and then march boldly with indefatigable energy towards God or Brahman.
Those who know this practice can really be peaceful. They only can be really
happy. When the mental rays are concentrated, illumination begins. Mind cannot
do any havoc now. The mind cannot externalise itself. It can be kept inside
the Hridaya-Guha (cave of the heart).
Destruction
Of Vrittis Leads To Mental Strength
Mind gains great strength
when the Vrittis are destroyed. It is not easy to destroy Vrittis (thought-waves)
because they are innumerable. They should be taken up one by one and dealt with
separately. Some Vrittis are very strong. They demand strong efforts for their
destruction. Most of the Vrittis are very weak. Weak Vrittis melt away like
rent clouds. Strong thoughts remain and frequently recur daily in the morning
as soon as you rise from your bed.
Be silent. Enter silence.
Silence is Atman. Silence is Brahman. Silence is centre. Silence is the Hridaya-Guha
(heart-cave). When the mind runs from one object to another, that state in the
interval wherein you become mindless for a very short time is Svarupasthiti.
That is Brahman. When the mind is controlled fully, Vrittis cease. When all
the modifications subside, you enter into the silence then and then alone. Realise
this, this very moment. Feel the divine glory and Brahmic splendour now by closing
the eyes, by drawing the Indriyas, by stilling the mind, by silencing the thoughts,
by sharpening the intellect, by purifying the Chitta, by meditating on Om, by
chanting Om with Bhava (feeling). Keep up the continuity of Brahmic consciousness
throughout the 24 hours. Have an unceasing flow of Atmic consciousness. This
is very, very important. This is a sine qua non. This is a great desideratum.
When all the Vrittis die,
Samskaras and the frame of the mind remain. Samskaras can only be fried up by
Nirbija-Samadhi.
Chapter
12
Theory
Of Perception
"When one thinks,
then he understands; without having thought, one does not know; it is only after
having thought that one understands." (Chhandogya Upanishad, VII-xxi-1)
"I was absent-minded;
I did not hear. I was absent-minded; I did not see. It is thus evident that
a person sees with the mind, hears with the mind. Desire, determination, uncertainty,
belief, disbelief, steadiness, unsteadiness, shame, intellect, fear-all these
are in the mind alone. Therefore, when touched from behind, a person knows by
the mind.
(Brihadaranyaka
Upanishad, I-v-3)
There are two compartments
in the mind, viz., the thinking portion and the perceiving portion. It is easy
to stop the thinking portion, but it is extremely difficult to stop the functioning
of the perceiving portion.
It is only the individual
mind that sees objects outside. If you see the same objects through a telsecope,
they appear different. If you can see with the mind directly, you will have
a different vision altogether. Hiranyagarbha or Karya Brahman has quite a different
vision. He sees everything as a vibration or movement within himself as his
own Sankalpa, just as you can imagine within your own mind that a big war is
going on and many people are dying on either side. You withdraw your imagination
at your will.
Theories
Of Perception
There is the elastic theory
of the mind. This school of thought says that the mind becomes elastic when
several objects come in contact with the various senses and thus puts itself
simultaneously into touch with various sense-organs or Indriyas of knowledge
(Jnana-Indriyas). When the mind comes in contact with one object and one Indriya,
it contracts to a point. This theory is exploded and refuted by the Vedantins
as unsound.
There is another school
of thought that says that there are different compartments or parts in the mind.
One part of the mind connects itself with one sense (Indriya), another part
with a second sense and so on. This theory is similarly blown up and discarded
by the Vedantins as untenable and unsound.
According to the school
of thought known by the name of Drishti-Srishti-Vada, the perceiver and the
perceived are one. Just as the spider weaves out the web from its own body,
even so the mind throws out this physical universe from its own body during
waking state and withdraws the world into its womb during sleep. An object is
a mental Vritti externalised or objectified.
The Drishya (what you see
outside) is due to mental Avidya. There is only light outside. There is only
vibration outside. It is the mind that gives colour and shape. It is all mental
deception. This is one view. This is one theory of perception.
The interaction between
the mind inside and the Tanmatric vibrations outside is the object or the world
that you see outside. This is one theory of perception. Mind is formed out of
the Sattvic portion of the five Tanmatras. There is light outside. The sun also
emits light. The eye is made up of fire or Agni-Tattva. That portion of the
mind which perceives is also made up of Agni-Tattva. So fire sees fire. Only
that portion of the mind which is made up of Sabda-Tanmatra can hear. Sound
comes from Akasa outside. So Akasa of the mind hears Akasa from outside. But,
Atman can see, hear, taste and feel everything. Atman only can be seen by Atman.
Therefore, whatever you see outside is Atman only. "Sarvam Khalvidam
Brahma-Everything is verily Brahman."
The View
Of Western Medical Science
According to western medical
science, light-vibrations from outside strike the retina and an inverted image
is formed there. These vibrations are carred through optic tract and optic thalamus
to the centre of vision in the occipital lobe of the brain in the back part
of the head. There, a positive image is formed. Then only, you see the object
in front of you.
Perception
According To Sankhya Philosophy
According to Sankhya philosophy,
the real back-ground of perception is the Purusha of whom the western doctors
and psychologists have no idea. Fleshy eyes are only external instruments (Karanas)
for perception. Eye is not an organ of vision. The organ of vision is a centre
situated in the brain; so is the case with all senses. Mind is connected with
the Indriyas, the Indriyas with the corresponding centres in brain and the centres,
with the physical organs, to the external object. The mind presents the sensation
to Buddhi; Buddhi takes it to the Purusha (which is pure Spirit, which is Immaterial).
Now, real perception takes place. Purusha gives order to Buddhi. Then, Buddhi,
after proper decision and judgment and after taking into consideration the pros
and cons of the subject on hand, gives orders back to the mind, for execution
through the motor centres (Karma-Indriyas or organs of action). Buddhi is the
Prime Minister and Judge who hears the statements of the Advocate, viz., the
mind. Mind plays two parts, viz., (i) that of an Advocate and (ii) that of a
Commander-in-Chief. After receiving decisive orders from Buddhi, the mind acts
the part of a Commander-in-Chief and executes the orders of Buddhi through the
five soldiers, the five Karma-Indriyas. This is the theory of perception according
to the Sankhya Philosophy. See how very clear matters are in Hindu Philosophy.
First of all, there is
the instrument or Karana-for instance, the fleshy eye. It takes the sense-impressions
to the centre or Indriya. The mind is then connected with the centre and the
external instruments, namely, the physical eye, ear, etc. The mind carries the
impressions still further and presents them to the Buddhi, the determinative
faculty, which reacts. Then flashes out the idea of egoism or Ahankara, which
self-arrogates and identfies with Abhimana. Then the mixture of action and reaction
is presented to the Purusha, the real Soul who perceives an object in the mixture.
Knowledge comes through
contact with objects (Indriyartha-Sannikarsha). To know a Prapancha Vishaya,
Indriya, Antahkarana and Jiva are required. Indriya will see the Vishaya. Mind
will make it appear. Buddhi, with the help of Abhasa Chaitanya, will understand
it. Mind, senses and the Karanas (external instruments) such as the physical
eye, ear, etc., should all be joined together. Then only perception of an object
is possible. The object comes in contact with the senses. The senses are linked
to the mind. The mind is connected to the Atman. The Atman illumines. This is
with reference to the physical plane.
The Vedantic
Theory
According to the Advaitic
theory of perception, it is the Chaitanya within us that makes perception possible.
The Chetana within us unites with the Chetana in the object and the result is
perception. It does not follow from this that the mind and the senses are useless.
The senses are necessary for the adaptation of perception to their approximate
things. From the soul's essential nature being intelligence, it does not follow
that the senses are useless, for they serve the purpose of determining the special
object of each sense.
The Vedantic theory of
perception is that the mind comes out through the eye and assumes the shape
of the object outside. The Antahkarana-Vritti enters through the opening of
the Indriya (eye), removes Vishaya Ajnana, assumes Vishayakara (the shape and
form of the object it envelops), presents the objects to your view. The function
of Vritti is to cause Avarana-Bhanga (removal of the veil or layer of Sthula
Avidya that envelops all objects).
A ray of the mind actually
goes out, assumes the shape and form of the object and envelops it. Then only
perception takes place. The perception of a book is possible only when the mind
has assumed the actual shape of the book. Mental image plus external something
is the object. Whatever objects you see outside, have got their own images in
the mind.
When you pass through a
mango garden, a ray of the mind comes out through the eye and envelops a mango.
It assumes the shape of the mango. The ray is termed Vritti. The enveloping
process is called Vritti-Vyapti. The function of a Vritti is to remove the Avarana
(veil) that envelops the object and the Upahita Chaitanya. The veil that envelops
the mango is removed by the Vritti or the mental ray. There is Chaitanya associated
with the Vritti (Vritti Sahita Chaitanya). This Chaitanya illuminates the object
'mango'. This is termed Phala-Vyapti. Just as a torchlight illumines an object
in a flash, this Vritti-Chaitanya illumines the object. Then only does perception
of the mango take place. Mind makes Sankalpa-Vikalpa: Is this a mango or not?
Buddhi comes to help the mind and determines (this is a mango) through previous
experience. Chitta makes Anusandhana (enquiry): "How can I get the mango?
May I ask the gardener or the proprietor?" Ahankara asserts: "I must
get the mango anyhow. I want it." Then the command is given by the mind
to the Karma-Indriyas for execution.
When you see a mango tree,
it is external to you. There is externality. The mango tree is a mental percept.
It is a mental concept also. There is no mango tree apart from the mind. You
know the existence of the tree through the mind only. There is a mental image
in the mind. The image in the mind plus the external something is the mango
tree. Even if you close your eyes, you can get at the image through memory.
The green colour of the leaves is due to a certain rate of light vibrations
(say, 10 millions of vibrations). These light vibrations strike at the retina
and are taken to the vision centre at the back of the brain. The mango-leaves
have the power to split the white rays and absorb the green colour only. So
says science.
Your body also is as much
external to you as that yonder mango tree. It is also a mental percept or mental
concept. The mango tree is external to you with reference to your body only.
The mango tree itself is a mere appearance that floats in the Absolute or the
One Reality. As the mango tree is external to you from the standpoint of your
body, and as the body itself is external to you, the idea of externality of
the mango tree or this external universe is blown up now. The term internality
also has a false existence only. There is internality only with reference to
the externality. If the externality goes away, where is the internality? Both
the terms internality and externality are mere illusions, creations of the mind.
There is only the solid existence, the One Reality or Absolute behind the so-called
internality and externality. That is the Real, Infinite 'I'. That is your own
Self.
Mind Alone
Creates Differences
The eyes present before
the mind some forms or images. It is the mind that creates good and bad forms.
It says, "This is good. This is ugly. This is beautiful." Here comes
bondage and trouble. Good and bad, ugly and beautiful are pure mental creations.
If mind can create, it can destroy also. Similarly, the ears bring some sound
vibrations before the mind. It is the mind that says: "This is praise.
This is censure." Eyes and ears are not to be blamed at all. They are innocent.
Mind causes the mischief.
Mental
Cognition Takes Place Serially
Mind can think of only
limited things. Mind cannot think of greenness without thinking of a green object.
Mind is Niravayava (without
parts, divisions, compartments). It can have only one idea at a time. This is
the Siddhanta of Naiyayikas. Even those Vedantins who say that mind is Savayava
(with compartments) on the analogy of Chora-Nari (the prostitute whose mind
is on the paramour even while she works in her house) admit that the mind can
have Visesha Vritti of the lover only and Samanya Vritti of the work on hand
at the time.
The human mind has the
power of attending to only one object at a time, although it is able to pass
from one object to another with a marvellous degree of speed, so rapidly in
fact, that some hace held that it could grasp several things at a time. Mind
is a gate-keeper or guard who can allow only one person, one kind of sense-vibration
at a time into the mental factory. You cannot hear and see at the same time.
The mind can have only one idea at a time. But it moves with such tremendous
lightning speed that an ordinary man thinks that he can have several ideas at
a time.
Perception through the
finite mind or cognition or experience takes place serially and not simultaneousely.
Simultaneous knowledge can only be had in Nirvikalpa Samadhi where past and
future merge in the present. Only a Yogin will have simultaneous knowledge.
A man of the world with a finite mind can have only a knowledge in succession.
Two thoughts, however closely related to each other, cannot exist at the same
time. The nature of the internal organism (Antahkarana or Manas) prevents our
having more than one aspect of an object at each instant presented to consciousness.
Though several objects may come in contact simultaneously with the different
sense-organs, yet the mind acts like a gatekeeper who can admit only one person
at a time through the gate. The mind can send only one kind of sensation at
a time into the mental factory inside for the manufacture of a decent percept
and a nice concept.
When the mind gives attention
and is attached to the sense of sight, it can only see. It cannot hear. It cannot
hear and see at the same time. It is everybody's daily experience. When your
mind is wholly absorbed in deep study of some interesting book, you cannot hear
even if a man shouts, because the mind was not there (with the sense of hearing).
"My mind was elsewhere, I did not see; my mind was elsewhere, I did not
hear, for man sees with his mind and hears with his mind." Brihadaranyaka
Upanishad, I-v-3). When you seriously think of a problem, you can neither see
nor hear nor feel. All the Indriyas are detached from the mind. There is only
the process of Anusandhana (enquiry or investigation) by the Chitta (the mental
substance).
The best philosophers and
seers, Rishis and sages, the best authorities, Eastern and Western, hold to
the "Single Idea" theory as being correct. They are unanimously agreed
that the mind cannot actually attend to more than one thing at a time, but when
it appears to be doing so, it is only moving with prodigious rapidity backward
and forward, from one end to the other. Illiterate people say that they can
see and hear at the same time. The mind moves with a tremendous velocity backward
and forward and people imagine that mind can do two things at a time. It is
a sad mistake. A spark of light presents the appearance of a continuous circle
of light if it is made to rotate rapidly. Even so, though the mind can attend
to only one thing at a time-either hearing or seeing or smelling-, though it
can admit only one kind of sensation at a time, yet we are led to believe that
it does several actions simultaneously, because it moves from one object to
another with tremendous velocity, so rapidly that its successive attention and
perception appear as a simultaneous activity.
Compensatory
Advantage In Sense Perception
In some persons, the sense
of hearing is more developed than the sense of sight. Judges have acute hearing.
Commanders-in-chief have acute sight. The profession itself forces them to develop
the particular sense. Blind people have acute sense of hearing. If one Indriya
is defective, nature compensates by developing more another Indriya. One of
my friends knows of a blind man who can feel the nature of the colour by mere
touch.
Speech is even the sight
of the Purusha. Speech means here sound, the object of the sense of hearing.
When this sense is enlightened, reflection is produced in the mind. By the mind
effort to obtain external thing is made; for by the mind one sees, one hears.
When one, at a time at night in the dark, cannot distinguish where sound arises
(be it the neighing of horses or the braying of donkeys or the barking of dogs),
he resorts there whence speech proceeds.
Supersensory
Perception
It is the mind that really
sees, tastes, smells, hears and feels. When you begin to think of the picture
of Lord Krishna with closed eyes, it is through the mind's eye that you see
the picture.
An occultist can dispense
with his physical, fleshy eyes and can see directly with his mind. A Bhakta
(devotee), being one with Isvara (Lord), sees directly with the eye of Isvara
(with the eye of Karana-Sarira, seed-body). A Jnanin sees with the eye of Knowledge
of Atman (Divya Drishti or Jnana-Chakshus).
How Brahman
Perceives
In the mind, will and sight
are separate. In pure Chit, will and seeing are one; will and sight are combined
and no longer, as in the case of mind, separated from each other.
Brahman does not need Antahkarana
to sense, think and reason. Brahman does not need eyes to see. He is self-luminous.
He gives light to everything. He imparts light to Antahkarana. He gives light
and power to the Indriyas. He is Chit-Svarupa. He is Chidghana. He is a mass
of knowledge. He knows everything through Self-knowledge. He sees within Himself
through Self-knowledge the whole universe as His own Sankalpa, as Vivarta.
How To
Perceive Brahman
Brahman is not an object
or Vishaya. It is to be felt by Sakshatkara (direct spiritual cognition). Knowledge
of Brahman (Existence or Truth Absolute) comes through feeling and meditation
(spiritual Anubhava, direct perception or Atma-sakshatkara) wherein the seer,
sight and seen merge into the one existence like the bubble in the ocean.
Chapter
13
Chitta
And Memory
What Is
Chitta?
Chitta is termed as the
mind-stuff or mental substance. It is the groundfloor, as it were. From it proceed
the three Vrittis, viz., Manas, Buddhi and Ahankara. This word belongs to the
Rajayogic terminology of Maharshi Patanjali. Also in the Gita, Lord Krishna
uses the term Chitta in various places.
Chitta is a separate faculty
or category in Vedanta. Sometimes it is Antargata, comes under Mind. In Sankhya
philosophy, it is included in Buddhi or Mahat-Tattva. The Chitta of Patanjali
Rishi's philosophy of Raja Yoga (Yogas-chittavritti-nirodhah) corresponds
to the Antahkarana of Vedanta.
Subconscious mind is termed
'Chitta' in Vedanta. Much of your subconsciousness consists of submerged experiences,
memories thrown into the background but recoverable. The Chitta is like a calm
lake and thoughts are like waves upon the surface of this lake and name and
form are the normal ways in which these waves rise. No wave can rise without
name and form.
The functions of the Chitta
are Smriti or Smarana, Dharana, attention and Anusandhana (enquiry or investigation).
When you repeat the Japa of a Mantra, it is the Chitta that does the Smarana.
It does a lot of work. It turns out better work than the mind or Buddhi.
The Field
Of Subconscious Mentation
The mental processes are
not limited to the field of consciousness alone. The field of subconscious mentation
is of a much greater extent than that of conscious mentation. The mind is not
conscious of the greater portion of its own activities. As man can hold in consciousness
but one fact at a time, only a fraction of our knowledge can be in the field
of consciousness at any one moment. Only ten per cent of mental activities come
into the field of consciousness. Ninety per cent of the mental activities takes
place in the subconscious mind. Messages, when ready, come out like a flash
from the subconscious mind to the surface of the conscious mind through the
trapdoor in the subconscious mind.
We sit and try to solve
a problem and fail. We walk around, try again and again fail. Suddenly an idea
dawns on us that leads to the solution of the problem. The subconscious processes
were at work.
You repeatedly fail at
night to get the solution for a problem in arithmetic or geometry. In the morning,
when you wake up, you get a clear answer. This answer comes like a flash from
the subconscious mind. Even in sleep, it works incessantly without any rest.
It arranges, classifies, compares, sorts all facts and works out a proper, satisfactory
solution.
Sometimes, you go to sleep
at 10 p.m. with the thought, "I must get up at 2 a.m. in the morning to
catch a train." This message is taken up by the subconscious mind and it
is this subconscious mind that wakes you up unfailingly at the exact hour. Subconscious
mind is your constant, trustworthy companion and sincere friend.
With the help of the subconscious
mind, you can change your vicious nature by cultivating healthy, virtuous qualities
that remain dormant in every human heart. If you want to overcome fear, mentally
deny that you have fear and concentrate your attention upon the opposite quality,
the ideal of courage. When courage is developed, fear vanishes by itself. The
positive always overpowers the negative. This is an infallible law of nature.
This is Pratipaksha Bhavana of Raja Yogins. You can acquire a liking for distasteful
tasks and duties by cultivating a desire and taste for them. You can establish
new habits, new ideals, new ideas anad new tastes and new character in the subconscious
mind by changing the old ones.
Memory
Smriti or memory is a function
of Chitta (subconscious mind). Memory is used in two senses. We say, "Mr.
John has got a good memory." Here it means that Mr. John's capacity of
the mind to store up its past experiences is very good. Sometimes we say, "I
have no memory of that incident." Here, you cannot bring up to the surface
of the conscious mind, in its original form, the incident that took place some
years ago. It is an act of remembering. You do not get any new knowledge through
memory. It is only a reproduction.
If the experience is fresh,
you can have a complete recall of your past experience through memory. In ordinary
recollection there is a temporal coefficient. In personal memory there is a
specific coefficient. That which acts together with another thing is a coefficient.
In Mathematics, the numerical or literal factor prefixed to an unkown quantity
in an algebraic term is a coefficient.
How Does
Memory Arise
Suppose you have received
a nice fan as a present from your amiable friend. When you use the fan, it sometimes
reminds you of your friend. You think of him for a Smriti-Hetu (cause of memory).
If your brother is a tall
man, the sight of a similar tall man in another place will bring to your mind
the memory of your brother. This is memory due to the similarity of objects
(Sadrisyata).
Suppose you have seen a
dwarf at Madras. When you see a very tall man or Patagonian, this will remind
you of the dwarf whom you saw at Madras. The sight of a big palace will remind
you of a peasant's hut or a Sannyasin's grass hut on the bank of Ganga. This
memory is due to dissimilarity in objects (Viparitata).
When you walk along the
road on a stormy day, if you happen to see a fallen tree, you conclude that
the tree has fallen owing to the storm. In this case, the memory is due to the
relation between cause and effect (Karya-karana-sambandha).
The new Samskaras wash
away the old Samskaras. If the Samskaras are fresh and recent, it is easy to
recall them back quickly. They come up again from the depths of the subconscious
mind to the surface of the conscious mind. Revival of old Samskaras takes place.
If you visit once the college wherefrom you received your education, ten years
after you became an officer in the Government, all the previous Samskaras of
your college days will be revived now. You will remember now your old professors,
old friends, old books and various other things.
Characteristics
Of A Good Memory
The following are the four
good characteristics of a good memory: (1) If you read once a passage and if
you can reproduce the same nicely, it is a sign to indicate that you have a
very good memory. This is termed Sugamata. (2) If you can reproduce the same
thing without increase or decrease, addition or substraction, it is called Avaikalya.
(3) If you can preserve a fact or passage or anything for a very considerable
period, it is called Dharana (retentive memory). (4) If you can reproduce a
passage at once without any difficulty when it is needed, it is called Upaharana.
The Process
Of Recollection
When you desire to remember
a thing, you will have to make a psychic exertion. You will have to go up and
down into the depths of the different levels of subconsciousness and then pick
up the right thing from a curious mixture of multifarious irrelevant matter.
Just as the railway sorter in the Railway Mail Service takes up the right letter
by moving the hand up and down along the different pigeon-holes, so also the
sorter subconscious mind goes up and down along the pigeon-holes in the subconscious
mind and brings the right thing to the level of normal consciousness. The subconscious
mind can pick up the right thing from a heap of various matters.
In a big surgical clinic,
the assistant surgeon allows only one patient to enter the consultation room
of the senior surgeon for examination. Even so, the mind allows one idea only
to enter the mental factory at a time through the mind door (Manodvara). The
subconscious mind brings to the threshold of the conscious mind, during an act
of Smriti (memory), the right thing at the right moment, suppressing all others.
It serves the part of a censor and allows only relevant memories to pass by.
What a wonderful mechanism it is! Who is the driver for these dual minds? Who
created these? What a magnanimous Being He must be! My hairs stand on their
ends when I think of Him! My pen quivers when I write. Don't you like to dwell
with Him? What a great privilege and joy it is to be in communion with Him!
When you try to remember
something, sometimes you cannot remember. After some time, the forgotten something
flashes out to the conscious mind. How do you explain this? It is a slip of
memory. The Samkaras of the particular thing has sunk deep. The Chitta, which
is the storehouse of Samskaras (and whose function is memory), has to exert
a bit, to analyse and sort and bring it to the surface of the conscious mind
through the trapdoor. After some exertion, revival of the old Samskaras takes
place and the forgotten idea, or name of a person, which you wished to recollect
sometime back, suddenly flashes to the conscious or objective mind. There ought
to have been some congestion in the brain, which might have prevented the revival
of a forgotten thing, idea or person. As soon as the congestion is relieved,
the forgotten idea floats on the surface of the mind. When the mind is calm,
memory becomes keen.
Power Of
Memory
Those who overwork mentally,
who do not observe the rules of Brahmacharya and who are tormented by many cares,
worries and anxieties, lose their power of memory soon. When you show symptoms
of losing your memory, as you grow old, the first symptom is that you find it
difficult to remember the names of persons. The reason is not far to seek. All
the names are arbitrary. They are like labels. There are no associations with
the names. The mind generally remembers through associations, as the impressions
become deep thereby.
Even in old age, you can
remember old events, as there are associations with events. You can remember
well in old age some passages that you read in schools and colleges. But, you
find it difficult to remember in the evening a new passage you read in the morning.
The reason is that the mind has lost its Dharana Sakti (power of grasping ideas).
The brain cells have degenerated.
In early boyhood, the power
of grasping in the mind is very marked. But, there is no power of understanding.
In 16, 18, 20, the power of understanding becomes manifest. The power of retentive
memory is also great in this age. The mind becomes settled only after 30. Below
30, there is much Chanchalatva (wandering nature). A man below 30-in the vast
majority of cases-is not able to think and decide for himself. He has no power
of judgment. After 45, power of grasping begins to decline. Memory also begins
to decline. He has power of retention for what he has learnt before. He cannot
learn new sciences. Brahmacharya helps a lot to develop the power of retention
and various other psychic powers.
Chapter
14
Samskaras
What Is
Samskara?
Vritti (whirlpool, thought-wave)
arises in the mind-ocean. It operates for sometime. Then it sinks below the
threshold of normal consciousness. From the surface of the conscious mind wherein
it was uppermost for some time, it sinks down deep into the region of the subconscious
mind (Chitta). There, it continues to be a subliminal action and becomes a Samskara
(impression). A conscious action-whether cognitive, affective or conative-assumes
a potential and hidden (Sukshma and Avyakta) form just below the threshold of
consciousness. This is termed a Samskara.
Memory-a
Revival Of Samskara
The Samskaras (impressions)
are embedded in the subconscious mind or Chitta. The subconscious mind is otherwise
known as the unconscious mind. Subjective mind, subconscious mind, unconscious
mind and Chitta are synonymous terms. The seat of this subconscious mind is
the cerebellum or hindbrain. You can recall the past experiences from the storehouse
of Samskaras in the subconscious mind. The past is preserved even to the minutest
detail. Even a bit is never lost. When the fine Samskaras come up to the surface
of the conscious mind back again as a big wave, when the past Vritti comes back
to the surface of the conscious mind again by recollection, it is called memory
or Smriti. No memory is possible without the help of Samskara.
How The
Samskara Is Formed
An experience in the sense-plane
sinks down into the depths of the subconscious mind (Chitta) and becomes there
a 'Samskara' (impression). A Samskara of an experience is formed or developed
in the Chitta at the very moment that the mind is experiencing something. There
is no gap between the present experience and the formation of a Samskara in
the subconscious mind. A specific experience leaves a specific Samskara. The
memory of this specific experience springs from that particular Samskara only,
which was formed out of that particular experience.
When you perceive an orange
and taste for the first time, you get knowledge of an orange. You know its taste.
You know the object, orange. A Samskara is formed in the subconscious mind at
once. At any time, this Samskara can generate a memory of the object, orange
and knowledge of an orange. Though the object and the act of knowledge are distinguishable,
yet they are inseparable.
Cyclic
Causation Of Thought And Samskara
An object awakens or revives
Samskaras in the mind through external stimuli. Hence, a Sankalpa or thought
arises subjectively from within, without a stimulus from outside. When you think
of a cow which you have seen before, you repeat the word 'cow' mentally. Then
only, the mental image comes. Then, a thought is formed. Samskara causes Sankalpa,
and Sankalpa causes Samskara, just as seed is the cause of the tree, and tree
is the cause of the seed, in turn. There is cyclic causation on the analogy
of seed and tree (Bija-Vriksha-Nyaya). A Vritti in the mind produces a Samskara,
and a Samskara, in turn, causes again a Vritti. Owing to the force of stimuli
(Udbodhaka, Vyanjaka) either from within or from without, the seed-like Samskaras
again expand and give rise to further activities. This cycle of Vritti and Samskara
is Anadi (beginningless), but has an end when one attains Divine Knowledge and
liberation. They get Laya (dissolution) into Prakriti. They cease to produce
any effect on the Jivanmukta. The Samskaras should be fried up by continuous
Samadhi. Then only you will be free from births and deaths.
Samyama
Over Samskaras
Samskara is known as "residual
potency" also. When all Vrittis or thoughts die away, the frame of the
mind remains with the Samskaras. This is termed the Potential Mind. In Vedantic
parlance, it is called Antahkarana Matra.
All Samskaras co-exist
in the mind. The Vrittis slowly subside and leave traces in the mind. These
traces are the Samskaras. From these Samskaras springs memory. If you have Yogic
vision, you can vividly notice the marvels that take place in the mental factory
of an individual, how the Vritti arises in the mind-lake, how it subsides and
how a Samskara is formed. You will be struck with wonder. Samyama over these
Samskaras brings out the direct knowledge of the residual potencies. A Yogin
brings into direct consciousness the previous life-states by getting direct
knowledge of their Samskaras. Such knowledge can hardly be acquired in Universities.
