TIME IS A TRICK
Time is the mode of the mind. It is a mental creation. Time is a trick of the mind. It is an illusion. Brahman is beyond time. It is eternity. Go beyond time and rest in the timeless, eternal, imperishable Brahman.
`Up and down', `within and without', `high and low', `big and small', `thin and stout', `virtue and vice', `good and bad', `pleasure and pain', `here and there', are all relative terms. They are mental creations only. Up will become down and down will become up. This stick is small when compared to that big stick, but that big stick will become small when compared with an even bigger stick! Within will become without and without will become within.
What is good at one time is bad at another time. What is good for one man is bad for another man. What is dharma for one is adharma for another, and what is dharma at one time is not dharma at another time.
Brahman is neither thin nor stout, neither big nor small. In Brahman there is neither within nor without, neither virtue nor vice, neither pleasure nor pain, good nor bad. It is a homogeneous essence of bliss and knowledge where there is no play of the mind, neither time nor space, east nor west, past nor future, Thursday nor Friday.
Tomorrow becomes today and today becomes yesterday. Future becomes present and present becomes the past. What is all this? This is a creation or trick of the mind only. In God, everything is in the present only; it is here only.
There is neither night nor day, yesterday nor tomorrow in the sun. It is the mind that has created time and space. When you are happy, time passes quickly. When you are unhappy, time hangs heavily. All this is only a relative world.
Life is not a question of creeds but of deeds well done. No life is free from difficulties - it is a series of conflicts. Face them boldly through the grace of the Lord and the power of his name. Change is the law of life. Truth is the law of life. Love is the fulfilling of the law of life. Death is the gate to another life. Life is endless.
VIVEKA
Viveka is discrimination between the real and the unreal, permanent and impermanent, self and the not-self. Viveka dawns in a man on account of the grace of God. The grace can come only when one has done incessant selfless service in countless births with the feeling of Isvararpana (offering unto God). The door of the higher mind is flung open when there is awakening of discrimination. There is an unchanging permanent principle amidst the ever-changing phenomena of the universe and the fleeting movements and oscillation of mind.
The five sheaths are floating in the universal consciousness like straw on water. The five changing kosas (sheaths) are mixed up with the eternal atman (self). There is childhood, boyhood, adolescence and old age for this physical body. But there is an unchanging background for this ever-changing body and mind, like the blackboard or screen in a cinema which manifests various forms and figures. The witness or the silent spectator of these changes of the body and mind is permanent and unchanging. He is like the all-pervading space. He pervades, permeates and interpenetrates all these changing forms like the thread in a garland of flowers. This eternal essence of atman is present everywhere and in everything - atoms, electrons, mustard, nay in ants and mountains. He dwells in the chambers of your own heart. He is the soul of this tree, stone, flower, goat, dog, cat, man, saint or Devata (God). He is the common property of all, be he a saint or a sinner, a king or a peasant, a beggar or a baron, a scavenger or a cobbler. He is the very source for life and thought.
The aspirant should learn to discriminate between the eternal and unchanging substratum of all objects and the ever-changing names and forms. He should seriously engage himself at all times to separate the eternal unchanging self. He should try to separate himself from the changing, impermanent five sheaths, from the passions, emotions, feelings, thoughts, sentiments, nay from the oscillating mind itself. He should distinguish between the mind and the witness who moves and illumines the mind, between ordinary sensation, feelings and sentiments and perfect awareness of pure consciousness which remains unaffected and unattached, between personality and individuality. He must also separate himself from the adventitious false superimpositions of the body, viz., position, rank, avocation, birth, caste, stage, and order of life. These are all accidental appendages of the false personality.
MEDITATE ON THESE FOR WISDOM
The aspirant should separate himself also from the sad-urmis (six waves in the ocean of samsara (worldly life), viz., birth and death, hunger and thirst, exhilaration and grief). Birth and death, belong to the physical body; hunger and thirst belong to the prana (life); exhilaration and grief are the attributes of the mind. The soul is unattached. The six waves cannot touch the atman (self) which is subtle like the all-pervading ether. He should also separate himself from the indriyas (senses). He should not take upon himself the functions of the indriyas. He should stand as a spectator and witness of the activities of the mind, prana and the indriyas. The indriyas and the mind are like iron pieces in contact with a magnet. They function by borrowing the light and power from the source the eternal Atman.