A Yogin alone can impart this knowledge to deserving aspirants.
Virtuous
And Vicious Samskaras
Like forces, Samskaras
aid or inhibit one another. When you see a man in serious sickness and when
the feeling of mercy arises in your heart, all the Samskaras of your previous
merciful actions coalesce together and force you to serve and help that sick
man. Similarly, all the Samskaras of charitable actions come forth to the surface
of the conscious mind when you see a man in a serious distress and in straitened
circumstances and they force you to help this man. You begin to share with him
your physical possessions.
When one Samskara or virtuous
action comes into play, another Samskara of dissimilar nature may emerge out
and come in the way of its fulfilment. This is fight between a virtuous and
a vicious Samskara.
When you try to fix your
mind on God and think of purity, just at that moment, all evil thoughts and
Samskaras burst forth with violence and vengeance to fight against you. This
is termed 'crowding of Samskaras'. Good Samskaras also crowd together and help
you to drive out evil Samskaras. The father of Sri Swami Advaitanandaji was
a great Bhakta of Chandi. At the time of his death, he was semi-conscious. He
began to repeat all the Slokas of Chandi-Stotra which he had got by heart while
he was young. This is 'crowding of spiritual Samskaras'.
Past Samskaras
Constitute Prarabdha
When you are born, the
mind is not a mere Tabula Rasa (a smooth or blank tablet or a blank sheet
of white paper). It is a storehouse of Samskaras, predispositions, predilections,
etc. A child is born with his Samskaras. A child is born with his past experiences
transmuted into mental and moral tendencies and powers. By experiences, pleasant
and painful, man gathers materials and builds them into mental and moral faculties.
The earthly experiences are worked up into intellectual faculty. The mind evolves
through the impressions received from the universe through the senses. It will
take many bodies till it gathers the complete experience of the world. Every
man is born with his inborn or inherent Samskaras and these Samskaras are embedded,
lodged or imprinted in the Chitta which is the seat for Prarabdha. In earthly
life, he gains many more Samskaras or experiences through actions and these
are added to the original store and become the future Sanchita Karmas (accumulated
actions).
All Samskaras lie dormant
in the Chitta as latent activities, not only of this life but of all previous
innumerable lives from Anadi Kala (beginningless time). The Samskaras of animal
life (those of dog's births, etc.), the Samskaras of a Deva life, the Samskaras
of kingly life, the Samskaras of the life of a peasant, are all hidden there
in the Chitta. In human life, only those Samskaras which are appropriate to
that particular type of birth will operate and come to play. The other kinds
of Samskaras will remain concealed and dormant.
"As a merchant closing
the year's ledger and opening a new one, does not enter in the new all the items
of the old but only its balances, so does the spirit hand over to the new brain
his judgments on the experiences of a life that is closed, the conclusions to
which he has come, the decisions to which he has arrived. This is the stock
handed on to the new life, the mental furniture for the new dwelling-a real
memory."
Karma
The gross body and the
mind have, on account of your past Karmas, a tendency to act in a certain way
and you act just in accordance with that tendency like a machine. You wrongly
impute to yourself the authorship (agency) of these actions and thus make the
matters worse. Most of your actions are done more or less automatically.
If you find it difficult
to do your actions in a Nishkama spirit, have one desire for liberation in doing
all things.
In Svarga or heaven, all
earthly experiences of the mind are sorted and analysed. The essence is taken.
The Jiva is born again in the physical universe with a new frame and bent of
mind according to the nature of the essence extracted in the mental plane.
When you are writing a
drama, if sleep comes in, you stop writing and retire to bed. As soon as you
get up, you continue to write from where you have left the previous night. Even
so, when you take up a new incarnation, you begin to continue the work which
you had left unfinished in your previous life in accordance with the current
of Vasanas of your past life.
Your next life will depend
very largely upon the Karma you perform in this birth. There are probably many
things which the man of the world does constantly and may do without much harm
resulting in any way; if these things were done by those sincere aspirants who
are treading the path of Realisation, they would be decidedly harmful.
Habitual study of abstract
problems will result-in another earthly life-in a well-developed power for abstract
thinking, while flippant, hasty thinking, flying from one object to another,
will bequeath a restless ill-regulated mind to the following birth into this
world.
The Enslaving
Chains Of Samskaras
Mind exercises its suzerainty
through Samskaras. From Samskaras emanate Vasanas like swarms of locusts. From
Vasana flows the stream of desire and from enjoyment of objects of desires arises
Trishna or internal craving (intense longing). Trishna is very powerful. The
Samskaras are imbedded in the mind, in the Karana Sarira. There arises a memory
of pleasure in the mind. Then the mind thinks of objects. Maya has her powerful
seat in the imagination. There comes attachment. The mind plans and schemes.
You are swayed by the passions. You exert yourself physically to possess those
objects and enjoy them. In your efforts, you favour some and disfavour others
through Raga and Dvesha. You will have to enjoy the fruits of your virtuous
and vicious actions. Through this six-spoked wheel of Raga and Dvesha, virtue
and vice, pleasure and pain, this Samsaric wheel of birth and death moves on
without stopping from Anadi Kala (beginningless time).
Thoughts
And Desires Depend Upon Samskaras
The nature of desires and
thoughts depends upon the nature of your Samskaras. If you have good Samskaras,
you will have good desires and good thoughts and vice versa. Even if you have
indulged in vicious actions up to the age of forty, begin practising virtuous
actions such as charity, Japa, Dama, Svadhyaya, meditation, service of the poor
and the sick, service of saints, etc., from this moment and these Samskaras
will prompt you to do more virtuous deeds. They will stimulate good desires
and noble thoughts. The Lord says in the Bhagavad-Gita:-
Api chet suduracharo
bhajate mam-ananyabhak
Sadhureva sa mantavyah samyag-vyavasito hi sah (IX-30)
"Even if the most
sinful worships Me with undivided heart, he too must be deemed righteous, for
he has rightly resolved."
Evil Samskaras-the
Real Enemy
Who is your real enemy?
It is your own evil Samskaras. Substitute Subha Vasanas in place of Asubha ones.
Then you can approach God. The mind will be changed. Old Samskaras will be obliterated.
Wrong suggestions of various kinds and crude fantastic superstitions are rooted
deeply in your mind. They are harmful. You will have to knock them down by Vichara,
sublime suggestions, right thinking. "I am body," "I am Mr. John,"
"I am a Brahmin," "I am rich"-these are wrong suggestions
and wrong Samskaras. Suggest to yourself boldly that you are Brahman. The previous
wrong suggestion and Samskara "I am body" will slowly melt away by
strenuous efforts.
If you forget your real
Brahmic nature even for a minute, the old Samskaras of Ajnana will try to come
up and overwhelm you. See how Narada's determination began to fluctuate even
though he was absorbed in meditation, when he saw some Deva-girls. He at once
experienced the sexual desire in himself. The seed came out, he put it in a
pot and Chudala in the form of Kumbha Muni emerged from out of the pot. (Yogavasishtha,
story of Sikhidhvaja). Therefore, you will have to be very, very careful. Keep
yourself away from all kinds of temptations-money, woman, name, fame, etc.
How To
Acquire Good Samskaras
Try to acquire some good
spiritual Samskaras in this birth at least, if you are not able to devote all
your time in spiritual pursuit. Do some kind of meditation for a short time
at least daily, say for half an hour in the morning and evening. Have a meditation
room. Make some kind of Japa of any Mantra. Study the Gita regularly. Have Satsanga.
Visit Rishikesh, Nasik, Varanasi, Haridwar, Prayag once a year for a week's
stay. Have the Darshana of Mahatmas. By doing so, you will acquire some spiritual
Samskaras which will be a valuable spiritual asset for a new, good life. You
will have a very good birth. You will be placed in suitable environments in
the next birth for unfolding the Divinity that is lurking in your heart, for
practice of Yoga. All opportunities and facilities will be given to you by God,
through His grace (Isvara-Kripa) for your spiritual Sadhana. Even by a little
systematic spiritual practice (Yogabhyasa and Vedantic Sadhana), you can change
your mentality, your old vicious Samskaras. You can cut short several future
births. By practice for three years, you can free yourself from the clutches
of births and deaths. You are bound to become a Sannyasin. Why not now in this
very birth? Why don't you cut short the cycle of unnecessary births and consequent
miseries? How long do you want to be a slave of the world, a slave of passions
and Indriyas? Wake up now. Do Sadhana and get immortality. Udharet-Atmana-Atmanam-Rouse
the self by the Self.
New, healthy Samskaras
can be implanted by new, healthy suggestions. Suppose your brain is a plank
in which are driven nails which represent the ideas, habits and instincts which
determine your actions. If you find that there exists in you a bad idea, a bad
habit, a bad instinct,-a bad nail, as it were, in the plank of your mind-you
should take another, viz., a good idea, habit or instinct, place it on
the top of the bad one and give a hard tap with a hammer. In other words, you
should make a healthy, useful suggestion. The new nail will be driven in perhaps
a fraction of an inch while the old one will come out to the same extent. At
each fresh blow with the hammer, that is to say, at each fresh suggestion, the
one will be driven in a little further and the other will be driven out just
that much until, after a certain number of blows, the old habits will be completely
replaced by the new habits, new ideas. It demands, doubtless, strenuous efforts.
It needs constant repetition of the new, healthy suggestions. Habit is second
nature. But, pure, irresistible, determined will is bound to succeed eventually.
When you repeat "OM"
or the Mahavakya of the Upanishads "Aham Brahma Asmi" once, one Samskara
of the idea that "I am Brahman or the Absolute" is formed in the subconscious
mind. The object in doing Japa or silent repetition of "OM" 21,600
times daily is to strengthen this Samskara.
Death Of
Samskaras Leads To Moksha
The physical body may die.
But, the thoughts and Samskaras of actions, enjoyments and thinking follow you
after death till you attain Moksha. These are variable Upadhis that accompany
you after death. They are variable because you carry different kinds of Samskaras
each time when you die. In defferent incarnations, you create different kinds
of Samskaras. The permanent Upadhis that accompany you after death are the five
Jnana-Indriyas, five Karma-Indriyas, five Pranas, fourfold mind and the Karana
Sarira which is the support or Adhara for the Linga Sarira or astral body. It
is the death of the Samskaras, it is the death of the Karana Sarira that leads
to the final Moksha. It leads to the attainment of Brahma-Jnana. You will be
getting fresh births so long as there are Samskaras. You will have to take birth
again and again till all the Samskaras are obliterated or fried up by the acquisition
of Brahma Jnana. When the Samskaras are wiped out, Brahmic Knowledge shines
by itself in its own glory.
Sadhana
Consists In Destroying The Samskaras
The aim of a Sadhaka is
to fry out or burn or obliterate all these Samskaras through Nirbija Samadhi.
Sadhana consists in wiping out the Samskaras. Breathing, hearing, seeing, feeling,
tasting, smelling-all cause Samskaras or latent Smriti in the mind. The world
enters the mind through the eyes, ears, tongue (speech) and old Samskaras. If
you remain in seclusion, you can shut out the first three doors. Through Vichara
(right enquiry of Supreme Self), you can destroy the fourth route. Then, Jnana
(Knowledge of Self) will dawn. A Jnani is without Samskaras. They are fried
out by Jnana. No doubt, the force of the Samskaras remains in the Antahkarana.
But they are harmless. They will not bind the Jnani.
Chapter
15
Sankalpa
The Operation
Of Thought
There is the spiritual
life in God. This is what relates us to the Infinite. You get everything in
Brahman, as He is self-contained and Paripurna (all-full). All your wants and
desires are satisfied there. There is then the physical life. This it is that
connects us with the universe around us. The thought-life connects the one with
the other. It is this that plays between the two.
We have the power within
us to open or close ourselves to the divine inflow exactly as we choose. This
we have through the power of mind, through the operation of thought. If you
are Rajasic, you are far from God. You have shut yourself up from God. If you
are Sattvic, you open yourself to the divine inflow.
The sacred Ganga takes
its origin in Gangotri (Himalayas) and runs perennially towards Ganga Sagar.
Similarly, thought-currents take their origin from the bed of Samskaras (impressions)
in the mind, wherein are imbedded the Vasanas (latent subtle desires), and flow
incessantly towards the objects both in waking state and dream. Even a railway
engine is sent to the engine-shed for rest when the wheels become overhot. But,
this mysterious engine of mind goes on thinking without a moment's rest. The
expansion of this mind alone is Sankalpa; and, Sankalpa, through its power of
differentiation, generates this universe.
Ajnanins have fickle minds
with a great deal of fluctuation and myriads of Sankalpas. Their minds ever
vacillate through Sankalpas. But, Jnanins will be free from Sankalpas. They
will be ever resting in their Atmic Jnana (Jnana-Svarupa) which gives the highest
satisfaction (Tripti) and Supreme Peace (Parama Santi).
Sankalpa
Only Is Samsara
When Sankalpa increases
prodigiously, it is in no way beneficial. It is for evil only. The cause of
bondage is Sankalpa. It is all the Sankalpas and Vasanas which you generate
that enmesh you as in a nest. You become subject to bondage through your own
Sankalpas and Vasanas like a silk-worm in its cocoon. Sankalpa of the mind itself
is pain. Its absence is Brahmic bliss. Sankalpa only is Samsara; its destruction
is Moksha.
It is the Sankalpa of the
mind that brings about this world with all its moving and fixed creatures. The
poisonous tree of the great Maya's illusion flourishes more and more out of
the seed of the mind's modifications, full of Sankalpa, in the soil of the variegated
enjoyments of the world.
Maya is a big poisonous
tree. Trishnas and Vasanas water the tree of Mayaic illusion. Karmas are the
fruits. Lust, anger, greed, etc., are the sprouts. Sattva, Rajas and Tamas are
the buds. Indriyas are the twigs. Ahankara is the trunk. Raga and Dvesha are
the two main branches. Various sensual objects are the leaves.
The individualised mind,
which is full of Avidya and is all-pervading, though existing in name, has no
form, either external or internal, like the Akasa permeating all space. The
mere manifestation in all objects of (seeming) reality is the mind. Wherever
there is Sankalpa, there does the mind exist.
The origin and the dissolution
of this universe, which is nothing but a mode of consciousness, take place with
the complete origination and destruction of the Sankalpas of the mind. Realisation
of Brahman can be effected through the mind alone after abandoning its Sankalpas
and Vikalpas. You should root out Sankalpa as completely as possible. This destruction
of Sankalpa should be intelligently practised.
Annihilation
Of Sankalpas Constitutes Moksha
You may perform Tapas for
myriads of years; you may be able to travel at once through the three worlds;
but, never will you be able to reach the stainless MOKSHA, except through the
firm path of annihilation of Sankalpas. Therefore, endeavour to destroy this
Sankalpa and, thereby, attain Brahmic bliss which is devoid of pains and heterogeneity.
It is only Sankalpa of
the mind destroyed beyond resurrection that constitutes the immaculate Brahmic
seat. Why can you not contemplate silently and secretly in your heart upon the
destruction of this Sankalpa? Then it will so betide that even the throne of
an emperor, who sways his sceptre over the whole earth, will be regarded by
you as but a paltry bauble.
Remain without Sankalpa-Vikalpa
and Dvaita-Bhavana (idea and feeling of duality). Divest yourself of all Sankalpas
and be a Nirvikalpa. This is Brahma-Nishtha or Advaita-Nishtha. Strive hard
to get this state. You will be then in perfect peace and joy.
The Svabhava
Of Manas
The mind can very easily
think of worldly objects. It is its Svabhava. Thoughts generally flow with ease
towards objects. Mental energy will readily flow in that direction. The mental
force can easily flow in the old grooves and avenues of mundane thoughts. It
finds it extremely difficult to think of God. It is an uphill work for a Samsaric
mind of Vyavahara. The difficulty in weaning the mind from objects and fixing
it on God is the same as in making the Ganga flow towards Badri Narayan instead
of its natural flow towards Ganga Sagar. It is like rowing against the current
of the Yamuna. Still, through strenuous efforts and Tyaga it must be trained
to flow towards God, much against its will, if you want to free yourself from
birth and death. There is no other go if you want to escape from worldly miseries
and tribulations.
How To
Destroy Sankalpa
Destroy the stains of Sankalpa
or the cloud of Sankalpa through the power of discrimination and constant efforts
and be drowned in the ocean of Brahmic bliss with spiritual illumination. When
you try to bury your shadow in the earth, it always comes out. Similarly, when
you try to destroy the Sankalpas through Viveka-Vritti, they will come out again
and again. Withdraw the mind from the objects and act according to your Guru's
instructions. Purify the mind and fix it on the Akasa of the heart (Infinite
Brahman). The mind will be destroyed in course of time. Be sure of this.
Do not for a moment contemplate
upon the things of the universe. You need not exert yourself too much to rid
yourself of this Sankalpa. With the checking of all thoughts, one's mind will
perish. To crush a full-blown flower in one's hand requires a little effort,
but even that little effort is not needed to do away with Sanklpa. Sankalpa
is destroyed with the control of thoughts. Having firmly annihilated the external
Sankalpa through the internal one and having destroyed the impure mind through
the pure one, rest firmly in your Atma-Jnana.
When you are firmly established
in the idea that the world is unreal, Vikshepa (through names and forms) and
Sphurana of Sankalpa (thoughts) will slowly vanish. Repeat constantly the formula,
"Brahma Satyam Jaganmithya Jivo Brahmaiva Naaparah" (Brahman
alone is real. World is unreal. Jiva is identical with Brahman). You will gain
immense strength and peace of mind through the repetition.
Having freed yourself from
all desires for the visible objects before you and having made your impure mind
firm and steady through your pure mind, eradicate all the Sanklpas that arise
in the mind. Now, this mind, which arises through Sankalpas, perishes through
it alone like a flame of fire which, though fanned by the wind, is yet extinguishable
by the same.
The State
Of Nissankalpa
With the extinction of
the base Sankalpas, there is the extinction of Avidya and its effect, mind.
Sankalpa is pain. Nissankalpa is all bliss. Sit alone in a solitary room. Close
the eyes. Watch the mind and destroy the Vrittis one by one by continuous, energetic
efforts. Asamprajnata Samadhi will ensue.
If, with the extinction
of the pain-producing Sankalpas, the mind also is destroyed, then will the thick
frost of Moha (delusion) affecting you from remote periods dissipate itself.
Then, like an unobscured sky in the autumnal season, Brahman alone will shine
resplendent, blissful, imperishable, non-dual, formless and without birth and
death.
When your thoughts, which
are now dispersed, shall be collected together and you will remain in a state
of repose, then the eternally happy Atman will shine forth as the reflection
of the sun is seen in a clear surface of water. Peace is not in money, woman
or eating. When the mind becomes desireless and thoughtless, Atman shines and
sheds forth eternal bliss and peace. Why do you search in vain for happiness
in objects outside? Search within for bliss in the subjective, Sat-Chit-Ananda
Amrita Atman.
Chapter
16
Thought
Creates The World
Thought,
The Origin Of Everything
Everything in the material
universe about us had its origin first in thought. From this, it took its form.
Every castle, every statue, every painting, every piece of mechanism-in short,
everything-had its birth, its origin, first in the mind of the one who formed
it before it received its material expression or embodiment.
Mind has got various preoccupations.
When an artist begins to draw a picture on the canvas, he draws the picture
out of the material preconceived by the mind.
After all, the world is
merely an idea or thought. Just as a seed begins to germinate at its proper
time and place, so also the seer (knower) appears as the visible through the
Sankalpa of the mind (the visible being no other than the seer itself). When
the mind ceases to think, the world vanishes and there is bliss indescribable.
When the mind begins to think, immediately the world reappears and there is
suffering.
"Cogito, ergo sum-I
think, therefore I am." This is Descartes's fundamental basis of philosophy.
This is in accordance with Sri Sankara's statement that the Atman cannot be
illusive; for he who would deny it, even in denying it, witnesses its reality.
The universe is rendered
visible by mind. But, it is a pity that nobody has seen the mind save a seer.
When you seriously and unceasingly think over the nature of the mind, it is
nothing. When you begin to analyse mind, it is nothing. It dwindles to airy
nothing. It is a bundle of thoughts and the thought 'I' is the root of all thoughts.
This 'I' is a false idea, a non-entity. When the root of all thoughts vanishes
into nothing, where is the boasted mind?
The first thought that
arose in your mind was 'Aham', 'I'. The last thought or Vritti that will arise
in the mind before it is absorbed in Brahman will be Brahmakara Vritti which
is produced by your feeling that you are Infinity.
Universe,
A Creation Of The Cosmic Mind
The universe is not mental
creation of Jiva. One single, organised thought of the Cosmic Mind (Hiranyagarbha)
has materialised as the seeming universe. This phenomenal universe is but an
outcome of the Divine Will, seeming to be real through the workings of the mind.
Before you write out a
drama, you have a vivid mental picture of the whole drama in your mind. Then
you write it out in succession in four acts. When it is staged, it is acted
in succession, part by part. Similarly, the universe with its movements is a
vivid mental picture in the Cosmic Mind-in the mind of Isvara. There is neither
past nor future for Him. Everything is 'Present' for Him. There is neither 'near'
nor 'far' for Him. Every place is 'here'. Every time is 'now'. The events come
out in succession on the stage of the long world-drama as Time rolls on. Atoms
rotate continuously. Old becomes new and new becomes old. In reality there is
no such thing as old; there is no such thing as single. The Jivas with individual
minds are witnessing the events in succession. But Isvara knows all events at
one sweep. He is Sarvajna (all-knowing). He is Sarvavit (all-understanding)
also. He knows every detail of His creation. The Cosmic Mind creates the Maya.
Individual minds receive things under delusion.
This universe is nothing
but a mode of the mind, self-evolved from Brahman, the cause of the universe.
All the universes which appear only through Manas are no other than its modes.
The mind is subjectively consciousness and objectively it is this universe.
Hence, this all-pervading world is nothing but consciousness itself.1
1.
The Jiva and the universe are Brahman in their innate condition only.
Isvara
And Maya
All the Samskaras float
in Maya. Suppose there is a very big mirror. You can see in the mirror the reflection
of all persons who move in the street, all carts, cars, all carriages which
pass along the road. You can be simply watching these movements from a distance
in the mirror without being affected in the least. Even so, the movements of
this whole universe take place in the biggest mirror of Maya. Isvara or the
Lord of the universe is simply witnessing everything. He is the silent Sakshi.
When the Adrishta (the hidden power in Karmas) of the Jivas ripens, Isvara simply
wills and the universe is projected.
Reality
Of The Universe Lies In Sankalpa Of Manas
This ever-agitated Manas
(mind), having come into existence out of the ineffable Brahman, creates the
world according to its own Sankalpa (thoughts). This legerdemain of the universe
springs out of the Sankalpa of your Manas. It is through the Sankalpa of your
Manas that the universe appears to be and it is this Sankalpa that is asked
to be given up by you if you wish to soar to the One Reality beyond the universe.
"Sarvasankalpasannyasi Yogarudhastadochyate-He is said to be established
in Yoga who has renounced all his Sankalpas." (Gita, VI-4)
With the growth of a paltry
Sankalpa, there will arise the universe; with the extinction of the former,
the latter also will disappear. With the annihilation of Sankalpa, all conception
of differences between the seer and the seen will vanish and then the Reality
of Brahman will begin to shine uninterrupted. Then the shadow of all the universe-movable
and fixed-will be found absorbed in It in a non-dual state.
With the contemplation
of 'I', all the train of ideas of the universe will set in; otherwise, all the
universe will vanish as instantaneously as darkness before the sun. Mind and
'I' are one. Destroy the 'I', then the mind is destroyed.
"Manah-kalpitam
Jagat-(Creation of) world is an imagination of the mind" (Yogavasishtha).
This legerdemain of the world is enacted by the mind and the mind alone- "Manomatram
Jagat. What you call world is the mind only." Mind is world. The mind
manifests itself as the external world. This universe is no other than the mind
itself. Like a dream generating another dream in it, the mind, having no visible
form, will generate non-existent visibles. This perishable universe exists only
when the mind exists, but disappears with the absence of the latter. If the
mind, which is the insturument of knowledge, perception and activity, vanishes,
with it disappears this subjective world also.
There is a corresponding
notion and object for every Sabda (sound). There is a notion and an object for
the Sabda "Cow." Maya is deceiving you through Sabda-jala. The whole
world is a mere notion, mere idea. It is Sankalpamatra. It is Bhrantimatra.
It is Kalpanamatra. It is Akasamatra. It exists in name only. "Vacharambhanam
Vikaro Namadheyam Mritti-ketyeva Satyam-all modifications being only
names based upon words, the truth being that all is clay." The whole world
is a combination of five elements. Analyse, realise the illusory nature of all
objects and abandon all false objects. When you begin to analyse, the whole
world vanishes and with it the notion, sound, and objects also.
The happiness and misery
experienced in this world are caused by the working of the mind. All the hosts
of pains and pleasures arise from the mind only. They will perish if the mind
perishes through stainless discrimination and spiritual Sadhana. The three worlds
are created for the pleasures and pains of the mind. Suspension of the mental
activity will cause the three worlds to disappear with their misery. With the
destruction of the mind, all the three periods of time vanish into nothing.
By controlling the mind, all occult powers are acquired. If the mind is not
controlled, all else become useless and painful. Therefore, the mind should
be annihilated.
Mind Functions
Within The Three Categories
Mind always functions within
the categories of time, space and causation. These three categories are mental
creations only. A coconut tree is not really twenty feet high. The height is
only a mental interpretation. There are vibrations only outside. It is the mind
that creates length, breadth, height, thickness, dimensions, void, square, etc.
A distance of two miles comes out of feeling only. You actually feel that you
have walked so much distance. When you transcend the mind, all these categories
vanish entirely. Annihilate the mind, therefore, through Brahmavichara. You
will enter a realm of Peace and Ananda which is eternal, infinite and causeless
(Parama Karana).
The Why
And How Of The Universe-a Transcendental Question
Mr. Narain, my friend who
is standing before me, is my own mental creation. Even this world is my own
mental creation.
Abhava or non-existence
is said to be an object of perception, since non-existence of a thing means
its existence somewhere else.
According to the idealistic
theory, there is no world at all in reality. It is all mere mental imagination.
This is Vijnanavada of the Buddhists.
According to the realistic
theory, the world is a solid reality. Even the dualist shool of Madhva and Visishtadvaita
school of Ramanuja and Raja Yogic school of Maharshi Patanjali hold that the
world is real (Jagat Satyam).
Kant has demonstrated that
space, time and causation are not objective realities, but only subjective forms
of our intellect, and the unavoidable conclusion is that the world, so far as
it is extended in space, is running on in time and ruled throughout by causality,
is merely a representation of our mind and nothing beyond it.
A finite mind that is gross
and conditioned by time, space and causation cannot comprehend the why and how
of the universe, a question that is transcendental. The question has never been
answered by anybody, by any Sastra, by any sage or Acharya. Do not rack your
mind on this point. You can never get a solution for this problem. It is Mauja
of Brahman to create this universe. It is His Lila-Vilasa. It is His Maya. It
is His Svabhava.
Non-Existence
Of The World-what It Means
The Abhava of Jagat (non-existence
of the world) or its Nasa (destruction) does not mean the annihilation of mountains,
lakes, trees and rivers. When your Nischaya (determination) that this world
is Mithya (unreal, illusory) gets stronger and stronger and when you are well-established
on this idea that this world is illusory like Mrigatrishna (mirage), this alone
is destruction of the world.
You cannot destroy a mountain,
but you can destroy the idea of a mountain.
The universe is like a
Svapna in Jagrat. Just as there is the image in the mirror, this world is a
big image in the mind-mirror. The mind is like a big Chaddar (thick cloth)
painted with various pictures. There is neither painter nor canvas nor any material
for painting such as brush, dish, oil, powder, etc. The picture of the universe
appears depicted on the spotless Jnana-Akasa (knowledge-space).
The play of the mind arising
out of Chaitanya (pure consciousness) constitutes this universe. Mind is Maya.
Maya is mind. The workings of the mind are nothing but the workings of Maya
itself. Attraction or attachment in the mind towards forms is Maya. Identification
of one's own self with the mind is Maya.
How The
Mind Manifests As The World
The motion or vibration
of Prana moves the mind. The movement of the mind generates the universe. The
mind manifests itself as the external world. Nama-Rupa (names and forms) arise
owing to Vikshepa Sakti, one of the powers of Maya. The Vikshepa force operates
both in the Jagrat and the Svapna states. The whole world is projected on account
of this power only. In sleep, it disappears.
The world enters the mind
through the eyes, ears, tongue (speech) and old Samskaras. If you remain in
the seclusion, you can shut out these first three doors. Through Vichara (right
enquiry of Supreme Self), you can destroy the Samskaras, the fourth route. Then
Jnana (Knowledge of Self) will dawn.
All the universes with
their heterogeneity, though really Atma-Jnana, shine as worlds only through
our illusory mind, like the blueness of the sky which is really non-existent.
The Self-light of Para Brahman alone is appearing as the mind or this motley
universe. Mind is Prajna-Sakti. Matter is Bhuta-Sakti. Prana is Kriya-Sakti
of Brahman. Everything belongs to Brahman. In reality, there is no Jiva. There
is Brahman only.
The mind which ever rises
and falls with the ebb of desires, fancies this illusory universe to be through
its ignorance; but it should be informed of the real nature of this world, then
it will cognise it to be Brahman itself.
Chapter
17
Avidya
And Ahankara
Avidya
The mind itself is a creation
of Avidya (ignorance). It is a Karya (effect) of Avidya. It is filled with delusion.
That is the reason why it deceives and tempts you. It makes you go astray. If
you can destroy the cause of the mind, Ajnana, by getting Jnana (knowledge of
the Supreme Self), mind is nowhere. It dwindles into an airy nothing. Manonasa
(annihilation of mind) takes place when Jnana dawns.
Avidya works through Upadhis
(attributes, limiting adjuncts). All the special apparatus required by Avidya
constitute the Upadhis of the soul. Mind is an Upadhi; Buddhi is an Upadhi and
Ahankara also is an Upadhi.
The sea of Avidya (ignorance)
is in the mind of man. The explanation of the empirical concept must be sought
in the nature of our cognitive faculty. Sri Sankara explains Avidya in this
way. It is Naisargika; it is innate in our mental faculty. It is Mithyajnananimitta,
based on wrong knowledge; and, knowledge is a function of the mind. It is Nityapratyayarupa;
it consists in the form of a wrong conception. "All Jivas-human entities-which
are really non-existent, are (with all concomitant appearance of birth, death,
etc.) mere results of the objectivising tendency of the mind and nothing else."
The whole experience of
duality, made up of perceiver and perceived, is pure imagination. There is no
Avidya apart from the mind. On destruction of the mind, all is destroyed. The
activity of the mind is the cause of all appearance. On account of Avidya or
Bhranti (illusion) in the mind, you see the objects, trees, etc., outside and
feel as if they are separate from you and real.
So long as there is mind,
there are all these distinctions of big and small, high and low, superior and
inferior, good and bad, etc. The highest Truth is that in which there is no
relativity. If you can transcend the mind by constant and profound meditation
on Atman, you will be able to attain the Nirdvandva state (a state beyond the
pairs of opposites) wherein lies the supreme peace and highest knowledge.
There is no Avidya outside
the mind. The mind itself is Avidya. Imaginations and Sankalpas are products
of Avidya. Ignorance is imbedded in the mind. The mind needs thorough cleansing
with Japa, Pranayama, Satsanga, Vichara and Nididhyasana, just as a rusty copper
plate needs cleansing with earth, ash, tamarind, powder, etc.
Ahankara-how
It Develops
Atman in conjunction with
the Buddhi is Ahankara. The basis of Ahankara is Buddhi. As the Buddhi (Bheda
Buddhi) is the cause for this differentiation (this little "I"), Buddhi
is the cause or seed for Ahankara. Ahamta and Mamata ('I'-ness and 'mine'-ness)
are Jivasrishti. It is Jivasrishti that binds a man to the world. Isvarasrishti
(God's creation) helps man in his God-realisation.
The seed of mind is Ahankara.
Ahankara is development through the thoughts of the mind. As the first thought
is the 'I' thought and as this 'I' thought is at the base of all other thoughts,
Ahankara is the seed for the mind. This idea of 'I' will bring in its train,
the idea of time, space and other potencies. With these environments, the name
Jiva accrues to it. Contemporaneously with it, there arise Buddhi, memory, Manas
which is the seed of the tree of Sankalpa.
When you are a boy, the
Ahankara is not very potent. It is like a shadow in a glass. It gets developed
and firm-rooted during your adolescence after you marry and entangle yourself
in the achievement of various worldly desires. You are fearless in your boyhood.
The moment this little 'I' becomes stronger in your, side by side, various sorts
of fears, various sorts of desires, a host of delusions take firm hold of you.
The world appears to you more real, too.
The Curse
Of Egoism
Ahankara is, after all,
nothing. But, tremendous is its influence! Maya means Ahankara. Mind is another
name for Ahankara. World means Ahankara. The sprout of Ahankara ramifies here
and there with its long branches of 'mine' and 'thine'. It is inveterate. Ahankara
wants to live in flesh (Abhinivesa or clinging to life), to eat flesh and to
embrace flesh. This is pure Ajnana (ignorance) only. Look at Maya's deception
and wholesale swindling! Beware! Awake! Get Jnana.
Just as the cloud screens
the sun, so also this cloud of Ahankara screens the 'Jnana Surya', the Infinite
Sun of Knowledge, Brahman. You cannot realise God, if you have the least tinge
of egoism, if you have the slightest attachment to name and form, if you have
the least tinge of Vasana or if you have the least trace of worldly desire in
the mind.
How To
Eradicate Ahankara
The deep roots of Ahankara
should be burnt by the fire of knowledge (Jnanagni). Then you will quite easily
get the wealth of Moksha. All tribulations, sorrows, miseries and afflictions
will terminate now. Control of the Indriyas and Pranayama help to develop the
Buddhi (Vikasa of Buddhi).
You cannot, all at once,
eradicate Ahankara altogether. You can easily give up wife, children, money,
anger. But it is extremely difficult to give up Ahankara. Try to minimise it
little by little. Remove one anna of Ahankara within three months. Within four
years, you will be able to root it out completely. You will have to remove it
either by self-sacrifice through Karma Yoga-or self-surrender through Bhakti-or
self-denial through Vedantic Atma-Vichara.
Through the Sankalpas of
Manas, Ahankara is generated. If the modification of the mind which leans to
sensual pleasures is destroyed, the Atman, divested of its Ahankara, becomes
the unnameable Brahmic Reality.
Ahankara is like a thread.
It connects or links all the Indriyas on itself. When the thread is broken,
all the pearls fall down. Even so, when the thread of Ahankara is broken by
'Aham Brahma Asmi' Bhavana or Sakshi Bhava or self-surrender method by
taking the Nimitta Bhava (instrument-in-the-hands-of-the-Lord attitude), all
the Indriyas will be broken down or destroyed. The connection with Indriyas
will be severed.
Even if you identify yourself
with a subtle body inside, it will help you in your Self-realisation. It is
only the identification with the fleshy physical body that brings all sorts
of troubles through gross Ahankara and 'mineness'. The physical 'I' is a very
great menace.
Whenever Ahankara asserts
itself, raise a question within thyself, "What is the source of this little
'I'?" Again and again, moot this question and enquire. When you remove
layer after layer, the onion dwindles to nothing. When you analyse the little
'I', it becomes a non-entity; it will gradually vanish. It will dwindle into
an airy nothing. Body is not 'I'. 'I' remains even after the leg is amputated.
Give up Jivasrishti.
Within the time taken to
pluck a flower, within the twinkling of an eye, this Ahankara can be easily
eradicated by right Sadhana or Brahma-Bhava.
Sattvic
Ahankara
When you assert 'Aham Brahma
Asmi' (I am Brahman), it is Sattvic Ahankara. It is Moksha Ahankara. It will
not bind you in any way. It will help you realise Brahman. The fire in a picture
will not burn anything. A light in the presence of midday sun will not shine
and shed its light. Even so, the Ahankara of a Sattvic person cannot do any
harm to any person.
Chapter
18
The Power
Of Thought
Thought
Is A Living Force
Thought is a vital, living
force, the most vital, subtle and irresistible force that exists in the universe.
The thought-world is more real relatively than this physical universe. Thoughts
are living things. Every change in thought is accompanied by vibration of its
matter (mental). Thought as force needs a special kind of subtle matter in its
working.
Mind assumes the form of
anything it contemplates. When you think of an object, your mind shapes itself
into the form of that object. When you change your thought, your mind also changes
its shape. Many modifications continually arise in the mind. Your thoughts rapidly
change. Your mind also changes its shape rapidly. Every moment, mind is continually
creating hundreds of these thought-forms and continually dispersing them again.
It never holds on steadily to one thought-form for some time.
Every thought has a certain
name and a certain form. Form is the grosser and name the finer state of a single
manifesting power called thought. But, these three are one. It is the unity
in trinity, the three degrees of existence of the same thing. Wherever the one
is, the others also are there. Suppose your mind is now perfectly calm, entirely
without thought. Nevertheless, as soon as thought begins to rise, it will immediately
take name and form. Thus you find that every idea that man has, or can have,
must be connected with a certain word as its counterpart.
Language is different,
but thought is one. Mental image is the same in all. Sound has got four forms,
viz., Para, Pasyanti, Madhyama and Vaikhari. Vaikhari is the ordinary
speech. It differs in different countries. But Para, Pasyanti and Madhyama are
one and the same. Para is undifferentiated sound that lies dormant in Brahman.
The language of the Devatas, the language in the mental plane is one. It is
Madhyama. The rotatory vibration of the causal body (Karana-Sarira) is Pasyanti.
That is your real name. When you operate through your Karana-Sarira, (lower
Prakamya or lower Divya Drishti), you will hear the Pasyanti sound, your real
name.
Thought
Is Subtle Matter
Thought is subtle matter.
A thought is as much solid as a piece of stone. You may die, but your thoughts
can never die. They have form, size, shape, colour, quality, substance, power
and weight. A spiritual thought has yellow colour; a thought charged with anger
and hatred is of a dark red colour; a selfish thought has a brown colour; and
so on. A Yogin can see directly with his inner Yogic eye all these thoughts.
The stronger the thoughts,
the earlier the fructification. Thought is focussed and given a particular direction
and, in the degree that thought is thus focussed and given direction, it is
effective in the work it is sent out to accomplish.
Thought
Is A Creative Force
Thought is a great force.
Thought is a dynamic force. Thought moves. Thought is infectious. Thought creates.
You can work wonders with the power of thought. Through the instrumentality
of thought, you acquire creative power. There are nowadays numerous books on
thought-power, thought-dynamics and thought-culture. Study them. You will then
have a comprehensive understanding of thought, its power, workings and usefulness.
The power of thought is
very great. Every thought of yours has a literal value to you in every possible
way. The strength of your body, the strength of your mind, your success in life
and the pleasures you give to others by your company- all depend on the nature
and quality of your thoughts. You must know thought-culture.
Thought
Gives Health
If you entertain healthy
thoughts, you can keep good health. If you hold on to sickly thoughts in the
mind, thoughts of diseased tissues, thoughts of weak-nerves, thoughts of improper
functioning of organs or viscera, you can never expect good health, beauty and
harmony. The body is the product of the mind. If you hold on vigorous thoughts
in the mind, then the physical body also will be vigorous.
Evil thoughts of all kinds
befoul and infure the mind and, if persisted in, will become veritable diseases
and maimings of the mind, incurable during the period of life.
Thought
Builds Character
"As a man thinketh,
so he is." "Man is created by thought; what a man thinks upon, that
he becomes." Think you are strong; strong you become. Think you are weak;
weak you become. Think you are a fool; fool you become. Think you are God; God
you become. A man forms his own character, becoming that which he thinks. If
you meditate on courage, you shall work courage into your character. So with
purity, patience, unselfishness and self-control. If you think nobly, you shall
gradually make for yourself a noble character, but if you think basely, a base
character will be formed. Steady persevering thought sets up a definite habit
of the mind and that habit manifests itself as a quality in the character. The
thread of thought is woven into mental and moral qualities and these qualities
in their totality form what we call character. You can build your character
as surely as a mason can build a wall, working with and through the law.
The first step towards
a deliberate creation of character lies then in the deliberate choosing of what
we will think and then of thinking persistently on the quality chosen. Ere long,
there will be a tendency to evince that quality; a little longer, its exercise
will become habitual. Thought makes character. You spin the thread of thought
into your destiny.
Thought
Weaves Destiny
That which man thinks upon
in one life, he becomes in another. If the mind dwells continually upon one
train of thought, a groove is formed into which the thought-force runs automatically
and such a habit of thought survives death and since it belongs to the ego,
is carried over to the subsequent earth life as a thought tendency and capacity.
Every thought has got its
own mental image. Every man has a mental world of his own, his own views, his
own sentiments, his own feelings, his own habitual thoughts, his own experience
and his own mode of thinking. The essence of the various mental images formed
in one particular physical life is being worked out in the mental plane. It
constitutes the basis for the next physical life. Just as a new physical body
is formed in every birth, so also a new mind and a new Buddhi are formed in
every birth.
It is difficult to explain
the detailed workings of thought and Karma. Every Karma produces twofold effects,
one on the individual mind and the other on the world. Man makes the circumstances
of his future life by the effect of his actions upon others.
Every action has a past
which leads up to it; every action has a future which proceeds from it. An action
implies a desire which prompted it and a thought which shaped it. Each act is
a link in an endless chain of causes and effects, each effect becoming a cause
and each cause having been an effect; and each link in the endless chain is
welded out of three components-desire, thought and activity. A desire stimulates
a thought; a thought embodies itself in an act.
Selfish coveting of the
possessions of others, though never carried out into active cheating in the
present, makes one a thief in a later earth-life, while hatred and revenge secretly
cherished are the seeds from which the murderer springs. So again, unselfish
loving yields as harvest the philanthropist and the saint; and every thought
of compassion helps to build the tender and pitiful nature which belongs to
one who is a friend to all creatures.
Like Attracts
Like
The great law, "Like
attracts like," is ever operating. This is a great cosmic law. This is
a law in nature. This law operates in the thought world also. People of similar
thoughts are attracted towards each other. That is the reason why the maxims
run as follows: "Birds of the same feather flock together... A man is known
by the company he keeps." A doctor is drawn towards a doctor. A poet has
attraction for another poet. A songster loves another songster. A philosopher
likes another philosopher. A vagabond likes a vagabond. The mind has got a 'drawing
power'. You are continually attracting towards you, from both the seen and the
unseen sides of life-forces, thoughts, influences and conditions most akin to
those of your own thoughts and lives.
In the realm of thought,
people of similar thoughts are attracted to one another. This universal law
is continually operating whether we are conscious of it or not. We are all living,
so to speak, in a vast ocean of thought; and the very atmosphere around us is
continually filled with the thought-forces that are being continually sent or
that are continually going out in the form of thought-waves. We are all affected
more or less by these thought-forces either consciously or unconsciously and
in the degree that we are more or less sensitively organised or in the degree
we are negative and so are open to outside influences, rather than positive,
which thus determine what influences shall enter into the domain of our thoughts
and hence into our lives.
Carry any kind of thought
you please about with you and so long as you retain it, no matter how you roam
over land or sea, you will unceasingly attract to yourself, knowingly or inadvertently,
exactly and only what corresponds to your own dominant quality of thought. Thoughts
are your private property and you can regulate them to suit your taste entirely
by steadily recognising your ability to do so. You have entirely in your own
hands to determine the order of thought you entertain and consequently the order
of influences you attract and are not mere willowy creatures of circumstances,
unless indeed you choose to be.
Good Thoughts
And Evil Thoughts
A good thought is thrice
blessed. First, it benefits the thinker by improving his mental body (Manomaya
Kosha). Secondly, it benefits the person about whom it is entertained. Lastly,
it benefits all mankind by improving the general mental atmosphere.
An evil thought, on the
contrary, is thrice cursed. First, it harms the thinker by doing injury to his
mental body. Secondly, it harms the person who is its object. Lastly, it harms
all mankind by vitiating the whole mental atmosphere.
Every evil thought is as
a sword drawn on the person to whom it is directed. If you entertain thoughts
of hatred, you are really a murderer of that man against whom you foster thoughts
of hatred. You are your own suicide, because these thoughts rebound upon you
only.
A mind tenanted by evil
thoughts acts as a magnet to attract like thoughts from others and thus intensifies
the original evil.
Evil thoughts thrown into
the mental atmosphere poison receptive minds. To dwell on an evil thought gradually
deprives it of its repulsiveness and impels the thinker to perform an action
which embodies it.
The Progeny
Of Thoughts
It is not sufficient that
your thoughts are not bad. You must transmute bad thoughts into good thoughts.
This is the first part of your Sadhana. You must make them helpful thoughts.
When they are sent out, they must be capable of doing immense good and benefit
to the suffering humanity and your neighbours.
Thoughts are your own real
children. Be careful of your progeny of thoughts. A good son brings happiness,
name and fame to the father. An evil son brings infamy, discredit to his father.
Even so, a noble thought will bring happiness and joy to you. An evil thought
will bring misery and trouble to you. Just as you rear up your children with
great care, so also you will have to rear up good, sublime thoughts with great
care.
Thought
Is Contagious
Thought is very contagious,
nay, more contagious than the Spanish Flu. Thought moves. It actually leaves
the brain and hovers about. It enters the brains of others also. A sympathetic
thought in you raises a sympathetic thought in others with whom you come in
contact. A thought of anger produces a similar vibration in those who surround
an angry man. It leaves the brain of one man and enters the brains of others
who live at a long distance and excites them. A cheerful thought produces cheerful
thought in others. A thought of joy creates sympathetically a thought of joy
in others. You are filled with joy and intense delight when you see a batch
of hilarious children playing mirthfully and dancing in joy.
In broadcasting, a singer
sings beautiful songs at Calcutta. You can hear them nicely through the radio-set
in your own house at Delhi. All messages are received through the wireless.
Even so, your mind is like a wireless machine. A saint with peace, poise, harmony
and spiritual waves sends out into the world thoughts of harmony and peace.
They travel with tremendous lightning speed in all directions and enter the
minds of thousands and produce in them also similar thoughts of harmony and
peace. Whereas a worldly man whose mind is filled with jealousy, revenge and
hatred sends out discordant thoughts which enter the minds of thousands and
stir in them similar thoughts of hatred and discord.
Thought is very contagious.
Keep a good and honest man in the company of a thief. He will begin to steal.
Keep a sober man in the company of a drunkard. He will begin to drink.
Thought-Tranference
Or Telepathy
What is the possible medium
through which thoughts can travel from one mind to another? The best possible
explanation is that Manas or mind-substance fills all space like ether and it
serves as the vehicle for thoughts as Prana is the vehicle for feelings, ether
is the vehicle for heat, light and electricity, and air is the vehicle for sound.
Mind is Vibhu (all-pervading) like Akasa. Hence, thought-transference is possible.
Thought-transference is telepathy.
If we throw a piece of
stone in a tank or a pool of water, it will produce a succession of concentric
waves travelling all around from the affected place. The light of a candle will
similarly give rise to waves of ethereal vibrations travelling in all directions
from the candle. In the same manner, when a thought, whether good or evil, crosses
the mind of a person, it gives rise to vibrations in the Manas or mental atmosphere,
which travel far and wide in all directions.
While electricity travels
at the rate of 1,86,000 miles per second, thoughts virtually travel in no time,
their speed being as much faster than electricity as their vehicle Manas is
finer than ether, the medium of electricity.
Thoughts are like things.
Just as you hand over an orange to your friend and take it back, so also you
can give a useful, powerful thought to your friend and take it back also. You
must know the right technique to handle and manipulate a thought. The science
is very interesting and subtle. You can aid a friend in trouble by sending him
thoughts of comfort, a friend in search of Truth by thoughts clear and definite
of the truths you know. You can send into the mental atmosphere thoughts which
will raise, purify and inspire all who are sensible to them.
If you send out a loving,
helpful thought to another man, it leaves your brain, goes directly to that
man, raises a similar thought of love in his mind and returns back to you with
redoubled force. If you send out a thought of hatred to another man, it hurts
that man and hurts you also by returning back to you with redoubled force. Therefore,
understand the laws of thought, raise only thoughts of mercy, love and kindness
from your mind and be happy always.
When you send out a useful
thought to help others, it must have a definite, positive purpose and aim. Then
only it will bring out the desired effect. Then only that thought will accomplish
a definite work.
The Duty
Of An Aspirant
You should learn the method
of sending out helping, loving thoughts to others and the whole world at large.
You should know how to remove distraction and collect all thoughts and send
them out as a battalion of helpful forces to do good to the suffering humanity.
Thought-transference is a beautiful science. It is an exact science.
Just as the flowing Ganga
brings joy and coolness to those who live on its banks, so also your strong
thoughts of love and peace must flow out as a healing stream to bring solace,
peace and glee to those persons whose minds are filled with care, worry, anxiety,
tribulation, affliction, etc.
Even some good natured
householders entertain some occasional good thoughts and send out into the world
some helpful thoughts. This is not sufficient for an aspirant in the path of
Truth. A continuous stream of helpful thoughts must gush out from his mind.
It must be a perennial, healing stream of loving, helpful thoughts. He must
be able to charge groups of twenty persons, masses of hundreds and thousands
with love, joy and cheerfulness. He must stir them with a mere glance and a
few sweet, powerful words into enthusiasm, high spirits and exalted moods and
exhilaration. That is spiritual strength, will-force (Atma-Bala).
How Sannyasins
Serve The World Through Their Thought-Vibrations
Indians have now imbibed
the missionary spirit of the West and cry out that Sannyasins should come out
and take part in social and political activities. It is a sad mistake. A Sannyasin
or a Yogin need not become the President of an Association or the leader of
a social or political movement. It is a foolish and puerile idea. A true Sannyasin
can do everything through his thought-vibrations.
It is not necessary that
a Sannyasin, a saint should appear on the platform to help the world, to preach
and elevate the minds of people. Some saints preach by example. Their very lives
are an embodiment of teaching. Their very sight elevates the minds of thousands.
A saint is a living assurance for others for God-realisation. Many draw inspiration
from the sight of holy saints. No one can check the thought-vibrations from
the saints. Their pure, strong thought-vibrations travel a very long distance,
purify the world and enter the minds of many thousands of persons. There is
no doubt in this.
A sage living in a Himalayan
cave can transmit a powerful thought to a corner of America. He who practises
Nishkama Karma Yoga in the world purifies himself through disinterested works
and he who meditates in a cave in the Himalayas and tries to purify himself
really purifies the world, helps the world at large through his spiritual vibrations.
Nobody can prevent his pure thoughts coming out and passing to others who really
want them. Worldly-minded social workers cannot understand this point.
Clear Thinking-how
It Is Accomplished
The common man does not
know what deep thinking is. His thoughts run riot. There is a great deal of
confusion in the mind sometimes. His mental images are very distorted. It is
only thinkers, philosophers and Yogins who have well-defined, clear-cut mental
images. They can be seen through clairvoyance very vividly. Those who practise
concentration and meditation develop strong, well-formed mental images.
Most of your thoughts are
not well-grounded. They come and slip away. They are, therefore, vague and indefinite.
The images are not clear, strong and well-defined. You will have to reinforce
them by clear, continuous and deep thinking. Through Vichara (ratiocination),
Manana (deep reflection) and meditation, you will have to make the thoughts
settle down and crystalise into a definite shape. Then the philosophical idea
will become firm. Through right-thinking, reasoning, introspection and meditation,
you will have to clarify your ideas. Then confusion will vanish. The thoughts
will get settled and well-grounded.
Think clearly. Clarify
your ideas again and again. Introspect in solitude. Purify your thoughts to
a considerable degree. Silence the thoughts. Do not allow the mind to bubble.
Let one thought-wave rise and settle down calmly. Then allow another thought
to enter. Drive off all extraneous thoughts that have no connection with the
subject-matter you are handling at the present moment.
Independent
And Original Thinking
Thinkers are very few in
this world. Most of us do not know what right thinking is. Thinking is shallow
in the vast majority of persons. Deep thinking needs intense Sadhana (practice).
It takes innumerable births for the proper evolution of the mind. Then only
it can think deeply and properly. A man who speaks the truth and has moral purity
has always powerful thoughts. One who has controlled anger by long practice
has tremendous thought power. If a Yogin whose thought is very powerful speaks
one word, it will produce tremendous impression on the minds of others.
Independent and original
thinking is resorted to by the Vedantins. Vedantic Sadhana (Manana, reflection)
demands a sharp intellect. Hard thinking, persistent thinking, clear thinking,
thinking to the roots of all problems, to the very fundamentals of the situations,
to the very presuppositions of all thoughts and being is the very essence of
Vedantic Sadhana. You will have to abandon an old idea, however strong and ingrained
it may be, when you get a new, elevating idea in its stead. If you have no courage
to face the results of your thinking, to swallow the conclusions of your thinking,
whatever they may mean to you personally, you should never take the trouble
to philosophise. Take up to devotion.
Applied
Thinking And Sustained Thinking
Applied thinking applies
the mind to the object and sustained thinking keeps it continually engaged;
rapture brings about the expanding and bliss of the developing mind whose motives
for non-distraction have been accomplished by those two kinds of thinking. Meditation
can arise when applied and sustained thinking, rapture, bliss and collectedness
of mind arise.
Thought is a great force.
It has got tremendous power. It becomes a matter of great moment to know how
to use this power in the highest possible way and to the greatest possible effect.
This can best be done by the practice of meditation.
Chapter
19
Thought-Culture
If a pebble in our boot
torments us we expel it. We take off the boot and shake it out. Once the matter
is fairly understood, it is just as easy to expel an intruding and obnoxious
thought from the mind. About this there ought to be no doubt, no two opinions.
The thing is obvious, clear and unmistakable. It should be as easy to expel
an obnoxious thought from your mind as it is to take a stone out of your shoe;
and till a man can do that, it is just nonsense to talk about his ascendency
and conquest over nature. He is a mere slave and prey to the bat-winged phantoms
that flit through the corridor of his brain. Pitiable, indeed, is the lot of
these creatures!
Benefits
Of Thought-Control
Thoughts lead to action.
Thoughts are the sources of all actions. Thought is the real Karma. Thinking
is the real action. If you can root out all evil thoughts in the beginning,
you will not do any evil action. If you can nip them in the bud, you will be
free from the miseries and tribulations of this world. Watch your thoughts with
vigilance and introspection.
Thought is the real action.
Activities of the mind are the real Karmas. Once the Vikshepa of the mind vanishes,
you will get good Nishtha (meditation). The mind will be very, very calm. Get
rid of the impurities of the mind. Have mastery over the mind. Then all the
miseries of the Samsara with births and deaths will come to an end. If you free
yourself from the clutches of the mind, Moksha (liberation) will come by itself.
There is no doubt about this.
A wise man watches his
thoughts and eradicates all evil thoughts as they arise from the surface of
the mind. So he is happy. He has always pure thoughts. By meditation on God,
pure thoughts emanate from the mind, because God is purity (Nitya Suddha).
If you have control over
your thoughts, you can turn out immense work with intense concentration. Mental
torments of all sorts, cares, worries and anxieties will disappear. The peace
that you will enjoy cannot be adequately described.
Those who have even a little
control over their thoughts and speech will have a calm, serene, beautiful,
charming face, sweet voice and brilliant, lustrous white eyes. Just as sweet
perfume continuously emanates from an incense stick, so also divine perfume
and divine effulgence (magnetic, Brahmic aura) radiate from a Yogin who has
controlled his thoughts and who is constantly dwelling on Brahman or the infinite.
The effulgence and perfume of his face is Brahma-Varchas. When you hold in your
hand a bouquet made of jasmine, rose and Champaka flowers, the sweet perfume
pervades the whole hall and tickles all alike. Even so, the perfume of fame
and reputation (Yasas and Kirti) of a Yogin who has controlled his thoughts
spreads far and wide. He becomes a cosmic force.
Radium is a rare commodity.
There are only 16 grains in the world. Yogins who have controlled their thoughts
are also very rare in the world, like radium.
Conservation
And Proper Utilisation Of Thought-Energy
Just as energy is wasted
in idle talk and gossiping, so also energy is wasted in entertaining useless
thought. Therefore, you should not waste even a single thought. Do not waste
even an iota of energy in useless thinking. Conserve all mental energy. Utilise
it for higher spiritual purposes in divine contemplation, Brahma-Chintana and
Brahma-Vichara. Conserve all thought-energy and utilise it for meditation and
helpful service to humanity.
Do not store in your brain
useless information. Learn to unmind the mind. Unlearn whatever you have learnt.
They are now useless for you. Then only you can fill your mind with divine thoughts.
You will gain new mental strength as all the dissipated mental rays are collected
now.
In physics you have the
term 'power of orientation'. Though the mass of energy is there, the current
will not flow. It must be connected to the magnet and then the electric current
will flow through the power of orientation. Even so, the mental energy which
is dissipated and misdirected in various worthless worldly concerns should be
well-directed in proper spiritual channels.
Negative
Thoughts
Drive away from your mind
all unnecessary, useless and obnoxious thoughts. Useless thoughts impede your
spiritual growth; obnoxious thoughts are stumbling blocks to spiritual advancement.
You are away from God when you entertain useless thoughts. Substitute thoughts
of God. Entertain only thoughts that are helpful and useful. Useful thoughts
are the stepping-stones to spiritual growth and progress. Do not allow the mind
to run into the old grooves and to have its own ways and habits. Be on the careful
watch.
You must eradicate through
introspection all sorts of mean thoughts, useless thoughts, unworthy thoughts,
impure thoughts, all sexual thoughts, thoughts of jealousy, hatred and selfishness.