Meditation on the following slokas (verses) of and on the special formulae of Sri Sankara will pave a way in the development of your viveka (wisdom) and in separating yourself from the illusory vehicles, viz. indriyas prana, mind and the five sheaths.
The formulae of Sri Sankaracharya are, "Brahman (the eternal) alone is truth - this world is unreal; the jiva (soul) is identical with Brahman". The Gita says, "The unreal hath no being; the real never ceaseth to be; the truth about both hath been perceived by the seers of the essence of things". (Chapter II - Verse 16). Reflection on this sloka will infuse viveka.
"I do not do anything - so should the harmonised one think, who knoweth the essence of things. Seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating, moving, sleeping, breathing, speaking, giving, grasping, opening and closing the eyes, he knows that the senses move among the objects of the senses." (Chapter V - Verses 8, 9). You can separate yourself from the indriyas by meditating upon the meaning of these slokas.
"All actions are wrought by the qualities of nature only. The self, deluded by egoism, thinketh, `I am the doer'. But he, who knoweth the essence of the divisions of the qualities and functions holding that `the qualities' move amid the qualities, is not attached." By meditating upon these two slokas you can separate yourself from the three gunas (qualities of nature). "He who seeth that prakrti (nature) verily performeth all actions and that the self is actionless, he seeth." (Chapter XIII - Verse 2).
BE FIRM IN WISDOM
Viveka (wisdom) gives inner strength and mental peace. A viveki (wise one) gets no troubles. He is always on the alert. He never gets entangled in anything. He has far-sightedness. He knows the true value of the objects of this universe. He is fully aware of the worthlessness of these shallow toys. Nothing, nothing can tempt him. Maya (illusion) cannot approach him now.
Associations with mahatmas (holy ones) and study of vedantic literature will infuse viveka in man. Viveka should be developed to the maximum degree; one should be well established in it; viveka should not be an ephemeral or occasional mood in an aspirant. It should not fail him when he is in trouble, when any difficulty stares him in the face. It must indeed become part and parcel of his nature. He should exercise it at all times without any effort. If one is careless in the beginning, viveka may come and go. So the aspirant should live in the company of sages for a long time till viveka burns in him like a big steady flame.
Maya is very powerful. She tries her extreme level best to lead the aspirant astray. She throws many temptations and obstacles on the path of young inexperienced aspirants. Therefore the company of sages and mahatmas is like an impenetrable fortress for the neophyte. Now no temptations can assail him. He will undoubtedly develop true and lasting viveka. He will then have permanent and spontaneous viveka.
Then only he is truly and perfectly safe. The dangerous zone is past. Only a true viveki can claim to be the richest, happiest and most powerful man in the world. He is a rare spiritual gem. He is a beacon-light and torch-bearer. If viveka is developed, all other qualifications will come by themselves. From viveka is born vairagya (dispassion).
Discrimination is the faculty which distinguishes between the real and the unreal. The whole world outside and the universe that is inside, are unreal. Earth, water, wind, fire, the sky, the ocean, our bodies and the vital force animating them, our minds, our consciousness of ourselves - all are but airy nothingness. The only real thing is the atman (self) or Brahman, the absolute.
VAIRAGYA
There is a way to the immortal abode and supreme happiness. There is a way to the fourth dimension. That way is vairagya. Follow the way. Vairagya is dispassion, desirelessness or non-attachment. It is indifference to sensual objects herein and hereafter. It is born of and sustained by right discrimination.
Vairagya is the opposite of attachment which binds a man to the wheel of births and deaths; vairagya liberates a man from bondage. Vairagya purifies the sensual mind and turns it inward. It is the most important qualification for a spiritual aspirant. Without it, no spiritual life is possible.
The two currents of the mind - attraction and repulsion - really constitute the world of births and deaths. A worldly man is a slave of these two mighty currents and is tossed about hither and thither like a piece of straw. He smiles when experiencing pleasure; he weeps when in pain. He clings to pleasant objects and runs away from those which cause pain.