You must annihilate all destructive thoughts of disharmony and discord. You
must develop thought-culture of good, loving, sublime thoughts, divine thoughts.
Every thought must be of a constructive nature. It must be strong, positive
and definite. The mental image must be of a clear-cut and well-defined nature.
You must develop right thinking. Every thought must bring peace and solace to
others. It should not bring even the least pain and unhappiness to anyone. Then
you are a blessed soul on the earth. You are a mighty power on the earth. You
can help many, heal thousands, spiritualise and elevate a large number of persons
as did Jesus and Buddha.
Just as you grow jasmine,
rose, lily, honolulu flowers in a garden, so also you should cultivate the flowers
of peaceful thoughts of love, mercy, kindness, purity in the vast garden of
Antahkarana. Through introspection, you have to water this garden of mind with
meditation and sublime thinking and remove the weeds of vain, useless discordant
thoughts.
Inconsistent
Thoughts
Generally, in untrained
persons, four or five kinds of thoughts occupy the mind at a time. Household
thoughts, business thoughts, thoughts of office, thoughts of body, thoughts
of food and drink, hope and anticipation, some kind of planning to get money,
some kinds of thoughts of revenge, some habitual thoughts of answering calls
of nature, bathing, etc., occupy the mind at a time. When you are studying a
book with interest at 3.30 p.m., the idea of pleasure of witnessing a cricket
match at 4 p.m. disturbs your study every now and then. It is only a Yogin with
Ekagra mind, who can have only one thought at a time and can keep it as long
as he likes.
If you watch the mind carefully,
you will find that many thoughts are inconsistent. The mind wanders at random
aimlessly. There will be some thoughts of the body and its wants, some thoughts
of friends, some thoughts of acquiring money, some thoughts of eating and drinking,
some thoughts of your boyhood, etc. If you can study the mind and if you have
consistent thoughts of one subject or one kind only to the exclusion of all
other thoughts, this itself is a very great achievement, is a great step in
advancement in thought-control. Do not be discouraged.
Haunting
Thoughts Of Sin
Thoughts of sin haunt the
minds of some persons. One man always thinks, "I have committed a very
heinous sin. I do not know what to do." Again and again, this one idea
haunts his mind. This is a bad habit. These people do not know how to divert
their minds. They become prey to these 'haunting thoughts'. Virtue and sin are
relative terms. They are creations of the mind. Sin is nothing but a mistake.
Japa of God's Name, charity and fasting will destroy at once any amount of sin.
Why are you afraid? Even the worst sinner can attain salvation, can become holy
of holies. What was the state of Valmiki, Jagai and Madhai and Ajamila in the
beginning? Were they not rogues of the first water? Repeat OM, Rama and assert
boldly, 'I am pure now' 'I am holy now'. Where is the room for despair? Nil
desperandum. Do virtuous actions. Remember Him always. Be true to the Antaryamin
(Indweller of your heart).
Techniques
Of Thought-Control
The following are some
of the auto-suggestions for controlling your thoughts: (1) I shall not think
of anything. (2) I shall get peace, if I do not think of anything. (3) My will
is growing strong. I can control my thoughts. (4) I will get perfect peace when
I am thoughtless. I eagerly long for that thoughtless state.
Each thought, by itself,
is extremely weak, because the mind is distracted into countless and ever-varying
thoughts. The more the thoughts are restrained, the more is the mind concentrated
and, consequently, the more does it gain in strength and power. Destroy the
evil thoughts one by one. It doubtless needs patient work.
As soon as you slowly wake
up in the morning, the first thought that comes is 'I'. Then comes the memory
of the events of the previous evening. The strong thoughts that float in the
mind this evening slowly emerge out the moment you rise from your bed in the
following morning and materialise. Then come the thoughts that are to fructify
in the course of the day. Watch this carefully.
When a thought hovers in
the mind, fulfil it. Do not allow it to linger on for a long time. It will frequently
recur again and again. It will be a source of great trouble. Whenever a thought
flashes out to write a letter to your friend, then and there finish that piece
of work. Do not procrastinate it.
There are four ways of
destroying evil thoughts. A Jnana Yogin (student of the path of Knowledge) does
it by living in OM or Truth. He destroys the evil thoughts by Vichara and attitude
of indifference. He says, "This has nothing to do with me. I am Satchidananda-Svarupa,
Sivoham, Sivoham. These impulses belong to the mind. I am distinct from the
mind." A Bhakta destroys the same by prayer and self-surrender. He says,
"O God! I have surrendered myself, the fruits of all actions and the actions
themselves to Thee. Give me strength to drive away and destroy these evil thoughts."
He gets help from God through self-surrender. God sublimates the sex-impulse
into Sattva or Ojas (spiritual energy). The Raja Yogin destroys evil thoughts
either by destroying the Vrittis as they arise or by substituting opposite,
positive thoughts of Sattvic nature, by supplanting sublime thoughts in their
stead (Pratipaksha-Bhavana).
Brahma
Vichara
The first and foremost
of all thoughts-the primeval thought-is 'I'. It is only after the birth of this
thought that any other thought can rise at all. It is only after the first personal
pronoun 'I' has arisen in the mind that the second personal pronoun 'You' and
the third personal pronoun 'He', etc., can make their appearance. If 'I' vanishes,
'You' and 'He' will disappear by themselves. Eradicate this false little 'I'
of an illusory nature through proper Brahma Vichara. There is no other way.
Thinker is different from
thought. Remember this. This gives the clue to the fact that you are the silent
witness of the modifications that arise in the mind. You are Kutastha Brahman.
You are Pratyagatman.
Destruction
of Sankalpas
Raja Yoga teaches Yogas-chittavrittinirodhah:-"Yoga
is the restraint of the mental modifications." It gives you the power of
expelling the thoughts or, if need be, of killing them dead on the spot. Naturally,
the art requires practice, but like other arts, when once acquired, there is
no mystery or difficulty about it. It is worth practising.
Mark how one Sankalpa expands
into many Sankalpas (imaginations) in a short time. Suppose you get a Sankalpa
to have a tea-party for your friends. One thought of tea invites instantaneously
the thoughts of sugar, milk, tea-cups, tables, chairs, table-cloth, napkins,
spoons, sweetmeats, salted things, etc. So this world is nothing but the expansion
of Sankalpas. There is no such thing as the world, independent of and apart
from, thoughts. The expansion of thoughts of the mind towards objects is bondage
(Bandha). Renunciation of Sankalpas is liberation (Moksha). In the string of
Sankalpa, countless thoughts are strung like so many beads. If the string be
cut into pieces, then you may infer what will become of the illusory thoughts
which are strung on it. You must be very watchful and nip the Sankalpas in the
bud. Then only will you be really happy. Mind plays tricks. You must understand
its nature, ways and habits. Then only you can control it very easily.
Pranayama
Prana (energy) is the outer
overcoat for the mind. The vibration of the subtle, psychic Prana gives rise
to the formation of thought. 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 and Tamas (passion and inertia).
This will burn the dross in the mind.
Pratipaksha
Bhavana
If you think again and
again on impure things, an evil thought gains new strength by repetition. It
gets the force of momentum. You must drive them immediately. If you find it
difficult to do so, entertain counter-thoughts of God. Cultivate sublime and
elevating thoughts. Evil thoughts will die by themselves. A noble thought is
a potent antidote to counteract an evil thought. This is easier than the former
method. By repetition of God's Name thousands of times daily, good thoughts
gain new strength by each repetition. By repeating 'Aham Brahma Asmi' thousand
times daily, the idea that you are the spirit (Atman) becomes stronger. The
idea that you are the body becomes weaker and weaker.
Control
of Body and Speech
If you are not able to
control any evil thought, control the body and speech first. Slowly you will
gain mental strength and will-force and will be able to control the thoughts
gradually. If, for a moment you think you will not succeed in vanquishing an
evil thought, at once get up and set about some work involving physical labour.
One effort after another will make gradually the task easy and, in a few weeks,
you will obtain a complete control over your thoughts.
Control the physical body
and the speech first. Then slowly proceed to control thoughts. Do not speak
ill of others. Control the Indriya of speech first. Gradually the mind will
not think ill of others. The mind will say unto itself: "Why should I think
ill of others when the organ of speech is not prepared to express what I think?"
You can control your actions only when you have become moral. When you speak
ill of a man, you poison the mind of several people. It is extremely ignoble
to speak ill of others. But just comment without hatred or malice is permissible
occasionally.
Do not allow useless or
evil thoughts to develop themselves into words. Curb the speech. Divert the
mind at once to some good thoughts. Try to remember some Slokas from the Gita
or repeat some prayers. Keep some 'word-image' as "Om Hari," "Om
Siva," "Om Narayana." Observance of Mouna (vow of silence) for
a couple of hours daily will check the impulses of speech and thinking, will
conserve energy and help meditation and thought-control and thought-culture.
Vigilance
Fully realise for yourself
the grave and ruinous consequences of evil thoughts. This will set you on your
guard when the evil thoughts would come. The moment they come, exert yourself
or divert the mind to some other object of divine thoughts, prayer or Japa.
A real earnestness to drive away the evil thoughts will keep you on the alert
so much so that even if they appear in dream, you will at once wake up. Should
the enemy appear when you are awake, it will not be very difficult for you to
cope with him, if only you are sufficiently watchful.
Keep
the Mind Fully Occupied
When the mind is vacant,
evil thoughts try to enter. Evil thinking is the beginning or starting point
of adultery. Through a lustful look only, you have already committed adultery
in the heart. Mental actions are the real actions. Remember this. God judges
a man by his motives; worldly people judge a man by his external physical actions.
You will have to look to the motive of the man. Then you will not be mistaken.
Keep the mind fully occupied. Then evil thoughts will not enter. An idle brain
is the devil's workshop. Watch the mind every minute. Always engage yourself
in some work-stitching, cleaning vessels, sweeping, drawing water, reading,
meditating, counting the beads, singing divine songs, praying, serving the elders
or nursing the sick. Avoid loose talk and gossip. Fill the mind with sublime
thoughts, such as those contained in the Gita, the Upanishads, the Yogavasishtha,
etc.
Sattvic
Background of Thought
The vast majority of people
will always want something concrete to hold on to, something around which, as
it were, to place their ideas, something which will be the centre of all thought-forms
in their minds. That is mind's very nature. A background of thought is needed
for fixing the mind.
Have a Sattvic background
of thought or mental image. The mind assumes the shape of any object it intently
thinks upon. If it thinks of an orange, it assumes the shape of an orange. If
it thinks of Lord Krishna with flute in hand, it assumes the shape of Lord Krishna.
You must train the mind properly and give it proper, Sattvic food for assimilation.
You must have Sattvic background
of thought to take you to the goal (salvation). If you are a devotee of Lord
Krishna, have a background of thought of His picture and the repetition of His
famous Mantra "Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya" and His qualities (Form-formula-qualities).
A Nirguna Upasaka (Vedantin) should have a background of thought of 'OM' and
its meaning (Infinite Ocean of Light, Satchidananda, Vyapaka, Paripurna Atman).
Work in the world, and the moment the mind is free, begin to think of the background
of thought- either Saguna or Nirguna background according to taste, temperament
and capacity for Sadhana. By constant thinking, a habit in the mind will be
formed and, without effort, the mind will run towards the background of thought.
It is a pity that the vast
majority of persons have no ideal, no programme of life at all and no Sattvic
background of thought. They are doomed to destruction. The background of thought
of a young married lady is usually lustful. The background of thought of an
old mother is the affection towards her sons and grandsons. The background of
thought of the vast majority of persons is hatred and jealousy. Even the so-called
educated persons with many university qualifications, which is only husk when
compared with spiritual knowledge, have no ideal, no programme of life and no
background of thought. A deputy collector, after getting pension, marries a
third wife and goes on as a minister of a State.
A worldly-minded person
is a prey to sexual thoughts and thoughts of hatred, anger and revenge. These
two types of thoughts actually take possession of his mind. He is a slave to
these two sets of thoughts. He does not know how to divert his mind and fix
it on some other good, noble thought. He does not know the laws of thought.
He is quite unaware of the nature and subtle workings of the mind. His position
is extremely deplorable despite his earthly possessions and bookish knowledge
obtained in universities. Viveka has not awakened in him. He has no Sraddha
in saints, Sastras and God. He is unable to resist an evil desire, craving or
temptation on account of his weak will. The only potent remedy to remove his
world-intoxication, world-charm, world-delusion is constant Satsanga or association
with Sadhus, Sannyasins and Mahatmas.
After retirement, everybody
should have a background of thought and should spend his time in philosophical
studies and divine contemplation. Old habits of loose thinking must be replaced
by cultivating fresh habits of good thoughts. At first, a tendency to think
of good thoughts will be formed. By continued practice, a positive definite
habit of thinking of virtuous, helping thoughts will be developed. You will
have to struggle very hard. The old habits will try to recur again and again.
Till you are firmly established in the habit of thinking of good thoughts only,
you will have to fill the mind again and again with Sattvic thoughts, divine
thoughts, thoughts of the Gita, Lord Krishna, Lord Rama, the Upanishads, etc.
New grooves and avenues will be formed now. Just as a gramophone-needle cuts
a small groove in the plate, Sattvic thinking will cut new, healthy grooves
in the mind and brain. New Samskaras will be formed.
Glory Of
The Waveless Jnanin
Through constant and intense
practice, you can become waveless (thought-free). The waveless Yogin helps the
world more than the man on the platform. Ordinary people can hardly grasp this
point. When you are waveless, you actually permeate and pervade every atom of
the universe, purify and elevate the whole world. The names of waveless Jnanins
such as Jada Bharata and Vamadeva are even now remembered. They never built
Ashrams. They never lectured. They never published books. They never made disciples.
Yet, what a tremendous influence these waveless Jnanins had produced on the
minds of the people. Glory to such waveless Jnanins!
Chapter
20
Vasanas
Vasanas-how
They Manifest
Vasana (desire in subtle
form) is a wave in the mind-lake. Its seat is the Karana Sarira. It exists there
in the form of a seed and manifests in the mind-lake. Just as flowers are latent
in seeds, Vasanas are latent in the Antahkarana and the Karana Sarira (seed-body).
Daily new flowers blossom out. They fade out in a day or two. Similarly, Vasanas
blossom out like flowers one by one, come out to the surface of the mind, generate
Sankalpas in the mind of Jivas and goad them to strive to possess and enjoy
the particular objects of enjoyment. Vasanas cause actions, and actions strengthen
the Vasanas. This is a Chakra, vicious circle. On the advent of knowledge of
Brahman, all Vasanas are fried out. The real enemies are the Vasanas within.
Annihilate them. Eradicate them. They are inveterate.
The whole mango tree with
branches, leaves and fruits is contained in a subtle form in the seed. It takes
time for manifestation. Even so, the Vasana of lust lurks in the mind when you
are a boy, manifests at 18, fills the whole body at 25, works havoc from 25
to 45 and then it gradually declines. Various forms of wrong-doing and mischief
are done by human beings between 25 and 45. This is the most critical period
of life. There is no particular difference between a boy and a girl in their
characteristics when they are young. After attaining puberty they exhibit their
characteristic qualities.
Chapalata
Chapalata is Vasana of
a mild type. It lasts for a short time only. There are two kinds of important
Chapalatas. There is the Jihva-Chapalata of the tongue where the tongue wants
to eat the various things every now and then. It is a form of morbid appetite.
Rich people who lead a luxurious life have this form of Chapalata. The other
variety is the Upastha-Chapalata wherein the sex Indriyas wants to taste again
and again the sexual enjoyment (Sparsa).
Vasana
Causes Restlessness And Bondage
Vasana is the cause of
restlessness of mind. As soon as a Vasana manifests, there is an intimate connection
between the mind and the object through overflowing Vishaya-Vritti-Pravaha.
The mind will not retrace its steps till it gets the object and enjoys it. The
restlessness will continue till the object is enjoyed. The Vritti will flow
towards the object till it is obtained and enjoyed. The common run of men cannot
resist or suppress any Vasana owing to weak will.
It is the Vasana in the
mind that causes attraction towards objects and brings about bondage; with the
disappearance of Vasanas, bondage naturally vanishes. There will not be any
attraction, admiration or excitement for any object outside, if there is no
Vasana inside your mind. It is the Vasana that is at the bottom of all your
miseries and troubles. There is no pain from Isvara-Srishti (objects created
by the Lord). Water quenches your thirst. Breeze gives you comfort. Sunshine
enlivens you. Fire gives warmth. It is Jiva-Srishti that brings about bondage.
Ahankara, anger, Abhimana, attachment are all Jiva-Srishtis. Have Suddha Sankalpa,
but no Vasanas.
By mere ethical training,
jealousy, Raga, Dvesha, Krodha, Kama, etc., can be suppressed though not eradicated
completely. These impure, Asubha Vasanas can be considerably attenuated (Tanu-Avastha)
by moral culture. They attain a subtle condition. They cannot harm the individual.
They remain under perfect control.
Eradication,
Not Suppression, The Proper Remedy
A Vasana may be suppressed
for the time being by an aspirant. But it again manifests with redoubled force
when a suitable opportunity arises. Like a minister obeying the king, the five
organs of the body act in accordance with the dictates of the mind. Therefore,
you should through your own pure mind and proper efforts eradicate the Vasanas
for objects. You should rend asunder, the long rope of Vasanas tied to the vessels
of man, whirled on the ocean of Samsara, through enormous efforts on your part.
Vasanas should be thoroughly eradicated. If these Vasanas are destroyed by Vichara
(enquiry of Atman) and discrimination, the mind which is ever restless will
get quiescence like a gheeless lamp.
How To
Destroy Vasanas
Sama
Vijnanamaya Kosa serves
as a great fortress for the aspirant. From there he can attack the Vasanas when
they try to emerge from the seed-body (Karana Sarira) into the mind. Through
the practice of Sama, the aspirant should destroy the Vasanas one by one with
the help of Vijnanamaya Kosa (Buddhi). He should crush them as soon as they
try to raise their heads on the surface of the mind-lake. He must not allow
them to sprout forth. This is Vasana-Tyaga. This attack or fight is from inside.
When a Vasana or Sankalpa
arises in the mind, the mind gives a push to the Antar-Indriya. From the Antar-Indriyas,
this push is communicated to the Bahyakaranas (external instruments) such as
hands, legs, eyes, ears, etc. The practice of Sama stops this very push which
is the root cause of motion of all the Indriyas and Karanas.
Sama is peace of mind produced
by the eradication of the Vasanas (Vasana-Tyaga). The Antahkarana of a man who
possesses this virtue is cooler than ice. Even the coolness of the moon cannot
compete with coolness of the Antahkarana of a man of Sama. Generally, the Antahkarana
of a worldling is a blazing furnace. A man of Sama is neither exalted when he
gets a desired object (Ishta) nor depressed when he gets an undesired thing
(Anishta). He keeps a balanced mind always. He has no enemies. The happiness
of an emperor is nothing, nothing when compared with the supreme spiritual bliss
of a man of Sama. Sama is one of the four sentinels of Moksha. If you have Sama,
you will get the company of the other three friends, viz., Santosha (contentment),
Vichara (enquiry into Atman) and Satsanga (association with the wise and saintly).
Dama
The attack should commence
from outside also. Bahyavritti-Nigraha should be done through Dama (restraint
of the Indriyas). You must not allow sense-vibrations to enter from outside
into the mind through the avenues of Indriyas. This is also necessary. Sama
alone is not sufficient. The senses must be rendered blunt by Dama. The Vasana
for sweets, for instance, should be destroyed by Sama through Vasana-Tyaga,
by crushing the Vasanas within as soon as a desire arises; and the Bahyavritti,
which arises by the sight of sweetmeat should be destroyed by withdrawing the
eyes from the same when you move about the bazaar and by giving up taking sugar.
Dama supplements Sama in the control of mind. Dama is an auxiliary for the complete
eradication of Vasanas.
If you give up an old habit
of taking tea, you have controlled to a certain extent the sense of taste. You
have destroyed one Vasana. This will give you some peace, because the craving
for tea has gone and you are freed from your efforts and thinking in getting
tea, sugar, milk, etc. Thinking is pain, seeing is pain, hearing is pain for
a philosopher and a Sadhaka. It is all pleasure for a worldling. The energy
that was agitating you to run after tea is now transmuted into will. You gain
peace and will-power by giving up one thing. If you give up fifteen things,
your peace of mind will be still greater and the will still more powerful. This
is the fruit of Tyaga. So, you are not a loser in Tyaga. You gain more knowledge,
more bliss and more power. You give up something in favour of something higher.
Is there anyone who will not give up black sugar in favour of white sugar? If
you once control one Vasana, it will be easy for you to control other Vasanas
too, because you gain strength and power.
Svadhyaya
and Meditation
Increase your Sastra-Vasana
in the beginning. Occupy your mind with the study of standard philosophical
books. Thereby you can decrease your Deha-Vasana (thought of the body) and Loka-Vasana
(desire for name and fame, Kirti, Pratishtha, etc). Later on, you will have
to give up Sastra-Vasana also. You must entirely devote all your time and energy
in meditation and meditation alone. Vasana-Kshaya (destruction of Vasanas) is
caused through well-conducted deliberation (Vichara), Brahma-Dhyana, Vairagya
and Tyaga.
Vichara
and Brahma-Bhavana
The wise know that the
mind associated with Vasana tends to bondage while the mind absolutely free
from Vasana is said to be an emancipated one. Just as a lion that is shut up
in a cage emerges out by breaking the bars of the cage, so also a Jnani comes
out of this cage of physical body victoriously by breaking or by destroying
the Vasanas of the mind through constant Vichara (Atmic enquiry), constant Nididhyasana
(profound and constant meditation on 'OM' and its meaning) and Brahma-Bhavana.
The more you attenuate your Vasanas by Svarupa-Bhavana or the Brahma-Bhavana,
the happier you will become. In proportion to the thinning of the Vasanas, the
mind also is proportionately thinned out. Mind is nothing but a bundle of Vasanas.
Mind is no other than the Vasanas which generate an endless series of rebirths.
The true nature of the mind is the Vasanas. The two are synonymous.
Conquest
of Ahankara
If you destroy egoism (Ahankara,
this false little 'I') and control the Indriyas (the senses), the Vasanas will
die by themselves. The root cause for all troubles is Ahankara. Just as the
dependants of a family hang upon the chief of the house- the father-similarly,
all Vasanas, Trishnas, Kamanas, etc., hang upon Ahankara, the chief of this
house-body.
Constantly generate from
the Sattvic mind-battery the Akhanda electric current 'Aham Brahmasmi'-Vritti
(Brahmakara Vritti). That is the potent antidote. Keep it safe in the pocket;
smell it when an apoplectic attack of the Ahankaric false 'I' idea overcomes
you. It is only when you eradicate the painful Ahankara of the mind and conquer
the foes of organs (Indriyas) that the ever-waking Vasanas will subside.
The Meaning
Of Moksha
The illusory Samsaric Vasanas
that have arisen through the practice of many hundreds of lives never perish
except through the practice of Yoga for a long time. Therefore, O Aspirants!
After having put away at a distance the desire of enjoyment by discriminative
efforts, practise the state of mind absolutely devoid of Vasana.
Moksha does not mean physical
separation from all worldly affairs, but only a state of mind bereft of all
impure Vasanas or clinging to worldly things, but yet working as usual amidst
them. You must realise God in and through the world. This is the central teaching
of the Gita. "But the disciplined (lower) self, moving among sense-objects
with senses free from attraction and repulsion and mastered by the higher Self,
goeth to Peace" (Gita. II-64). This is the central teaching of Yoga Vasishtha
also.
There is no Vasana in Brahman.
Complete annihilation of the Vasanas takes place only in Nirvikalpa Samadhi.
Only Nirvikalpa Samadhi can completely fry up the seeds of impure Vasanas. Through
the knowledge of Brahman, there will be an extinction of all Vasanas, which
form the medium of enjoyments. With the extinction of all Vasanas, the undaunted
mind will get quiescence like a gheeless lamp.
Chapter
21
Desires
"Sweep out the sphere
of your mind:
Make a place for Loved One to sit.
Dust out all thoughts of this world
So that His throne may be fit.
A million desires engulf you,
A million ambitions and aims:
How can you make room for His Presence
Unless they vacate His domain?"
What Is
Desire?
Desire is a mode of the
emotive mind. It has got a power of externalising the mind. Desire is the fuel;
thought is the fire. The thought-fire is kept up by the desire-fuel. If you
withdraw the supply of fuel, the fire will be withdrawn into its womb. If you
stop thinking by cutting off desires, the mind will be withdrawn into Brahman.
It is only when the mind,
being divested of all its desires, is indifferent to pleasures and pains and
is not attracted by any object that it will be rendered pure, free from the
grip of the great delusion like a bird freed from its cage and roaming freely
in the Akasa.
Desire, thought and Ahankara
form one vicious circle. If you can destroy any one of them, the other two will
die by themselves. These are the three pillars or corner-stones of the edifice
of mind. They are the three links of the mind-chain. Destroy any one of the
links; the whole chain will be broken.
Why Do
Desires Arise?
Why do desires arise in
the mind? On account of Ananda-Abhava (absence of Ananda or spiritual bliss).
The cause for desire is the existence of objects outside. Curiosity becomes
a desire in the mind. Interest and feeling precede a desire. Hope and expectation
fatten the desire.
Vikshepa-the
Very Nature Of Mind
Just as heat is inseparable
from fire, Vikshepa or the tossing of the mind is inseparable from the mind.
It troubles the Sadhakas a lot. It destroys all of a sudden the determinations
of strong-willed persons also. The mind ceases to exist if it is destitute of
this oscillation. This fluctuating mind alone creates the universe. Even Mala
(impurity) can be removed easily. It demands strenuous efforts for a protracted
time on the part of the Sadhaka to remove this Vikshepa. The undaunted Uddalaka
suffered a lot from this distracting Vikshepa when he tried to enter into Nirvikalpa
state. Raja Bhartrihari underwent the same difficulty when he tried to overcome
this troublesome fluctuating Sakti of the mind. Vikshepa is Maya. Vikshepa is
impure Vasana (Asuddha Vasana). You will have to destroy this Vikshepasakti
by constant Upasana or Yoga or ceaseless Atmic enquiry (Brahmavichara). Then,
peace (Santi) will come by itself.
Types Of
Desire
Desire in the mind is the
real impurity. Sexual desire, vulgar attraction for the opposite sex, is the
greatest impurity. This causes the real bondage. You can even give up wife,
children and wealth. But, it is extremely difficult to give up ambition, name
and fame. Ambition is a serious obstacle in the path of Yoga. This is the most
powerful weapon of Maya with which she slaughters worldly-minded persons. Even
if there is a tinge of desire for name and fame, Truth will not manifest. Truth
will shine by Itself. It does not need any pompous advertisement. It is the
very Self of all beings and objects.
Anirbuddha
Or Subtle, Hidden Desires
Even after you have renounced
all the desires, there may remain in the mind some subtle, hidden desires (Sukshma,
Anirbuddha) that cannot be comprehended. These are very dangerous ones. Therefore,
you will have to be very, very careful. The lurking under-currents of desires
will throw you down at any moment if you are not very vigilant and cautious,
will destroy your Vairagya (dispassion) and will bring about your downfall eventually.
I have witnessed many Yogabhrashtas who had fallen from Yoga owing to the overpowering
influence of these subtle, hidden desires. So long as you have these subtle,
hidden, Anirbuddha (unnoticeable) desires in your mind, you can never dream
of entering into the Nirvikalpa state without any modification of the mind.
You can never develop real Paravairagya (supreme non-attachment and dispassion)
also.
Craving
Or Trishna
You may become old, your
hairs may turn grey, but your mind is ever young. The capacity may vanish, but
the craving remains even when you have reached advanced senility. Cravings (Trishna)
are the real seeds of birth. These craving-seeds give rise to Sankalpa and action.
The wheel of Samsara is kept revolving by these cravings. Nip them in the bud.
Then only will you be safe. You will get Moksha. Brahma-Bhavana, Brahma-Chintana,
meditation on OM and devotion will root out these craving-seeds which are laid
deep. You will have to dig them out properly in various corners and burn them
beyond resurrection. Then only will your efforts bear the fruit of Nirvikalpa
Samadhi.
"Love and kill,"
"Marry and observe Brahmacharya," "Enjoyment without desire,"
"Action without fruits" are paradoxical terms. A man with gross Vyavaharic
Buddhi can hardly understand these terms. A subtle, pure intellect is needed.
Suppose you were a terrible smoker for the last fifteen years. Then you gave
up smoking for five years. The craving for smoking also died. Suppose one of
your friends offers you a cigar in the sixth year. You have no craving for smoking
now. If you take it now and enjoy it just to please your friend, it will be
called a Suddha Bhoga only. You have enjoyed it without a craving or a desire.
Isvara enjoys Suddha Bhoga.
Satisfaction
Of Desire Yields Illusory Happiness Only
Desire excites the mind
and senses. When desire is gratified by enjoyment of the objects of desire,
satisfaction (Tripti) comes in temporarily. Rapture is delight in the attainment
of the desired object. Bliss is the enjoyment of the taste of what is attained.
Where rapture is there is bliss; but where bliss is there is not, quite of necessity,
rapture. Rapture is like a weary traveller who hears or sees water or a shady
wood. Bliss is the enjoying of the water or entering the forest shade.
When there is desire, then
alone is there pleasure. The cause for pleasure is desire. When there is no
desire, there cannot be any pleasure. When there is no hunger, delicious food
can give you no pleasure. When there is no thirst, any refreshing beverage will
have no effect. So, hunger is the best sauce. The first cup of hot milk gives
pleasure. The second cup induces disgust. After the enjoyment is over, Tripti
comes. Hence, disgust arises when the second cup is taken. There is no real
pleasure in milk. The happiness is in Atman only. It is reflected in the object
(milk) owing to ignorance, owing to Bhranti (illusion). It is Bhranti-Sukha.
If there were real happiness in milk, it should induce pleasure always and in
every person. It is not the case.
A desire arises in the
mind. There is a Vritti now. This Vritti agitates your mind till you get satisfaction
through enjoyment of the desired object. There is Santi or peace or happiness
after the enjoyment is over. Another desire arises in the mind. Now, in the
interval between the gratification of one desire and the manifestation of another,
there is pure bliss, because there is no mind then. It is at rest. You are in
union with Brahman. That state of pure bliss between two desires is Brahman.
If you can prolong that period of bliss through Sadhana by keeping up the idea
of Brahman and by not allowing another Vritti or desire to crop up, you will
be in Samadhi. The period between one Vritti and another Vritti is the real
Sandhi (juncture).
Desires
Are Insatiable
Mind plays havoc through
desires. As soon as a desire arises, you think you will get all happiness by
its realisation. You exert yourself to achieve the desired object. As soon as
you get it, a little satisfaction (false Tushti or gratification) is experienced
for a short time. Again, mind becomes restless. It wants new sensations. Disgust
and dissatisfaction come in. Again, it wants some new objects for its enjoyment.
That is the reason why this world is termed as mere Kalpana (imagination) by
Vedantins.
Desires are innumerable,
insatiable and unconquerable. Enjoyment cannot bring in satisfaction. It is
a mistake to think so. Enjoyment fans the desire. It is like pouring ghee in
fire. Enjoyment strengthens, increases and aggravates a desire. See the case
of Raja Yayati of yore. He borrowed the youthful state from his son to have
sexual enjoyment for thousands of years. At last, he cries out in his old age
with bitterness, "Alas! What a fool I am! Still my sexual desires are waxing.
There is no end of desires. I have wasted my life. O God! Have mercy on me.
Lift me up from this mire of Samsara." This comes in Mahabharata. In the
Gita, Chapter III-39, you will find "Kama-rupena Kaunteya Dushpurena-analena
cha-desire which is insatiable as a flame."
Freedom
From Desires Necessary For Jnana
You can attain Jnana only
if you are free from sensuous desires and immortal mental states. Aloofness
of body from sensuous objects and aloofness of mind from immoral states of mind
are needed for the attainment of Jnana. Then only will Divine Light descend.
Just as a bungalow is cleaned of cobwebs and all kinds of dirts and the garden
of all its weeds for the reception of the Viceroy, the mental palace should
be cleansed of all vices, desires and immoral states for the reception of the
Holy Brahman, the Viceroy of viceroys.
When a desire arises in
the mind, a worldling welcomes it and tries to fulfil it; but, an aspirant renounces
it immediately through Viveka. Wise people consider even a spark of desire as
a very great evil. Therefore, they will not entertain any kind of desire. They
will be ever delightful in Atman only.
How To
Control Desires
In this ocean of Samsara,
desires are the crocodiles. Kill them as soon as they arise on the surface of
the mind. Do not yield to them. Do not become despondent under your trials.
Make friendship with the pure, Sattvic mind and destroy the impure mind with
the help of the pure mind. Make your mind rest in the blissful Atman. Desires
should be crushed the very moment they arise in the mind, by discrimination
and dauntless, indefatigable efforts.
Whenever a desire arises
in the mind, consult always your Viveka (power of discrimination). Viveka will
at once tell you that the desire is attended with pain, that it is only a vain
temptation set up by the mind and that Vairagya and Tyaga alone can bring about
satisfaction and peace of mind. It will advise you to renounce the desire immediately
and take to the study of Upanishads, repetition of OM and to have Samadhi-Nishtha
in a solitary place on the bank of the sacred Ganga. Think deeply again and
again whether the new desire will give you more happiness or more spiritual
gain. Viveka will guide you to take up the help of will and drive the desire
immediately. Viveka and will are two potent weapons for an aspirant on the Jnana
Yogic path to destroy evil Mara (temptation) and remove all major and minor
impediments.
Never accept gifts from
anybody, even from your closest friends. It will produce slavish mentality,
weak will and attachment. Asking is begging. Recommending is begging. A beggar
is absolutely unfit for freedom and spiritual pursuits.
Just as you starve a plant
by depriving it of water, so you may starve out obnoxious desires by allowing
the mind not to dwell upon such desires. You have no desire for a thing till
you know what it is like. It is only after you have seen it or heard of it or
touched it that you get a longing for it. Therefore, the best principle for
a man is not to take, touch or see anything that is likely to taint the imagination.
You will have to turn aside the attention resolutely and particularly the imagination
from the subject. In course of time, all objectionable desires will die out.
It is desire in the mind
that has created this body. The nature of the desire depends upon the quality
of Samskaras. If these are good, virtuous Samskaras, good desires will crop
up and, if they are bad, they will give rise to evil desires. Buddhi also is
Karmanusarini (according to the nature of Karmas). It has to be specially trained
by repeated efforts to think and act according to the holy injunctions of sacred
scriptures. Desire becomes the thought and thought becomes the action. An evil
desire sets up an evil thought which leads to evil action. Do always virtuous
action-charity, Tapas, Japa, Dama, Dhyana and study of scriptures. Give up Nishiddha
Karma (actions prohibited by Sastras). Have constant Satsanga. This is very
important. It is the only means of changing the evil Samskaras of the mind.
The mind with half-developed
Jnana feels severe pain when it relinquishes all desires. It demands aid, through
prayer, from higher souls.
A counter-desire, a desire
for God, one strong desire to attain Brahman will destroy all other worldly
desires. Put down vicious desires through virtuous desires. Then give up virtuous
desires through one strong desire-Mumukshutva (desire for liberation). Abandon
this desire for God also in the long run. Give up Asubha Vasana through Subha
Vasana. Give up Subha Vasana through Svarupa Vasana. Give up Svarupa Vasana
by Nididhyasana. Desires will become extinct with the rise of discrimination.
When desires cease, Jivahood becomes extinct.
Brahma-Chintana will destroy
all desires. There are no desires in Brahman. Brahman is All-Purity. Repeat
OM. Repeat the Mantra, "All purity I am." All the desires will vanish.
Kill the thoughts. Practise
thoughtlessness. You can destroy desires. Mind associated with thoughts of gratifying
the passionate desires, blindly goads a man to seek for sensual pleasures. Uncontrolled
thoughts are the roots of all evils. Sublime thoughts will easily destroy lower,
base thoughts. Do not entertain any base thought.
Destruction
Of Desires Leads To Atmic Bliss
Vasanasahita mind (mind
associated with desires) is Bandha (bondage). Mind free from desires is Mukta
(free). Desires are themselves pain. Non-desire is itself pure Atmic Bliss.
Mere annihilation of Maya is Moksha. With the extinction of the base Sankalpas,
there is also the extinction of Avidya. Should all longings for the visibles
cease, then such an abnegation of mind is itself the destruction of Ajnana or
the mind. Such a bliss is generated through one's efforts only. There is nothing
like Purushartha (right exertion). Purushartha changed the destiny of Markandeya.
He became a Chiranjivi.
Desire is the enemy of
peace. You have become the beggar of beggars through desires. A desireless man
is the richest man in the world. It is the mind that makes a man rich.
Free yourself from the
firm grip of crocodiles of desires. Do not get disheartened under trials. Cheer
yourself up. Stand up like a lion. Destroy the impure mind with the help of
the pure mind. Make friendship with the Sattvic mind and rest yourself peacefully
in Atman.
Chapter
22
Raga-Dvesha
Raga-dvesha-viyuktaistu
vishayanindriyais-charan
Atmavasyair-vidheyatma prasadam-adhigacchati
"But the disciplined
(lower) Self, moving among sense-objects with senses free from attraction and
repulsion and mastered by the Higher Self, goeth to Peace." (Gita, II-64)
Raga-Dvesha,
The Cause Of Bondage
Raga (attraction), Dvesha
(repulsion) and Tatastha Vritti (indifference) are the three important Vrittis
of the mind. Raga and Dvesha (like and dislike or love and hatred or attraction
and repulsion) are the two currents in the mind which bind a man to the Samsaric
wheel of birth and death. Raga and Dvesha are the two Doshas or faults in the
mind that have brought you to this world. The Svarupa of Bandha (bondage) is
Raga and Dvesha. The Svarupa of Ajnana is Raga and Dvesha. All the emotions
come under the category of Raga-Dvesha. These two currents are the Dharma (characteristics)
of the mind and not of the spirit. Pleasure and pain, Harsha and Soka, exhilaration
and depression are due to Raga-Dvesha. If Raga and Dvesha vanish from the mind,
Harsha-Soka also will disappear.
Selfish
Love And Divine Love
When two forces of equal
quality or power meet, a third force is formed. When two people of equal force
and quality are attracted towards each other, a third force is formed between
them. That is termed love. This is the scientific way of explaining what love
is. Attraction is Akarshana-Sakti. Repulsion is Vikarshana-Sakti. When I see
myself in another man, when I see him as my own self, I begin to love him as
my own self. When I find something in you that I myself possess, I am naturally
drawn towards you and begin to love you. This is Vedantic way of explaining
love. Love is pouring forth one's affection (Prema) on another. Love is God.
Love is of two kinds, viz., selfish or physical love and real Love or divine
Love which is unselfish and lasting. The first kind is love with attachment.
The second one is love without attachment. He who is a real aspirant of Vedantic
path, who feels his own self everywhere and a real Bhakta who sees Narayana
everywhere in everything can really love others. When an inferior person hangs
on another person for his happiness or existence, physical attachment crops
up. Attachment causes slave mentality and weak will. Attachment is death. Physical
love is death. "Asangasastrena dridhena chhitva-Cut all sorts of
attachment by the sword of non-attachment." (Gita, XV-3)
Raga As
Painful As Dvesha
Raga (attraction) in the
mind is as much dangerous as Dvesha (hatred or repulsion). Whenever there is
Raga, there is Dvesha also. Not only the Dvesha-Vritti (the modification of
dislike), but also the Vritti of Raga gives pain to man. If an object gives
pleasure, you get Raga for the object. But when there is Viyoga (separation)
from the object, as in the case of death of your dear wife or son, you get immense
pain which is indescribable. Suppose you are in the habit of taking fruits after
food. Fruits give you pleasure. You get Raga (liking) for fruits. But if you
cannot get fruits in a place, you get pain.
Whenever there is pleasure
and Raga, there exist side by side fear and anger. Anger is only a modification
of desire. Fear and anger are two old associates of pleasure and Raga. Fear
and anger are hidden in Raga. They constantly torment the mind.
Fear is hidden in Raga.
When you have got Raga for body, fear of death comes in. When you have Raga
for money, there is fear of losing money, as money is the means of getting objects
of enjoyment. When you have Raga for a woman, you always take care in protecting
her. Fear is a very old, intimate friend of Raga.
The Different
States Of Raga-Dvesha
Raga-Dvesha has four Avasthas,
viz., Dagdha (burnt up), Tanu (attenuated or thinned out), Vicchinna (concealed)
and Udara (fully expanded). The first two states pertain to a Yogin; the last
two to worldlings. In a fully developed Yogin, the Vrittis of Raga-Dvesha are
burnt up by Nirvikalpa Samadhi. They are Dagdha (like burnt-up seeds). In a
Yogin who is practising, the impressions of Raga-Dvesha are tenuous. They are
in a fine state. He has control over these two Vrittis. In those who are given
to enjoyments (ordinary mortals), they are concealed and fully expanded. In
the Vichhinna state, they are concealed. When the wife shows affection to her
husband, when the Raga-Vritti is in operation, her anger and hatred remain concealed
for the time being. The moment she gets displeased with him for some reason
or other, the Dvesha-Vritti manifests itself. In the last (expanded) state,
the Samskaras of Raga-Dvesha, having favourable surroundings, attain to great
activity. A worldly-minded man is a mere slave of Raga-Dvesha currents. He is
tossed about hither and thither by these two currents of attraction and repulsion.
In sleep, these two emotions
exist in a man in a Bija state (seed form). They are not destroyed. As soon
as the man gets up from sleep, they begin to operate again.
In children, these twin
currents manifest for a short time and disappear soon. They fight in this second
and join together with joy the very next second. They do not keep up any ill
feelings in their minds. They do not brood also over the wrongs done by others.
They do not exhibit any grudge. The wave comes and passes away. As the child
grows, these currents assume a grave phase by constant repetition and become
inveterate.
Dvaita slowly develops
when the child reaches the second year. Place a baby within one year of age
in any place. It will remain there like a block of stone. It will laugh and
see alike all people without any Raga-Dvesha. Ask a child of two years of age
to sit. It will stand. Ask the child to come near. It will recede back to a
distance. Tell the child, "Do not go to the street"; it will immediately
march to the street. It will do contrary actions, because Dvaita is developing
now in the child.
The Causes
Of Raga-Dvesha
Raga-Dvesha is due to the
Anukula-Pratikula Jnana. You have Raga for things favourable (Anukula) and Dvesha
for things unfavourable (Pratikula). When this Anukula-Pratikula Jnana which
depends upon Bheda Jnana disappears, Raga-Dvesha will vanish.
Raga-Dvesha is also due
to Abhimana-Ahankara. As soon as Abhimana manifests, there comes Raga-Dvesha.
When you conceive yourself as husband, there comes the attachment (Raga) for
your wife. As soon as you conceive yourself to be a Brahmin, there comes the
love of the Brahmins. Give up Abhimana, if you want to eradicate Raga-Dvesha.
If this Abhimana, the result of Avidya (ignorance) vanishes, Raga-Dvesha will
vanish.
Some minds hang on you
through Raga, while some others hang on you through Dvesha. Ravana's mind was
hanging on Sri Rama through hatred and fear. He was seeing Rama everywhere and
in everything through constant, intense thinking of Rama. Similarly, Kamsa's
mind was hanging on Sri Krishna. This is also a form of Bhakti (Vaira-Bhakti).
Anyhow their minds were on God.
Raga-Dvesha
Constitutes Real Karma
Raga-Dvesha in the mind
is the real Karma. It is the original action. When the mind is set in motion
or vibration through the currents of Raga-Dvesha, real Karmas begin. Real Karma
originates from Sankalpas of the mind. It is the actions of the mind that are
truly termed Karmas. External actions manifest later on. It is desire that sets
the mind in motion. When there is a desire, Raga and Dvesha exist side by side
in the mind. Desire is a motive force. Emotions and impulses co-exist with desire.
From Avidya emanates Aviveka
(non-discrimination). From Aviveka originates Ahankara and Abhimana. From Abhimana
emanates Raga-Dvesha. From Raga-Dvesha comes Karma. From Karma comes the body.
From body comes misery. This is the chain of bondage with seven links. This
is the chain of misery.
If you do not want misery,
do not take up the body. If you do not want body, do not do Karma. If you do
not want to do Karma, give up Raga-Dvesha. If you want to give up Raga-Dvesha,
give up Abhimana. If you want to give up Abhimana, give up Aviveka. If you want
to give up Aviveka, give up ignorance. O Rama! If you do not want ignorance,
get Brahma-Jnana.
This Samsara or world process
is kept up by the six-spoked wheel, viz., Raga, Dvesha, merit, demerit, pleasure
and pain. If the root cause, the original Avidya, is destroyed by attainment
of Brahma-Jnana, the whole chain of Abhimana, Raga, Dvesha, Karma body, merit
and demerit, pleasure and pain will vanish. One link hangs upon another. All
the links will be broken totally on the advent of Jnana. Sruti says: "Rite
Jnananna muktih-Liberation comes from knowledge of Brahman."
Absence
Of Raga-Dvesha Makes For Freedom
That Yogin or Jnanin who
has destroyed these two Vrittis of Raga and Dvesha is the highest man in the
three worlds. He is the real King of kings, Emperor of emperors. The chief Linga
or distinguishing mark of a Jivanmukta or a liberated soul is freedom from Raga-Dvesha.
Even if a Jnanin or Yogin sometimes exhibits traces of anger, it is Abhasamatra
(mere appearance). Just as the impression made in water with a stick passes
away soon, as also the anger will disappear in the twinkling of an eye, even
though it manifests in a Jnanin. This can hardly be understood by worldly people.
He who has no Raga but
possesses Titiksha (power of endurance) can do anything. He can move about wherever
he likes. He is as free as the atmospheric air. His happiness, freedom and peace
are unbounded. Their extent can hardly be imagined. The freedom and joy of such
Sannyasins cannot be imagined by the poor, petty-minded worldlings. It is Raga
and luxury that have enfeebled the householders.
Destruction
Of Raga-Dvesha Constitutes
The Essence Of Spiritual Sadhana
I shall tell you the gist
or essence of spiritual Sadhana. Destroy the true modifications of the mind,
Raga-Dvesha, by Vichara and Brahma-Chintana (right thinking and meditation).
Go beyond the Dvandvas (pairs of opposites). You will get eternal, infinite
bliss and peace. You will shine in Brahmic glory. You will become Brahman. YOU
ARE BRAHMAN.
Just as heat in fire can
be removed by Mantra and Oushadha (recitation of God's Name and medicine), so
also the Raga-Dvesha currents, the characteristics of the mind, can be removed
by Yogic Kriya (practices of Yoga). These can be completely fried up by Nirvikalpa
Samadhi or Asamprajnata Samadhi.
Amongst the several Vrittis
in the mind, Raga-Dvesha and Moha are very deep-rooted. They demand strenuous
and persistent efforts for their eradication. In your mental lives, you can
either keep hold of the rudder and so determine exactly what course you take,
what points you touch or you can fail to do this and, failing, you drift and
are blown hither and thither by every passing breeze, by every emotion, by petty
Raga-Dvesha currents.
Chapter
23
Pleasure
And Pain
Pleasure
And Pain Pertain To Mind
Pleasure and pain are the
effects of virtue and vice. They are two kinds of emotions that pertain to the
mind alone. It is the mind alone which brings pleasures and pains on itself
and enjoys them through its excessive inclination towards objects. Mind contracts
during pain and expands during pleasure.
Ahankara creates the body.
Prana does all sorts of Cheshtas (efforts). Mind experiences pleasure and pain.
If you perform actions through a stainless mind (with Akartri Bhava and Nishkama
Bhava), your body will not share their fruits.
There are only facts, vibrations
or phenomena outside. Prakriti is blind. Prakriti is quite indifferent. There
is neither pleasure nor pain in objects. It is all mental creation, mental perception,
mental jugglery. It is only the mental attitude or certain kind of mental behaviour
towards objects that brings joy or grief, pleasure and pain. Maya has her powerful
seat in the imagination of the mind.
All pains are not equally
felt. There is no pain when you are asleep. It is only when the mind is connected
with the body that pains arise. It is the identification with the mind and body,
Abhimana owing to Avidya, that causes pain.
When the mind is intensely
fond of anything, there will be no perception of pain even if destruction awaits
the body. When the mind is completely drowned in any object, who else is there
to observe and flee from the actions of the body?
When you put one drop of
oil on the surface of water, it spreads throughout the surface of water and
makes it oily. Even so, a little pain for a luxurious man spoils all his pleasures
and makes all objects appear very painful. When you are in acute agony, a cup
of coffee, milk or tea does not give you any pleasure. When you are in acute
agony, the whole world which appeared to you to be full of bliss while in good
health, appears quite dreary. The world loses all its charms while you are seriously
ailing.
If the pessimist changes
his mental attitude, the world will appear to him to be full of Ananda.
Mind always runs after
pleasure, because it is born of Ananda Brahman. You love a mango, because it
affords you pleasure. Of all things, you love your own self most. This love
of the self gives the clue to the fact that Ananda or bliss must be the nature
of the Self.
Atman Has
No Pleasure And Pain
Freedom from the body and
mind is the real nature of the Self or Atman and, consequently, there being
no possibility of virtue and vice, very much less is the chance for any effects
of these on the Atman, hence, pleasure and pain do not touch Atman. Atman is
Asanga, Anaasakta, Nirlipta (unattached). It is Sakshi of the two modifications,
pleasure and pain that arise in the mind. Mind enjoys. Mind suffers. Atman is
a silent witness. It has nothing to do with pleasure and pain.
Sense-Pleasure
Is Only A Mental Deception
Pleasure and pain, beauty
and ugliness are all false imaginations of the mind. Mind is a false illusory
product. Conceptions of the mind also must, therefore, be false. They are all
Mrigatrishna (like a mirage in the desert). What is beautiful for you is ugly
for another. Beauty and ugliness are relative terms. Beauty is only a mental
concept. It is only a mental projection. It is only a civilised man that takes
much of symmetry of form, good features, graceful gaits, elegance of manners,
graceful form, etc. An African negro has no idea of all these things. Real beauty
is in the Self only. Pleasure and beauty reside in the mind and not in the objects.
Mango is not sweet; the idea of mango is sweet. It is all Vritti. It is all
mental deception, mental conception, mental creation, mental Srishti. Destroy
the Vritti; beauty vanishes. The husband stretches his own idea of beauty in
his ugly wife and finds his wife very beautiful through passion. Shakespeare
has rightly expressed this in his "Mid-summer Night's Dream": "Cupid
is painted blind. It finds Helen's beauty in the brow of Egypt."
Pleasure arising from external
objects is evanescent, transitory and fleeting. It is mere nerve-titillation
and mental deception. Jiva joins with mind and Vritti and enjoys the Vishayas
(sense-objects). The thing that gives you pleasure gives you pain also. "Ye
hi samsparsaja bhoga duhkhayonaya eva te-The delights that are contact-born,
are verily wombs of pain." The body is an abode of misery and disease.
Wealth brings a lot of trouble in acquiring and keeping safe. Sorrow springs
from every connection. Women are a perpetual source of vexation. Alas! People
prefer this path of misery to that of spiritual enjoyment.
No true, lasting satisfaction
comes from the enjoyment of worldly objects. Yet, people rush headlong towards
objects even when they know that the objects are unreal and the world is full
of miseries. That is Maya. When the mind rests on Atman, then only Nitya-Tripti
(eternal satisfaction) will come; because, Atman is Paripurna (all-full), you
get everything there. It is self-contained. All desires are gratified by realisation
of Atman.
Some say that children
are very happy. It is wrong. They only become exuberant. They get serious reaction
also. They have no balanced mind. They weep for hours together for nothing at
all. It is only a man of balanced mind that can really be happy.
Pleasure
Arises From Vritti-Laya:
Not From Sense-Objects
Really, there is no pleasure
in objects. Atman gives a push to the mind and sets it in motion. A Vritti or
thought-wave arises in the mind on account of the force of a Vasana. The mind
is agitated and runs towards the particular object. The agitation will not subside
till the mind gets the desired object. It will constantly think of the object.
It will scheme and plan various methods to achieve the desired object. It will
be ever restless. It will be ever assuming the shape of the object. As soon
as the object is obtained and enjoyed, the particular Vritti that was causing
agitation in the mind gets dissolved. Vritti-Laya takes place. When Vritti-Laya
takes place, you get peace and Ananda from the Svarupa or Atman within only
and not from the object outside. Ignorant persons attribute their pleasures
to external objects. That is a serious blunder, indeed.
There is no happiness at
all in any of the objects of the world. It is sheer ignorance to think that
we derive any pleasure from the sense-objects or from the mind. Whenever we
feel our desires are satisfied, we observe that the mind moves towards the heart,
towards Atman. In pleasure also, there is exercise of the mind. It expands.
It turns inward and moves to its original home, the place of its origin, Atman
and enjoys Atma-Sukha (Bliss of the Self).
Real Happiness
Lies Within
Why do you search, in vain,
for your happiness, O worldly fools, outside, in objects, money, women, titles,
honours, name and fame, which are false, worthless and like cow-dung? You cannot
get your happiness there. You are entirely deluded. Search within the heart,
subjectively in the Atman, the source and fountain of all happiness.
Real happiness is within
you. It is in the Atman. It is subjective. It is in the Sattva Guna and beyond
Sattva. It manifests when the mind is concentrated. When the Indriyas are withdrawn
from the objects outside, when the mind is one-pointed (Ekagra), when there
is Vasana-Kshaya (annihilation of the Vasanas) and Manonasa (annihilation of
the mind), when you become desireless and thoughtless, Atmic bliss begins to
dawn; spiritual Ananda begins to thrill.
Attachment
And Pleasure
The mind is the cause of
attachment to delusive objects. It is the mind which is the germ of all Karmas.
It daily agitates this body of ours to work and secure for its enjoyment various
pleasurable objects.
The mind always wants to
be doing something and, when it attaches itself with the objects it cherishes,
feels amused and happy. A play at cards has nothing in it; but, the attachment
and attention produce pleasure.
There can be attraction
without attachment. You can be attracted by a beautiful cabbage rose or a young
lady. But it is not necessary that you must be attached either to the rose or
to the lady. Attachment comes after possession and enjoyment.
Attachment, love and Ananda
(bliss)-all go together. You are attached to your wife and children; you love
them also, because they give you Ananda. As this world is illusory and as through
Bhranti (illusion) pain appears as pleasure, you must cut asunder all worldly
attachments ruthlessly and direct your love and attachment towards the Reality,
Brahman, the Adhishthana (substratum or basis) that lies at the back of mind
and all objects and is the Sakshi (witness) for all the activities that take
place in Buddhi.
It is difficult to divert
the mind which, from infancy, has fallen into the pernicious habit of seeking
external pleasure and it shall ever persist in doing so, unless you give it
something superior to be amused with, a greater form of pleasure to delight
in.
Kinds And
Degrees Of Pleasures
Intellectual pleasure is
far superior to sensual pleasure. Ananda from meditation is far superior to
intellectual pleasure. Spiritual bliss or Atmic bliss from Self-realisation
is infinite, immeasurable and unbounded. It is Anandaghana (solid mass of bliss).
The Golden
Mean
Keep the mind in a state
of moderation or happy, golden mean. Never let it run to excesses. People die
of shock from extreme depression as well as from extreme joy. Do not allow Uddharsha
to crop up in the mind. It is excessive merriment. Mind always runs to extremes-either
to extreme depression or extreme joy. Extremes meet. Extremes bring about reaction.
Mind can never be calm in excessive joy. Let the mind be cheerful but calm.
Be always cheerful. Laugh
and smile. How can a mind that is gloomy and dull think of God? Try to be happy
always. Happiness is your very nature. This is termed Anavasada (cheerfulness).
This spirit of cheerfulness must be cultivated by all aspirants.
Study spiritual books.
Have constant Satsanga. Repeat OM 21,600 times daily with Bhava. It will take
you three hours. Meditate on Atman or Krishna. Realise Brahman. Only this will
free you from all mundane miseries and afford you eternal peace, knowledge and
bliss.
With the growth of mind,
pains increase; with its extinction, there will be great bliss. Having lorded
over your mind, free yourself from the world of perceptions, in order that you
may be of the nature of Jnana. Though surrounded by pleasurable or painful objects
to disturb your equilibrium of mind, remain immovable as a rock, receiving all
things with equanimity. The final cool joy and laugh consequent upon it is the
bliss arising from the mind merging into the stainless Brahman.
Chapter
24
Viveka
What Is
Viveka?
When you are fully aware
of the magnitude of human sufferings in this miserable, relative world, you
will naturally begin to discriminate between what is real and what is unreal.
Brahman is real and Jagat is unreal. This is Viveka. Then sincerity or Sraddha
will develop. Then aspiration or keen longing to realise God will be felt. Then
you will have to remember the Truth constantly. Then you will have to assert
constantly: "Aham Brahmasmi-I am Brahman." By incessant practice,
Nama, Rupa and Sankalpa will vanish and you will realise Brahman. This is Vedantic
Sadhana. Discrimination, sincerity, aspiration, remembering Truth always, assertion
and then Realisation are the various stages or means for realisation of Brahman.
Aids To
Viveka
Viveka or power of discrimination
is only awakened by constant Satsanga and Sravana (hearing of Srutis). Those
who have done countless virtuous Karmas in their previous births will have the
fortune through the grace of God to have Satsanga of Mahatmas, Sadhus, Bhaktas,
Yogins, Jnanins and Sannyasins.