Wherever there is sensation of pleasure, the mind gets glued, as it were, to the object that gives pleasure. This is what is called attachment and brings only bondage and pain. When the object is withdrawn, or when it perishes, the mind suffers unspeakable pain. Attraction is the root-cause for human suffering.
A dispassionate man has a different training and has different experience altogether. He is a pastmaster in the art or science of separating himself from the impermanent, perishable objects. He has absolutely no attraction for them and constantly dwells in the eternal. He stands adamantine as a peak amidst a turbulent storm, as a spectator of this wonderful world-show. A dispassionate man has no attraction for pleasant objects and no repulsion for painful ones. Nor is he afraid of pain. He knows well that pain helps considerably in his progress and evolution, in his journey towards the goal. He is convinced that pain is the best teacher.
REAL DISPASSION
The world is as unreal as a shadow, bubble or froth. Why do you run after the toys of name and fame? How uncertain is sensual life in this illusory world! How transitory is sensual pleasure! Mark how many thousands of people were carried away in the recent earthquake! How many houses were destroyed! Yet people want to build seaside cottages and attain immortality there.
How foolish they are! Selfdeluded souls! Pitiable is their lot! I pray for them. They are earthworms only, as they revel in filth. May God bestow on them vairagya (dispassion), viveka (wisdom) and bhakti (devotion).The vairagya that comes momentarily after such incidents as the loss of some dearly beloved relative, or wealth, is known as karana vairagya. It will not help much in one's spiritual progress. The mind will be simply waiting to catch hold of the sensual objects when an opportunity comes.
Vairagya, born of discrimination, is the premonitory symptom of spiritual development. It will help the aspirant in his spiritual upliftment. If you develop vairagya, if you subdue your indriyas and shun the enjoyments and pleasures of this world - as dung, as poison, as they are mixed with pain, sin, fear, craving, miseries, disease, old age and death - nothing can tempt you in this world. You will have eternal peace and infinite bliss. You will have no attraction for women and other earthly objects. Lust cannot take hold of you.
The body is the source of great miseries. It is full of impurities. It brings disrespect, censure, etc. It is subject to diseases, decay and old age. It passes away without a moment's notice.
Give up moha (attachment) for the body. Think of the Atman (self) which is eternal, pure and all-pervading. The things that used to afford you delight before, give you displeasure now. That is the sign of vairagya. The shadow of clouds, the friendship with a fool, the beauty of youth, wealth - all last only for a short time. Vairagya (dispassion, indifference, nonattachment) is of two kinds: karana vairagya on account of some miseries and viveka purvak vairagya on account of discrimination between real and unreal. The mind of the former type of man is simply waiting for the opportunity to get back the things that were given up. But the other man who gave up the objects on account of viveka will have spiritual advancement. He will not have a downfall.
ABANDON BODY-CONSCIOUSNESS
The physical body appears only in the present. A thing which has neither past nor future must be considered as non-existent in the present also. If you think over deeply, with pure intelligence, you will find atyanta abhava (complete non-existence) for the world.
This body which is full of impurities, urine, pus and faecal matter etc., is perishable. It is like froth or bubble or mirage. It is despised by its enemies. It remains like a useless log of wood on the ground when prana (life) leaves it. It is the cause of pain and suffering. It is your enemy. You should treat this body with contempt, as dung. Why should you cling to it and worship it with scents, powders and flowers? Do not be silly and foolish in adorning it with fine silks and ornaments. It is dire ignorance only.
"Nothing on this earth belongs to me; this body is not mine" - this is wisdom. "He is my son; she is my daughter; she is my wife; that bungalow is mine; that garden is mine; I am a brahmana; I am lean; I am fat" - this is foolishness of a superior order. This physical body is the property of fishes, jackals and vultures. How can you call this yours?
Application of soap to the body, oil to the hair, powder to the face, looking in the mirror very often, wearing rings on the fingers - all these will intensify moha (attachment) for the body. Therefore give up these things ruthlessly.
Will your son or daughter or friend or relative help you when you are about to die? Have you got one sincere, unselfish friend in this world? All are selfish. There is no pure love. But that Lord, your real friend of friends, father of fathers, who dwells in your heart, will never forsake you though you forsake him. Adore in silence that God of gods, Divinity of divinities, Highest of the highest. May He bless us with His love, wisdom, power and peace. Om!