Benefits
Of Viveka
Mind wants repetition of
a pleasure once enjoyed. Memory of pleasure arises in the mind. Memory induces
imagination and thinking. In this way, attachment arises. Through repetition,
a habit is formed. Habit causes strong Trishna. Mind then exercises its rule
over poor, helpless, weak-willed worldlings. As soon as discrimination arises,
the power of the mind becomes weakened. The mind tries to recede, to retrace
its steps to its original home-the heart. Its poisonous fangs are extracted
by discrimination. It cannot do anything in the presence of discrimination.
It gets dethroned. The will becomes stronger and stronger when discrimination
is awakened. Thanks to Viveka which enables us to get out of this miserable
Samsara.
Chapter
25
Vairagya
And Tyaga
What Is
Vairagya?
If the mind is constantly
thinking of tea and if it gets pain when you do not get it, it is said that
you have got 'Aasakti' (attachment) for tea. This 'Aasakti' leads to bondage.
The practice of 'Vairagya' (dispassion) demands you to renounce this 'Aasakti'
for tea. Mere giving up of taking tea does not constitute the essence of 'Vairagya'.
Study Vairagya-Prakarana
in Yoga Vasishtha. You will have a comprehensive understanding of the real Svarupa
of Vairagya. A clean description of the actual dispassionate mental state of
Sri Rama is given. Palatable dishes, refreshing beverages, affectionate father
and mother, brother, dear friends, diamonds, pearls, flowers, sandal, ornaments,
soft beds, gardens had no attraction for him. On the contrary, their very sight
gave him intense pain.
In Vairagya, Brahmacharya
is Antargata (hidden). Vairagya includes celibacy in thought, word and deed.
Two Kinds
Of Vairagya
Vairagya (dispassion, indifference,
non-attachment) is of two kinds, viz., (i) Karana Vairagya (Vairagya on account
of some miseries) and (ii) Viveka-Purvaka Vairagya (Vairagya on account of discrimination
between real and unreal). The mind of a man who has got the former type of Vairagya
is simply waiting for a chance to get back the things that were given up. As
soon as the first opportunity offers itself, the man gets the downfall and goes
back to his former state. Vishaya does havoc in him with a vengeance and redoubled
force from reaction. But the other man who has given up the objects on account
of Viveka, on account of illusory nature of objects, will have spiritual advancement.
He will not have a downfall.
How Vairagya
Dawns
Note how Vairagya arises
in the mind. The transitory and perishable nature of all things creates a sort
of disgust in all minds and, in proportion to the depth and subtlety of nature,
this reaction from the world works more or less powerfully in the mind of every
individual. An irresistible feeling arises in our mind, viz., that the finite
can never satisfy the Infinite within us, that the changing and perishable cannot
satisfy the changeless and deathless nature of ours.
When you are not impressed
with the idea of rich living, rich style of living cannot attract you. When
you are impressed with the idea that meat and wine are not at all pleasurable,
they cannot tempt you. In that case, if you do not get meat and wine or rich
living, you will not be agonised at all in your mind. Why are you attracted
towards a young, beautiful lady? Because, owing to your ignorance, you vainly
think you will get pleasure through her. If you have got Viveka, it will at
once tell you that you will get immense pain through her. Then the mind will
recede or withdraw from the object, woman.
Sadhana
Without Vairagya Goes To Waste
When Vairagya appears in
the mind, it opens the gate to Divine Wisdom. From dissatisfaction (with the
sense-objects and worldly sense-enjoyments) comes aspiration. From aspiration
comes abstraction. From abstraction comes the concentration of the mind. From
the concentration of the mind comes meditation or contemplation. From contemplation
comes Samadhi or Self-realisation. Without dissatisfaction or Vairagya, nothing
is possible.
Just as cultivation in
a stony land or saltish earth becomes absolutely fruitless, so also Yogic practices
and Atma-Vichara (enquiry of the Soul) done without Vairagya (dispassion and
indifference to the sensual enjoyments) becomes fruitless. Just as water, when
it leaks into the rat-holes, instead of running into the proper channels in
agricultural fields, becomes wasted and does not help the growth of plants,
grains, etc., so also, the efforts of an aspirant become a wastage if he has
not got the virtue Vairagya. He gets no spiritual advancement.
Intense
Vairagya Necessary For Moksha
There must be intense (Tivra)
Vairagya in the minds of the aspirants, throughout the period of their Sadhana.
Mere mental adhesion will not do for success in Yoga. There must be intense
longing for liberation, a high degree of Vairagya plus capacity for Sadhana
(spiritual practice). Then only they will get Nirvikalpa Samadhi and Moksha.
It was only Raja Janaka and Prahlada who had Tivra Vairagya (intense dispassion).
This kind of Vairagya is necessary for quick realisation. It is very difficult
to cross the ocean of Samsara with a dull type of Vairagya. The crocodile of
sense-hankering (Trishna) for sense-enjoyments and sense-objects will catch
the aspirants by the throat and, violently snatching away, will drown them half-way.
Enemies
Of Vairagya
The
Curse of Affection
Delusion proceeds from
affection. It is a common observation that a person is distressed if the cat
eats his domestic fowl; but when his affections are not touched, for instance,
if the cat eats a sparrow or a mouse, he expresses no sorrow. You must, therefore,
root out affection, which is the cause of vain attachment. The body generates
numerous germs which people are anxious to remove; but to one variety they give
the name "children," for which their lives are wasted away. Such is
the delusion of the world.
At the back of affection
and love, there is grief and sorrow. Affection is mixed with sorrow. At the
back of pleasure, there is pain. Pain is mixed with pleasure. Man sows the poisonous
seed of sorrow under the name of love, from which quickly spring up shoots of
affection which contain a fire dangerous as lightning; and from these shoots,
grow trees of sorrow with innumerable branches which, burning like a heap of
covered straw, slowly consume the body.
The knot of affection is
strengthened by long indulgence. Affection has entwined its threads around the
hearts of men. The principal means to get rid of affection is to consider that
this is a fleeting existence. In this wide world, how many millions of parents,
wives, children, uncles and grandfathers have passed away. You should consider
the society of friends as a momentary flash of lightning and, revolving this
often in your mind, enjoy felicity.
Hope
and Anticipation
Hope and anticipation are
the opposite of Vairagya and Tyaga. They fatten the mind. To be perfectly hopeless
is a very high state for a philosopher. It is a very bad state for worldlings.
They always say with contempt: "He is a hopeless man." Worldlings
and philosophers move towards diametrically opposite poles.
How To
Develop Vairagya
Those who do not develop
the painless Vairagya inherent in one's self and that with great felicity and
happiness are, at best, but vermins in human shapes. When a bee finds that its
feet are stuck in the honey, it slowly licks its feet several times and then
flies away with joy. Even so, extricate yourself from the mind's sticking and
clinging to this body and children-honey owing to Raga and Moha through Vairagya
and meditation and fly away from this cage of flesh and bone to the Source,
Brahman or Absolute.
It is very difficult to
wean some children. They suck the breast even when they are three or four years
old. The mother applies some nim-paste to the nipples. The child is weaned quickly.
Even so, you will have to get a medicine of nim-paste for the mind to get it
weaned from sensual objects. Sit in a solitary room. Think of the miseries of
this earthly life, its cares, worries, anxieties, hunger, thirst, sins, temptations,
passion, fighting, fears, vanity, disease, death, old age, sorrow, grief, tribulation,
loss, failures, disappointments, hostility, scorpion stings, mosquito bites,
etc. This will serve as an efficient nim-paste to wean the mind from Samsara.
You must think in the above-manner daily.
Remember constantly the
pains of various kinds pertaining to this mundane existence. Moha will vanish
if you repeat the following line of Chapter XIII of Gita several times daily:
"Janma-mrityu-jara-vyadhi-duhkha-dosha-anudarsanam-Insight into
the pain and evil of birth, old age and sickness." Always make the mind
understand clearly that there is only pain in this world. Reflect often on the
instability of this world. This is the first Sadhana for aspirants. They can
thus develop Vairagya. The mind will be weaned from objects. Attraction for
sense-objects will gradually vanish.
Renunciation
Brings About Moksha
Shun the earthly objects
as fire or poison or offal. Renounce all desires and cravings. This itself is
Moksha (freedom). Renunciation of desires brings about the annihilation of the
mind. Annihilation of the mind brings on the destruction of Maya, because the
mind alone is Maya. Maya is enthroned in the imagination of the mind. How cunning
she is! A Viveki knows her tricks well. She is awfully afraid of the man of
renunciation and Atmavichara. She bows to him with folded hands.
What Is
True Renunciation?
The mind is the all-in-all
and its mastery leads to the renunciation of all. Chitta-Tyaga alone constitutes
the renunciation of all. True renunciation lies in the abnegation of the mind.
It consists in renouncing all desires and egoism and not world-existence. Through
such a mental abnegation, you will be able to free yourself from all pain. Then
will come immortality in life or enjoyment of the infinite delight of existence
free from ego, founded on oneness of all in Brahman.
Sannyasa-a
Mental State
Sannyasa is a mental state
only. It is Gerua or colouring of the heart and not of cloth alone. He is a
veritable Sannyasin who is free from passions and egoism and who possesses all
the Sattvic qualities, even though he lives with the family in the world. Chudala
was a queen-Yogini-Sannyasini, though she was ruling a kingdom. That Sannyasin
who lives in the forest, but who is full of passions is worse than a householder
and a worldly-minded fool. Sikhidhvaja was a worldly man, though he lived in
the forest naked for very many years.
True renunciation is the
renunciation of all passions, desires, egoism and Vasana. If you have a stainless
mind, a mind free from attachment, egoism and passion, you are a Sannyasin-no
matter whether you live in a forest or in the bustle of a city, whether you
wear white cloth or an orange-coloured robe, whether you shave the head or keep
a long tuft of hair.
Shave the mind. Someone
asked Guru Nanak, "O saint, why have you not shaved your head? You are
a Sannyasin." Guru Nanak replied, "My dear friend, I have shaved my
mind." In fact, the mind should be cleanly shaved. Shaving the mind consists
in getting rid of all sorts of attachments, passions, egoism, Moha (infatuation),
lust, greed, anger, etc. This is the real shaving. External shaving of the head
has no meaning so long as there is internal craving, Trishna.
Many have not understood
what true renunciation is. Renunciation of physical objects is no renunciation
at all. The real Tyaga (renunciation) consists in the renunciation of egoism
(Ahankara). If you can renounce this Ahankara, you have renounced everything
else in the world. If the subtle Ahankara is given up, Dehadhyasa (identification
with the body) automatically goes away.
Vedanta does not want you
to renounce the world. It wants you to change your mental attitude and give
up this false, illusory 'I'-ness (Ahamta) and mineness (Mamata). The snake-charmer
removes only the two poisonous fangs of the cobra. The snake remains the same.
It hisses, raises its hood and shows the teeth. In fact, it does everything
as before. The snake-charmer has changed his mental attitude towards the snake.
He has a feeling now that it has got no poisonous fangs. Even so, you must remove
the two poisonous fangs of the mind, viz., Ahamta and Mamata only. Then you
can allow the mind to go wherever it likes. Then you will have always Samadhi
only.
You must renounce the Tyagabhimana
also. The Tyagabhimana is very deep-rooted. You must renounce the idea, "I
have renounced everything." "I am a great Tyagi"-this Abhimana
of the Sadhus is a greater evil than the Abhimana of householders, "I am
a landlord; I am a Brahmin, etc."
Chapter
26
Control
Of Indriyas
Indriyas,
A Prolongation Of The Mind
Indriyas are objectified
desires. Will to see is the eye. Will to hear is the ear. The Indriyas (senses)
have two states, static and dynamic. When the desire begins to operate, the
Indriyas are put in motion. This is the dynamic state. As soon as the desire
is gratified, the Indriyas shrink through Tripti (satisfaction). This is the
static or passive state.
Mind and Indriyas are one.
Indriya is a prolongation of the mind. The sea is fed by the rivers; the sea
cannot exist without the rivers. Even so, mind is fed by Indriyas and cannot
exist without Indriyas. If you have controlled the Indriyas, you have already
controlled the mind. Indriya is another name for mind.
Mind is a mass of Indriyas.
Mind is a higher power than the Indriyas. Mind is a consolidated Indriya. Indriya
is mind in manifestation. Just as a minister obeys the king, so also, the five
Jnana-Indriyas act in accordance with the dictates of the mind. Indriyas represent
backwaters. The desire in the mind to eat has manifested as tongue, teeth and
stomach. The desire in the mind to walk has manifested itself as legs and feet.
If you can control mind, you can control the Indriyas.
Eyes can only see. Ears
can only hear. Tongue can only taste. Skin can only touch. Nose can only smell.
But, the mind can see, hear, taste, touch and smell. Mind is the common sensory.
The five senses are blended there. It can directly see, hear, smell, taste and
feel independent of the senses. It is an aggregate of the five senses. All the
sense-faculties are blended in the mind. You can see and hear directly through
the mind by Yogic practice (clairvoyance and clairaudience). This blows out
the Western psychological theory of perception.
Mind is termed the sixth
sense: "Manah shashthanindri-yani-the senses of which mind
is the sixth" (Gita, XV-7). The five senses are the five Jnana-Indriyas
(organs of knowledge, sensation or perception).
Ayatana means mind (Chhandogya
Upanishad, IV-vii) which is the substratum of the experiences of all other organs.
Senses cannot do anything, if the mind is not connected with them. When you
are wholly absorbed in the study of an interesting newspaper, you do not hear
when your friend loudly calls you. You are not aware that the clock has struck
five. It is everybody's daily experience. The mind was away at that time. It
was not then connected with the sense of hearing. The eyes may be wide open
during sleep. They do not see anything, because the mind is not there.
Sister
Indriyas
Nose and anus are sister
Indriyas. They are born of the same Prithvi-Tanmatra, nose from the Sattvic
portion, anus from the Rajasic portion. These two Indriyas are the least mischievous.
The olfactory sense and the olfactory nerve do not trouble you much. They can
be controlled very easily.
Tongue and genitals are
born of Jala-Tanmatra, the former from the Sattvic portion and the latter from
the Rajasic portion. They are sister Indriyas. Eating strengthens the reproductive
Indriyas.
Eye and feet are of Agni-Tanmatra,
eye from the Sattvic Amsa (portion), feet from the Rajasic Amsa. They are sister
Indriyas. Eye likes to see 'sights'. Her sisters, feet, say, "We are ready
to take you to the Kumbha Fair at Allahabad. Be ready."
Skin and hands are born
of Vayu-Tanmatra, skin from the Sattvic Amsa and hands from the Rajasic Amsa.
They are sister organs. Skin says, "I want silk and other smooth articles
for my enjoyment." Her sister, hand, says, "I can feel through my
tactile corpuscles. I shall get for you fine soft silk. Do not be afraid, my
dear sister."
Speech and ear are born
of the same Akasa-Tanmatra, ear from the Sattvic Amsa and speech from the Rajasic
Amsa. They are sister Indriyas. They help each other in the economy of Nature.
In a bungalow you will
find two gates, one for entrance, another for exit. Our body is also a nice
bungalow for the Lord. Eyes and ears are entrance gates for the reception of
forms and sounds. These are avenues of sense-knowledge (sight and hearing).
Upastha Indriya (organ of reproduction) and Guda (anus, organ of excretion)
are exit gates. They throw out urine and faeces.
Tongue,
The Most Difficult To Control
The most mischievous and
troublesome Indriya is the generative organ. Then comes tongue. Then comes speech.
Then comes ear. Then comes eye. Control of the organ of taste is far more difficult
than control of the genitals, because you have been enjoying delicious articles
of food even from your very birth. Lust manifests itself just before eighteen.
You indulge in sexual pleasure only for a short period in every birth. But,
you have to take food even in advanced senility. Control of tongue means control
of all Indriyas.
Music, cinema, sight-seeing
are enjoyed in human births only. Ants and rats do not enjoy cinema-show. The
Indriya of sight is not so powerful as the tongue.
The organ of sight serves
as a loving comrade to the organ of taste. The mind is at once tickled at the
sight of a yellow colour of the mango. The eyes see a beautiful mango and the
different dishes that are served on the table. At once, the glosso-pharyngeal
nerves are stimulated. You get good appetite and relish. The food is rendered
more palatable. A blind man may not have as good a relish as a man with sharp
sight has.
Object
Of Sadhana-to Prevent Externalisation By The Indriyas
The three organs of eye,
ear and tongue externalise the mind and make a man altogether worldly. Eyes
and ears are the avenues of sense-knowledge or Vritti-Jnana. Close the eyes.
Shut the ears either with balls of cotton or balls of cotton beaten with yellow
bee's wax or with the two thumbs making Yoni-Mudra. Now you have destroyed two-fifths
of the world. Do not allow anything to enter the mind through these two doors
of sense-knowledge.
The object of Sadhana is
to internalise the mind by introspection or Antarmukha Vritti and to realise
the Truth within yourself. Control the three organs of eye, ear and tongue.
Then you can bring the mind under discipline and prevent the mental energy from
flowing externally. These organs are the main causes of making the mind restive.
Control over them helps the purpose of concentrating the energy internally.
He is a real Kshatriya
who wages internal war with the mind, who fights with the Indriyas, the Svabhava,
through Viveka and will-force and obtains absolute mastery over the mind. He
is a real Kshatriya who fights with the host of evil Samskaras and evil thoughts,
the Rajasic and Tamasic, by awakening and increasing the Sattva Guna. He is
a real Kshatriya whose Sastra is Will, and Astra is Viveka, whose battle-field
is within, whose band is chanting of Pranava and Udgitha of the Chhandogya Upanishad
and whose coat-of-arms is the three qualifications, viz., Viveka, Vairagya and
Mumukshutva.
How To
Control The Indriyas
There are six ways of controlling
the Indriyas: (i) through Vichara, (ii) by will-force, (iii) by Kumbhaka (retention
of breath in Pranayama), (iv) by Dama (restraint), (v) by Pratyahara (abstention)
and (vi) by Vairagya and Tyaga. Perfect control can be made only through Vichara.
Dama
Dama is restraint of the
Indriyas. Dama blunts the Indriyas. Perfect control of the senses is not possible
through Dama alone. If the senses are very sharp and acute, they carry away
the minds of even good Sadhakas impetuously, just as the gale carries away the
ship in stormy weather (Gita, II-67). They can be controlled perfectly through
the help of the mind, through Vichara.
When you walk along Mount
Road, Madras, each Indriya tries its level best to get hold of its objects of
enjoyment and revelry. The Indriyas revolt vehemently if you do not procure
them these objects. Tongue drags you to the coffee hotel or Hotel de Angelis.
Tvak (skin) says, "Let me go to the Bombay Sait's shop and have a piece
of fine China silk." Ear says, "Let me have a gramophone or harmonium."
Nose says, "Let me have a bottle of Otto de Rose." The mind
is at the bottom of these Indriyas to instigate. A tumultuous internal fight
goes on between the five organs of knowledge, each trying to have a lion's share
of enjoyment. Use Viveka, power of discrimination, always. Indriyas tempt and
deceive you. Indriyas are the jugglers. Maya spreads her Moha-Jala through mind
and Indriyas. Be on the alert. Practise Dama through Vairagya and Vasana-Tyaga.
Happiness comes through calmness of Indriyas, through calmness of mind (Uparati).
Go to the sweets' bazaar with plenty of money in hand. Walk hither and thither
for fifteen minutes. Look with a greedy eye at the various sweets. Do not purchase
anything. Return home. Even if dainties are served that day at home, reject
them. Have a plain diet. By so doing, you will control the tongue which is at
the root of all troubles. You will eventually control the mind also. You will
develop will-power.
Give up all luxurious food
and all articles of sensuous enjoyment. Practise rigid penance. Tapas thins
out the Indriyas and eventually leads to control of mind. If you give up tea,
you have really controlled a small portion of the mind; control of tongue really
means control of mind.
Pratyahara
When the Indriyas give
up the objects, they take up the form of the mind-stuff. They are drawn into
the mind. This is termed Pratyahara or abstraction. When the Indriyas are withdrawn
from their respective objects, it is Indriya-Pratyahara. Mental abstraction
takes place when the mind is disconnected with the Indriyas. Pratyahara is a
general, broad term which includes Dama also. The effect of Dama (restraint
of Indriyas) is Pratyahara.
If you can do consciously
Pratyahara at will, consciously attaching and detaching the mind to and from
the senses, you have gained really a great control over the mind. You can check
at any time the outgoing tendencies or outgoing forces of the mind. Pratyahara
is the stepping-stone to inner spiritual life. He who has succeeded in Pratyahara
can concentrate his mind quite readily for a very long time. Dharana and Dhyana
come automatically if Pratyahara is perfect. An aspirant has to struggle hard
to have mastery over Pratyahara. Perfect Vairagya is indispensable for success
in Pratyahara. You can succeed after strenuous and incessant struggle for some
years. "Tatah parama vasyatendriyanam-Thence arises the supreme
control of the organs" (Patanjali Yoga Sutras, II-55). If Pratyahara is
perfect, all the organs are under perfect control.
During the period of Sadhana,
do not mix much; do not talk much; do not walk much; do not eat much; do not
sleep much. Observe carefully the five 'do-nots'. Mixing will cause disturbances
in the mind. Talking much will cause distraction of the mind. Walking much causes
exhaustion and weakness. Eating much induces Alasya and Tandri (laziness and
sleepiness).
Control
of Thought-A Great Desideratum
If you have the reins of
the horses under your control, you can have a safe journey. The Indriyas are
the horses. If you have the senses under your efficient control, you can have
a safe journey in the path of Moksha. Indriyas cannot do anything without the
help of the mind, their master and commander. Control of the Indriyas means
control of the mind only. Control of thoughts leads to the control of mind and
Indriyas also. It leads to the attainment of infinite bliss and eternal life.
Control of thought is indispensable-a great desideratum for all.
Remember
Your Original Home
O Mind! Do not ruin yourself
by keeping company with the senses and their objects. Enough. Enough. Now get
yourself concentrated on Brahma-Svarupa. That is your original home. That is
your real, happy home. Remember this constantly when you chant OM. Brahmakara
or Akhandakara Vritti will arise thereby. Svarupa is your original home. I have
to repeat this again and again, as you always forget your real nature. You have
taken your birth from Svarupa. Now, go back to your original home or birth-place
through the help of Brahmakara Vritti generated by constant Nididhyasana (profound
and constant meditation), through Mahavakya-Anusandhana or Chintana (enquiry
into or thinking on the deep and real significance of the great sentence "Tat
Tvam Asi" or "Aham Brahmasmi"). Then the Avidya (nescience) will
be destroyed and you will be free from all kinds of miseries and pain and will
attain the Paramananda state (highest knowledge coupled with infinite bliss).
When the Svarupakara Vritti arises, all your vain Sankalpas will vanish. You
will reach the Turiya state with Sahajananda (bliss which is your very nature).
Then, O mind, you will be free from birth and death. You will no longer have
to enter again this filthy house of physical body. You will not be clothed again
by flesh and bone. You will be merged in Sat-Chit-Ananda Brahman, your Adhishthana
or repository.
Chapter
27
Mouna And
Introspection
Mouna-its
Practice And Benefits
Miscellaneous talking is
a very bad habit. It distracts the mind. It keeps the mind always Bahirmukha
(outgoing) and makes a man unspiritual. A vow of silence must be practised once
a week. Much energy is wasted in talking.
The Vag-Indriya (organ
of speech) seriously distracts the mind. "Speech is the fourth 'foot' of
Mind-Brahman, because it is by means of the 'foot' of speech that the mind approaches
the denotable objects such as cow, goat, etc. Therefore speech is like a foot
of mind. In the same manner, nose is a 'foot', because it is through nose that
the mind approaches objects of smell. Similarly, the eye is a 'foot'; the ear
is another 'foot'. This constitutes the four-footed character of the Mind-Brahman"
(Chhandogya Upanishad).
Do not allow anything to
come out from the mind through the Vag-Indriyas (organ of speech). Observe Mouna
(a vow of silence). This will help you. Considerable peace follows Mouna. The
speech energy becomes transmuted into spiritual energy (Ojas). Sankalpas become
much decreased. Will becomes stronger. Now you have shut out a big source of
disturbance. You will rest now in peace. Meditate on God or Brahman now in right
earnest.
Spiritual aspirants must
observe Mouna for some hours daily.
Be careful in the selection
of your words before you speak. Think thrice before you speak. Consider what
effect the words will produce on the feeling of others. Observe Mouna for a
couple of years. It is Tapas of speech.
Do not argue unnecessarily.
Argument brings about hostility, heated feelings and wastage of energy. Every
man has got his own views, his own opinion, ideas, sentiments, beliefs and convictions.
It is very difficult to change the views of others. Do not try to convince others.
When you are an aspirant, when you are gathering facts and knowledge from the
study of sacred lore, do not argue with others till your thoughts have become
mature and steady.
Imagination in the mind
always exaggerates. Exaggeration is a modification of lie. Aspirants should
not exaggerate. They should utter words with mathematical and scientific precision.
An aspirant is asked to
give up company and observe Mouna, because on account of Raga, he will multiply
acquaintance; on account of Dvesha, he will incur the displeasure of others
by uttering some unpleasant words. There is a sword in the tongue. Words are
like arrows. They injure the feelings of others. By observing Mouna and giving
up company, one can control the Vag-Indriya and remove Raga. Then the mind will
become calm.
There are fifteen Doshas
that arise from company. An aspirant should, therefore, preferably remain alone
during the period of Sadhana. The Doshas of company are: (1) Misunderstanding,
(2) Ill-feeling, (3) Displeasure, (4) Raga-Dvesha, (5) Jealousy, (6) Vampirism,
(7) Attachment, (8) Mental sharing of pain of another man, (9) Criticisms of
others, (10) Anatma topics, (11) Habit of talking, (12) Bahirmukha Vritti, (13)
Idea and Samskara of duality, (14) Slavish mentality and weak will, (15) Contempt.
Love little, but love long.
When you take a vow of
silence, never assert from within very often, 'I won't talk'. This will produce
a little heat in the brain, because the mind wants to revenge on you. Simply
once make a determination and then remain quiet. Attend to other affairs. Do
not be thinking always, 'I won't talk, I won't talk.'
In the beginning, when
you observe Mouna, you will find some difficulty. There will be a severe attack
of Vrittis. Various kinds of thoughts will arise and force you to break the
silence. There are all vain imaginations and deceptions of the mind. Be bold.
Concentrate all energies on God. Make the mind fully occupied. The desire for
talk and company will die. You will get peace. The Vag-Indriya (organ of speech)
considerably distracts the mind.
Mouna Of
The Mind
Mouna of the mind is far
superior to Mouna of Vak (speech). Mouna should come of itself. It must be natural.
Forced Mouna is only wrestling with the mind. It is an effort. If you live in
Truth, Mouna will come of itself. Then only will there be absolute peace.
What is wanted is natural
Mouna and mental nudity. Physical nudity has no meaning. It is Tamasic Tapas
of fools, that is not countenanced by Sastras and reason. In a Jivanmukta or
a liberated soul, nudity comes of itself as he is absorbed in Brahman, when
he is in the Saptama Jnana-Bhumika (the seventh stage of knowledge).
Introspection-what
It Is And What It Does
The self-existent Brahman
created the mind and senses with outgoing tendencies. The mind has a pernicious
habit of externalisation from time immemorial. So you behold the external universe
and not the internal Self. It is the Vikshepa-Sakti or Maya that draws you out.
From your childhood, you are taught to look to the external world and not to
the internal, psychic world. You have entirely lost the faculty of introspection.
To have a comprehensive understanding of what is going on in the inner 'mental
factory', a Suddha Buddhi (pure reason) and subtle intellect with power of introspection
is needed. You will have to turn the mind inside, then concentrate all its powers
and throw them upon the mind itself, in order that it may know its own nature
and analyse itself. This is Raja Yoga.
Make a vigorous and earnest
search within. Do not trust the mind and the Indriyas. They are your enemies.
Woman and wealth are your bitter foes. These are two great evils.
In introspection, the mind
itself is the subject of study. A portion of the mind studies the remaining
portion of the mind. The higher mind studies the lower mind. Introspection is
apperception. Just as you watch the work done by a coolie, a portion of the
mind watches the movements of the rest of the mind. If you are one with the
mind, if you identify yourself with the mind, you cannot know your defects.
If you are a Sakshi or silent witness of the mind and if you practise introspection,
you can know your various defects.
By a careful watch, many
defects are detected and removed by suitable Sadhana. Enter a quiet room. Enter
into silence daily for about fifteen minutes, morning and evening. Introspect.
Watch the mind carefully. The mind will be doing either thinking, planning,
feeling, knowing or willing. You will have to find out through subjective introspection
what the mind is exactly doing at a particular time. To go through this practice,
you must have Antarmukha Vritti, a subjective mind and a subtle Buddhi. Buddhi
can be rendered subtle by study of philosophical books, Satsanga, control of
Indriyas (Dama) and Sattvic food. The constant utterance of holy Names of God
as Hari, OM, Narayana, Rama, Siva purifies the mind-stuff and helps make the
mind introspective (Antarmukha).
How To
Practise Introspection
You are the best judge
of your mind. Introspect by living alone in solitude or retiring into a calm
room for an hour. You must sit quiet in a solitary room alone, with closed eyes
and watch the activities of the mind. You will then know your defects and weaknesses
very clearly.
You should afterwards feel
the necessity of removing them. Then your Svabhava should agree to change. You
must know the right method to remove the defect. You must apply the method constantly.
Then only improvement will set in. Constant application of the Sadhana is an
indispensable requisite. You must watch the improvement every now and then,
say, once a week, a fortnight or a month. You will have to keep a record of
your progress (spiritual daily diary). You must watch carefully whether you
are progressing in the spiritual path, whether you remain stationary or retrograding,
whether the mind is distracted or concentrated. If it is distracted, you must
remove the distracting causes one by one with patience and vigilance by suitable
methods. If one method fails to bring about the desired results, you will have
to combine two methods (the Yogic methods and Vichara).
Remember the triplet, viz.,
self-analysis, self-reliance, self-determination. It will be of immense use
in your spiritual Sadhana. Analyse your self through introspection. Find out
the nature of your Vrittis. Find out what Guna (quality) is predominating at
a particular moment, whether it is Sattva, Rajas or Tamas. How long can the
mind be absolutely fixed on your Lakshya (point of meditation)-either God, Brahman,
idea or object, whether internal or external? How long can the mind be fixed
on the object, rose and rose alone to the exclusion of all other objects-whether
two seconds or two minutes or five minutes or half an hour? This is self-analysis.
Rely on your self alone. You are your own redeemer and saviour. Nobody can give
you Moksha. You will have to tread the spiritual path step by step. Books and
Gurus can show the path and guide you. This is self-reliance. Make a strong
self-determination, "I will realise God. I will have Atma-Sakshatkara or
Brahmanubhava this very moment and not in the uncertain future." This is
self-determination.
Wordlings have no time
to think over even for a few minutes the life-problems, the mystery of life,
etc. They get up in the morning. Their minds usually run to the special objects
of enjoyment on account of Raga. Their mental energies are poured forth in the
usual grooves and avenues-in thoughts of body, thoughts of eating and dressing,
thoughts of wife, children, friends and also thoughts of office-work and business;
and thus, the day is over. The same routine follows day after day, week after
week. Years roll on and life is wasted. It is highly lamentable, indeed!
Only he who does Manana
(reflection) and introspection through Antarmukha Vritti can change his worldly
nature. In him only the idea of Brahman can get permanently lodged.
Chapter
28
Evil Vrittis
And Their Eradication
Kama, Krodha, Lobha, Moha,
Mada, Matsarya, Darpa (arrogance), Dambha (hypocrisy), Asuya (a form of jealousy),
Irshya (intolerance), Ahankara, Raga (attachment), Dvesha (repulsion) are some
of the evil Vrittis. They bind a man to Samsara (transmigration). Pride, illusion
and desires are so many binding cords of the mind.
Lust, A
Powerful Force
Kama (lust), Krodha (anger),
Lobha (covetousness), Moha (delusion), Mada (pride), Matsarya (jealousy) are
the six passions of the mind. If lust is conquered, anger, Lobha, etc., which
are auxiliary weapons, will become ineffective. If this inveterate enemy, lust
is destroyed, its followers or retinue can be quite easily conquered. If the
commander is killed, it is easy to kill the soldiers. If lust, which is the
source of all enjoyments, ceases, then all worldly bondage, which has its substratum
in the mind, will cease. How, without its renunciation, can you expect to attain
the rare Nirvikalpa Samadhi or Brahma Nishtha?
Lust arises in him who
develops attachment specially towards a person of the opposite sex. Love's principal
weapon is woman or lust. Therefore, attachment should not be developed, specially
towards the opposite sex.
The love between a husband
and wife is mainly physical. It is of a selfish, ephemeral and changing nature.
He who has realised Atman can really love all with sincerity of heart. The love
between two aspirants based on psychological affinity and intellectual parity
is real and lasting. Get rid of selfishness. Selfishness is a major dirt. It
clouds the understanding. Remove it by selfless service, charity, study of Vedantic
literature and Satsanga.
In a Jnanin, the sexual
craving is entirely eradicated. In a Sadhaka, it remains well-controlled. In
a householder, when not controlled, it does havoc. It exists in him in its fully
expanded state. He cannot resist it. He yields to it helplessly on account of
his weak will and lack of firm resolution.
If you keep lemon juice
or tamarind juice in a golden cup, it is not spoiled or tainted. If you keep
it in a brass or copper vessel, it is at once spoiled and rendered poisonous.
Even so, even if there are some Vishaya-Vrittis (sensual thoughts) in the pure
mind of a person, they will not pollute him and induce Vikara (sensual excitement).
If there are sensual thoughts in persons with impure minds, they cause excitement
in them when they come across sensual objects.
Remembrance of image of
a woman unsettles the mind. When a tiger has once tasted human blood, it always
runs after killing human beings. It becomes a man-eater. Even so, when the mind
has once tasted sexual pleasures, it always runs after women. Lust is powerful.
It carries a flowery bow equipped with five arrows, viz., Mohana (fascination),
Stambhana (stupefaction), Unmadana (maddening), Soshana (emaciation) and Tapana
(inflaming).
In the Bhagavad-Gita, you
will find it mentioned that senses, mind and Buddhi are the seats of passions.
Pranamaya Kosha is another seat. Desire is all-pervading in the body. Every
cell, every atom, every molecule, every electron is surcharged with passion.
There are under-currents, cross-currents, inter-currents and submarine currents
in the ocean of passion. You must completely annihilate each one of them.
Be careful in destroying
passions. It is easy to control the conscious mind. But, it is very difficult
to control the subconscious mind. You may be a Sannyasin. You may be a moral
man. Mark how the mind behaves or conducts itself in dreams. You begin to steal
in dreams. You commit adultery in dreams. The sex-impulses, ambitions, low desires
are all ingrained in you and deep-rooted in the subconscious mind. Destroy the
subconscious mind and its Samskaras through Vichara, Brahma-Bhavana, meditation
on 'OM' and its meaning. A man who is established in mental Brahmacharya can
never have even a single thought of evil in dreams. He can never have a bad
dream. There is lack of Vichara or Viveka in dream. That is the reason why you
get bad dreams, even though you are pure in the Jagrat state through the power
of Viveka and Vichara.
That state of mind wherein
no single sexual thought enters the mind is termed mental Brahmacharya. Bhishma
had this state. If you are not established in mental Brahmacharya, at least
try to control the body when the sex-impulse is troubling you.
A Source
Of Perpetual Danger To Sadhakas
The presence or recollection
of a woman usually excites unholy ideas in the minds of recluses who have abandoned
this world and devoted themselves to spiritual exercises and thus deprives them
of the fruit of their austerity. It is very difficult to understand the presence
of subtle lust in the minds of others, particularly in spiritual Sadhakas, though
eye (look), tone, gestures, gait, behaviour, etc., may give a clue.
The Example
Of Jaimini
Once upon a time, Sri Vedavyasa
was holding his Vedanta class amongst his students. In the course of his lecture,
he mentioned that the young Brahmacharins should be very careful and should
not mix with young ladies and that, with all their vigilance and circumspection,
they may fall a victim as lust is very powerful. One of his students, Jaimini,
the author of Purva-Mimamsa, was a little impertinent. He said, "Guruji
Maharaj! Your statement is wrong. No lady can attract me. I am well-established
in Brahmacharya." Vyasa said, "Jaimini, you will know that soon. I
am going to Benares. I will return within three months. Be careful. Do not be
puffed with pride." Sri Vyasa, through his Yogic powers, assumed the form
of a beautiful young girl, with piercing eyes and very charming face, well-dressed
in a thin silken garment. The lady was standing underneath a tree at sunset.
Clouds gathered together. It began to rain. Accidentally, Jaimini was passing
along the side of the tree. He saw the girl, felt pity and addressed her: "O
lady, you can come and stay in my Ashrama. I shall give you shelter." The
lady asked, "Are you living alone? Is any woman living there?" Jaimini
replied, "I am alone. But, I am a perfect Brahmacharin. No lust can affect
me. I am free from any sort of Vikara. You can stay there." The lady objected:
"It is not right for a young virgin girl to stay with a Brahmacharin alone
at night." Jaimini said, "O damsel, do not be afraid. I promise you
of my perfect Brahmacharya." Then she agreed and stayed in his Ashrama
at night. Jaimini slept outside and the lady was sleeping inside the room. At
the dead of night, Jaimini began to feel the influence of lust in his mind.
A little sexual craving arose in his mind. In the beginning, he was absolutely
pure. He knocked at the door and said, "O lady, the wind is blowing outside.
I cannot bear the cold blasts. I want to sleep inside." She opened the
door. Jaimini was sleeping inside. Again, the sexual craving became a little
more intense and keen, as he was very close to a lady and as he heard the sound
of her bangles. Then he rose up and began to embrace her. At once, Sri Vyasa
assumed his original form with his long beard and said, "O, my dear Jaimini,
what about the strength of your Brahmacharya now? Are you established in your
perfect celibacy now? What did you say when I was lecturing on this subject?"
Jaimini dropped his head down in utter shame and said, "Guruji, I am wrong.
Kindly pardon me."
Even Jesus was tempted
by Satan. Buddha had to fight severely with Mara (lust) just before he attained
his Nirvana or Buddhahood.
Beware
Of Maya-a Warning To Aspirants
Therefore, oh, dear aspirants,
you will have to be very, very careful. During the period of Sadhana, avoid
the company of women. You must never mix with young ladies, however strong you
may be. Maya works through under-currents so stealthily that you may not be
aware of your actual downfall.
Keep the mind fully occupied
with spiritual pursuits. Keep yourself at the farthest distance from everything
that would stir up your passions. Then only you will be safe.
Do not live with householders.
Do not test your spiritual strength and purity when you are a beginner on the
spiritual path. Do not rush into evil associations when you are a spiritual
neophyte to show that you have the courage to face sin and impurity. It will
be a serious mistake. You will be running into a grave danger. You will have
a quick downfall. A small fire will be very easily extinguished by a heap of
dust.
Mind has a great power
of imitation. That is the reason why a spiritual aspirant is prohibited from
mixing with householders. His mind will try to imitate the minds of worldlings.
Downfall will ensue.
If an aspirant moves with
rich people, Zamindars and Rajas, his mind begins to imitate the luxurious habits
of these people and, ere long, he gets an unconscious downfall. Certain bad
habits creep in him unconsciously. And he finds it difficult to tear out or
remove these bad habits. After forty, it is difficult to tear out old habits
and establish new healthy habits.
An aspirant can live only
for a short time in his native place if there is an urgent call. Yogic rules
and laws cannot permit him to stay there for a sufficiently long period, however
suitable the place may be and whatever may be the degree of Vairagya (dispassion)
of the aspirant. The force of Samskaras (impressions) is tremendous. Unless
all the Samskaras are thoroughly burnt through pure Asamprajnata Samadhi or
Nirvikalpa Avastha (seedless state), it is not safe for one to stay for a long
time in one's own native place. He is still within the danger zone.
After seclusion for five
years, the aspirant should test his mental state by coming into the world and
mixing with the worldly people. If there is no attraction for objects, he can
be quite sure that he has reached the third Jnana-Bhumika-Tanumanasi-a stage
wherein the mind is thinned out like a slender thread.
How Lust
Develops And Ruins
From the bed of Samskaras
and Vasanas emanates imagination, through memory. Then comes attachment. Along
with imagination, emotion and impulse manifest. Emotion and impulse exist side
by side. Then comes sexual irritation, sexual craving, excitement and burning
in the mind and throughout the body. The irritation and burning in the mind
penetrate into the physical body just as water in the pot penetrates into the
surface of the pot. If you are very vigilant, you can drive off the imagination
itself in the very beginning and avert the danger. Even if you allow the thief
imagination to enter the first gate, keep a careful watch at the second gate
when the irritation manifests. You can stop the burning now. You can stop also
easily the strong sexual impulse from being transmitted to the Indriya itself.
Draw the sex energy up towards the brain through Uddiyana and Kumbhaka. Repeat
OM mentally with force. Divert the mind. Pray. Meditate.
Methods
To Control Lust
Just as you control the
itching sensation in an eczematous part of the leg or scabies of the hand, you
must control the itching from lust by Viveka, Vichara, Brahma-Bhavana, light
Sattvic diet, fasting, Pranayama, Uddiyana, Bandha, Satsanga, study of the Gita,
Japa, prayer, etc. Then only can you enjoy spiritual bliss.
Vichara
and Brahma-Bhavana
It is through constant
Vichara and Brahma-Bhavana that the mind has to be weaned from lustful thoughts
and tendencies. You must remove not only the sexual craving and the sexual impulses,
but also sex-attraction. Think of the miseries that you get from a married life
with its various entanglements and bondage. Make the mind understand by repeated
auto-suggestions and hammering that sexual pleasure is false, worthless, illusory
and full of pain. Place before the mind the advantages, bliss, power and knowledge
of a spiritual life. Make it understand that the exalted, eternal life is in
the immortal Atman. When it hears constantly these useful suggestions, it will
slowly leave off its old habits. The attraction for the sex will slowly die.
Then only real sex-sublimation will take place. You will become then only an
Urdhvaretas.
Atman is sexless. There
is no sex in the five elements. It is the mind that creates the sex idea. Sukadeva
had no sex idea. Consider that a woman is a combination of five elements, a
mass of electrons or atoms. The sex idea will slowly vanish.
Pure
Reason
There are two kinds of
force in the mind, viz., hostile or antagonistic force and friendly or favourable
force. Passion is hostile force that drags you down. Pure reason is a favourable
force that elevates you and transmutes you into Divinity. Develop, therefore,
my child, pure reason to get unalloyed bliss and supreme Brahmic knowledge.
The passion will die itself.
Sattvic
Food
Take light Sattvic food,
such as milk, fruits, etc. You can control passions in this way. The wise say
that purity of food leads to purity of mind.
Fasting
Fasting weakens the sex
Indriya. It destroys sexual excitement. Passionate young men and ladies should
take recourse to occasional fasting. It will prove highly beneficial.
Pranayama
By Pranayama, the mind
gradually proceeds from the gross to the subtle. It, therefore, exercises a
wholesome check upon the sexual irritation. When some evil thought disturbs
your mind, at once take to Padmasana or Siddhasana and practise Pranayama. The
thought will leave you immediately.
Satsanga
and Svadhyaya
Do not study romantic novels.
Do not talk on sexual subjects. Do not keep company with men who indulge in
sex. Strive your best to divert your mind and eyes from external objects that
prompt sexual desires. Keep company with Sadhus and Sannyasins. Read sublime
books such as the Gita, the Upanishads and the Yogavasishtha. Practise Mantra-Japa
and Pranayama.
Keep
the Mind Ever Engaged
Keep the mind fully occupied.
You can be established in mental and physical Brahmacharya. I shall give here
the routine of work: six hours for sleep (10 p.m. to 4 a.m.); six hours for
meditation (4 a.m. and 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.); six hours for study; four
hours for Nishkama work, service of the poor, service of the sick, etc., two
hours for walking or indoor exercise. This will keep the mind ever engaged.
Benefits
Of Brahmacharya
Mind, Prana, Virya (seminal
energy) are three links of one chain. They are three pillars of the edifice
of Jivatman. Destroy one pillar-either mind, Prana or Virya and the whole building
will fall to pieces. If you can observe Akhanda Brahmacharya for a period of
12 years, you will enter into Nirvikalpa Samadhi spontaneously without any effort.
The mind will be controlled by itself. Seminal energy is a potent Sakti. Semen
is Brahman itself. A Brahmacharin who has practised unbroken celibacy for full
twelve years will reach to Nirvikalpa state the moment he hears the Mahavakya
"Tat Tvam Asi" (That thou art). His mind is extremely pure, strong
and one-pointed. He need not have repeatedly undergone the lengthy process of
Sravana (hearing) and Manana (intellection).
A drop of semen is made
out of 40 drops of blood. The energy that is spent in one act of copulation
is tantamount to expenditure of mental energy through mental exertion for 24
hours or expenditure of physical energy through physical exertion for three
days. Mark how valuable and precious is semen! Do not waste this energy. Preserve
it with great care. You will have wonderful vitality and energy. When it is
not used, it is all transmuted into Ojas-Sakti (spiritual energy) and stored
up in the brain. Western doctors know little of this salient point. Most of
your ailments are due to excessive seminal wastage.
A true Brahmacharin in
thought, word and deed has wonderful thought-power. He can move the world. If
you develop strict celibacy, Vichara-Sakti (power of enquiry) and Dharana-Sakti
(power of grasping and holding the Truth) will develop. If a man persistently
refuses to yield to his lower nature and remains as a strict celibate, the seminal
energy is deflected upwards to the brain and is stored up as Ojas-Sakti (spiritual
power). Thereby, the power of the intellect is intensified to a remarkable degree.
The strict celibate has keen and acute memory even in old age. The celibate
who has achieved the transmutation of the seminal energy will find that sexual
desires no longer trouble him. Such celibate is known as Urdhvaretas. Hanuman,
Bhishma, Lakshmana, Swami Dayananda and Swami Vivekananda were Urdhvareto-Yogins.
Anger-how
It Arises
Anger arises in him who
thinks of his enemy. Even if you have forgotten the feeling of annoyance, it
lurks in the mind in a dormant form. The effect is there for some time. If you
renew a number of times the same kind of thought of jealousy, envy or hatred
about the same person, the effect lasts longer. Repetition of angry feeling
intensifies hatred. Mere ill-feeling develops into intense malice by repetition
of anger.
On days when you have many
troubles, vexations, worries from the morning to evening, a trifling causes
much irritation in the mind. The balance of mind is upset by a paltry affair.
A single harsh word throws you out of the balance, whereas when you are peaceful
throughout the day, even a strong abuse and severe censure do not produce any
effect whatsoever.
Anger resides in the Linga
Sarira or astral body. But, it percolates into the physical body just as water
percolates through the pores into the outer surface of an earthen pot.
Ill-Effects
Of Anger
Just as heat melts lead,
just as heat and borax melt gold, even so, Kama and Krodha, the heating factors
of the mind, melt it. When you are angry, the mind becomes disturbed. Similarly,
when the mind is disturbed, the body also becomes disturbed. The whole nervous
system is agitated. You become enervated.
Anger spoils the brain,
nervous system and blood. When a wave of anger arises in the mind, Prana begins
to vibrate rapidly. You are agitated and excited. Blood becomes hot. Many poisonous
ingredients are formed in the blood. When the blood is agitated, the semen also
is affected.
Once a child sucked the
breast of his mother when she was in a fit of violent fury or rage and died
immediately on account of poisoning by virulent chemical products that were
thrown into the blood of the mother when she was in great excitement. Many such
cases have been recorded. Such are the disastrous effects of anger. Even three
minutes of violent hot temper may produce such deleterious effects in the nervous
system that it will take weeks or months for the repair of injury.
Anger clouds understanding.
When the mind is violently agitated, you cannot understand a passage of a book
clearly. You cannot think properly and clearly. You cannot write a letter with
a cool mind. When the lamp is flickering through wind, you do not see the objects
clearly. Even so, when the Buddhi (mind) is flickering or agitated by anger,
chaos arises in the Buddhi and you are not able to see and understand things
properly. Buddhi is all light.
A man who is a slave to
anger, may have washed himself well, anointed himself well, dressed his hair
and put on white garments; yet he is ugly, being overcome by anger. There are
symptoms on the face to indicate the presence of anger in the mind. If you get
anger, you will lose the battle of life. If you have an easily irritable mind,
you will not be able to do your daily duties and business in an efficient manner.
How To
Control Anger
There are three ways of
destroying the anger and lust Vrittis: (1) You can drive them through will-force.
This is, no doubt, difficult and taxing. It exhausts your energy much. (2) Pratipaksha-Bhavana
method: Entertain counter-thoughts- thoughts of purity and love. This is easy.
(3) Live in Truth or Brahman. There are no Vrittis of any kind in Brahman. Brahman
is Nirvikara, Nirvikalpa and Nitya Suddha (ever pure). This method is a perfect
and powerful one. Vrittis completely die away.
Conquer passion. It will
then be easy to subdue anger, which is only one of its followers.
Control anger by love.
Anger is a powerful energy that is uncontrollable by practical Vyavaharic Buddhi,
but controllable by pure reason (Sattvic Buddhi) or Viveka-Vichara.
When you become angry with
your servant when he fails to supply your usual milk on a day, raise a question
within yourself: "Why should I be a slave to milk?" Then the wave
of anger will at once naturally subside. It will not arise on other occasions
also, if you are careful and thoughtful.
Control anger by Kshama
(forgiveness), Daya, patience, tolerance, universal love (Visva-Prema), mildness,
Viveka, Vichara, Atma-Bhava, Udasinata, Nirabhimanata and such other virtues.
Forgive and pity the man who does you harm. Consider censure as a blessing,
ornament and nectar. Bear reproach. Develop universal love by service, charity,
Brahma-Bhava. Recall any calm and pure state, which when once brought to mind,
suppresses the hatred and brings composure. When anger is subdued, rudeness,
pride and envy will vanish of themselves. Prayer and devotion will root out
anger.
Practise Pratipaksha-Bhavana
(entertaining a counter-idea). When you get angry, fill the mind with the idea
of love. If you are depressed, fill the mind with the idea of joy and exhilaration.
When you become intensely
angry, leave the place immediately for half an hour. Take a long walk. Repeat
the sacred Mantra, "OM SANTIH," 108 times. Your anger will subside.
I shall tell you another easy way. When you get angry, count from one to thirty.
The anger will subside.
When anger tries to exhibit
itself, observe silence. Keep quiet. Never utter a harsh word or obscene speech.
Try to nip it before it emerges out from the subconscious mind. You will have
to be very alert. It tries to come out suddenly. Before anger manifests, there
is an agitation (Udvega) in the mind. You must try to extirpate this very agitation
in the mind before it assumes a very gross form in the shape of twitching of
muscles of the face, clenching of teeth, red eyes, etc. You will have to punish
the mind well. You will have to impose self-restraint and punishment on yourself
by way of fasting for a day whenever Udvega (agitation) manifests in the mind.
If you strive and make
sincere effort to subdue your anger, the hatred subsides. Even then, a slight
movement of impatience lingers although the angry feeling has gone. You must
eschew this slight disturbance also. For a man who is leading a divine life,
this is a very serious drawback.
Irritability is a weakness
of the mind. If you are easily irritable, it is likely that you may do injustice
to many. Remove this by the practice of patience, Titiksha, tolerance, Karuna
(mercy), love, Brahma-Bhava, Narayana-Bhava, etc.
Calmness of mind is a direct
means to the realisation of Brahman (or the Highest Self).
Verily a certain man in
his behaviour is calm. His calmness is noticed by everyone as he discharges
his duties, large and small, beautifully well. Another man is calm in his behaviour,
in speech, which is noticed by everyone. For, by nature, he is friendly, sweet
in speech, congenial, of a frank countenance, ready at greetings. You should
be calm in all the three states. Towards such a one, the development of love
is not difficult.
You must have the knack
to keep the mind always in balance and in tune. Close your eyes. Dive deep into
the Divine Source. Feel His Presence. Remember Him always. Practise His Name.
Repeat His Name even while at work. You will gain immense spiritual strength.
Meditate early in the morning before you mix with people. You must rise above
the thousand and one things which would irritate you easily in the course of
your daily life. Then only you can turn out wonderful work daily with harmony
and concord.
Hatred
And Its Modifications
Hatred and malice are two
formidable passions. They are so deeply implanted in your system that it is
very difficult to root them out. Pride is not so fearful as hatred and malice.
When a man is placed in a high position and earns much money and is thereby
honoured and respected by all, he becomes very proud. When he loses that position
and fails to earn money, his pride vanishes. But hatred and malice are two passions
which are inveterate and need constant and diligent efforts for their eradication.
Prejudice, intolerance,
Ghrina, insolence, impertinence, scorn, contempt-these Vrittis are all modifications
of the emotion of hatred. Suspicion becomes prejudice by repetition. Prejudice
develops into ill-will (Ghrina) and intolerance. Ill-will is a mild form of
hatred. When repeated, it develops into hatred. Hatred, by successive repetition,
becomes malice or extreme enmity.
Prejudice
Prejudice or unreasonable
dislike, prepossessions and intolerance are three undesirable Vrittis in the
mind. Prejudice makes the mind and brain callous. The mind cannot think truly.
Prejudice is a kind of mental sore. If you have prejudice against Mohammedans,
you cannot understand the teachings of Mohammed in the Quoran. The brain and
the mind will not harmoniously vibrate to receive the spiritual ideas of the
Quoran, because the prejudice has rendered the mind callous.
Prejudice is like an open
sore on the physical body through which the will-power of the man is leaking.
Be liberal or catholic in your views. You must give a place for every school
of philosophy and every religion. A particular religion suits a particular nation
according to the stage of evolution, temperament and capacity of the people.
Arya Samaja, Brahmo Samaja, New Thought Movement, Occultism and cults of various
kinds and denominations serve their own useful purpose. Prejudice is only unreasonable
dislike. You must remove it by efforts and right thinking.
Intolerance
Intolerance is narrow-mindedness
on account of some narrow beliefs, convictions and views. You must be extremely
detached and sober in your views. Your mind will be greatly disturbed through
intolerance. Even though your views are diametrically opposite to the views
of others, you must have perfect tolerance. A man of tolerance has an expanded
heart. Tolerance brings lasting peace.
Insolence
Insolence is overbearing
nature. It is haughtiness manifested in contemptuous treatment of others. It
is arrogant contempt. It is brutal impudence. It is grossly rude or disrespectful
nature. Insolence is rude, haughty behaviour in violation of the established
rules of social intercourse. The insolent man has utter disregard for the feelings
of others. He makes personal attacks either in words or in actions, indicative
of either scorn or triumph.
How To
Eradicate Hatred
No Samadhi or union with
God is possible when hatred, prejudice, jealousy, anger, lust, etc., exist in
the mind. Remove these defects by love, Titiksha, Brahma-Bhavana, Atma-Drishti,
Satsanga, Vichara. Love is the greatest power on earth. Karuna is the highest
Sadhana. Do not give pain to others and relieve pain where it is; this is Karuna.
He who loves another man,
loves himself only. He who gives rupees five as charity to a poor man in distress,
gives it to himself. For, there is nothing else save his own self in the universe.
He who hurts, hates and abuses another man, hurts, hates and abuses himself
only. He digs his own grave.
When thoughts of revenge
and hatred arise in the mind, try to control the physical body and speech first.
Do not utter evil and harsh words. Do not censure. Do not try to injure others.
If you succeed in this by practice for some months, the thoughts of revenge,
having no scope for manifesting outside, will die by themselves. It is extremely
difficult to control such thoughts from the very beginning without having recourse
to control of body and speech first.
Constant Vichara and development
of the opposite virtues -Prema, Daya and Karuna (love, compassion, sympathy
and commiseration)-will eradicate the two violent passions of hatred and malice.
When hatred manifests,
reflect on the blessings of love; it will slowly vanish. The blessings of love
are many. Happy he sleeps. Happy he lives. He sees no bad dreams. He is dear
to all alike. He is dear to subhuman beings. Devas guard him. Fire, poison and
sword cannot approach him. Quickly he concentrates the mind. His complexion
is serene. He dies peacefully and goes to Brahma-Loka.
Have no enemies. Do not
entertain inimical thought against any person who might have done any wrong
to you. If, while you are directing your mind towards your enemy, you recall
the offences that have been committed against yourself and hatred arises in
you, you should dispel it by repeatedly dwelling on love with him. Imagine again
and again that he is your intimate friend and, with effort, raise a strong current
of love towards him. Call in the mind affectionate feelings and others that
cause love and tenderness. Remember the story of Pavahari Baba and Jayadeva,
the author of Gita Govinda in Bhakta Vijaya, who intently prayed to God and
got Mukti for his enemy-the robber who had cut off his two hands.
Serve the man whom you
hate. Share with him what you have. Give him something to eat. Shampoo his legs.
Make prostration sincerely. Your hatred will subside. He will also begin to
love you. Gifts and kind words tame the untamed men. Men bow their heads by
gifts and kind words.
If you give a blanket to
a needy man with unwillingness, it is not Dana (charitable act) at all. It is
a selfish act only. The mind will be waiting to take the blanket back when the
first chance comes. Give anything willingly.
The Sadhana
Of Equal Vision
Serve all. Serve the Lord
in all. Love all. Respect all. Develop cosmic love. Have Atma-Bhavana and Atma-Drishti.
Have equal vision (Sama Drishti). All kinds of hatred will disappear. The Sadhana
of equal vision is extremely difficult, but strenuous and constant efforts will
bring about success eventually.
Aspirants who wish to abolish
the dividing line should immediately develop love for a very dear person, after
him for an indifferent person and then after him for an enemy. And, in doing
so, in each compartment they should make the heart tender and loving and should
immediately afterwards induce Dhyana (meditation).
You should discriminate
between a thief and an honest man, but you should love the thief. A worldly-minded
person hates a thief, sees him outside and considers that he is entirely separate
from the thief; whereas, a Jnani loves a thief as his own Self and sees him
within himself.
When you remember that
a savage or a rogue is a saint of the future and has all the divine qualities
in a potential form, you will begin to love everybody. Hatred will slowly vanish.
It is only a question of time for the rogue or the savage for his evolution
and development.
An aspirant who wishes
to begin with the development of the four divine states, viz., love, pity, sympathy,
and even-mindedness should first, having cut off the impediments, take up the
subject of meditation, finish his light tiffin and drive away his drowsiness
due to eating, sit comfortably on a seat well-arranged in a secluded spot and
think on the evils of hatred and the very many advantages of forbearance. Verily,
by means of this practice, hatred will slowly vanish and forbearance will be
developed. A man who is overcome with hatred and whose mind is assailed by hatred,
kills beings. Patience is the highest virtue. Nothing can excel forbearance.
He who is strong in forbearance is, indeed, a divine being.
There is nothing absolutely
right or absolutely wrong in this relative universe. Right and wrong are mind-made.
Everybody is right from his own point of view. There is a grain of truth in
everything. The point of view is the determining factor in the life of each.
When the understanding is illumined by wisdom, the point of view is broad and
entire. When the understanding is darkened by ignorance, the point of view is
narrow, limited and one-sided. Broad view is the sign of expansion of heart.
A man of broad view is free from suspicion, prejudice, prepossessions and intolerance
of various sorts. Broad view results from foreign travels, good birth, vast
study, Satsanga, public service, varied experience, meditation, etc. A man of
broad views sees things in their entirety and in their right relations. Broad
view creates harmony and concord. Narrow view creates disharmony and discord.
Anticipation
And Avarice
Memory and anticipation
are two kinds of evil Vrittis for a spiritual aspirant, though they are beneficial
for worldly-minded persons. Pratyasa (anticipation) and Parigraha (grasping)
make you a beggar of beggars and destroy your will-power. Do not anticipate
anything. Anticipation fattens the mind and causes restlessness. Do not expect
anything. It causes mental disturbance. If you do not expect, you would not
have disappointment. Forget everything that pertains to the world. Even if anything
that is conducive to luxury comes, reject it at once. You will grow strong.
Remember God and God alone. Everything else here is a dream. The world is a
long dream.
Destroy avarice by Santosha
(contentment), integrity, disinterestedness and charity. Do not entertain hopes.
You will not have any disappointment. Santosha is one of the four sentinels
of the domain of Moksha. A contented mind is a continual feast. If you have
Santosha, you will get help from the other three sentinels, viz., Sama, Vichara
and Satsanga. With the help of these four sentinels, you can attain Brahma-Jnana,
the ultimate goal of life.
Moha And
Its Cure
Moha (delusion) is a strong
weapon of Maya. Do not say, my friend, that desire is more powerful than Moha.
Moha is as much powerful and dangerous as desire is. Moha does three things.
It creates the idea of 'mineness'-my wife, my son, my house, etc. It produces
infatuated love and attachment for body, wife, son and property. It creates
the 'Nitya-Buddhi' (the idea of stability) in the perishable objects of the
world and 'Dehatma-Buddhi'. It makes a false thing appear as true. The world
appears as real on account of Moha. The body is mistaken for Atman or pure Self
owing to the delusive influence of Moha.
Although you know fully
well that the body of a woman is made up of flesh, bone, skin, hair, blood,
urine and faeces, yet you passionately cling to the form. Why? Because of the
force of Raga, Moha, Samskara, Vasana and Kalpana (imagination). When there
is Vasana-Kshaya (annihilation of Vasanas) through Vichara and Viveka, you will
not be attached towards a woman.
Get rid of excessive Moha
and attachment to wife, money and also children by Sannyasa (external renunciation).
If there is external change, internal change must also come. External renunciation
is quite necessary.
The mind is generally attracted
by brilliant light, beauty, intelligence, varied colours and pleasant sounds.
Do not be deceived by these paltry things. Enquire within. What is the Adhishthana
or background for all these things? There is one Essence at the back of the
mind and all objects of this seeming sense-universe. That Essence is all-full
(Paripurna) and self-contained. That Essence is the Brahman of the Upanishads.
That Essence verily you are-"Tat Tvam Asi"-my dear readers!
Pride
Pride is a feeling of superiority
over others. It is of nine kinds: (i) physical pride (pride of possessing great
physical strength), (ii) intellectual pride (pride of great learning), (iii)
moral pride (pride of possessing great moral virtues), (iv) psychic pride (pride
of possessing great psychic powers or Siddhis), (v) spiritual pride, (vi) pride
of noble birth, (vii) pride of power, wealth and other possessions, (viii) pride
of being handsome and (ix) Rajamada (pride of sovereignty). All these varieties
of pride should be completely overcome.
Get rid of pride through
Viveka. Everything is Anitya. Why are you vainly puffed up with pride?
Arrogance is a form of
pride. It is undue assumption of self-importance. It is claiming too much.
Darpa is vanity. It is
vain display. It is vain show. The man is puffed up even though he actually
does not possess anything. A man of pride actually possesses something. That
is the difference between pride and vanity. Vanity is a form of exaggerated
pride.
Hypocrisy (Dambha) is pretending
to be what one is really not. It is feigning. It is concealment of one's true
character. It is the opposite of Adambhitva of the Gita (XIII-7). A hypocrite
pretends to be what he is really not, in order to extract money, honour, fame
or something else from others.
Hypocrisy, falsehood, cheating,
avarice and Trishna (avidity) are very closely related. They are members of
one family. Hypocrisy is the offspring of avarice. Falsehood is the son of hypocrisy.
Hypocrisy co-exists with falsehood. Trishna is the mother of hypocrisy. Hypocrisy
cannot live even for a moment without falsehood, the son and avarice and Trishna
(father and mother). When there is a craving for objects, greed for money comes
in. Without money, there can be no enjoyment. To satisfy the hunger for money,
persons have to put on hypocrisy, tell lies and cheat others. The root cause
of all this is craving for enjoyment. Deceitful diplomacy and falsehood are
old allies of greed and hatred.
Self-sufficiency is a peculiar
modification in the mind. It is the effect of vanity, pride and Dambha. It is
a Rajoguna Vritti. Remove it by right thinking, Vichara and practice of the
opposite virtue, humility.
Jealousy
And Its Modifications
Jealousy is a form of continuous
anger. Irshya is a form of jealousy. It is a form of hatred. Blaming, accusing,
mocking, ridiculing, unjust criticism, censure, cavilling, vilifying, tale-bearing,
backbiting, scandalmongering, faultfinding, complaining-all proceed from jealousy,
either subtle or gross, a hatred of various sorts. They all indicate lack of
proper mental culture and meanness of the person. They should be removed.
Taunting is to censure
sarcastically. Teasing is to torment or irritate with jests. Sneering is to
show contempt by the expression of the face, as by turning up the nose. Frowning
is to wrinkle the brow as in anger. Mocking is to laugh at in ridicule, to mimic
in ridicule. Ridiculing is to make a wit exposing one to laughter. It is derision
or mockery. It is exposing one to merriment. A joke is a clever insult. You
must avoid all these when you move with others, as they cause rupture between
friends, heated feelings and a sense of hostility. Words must be soft and arguments
hard; if words are hard, they will bring discord. A single harsh word will break
the friendship of long years in a minute. Word or sound has got tremendous power.
It is Sabda Brahman. It is Sakti.
There is a world of difference
between "Just comments" and Ninda (censure). "Just comments"
is not Ninda. It is permissible. It is unavoidable too. You can avoid it only
when you shut yourself alone in a far-off Himalayan cave. If you have no hatred
for a man, if you are not jealous of him and if you point out to your friend
in the course of conversation his weaknesses and good virtues also-"Mr.
Thomas is an honest, loving, kind, sympathetic man. He is humble. He speaks
the truth. But, he is extremely irritable and hot-tempered."-this is not
Ninda (censure) at all, although you point out the defect of Mr. Thomas. In
Ninda, you vilify a man. You point out his defects only. You exaggerate his
weaknesses. You point out the defect to everybody of your own accord without
being asked. In your heart of hearts, you are jealous of the man. You want to
vilify him.
If you always look into
the faults of others, you will actually imbibe those faults by constantly thinking
of them. Always look into the bright side of a man. Ignore his defects. Hatred
will vanish. Love will increase.
Faultfinding, cavilling
and scandalmongering are defects. Defects and weaknesses are two distinct qualities.
Anger is a defect. Tea-habit is a weakness. To be over-sentimental is a weakness.
Both defects and weaknesses should be removed by substituting the opposite virtues.
How To
Destroy Jealousy
There are three ways of
destroying jealousy:
(i) Mithya Drishti (Dosha
Drishti): "The whole world with its enjoyments, wealth and luxury is quite
illusory. What do I gain by being jealous of another?" When anyone thinks
like this seriously several times daily, the Vritti of jealousy will slowly
die. This Vritti is the root of all miseries. It is deep-rooted.
(ii) Bhratri Bhava (feeling
of universal brotherhood). You are not jealous of your intimate friend or loving
brother. In these cases, you have become one with your friend or brother. You
feel inwardly that all that belong to them is yours. You will have to do this
with everybody. You will have to love everybody as your brother or friend. Then
you will have no Vritti of jealousy.
(iii) This is a developed
stage: Repeat the formula 'I am the all,' 'I am all-in all.' Feel yourself everywhere.
Think there is nothing save Atman, your own Self, everywhere. Jealousy will
slowly vanish by entertaining this Atma-Bhava. You must always entertain this
idea-"Vasudevah sarvamiti" (Vasudeva is all). "Vasudeva"
means all-pervading. You will have infinite joy which can only be felt. It cannot
be adequately described in words.
If you place a big mirror
in front of a dog and keep some bread in front, the dog at once barks by looking
at its reflection in the mirror. It foolishly imagines that there is another
dog. Even so, man sees his own reflection only through his mind-mirror in all
the people, but foolishly imagines like the dog that they are all different
from him and fights on account of hatred and jealousy.
Fear-a
Dire Disease
Fear is a great human curse.
It is a negative thought. It is your worst enemy. It assumes various forms,
viz., fear of death, fear of disease, fear of public criticism, fear of losing
your property or money, etc. Fear blights many lives, makes people unhappy and
unsuccessful.
Some people can bravely
face the shell or the shot on the battlefield. But they are afraid of public
criticism and public opinion. Some can face a tiger fearlessly in the forest.
But they are afraid of the surgeon's knife and bistoury. You should get rid
of fear of all sorts.
The power of imagination
in the mind intensifies fear. Fear is due to delusion or Moha, attachment to
the gross and physical body on account of Avidya (ignorance). Attachment to
the body (Moha, Dehadhyasa) is the cause of all fear. He who can throw off the
physical sheath (Annamaya Kosha) either by Yoga or Jnana will be free from fear.
He who has conquered fear, has conquered everything, has gained mastery over
the mind.
Some people faint when
they see a copious quantity of blood. Some men cannot see a surgical operation.
They faint. These are all mental weaknesses. Some cannot take their food if
some faecal or vomited matter is nearby. All mental weaknesses must be eradicated
by Vichara.
A calm mind means courage.
You may face without fear the trials and difficulties of the spiritual path.
It has its root in the recognition of the unity of the Self. "Abhayam"
(fearlessness) is one of the Daivi Sampats (divine qualities). Constantly think
you are Atman. You will slowly develop immense courage. The one idea that you
are the Immortal Self (Atman) can destroy efficiently fear of every description.
This is the only potent tonic, the one sure panacea for this dire disease of
fear. Think you are immortal (Amrita), fearless (Abhaya) Atman. Slowly the fear
will vanish. Develop the positive virtue, namely, courage. Fear will slowly
disappear.
Doubt
Doubt is a great tormentor
of mind. It has got a mental world of its own. It again and again troubles a
man. There is no end for doubts. If one doubt is removed, another doubt stands
ready to take its place. This is the trick of the mind. Cut the knot of doubts
by the sword of wisdom. Know him who gets the doubts. No one doubts the doubter.
If all doubts vanish through Brahma-Jnana, then the mind will be destroyed.
Thoughts of worry and thoughts
of fear are fearful forces within us. They poison the very sources of life and
destroy the harmony, the running efficiency, the vitality and vigour; while
the opposite thoughts of cheerfulness, joy and courage heal, soothe, instead
of irritating and immensely augment efficiency and multiply the mental power.
Be always cheerful. Smile. Laugh.
Evil Vrittis
Are Your Real Enemies-destroy Them
Who is your real enemy?
It is your own Antahkarana (mind) possessed by the evil Vrittis. That mind alone,
which is free from attachment, delusion, jealousy, lust, selfishness and anger,
can have constant memory of God. If the mirror is dirty, you cannot see your
face properly. Even so, if the mind-mirror is dirty through the accumulation
of Mala (six passions, Kama, Krodha, etc.), Brahman cannot be reflected in the
mind. When it is cleansed thoroughly, when it becomes Sattvic, it is fit (Yogayukta)
to reflect Brahman.
Whatever you practise-Karma
Yoga or Bhakti Yoga or Raja Yoga or Jnana Yoga-, you must be free from jealousy,
hatred, attachment, pride and egoism and you must have control over Indriyas.
Chitta-Suddhi-Yama and Niyama-is a common element in all kinds of Yoga. What
can a man do in Karma Yoga if he has no self-restraint, if he is extremely selfish?
If you want everything for yourself, if you are luxurious and if you have not
reduced your wants, how can you spare something for others? You can unite with
the cosmos only through love, unselfish service and disinterested charity.
Aspirants should totally
abandon all the evil Vrittis described above. These constitute what is known
as Asuri Sampat (devilish qualities). Whether you live in a town or in a cave
of the Himalayas, it is all the same when you have a ruffled mind. You carry
your own thoughts with you even if you remove yourself to a far-off, lonely
cave. The mind remains the same. Peace comes from within. Irritation, anger,
impatience, revenge, suspicion, prejudice, grudge, dislike, intolerance, restlessness,
depression, fired or heated feelings-all these must be totally removed by spiritual
Sadhana, by developing Sattvic qualities, by meditation on OM, by constant Vichara.
Then only can peace be obtained. By developing Daivi Sampat (divine qualities)
such as Karuna, Satya, Ahimsa, Brahmacharya, Daya, etc., the devilish qualities
will be overcome.
Pratipaksha-Bhavana
Or The Method Of Substitution
It is the method of substitution,
Pratipaksha-Bhavana. When there is a lustful thought, substitute thoughts of
purity. Begin to study the Gita or the Upanishads. Sing Hari's Bhajana on harmonium.
Impure thoughts will vanish. When there is hatred, substitute thoughts of love.
Think of the good qualities of the man whom you hate. Remember again and again
his kind actions. Serve him with sweets, fruits and milk. Talk to him kind words.
Laugh with him. Shampoo his legs. Take him to be Lord Siva or Narayana when
you serve him. Hatred will disappear. When there is fear, fill the mind with
thoughts of courage. When there is irritability, meditate on the virtues of
tolerance, patience and self-restraint. The negative thoughts will die of themselves.
If you are depressed, fill the mind with the idea of joy and exhilaration. If
you are sick, fill the mind with ideas of health, strength, power and vitality.
Practise this. Practise this. Herein lies a great treasure for you.
Every thought or emotion
or mood produces a strong vibration in every cell of the body and leaves a strong
impression there. If you know the method of raising an opposite thought or counter-thought,
then only you can lead a happy, harmonious life of peace and power. A thought
of love will at once neutralise a thought of hatred. A thought of courage will
immediately serve as a powerful antidote against a thought of fear.
Idea creates the world.
Idea brings one into existence. Idea develops the desires and excites the passions.
So, a contrary idea of killing the desires and passions will counteract the
former idea of satisfying the desires. So, when a man will be impressed with
this, a contrary idea will help him to destroy his desires and passions.
How can you ignore an evil
thought? By forgetting. How can you forget? By not indulging in it again. How
can you prevent the mind from indulging in it again? By thinking of something
else which is more interesting. IGNORE. FORGET. THINK OF SOMETHING INTERESTING.
This is a great Sadhana. Call to mind the sublime ideas contained in the Gita.
Remember the ennobling and soul-elevating ideas embodied in the Upanishads and
the Yogavasishtha. Argue, cogitate, reflect, ratiocinate within-subjectively.
Worldly thoughts, thoughts of enmity, hatred, revenge, anger, lust-all will
die.
When there are diseases,
discord, disharmony in the cells of the body owing to influence of vicious thoughts,
worry-thoughts, fear-thoughts, hatred-thoughts, jealousy-thoughts, lustful thoughts,
you can neutralise the poison or canker in these diseased, morbid cells and
establish peace, harmony, health, new vigour and vitality by entertaining sublime,
soul-stirring, life-giving, soul-awakening, Sattvic, divine thoughts, by vibrations
of 'OM' chanting, by repetition of the different Names of the Lord, by Pranayama,
Kirtana (singing of the Name of the Lord), study of the Gita and the holy scriptures,
by meditation, etc. Think constantly that you are Suddha Sat-Chit-Ananda Vyapaka
Atman. All the evil propensities will vanish and the Sattvic virtues will manifest
themselves.
Do not exert to destroy
the different Vrittis-Kama, Krodha, Dvesha, etc. If you can destroy one Vritti
Ahankara, all other Vrittis will die by themselves. Ahankara is the corner-stone
of the edifice of Jiva. If the corner-stone is removed, the whole edifice of
Jiva will tumble down. This is the secret.
Why are you afraid of Kama,
Krodha, etc.? They are your servants. You are Sat-Chit-Ananda Atman. Assert
the majesty and magnanimity of the Self.
Chapter
29
Cultivation
Of Virtues
Maitri (friendliness),
Karuna (compassion), Daya (sympathy), Visva-Prema (cosmic or universal love),
Kshama (forgiveness), Dhriti (spiritual patience), Titiksha (power of endurance,
forbearance) and tolerance are Sattvic qualities of the mind. They contribute
to the peace and happiness of human beings. They should be cultivated to a very
high degree.
Love and pity make the
mind soft. Pity has the characteristic feature of evolving the mode of removing
pain; the property of not being able to bear seeing others suffer; the manifestation
of not harming; the proximate cause of seeing the need of those overcome by
pain. Its consummation is the suppression of harming; its failure is the production
of sorrow.
Patience, tenacity, Utsaha
(perseverance) and determination are indispensable for success in Self-realisation.
They should be developed to a maximum degree, particularly by spiritual aspirants.
When you meditate on OM, when you assert yourself as Brahman in the morning
meditation, you will gain a lot of strength. That will help to give you courage
that is needed for the progress in the spiritual path. Many difficulties on
the path of Truth are to be overcome through the help of fortitude and endurance
(Titiksha). These qualities are the forms of courage. Fortitude is mental power
of endurance. It is firmness in meeting danger. It is power of resistance.
The Ten
Lakshanas Of Dharma
"Dhritih kshama
damo'steyam saucham-indriyanigrahah
Dheer-vidya satyam-akrodho dasakam dharmalakshanam"
(Manusmriti, VI-92)
Patience, forgiveness,
control of mind, non-stealing, external and internal purity, control of Indriyas,
knowledge of Sastras, knowledge of Atman, truthfulness and absence of anger
are the ten Lakshanas of Dharma according to Manu.
Your thoughts must agree
with the word. This is Arjava (straightforwardness). Practise this. You will
derive wonderful benefits. If you practise Satya for twelve years, you will
get Vak-Siddhi. Whatever you speak will come to pass. Chinta (anxiety) will
vanish. You will be free from committing many evil actions by speaking the truth.
Patience, perseverance,
application, interest, faith, zeal, enthusiasm, determination are necessary
during Sadhana. Sraddha and Bhakti are noble Vrittis that help a man to free
himself from bondage. These virtues have to be cultivated. Then only is success
possible. Look at the various difficulties that crop up in the way. The spiritual
line is, therefore, difficult. Very few take to the path, one in thousands (according
to the Gita). Out of them very few succeed. Many give up Sadhana when they are
half-way, as they find it difficult to pull on till the end is reached. It is
only the Dhira (firm) with Dhriti, Dhairya and Utsaha that reaches the goal
of Sat-Chit-Ananda state. Hail, hail, to such rare noble souls!
Chapter
30
How To
Control The Mind
"Manojaya eva mahajayah-Conquest
of mind is the greatest victory."
"Man jita, jag
jita--If you conquer mind, you have conquered the world." (Hindi
Proverb)
In Hindu philosophy, you
will always find an esoteric and an exoteric meaning. This is the reason why
you need the help of a teacher. It is extremely difficult to comprehend the
esoteric, inner meaning. You will find in Hatha Yogic books: "There is
a young, virgin widow seated at the junction of the Ganga and the Yamuna."
What will you make out of this? It is difficult to understand. The young widow
is the Sushumna Nadi. The Ganga is Pingala Nadi. The Yamuna is Ida Nadi.
In Katha Upanishad, you
will find a word whose meaning is brick. 'Brick' means here 'Devata' or deity.
The Secret
Of Ramayana
There is also a Rahasya
(secret) of Ramayana. The secret of Ramayana is control of mind. Killing the
ten-headed monster Ravana of Lanka means the annihilation of the ten evil Vrittis
of the mind such as Kama, Krodha, etc. Sita is mind. Rama is Suddha-Brahman.
Bringing Sita back from Lanka is concentrating the mind on Rama (Brahman) by
withdrawing it from Vishaya (objects) and uniting it with Rama. Sita (mind)
unites with Rama (Brahman), her husband in Ayodhya (Sahasrara Chakra). Mind
merges in Brahman. This is, briefly, the esoteric meaning of Ramayana. This
is the Adhyatmic exposition of Ramayana.
Mastery
Of Mind, The Only Gateway To Moksha
On this side is matter;
on the other side is pure Spirit (Atman or Brahman). Mind forms a bridge between
the two. Cross the bridge (control the mind). You will attain Brahman.
He is a real potentate
and a Maharaja who has conquered the mind. He is the richest man who has conquered
desires, passions and the mind. If the mind is under control, it matters little
whether you stay in a palace or a cave in the Himalayas like Vasishtha-Guha,
fourteen miles from Rishikesh, where Swami Ramatirtha lived, whether you do
active Vyavahara or sit in silence.
It is, indeed, a rare thing
to find a mind that is not affected by its contact with fluctuation. Like heat
which is inseparable from fire, fluctuation which debases the mind, is inseparable
from it. Devoid of this fluctuation, the mind ceases to exist. It is this fluctuation-potency
of the mind that you should destroy through ceaseless Atma-Jnana enquiry.
Mind is the cause of Sankalpa-Vikalpa.
Therefore, you must control the mind. You must bind it.
True freedom results from
the disenthralment of the mind. Reflection of the Self made upon the mind cannot
be perceptible when the mind is not free from its fluctuations, as the reflection
of the moon made upon the surface of a turbulent ocean cannot be visible or
perceptible. To attain Self-realisation, one must constantly struggle with the
mind for its purification and steadiness. It is only the power of the will which
can control it and stop its fluctuations. With the triple weapon of strong desire,
Sraddha (faith) and strong will-power, you can have sanguine success in any
attempt you undertake. If the mind is purged of all its impurities and worldly
taints, it will become exceedingly calm. All fluctuations of the mind will cease.
Then the supreme Nishtha (meditation) will supervene. Then all Samsaric delusion,
attendant with its births and deaths, will come to an end. Then you will get
Parama Dhama (supreme abode of peace).
There is no other vessel
on this earth on which one can cross the ocean of metempsychosis than the mastery
of the antagonistic mind. They alone will reach the world of Moksha who have
controlled the serpent of mind replete with desires and impure Vasanas.
To lovers of Moksha, in
whom the invincible desires have been destroyed and who try to win their way
up to Salvation through their own efforts, the easy abandonment of their dire
mind is itself their transcendental path and they then feel as if a great load
were off their heads. No other path is truly beneficial.
If you get the mastery
over the mind and get true Jnana or illumination after destroying Ahankara and
subjugating the Indriyas (organs), you will be doubtless free from the trammels
of births and deaths. The differentiations such as 'I,' 'you,' 'he' will vanish.
All tribulations, annoyances, miseries, grief will cease with the destruction
of the mind.
Who Can
Control The Mind ?
The mind can be controlled
by untiring perseverance and patience equal to that of one engaged in emptying
the ocean, drop by drop, with the tip of a blade of grass.
A bird laid its eggs on
the seashore. The waves came in and washed away the eggs. The bird became very
angry. It wanted to empty the ocean with its beak. It applied all its energy
in emptying the ocean. The king of the birds pitied its condition and came to
its help. Narada, the peace-making Rishi, also came and gave some advice to
the bird. When the king of the ocean saw all these, he was very much terrified.
He brought back all the eggs of the bird and handed them over to the bird with
apology and prostrations. Sadhakas (aspirants), who are attempting to control
the mind, should have the same asinine patience and untiring perseverance as
that of the bird which attempted to empty the ocean with its small beak.
You must have the knack
or the pluck or the aptitude to tame the mind. To tame a lion or a tiger is
far more easy than taming one's own mind. Tame your own mind first. Then you
can take the minds of others quite easily.
Mind Is
The Cause Of Bondage And Liberation
Mind is the cause of bondage
and salvation of man. "Mana eva manushyanam karanam bandhamokshayoh"-The
mind has two aspects-one is discriminative and the other is imaginative. Mind,
in its aspect of discrimination, releases itself from the bondage and attains
Moksha. In its aspect of imagination, it binds itself to the world.
It is the mind which binds
a man to this world; where there is no mind, there is no bondage. Mind imagines,
through indiscrimination and ignorance, that the soul has been confined and
located in this body and hence it perceives the soul to be in bondage. Mind
exactly identifies itself with the Jivatman and feels itself to be 'I' and hence
thinks, 'I am in bondage.' The egoistic mind is the root of bondage. The non-egoistic
mind is the root of Moksha.
Destroy
Mind Through Mind
The sovereign specific
presented by the wise sages for the eradication of the mind's disease can be
had easily through the mind alone. The intelligent cleanse a dirty cloth with
the dirty earth only. A murderous Agni-Astra (missile) is counteracted by Varuna-Astra.
The venom of serpent-bite is removed by its antidote of an edible poison. So
also is the case with Jiva. Having developed discrimination, destroy the delusions
of the heterogeneous mind through the one-pointed Manas, like an iron severing
another iron.
Purify
The Mind
You must be saved from
the malformation and the miscarriage of your mind. Mind is like a playful child.
The clamant energies of the mind must be bent to become the passive channels
for the transmission of truth. The mind must be filled with Sattva (purity).
It should be trained to think of Truth or God constantly.
The Yoga system requires
us to go through a course of mental and spiritual discipline. The Upanishads
also emphasise the practice of austere virtues before the goal can be reached.
Tapas destroys sins, weakens the Indriyas, purifies the Chitta and leads to
Ekagrata (one-pointedness of mind).
The penances will give
you mental quiet and remove the restlessness of the mind which is a great obstacle
to knowledge. The life of celibacy (Brahmacharya), where you will have no family
attachment to perturb your mind, would enable you to give whole-hearted attention
to your spiritual Sadhana. If you practise Satya and Brahmacharya, you will
become fearless (Nirbhaya). You will eventually realise Brahman also. Get hold
of one thing firmly with leech-like tenacity. Sraddha or faith is necessary.
Arsenic, when purified
and administered in proper doses, is a blessing. It removes many diseases. It
improves the blood. When it is not purified properly and given in overdoses,
it brings about many ill-effects. Even so, when the mind is rendered pure and
Nirvishaya, it leads on to Moksha. When it is impure and Vishayasakta (fond
of sensual objects), it leads on to bondage.
Blessed are the pure in
heart, for they will have Darshan of the Lord. The heart must be pure. The eye
also must be chaste in its look. There is a tongue in the eye. A lustful eye
wants to taste the different types of beauty for its selection. Lust of the
eyes is as much dangerous as lust of the flesh. Beauty of nature emanates from
the Lord. Train the eye properly. Let it see Atman everywhere.
The Yogic methods give
directions as to how you should purify and refine the mind and improve the mirror
and keep it clean by getting rid of the impurities such as lust, anger, greed,
vanity, jealousy, etc. The aim of Dana, Japa, Vrata, Tirtha-Yatra, Seva, Daya,
Svadhyaya, Agnihotra, Yajna is purification of the mind.
The Sermon on the Mount
by Lord Jesus is the essence of Raja-Yogic Yama practice. It is difficult to
put the teachings into practice. But, if they are put into practice, mind can
be easily controlled.
This is the summary of
the Sermon:
(1) "Blessed are the
poor in spirit; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
(2) "Blessed are they
that mourn; for they shall be comforted."
(3) "Blessed are the
meek; for they shall inherit the earth."
(4) "Blessed are they
who do hunger and thirst after righteousness; for they shall be filled."
(5) "Blessed are the
merciful; for they shall obtain mercy."
(6) "Blessed are the
pure in heart; for they shall
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