Narayana Upanishad says: "In the beginning these two roads were laid, the roads through karma (action) and sanyasa (renunciation). The latter consists in the renunciation of threefold desire - of son, wealth and fame. Of these, the road through sanyasa is preferable." The Taittiriya Upanishad also says: "Renunciation, tyaga, is certainly to be preferred."
WHERE IS REAL LOVE
The desire to attain knowledge of the self will dawn only in the person who is free from desires, who has a pure mind, and who is quite disgusted with this worldly life. Such a man only is competent to hear, meditate and attain Brahman, jnana or knowledge of Brahman. When the knowledge of the self dawns, ignorance, which is the seed for bondage and the cause of karma is totally eradicated and the aspirant attains immortality and eternal bliss.
Do not depend upon anybody. Rely on your own self. Be centred in the atman only. The sweet wife deserts her husband when he is on the roll of unemployment and marries another young man. The rich husband divorces his wife when she loses her beauty on account of protracted illness and marries another woman. Even Lord Jesus and Buddha were forsaken by all their friends, followers and disciples. This is a strange world. Mysterious is maya (illusion)!
Real affection can be found in God and sages only. Worldly affection is only showy, hypocritical, illusory and changing. Just see whether your relatives, even your friends, your brothers and sisters show affection to you when you are unemployed, when you are suffering from a chronic, incurable disease and are without any money in your hands.
Saints and prophets who have realised God are shouting at the tops of their voices that the Lord is dwelling in the hearts of beings, and yet no one is earnestly attempting to make a vigorous search in his own heart. Is this not lamentable? God is above below, within, without and all around. Thirst for his darsan (vision). Look within, practise introvision. Try earnestly to attain the immortal being. In Him, you can find eternal peace. Enter His kingdom right now in this very second. Stand firm on the rock of truth or Brahman. Have a firm grip of your reality, the self-luminous, immortal atman or soul. Look upon this universe as your all-full form. Only when knowledge of the self dawns in your heart can you free yourself from rebirth and become identical with the supreme self. Equip yourself with the four means. Hear the srutis (scriptures), reflect, meditate and realise. May you become a sage!
FREEDOM FROM ATTACHMENT
Attachment produces infatuation and causes entanglement. Fear exists on account of attachment and desire. Infatuation or delusion is a stigma on pure love. Attachment to the objects of the world is due to ignorance of their true nature. Nothing but the atman (self) really exists. Objects are illusion. Attachment is indicative of the feeling that the objective possession brings happiness. This idea has to be removed from the mind.
Happiness is not in the objects but in one's own atman. Attachment is the impure vasana (feeling) of love or hate that is entertained by the mind for the diverse objects of this world. If you remain unaffected by joy, envy and sorrow, you have relinquished all attachments. If, without rejoicing in joy, or pining under pain, you do not subject yourself to the trammels of desire, then you can be said to have rid yourself of attachment.
If you can be content with whatever you get, then you have cast off attachment. Through attachment, desire for material objects arises. Renunciation of attachment is said to be moksa (release). Through its destruction, all rebirth ceases. Destroy the association of the mind with the objects and attain the state of the jivanmukta (liberated soul).
Pleasure does not lie in the objects but in the condition of the mind. The mind goes out in search of pleasure. At the same time there is pain as the mind is straying away from the truth. When the object is attained, the mind ceases to function and rests on the atman, the substratum. Then it unconsciously tastes the bliss of the Atman.
Sublimate your inward longings through discrimination, dispassion, enquiry and meditation. You will attain supreme bliss.
Develop vairagya (dispassion). Sharpen the intellect. Give up kutarka and viparita bhavana (distorted and perverted thinking). Identify yourself with the pure atman. You will soon attain knowledge of the self.
If you are careless and non-vigilant, if you are irregular in meditation, if your dispassion wanes, if you yield even a bit to sense pleasures, the mind will continue to go downward. Maya (illusion) closes in even upon a wise man if he stops his sadhana (practice) and meditation even for a short time.
Be careful. Be alert. Be regular in your meditation.
TRUE DISPASSION
Vairagya (dispassion) does not mean abandoning social duties and the responsibilities of life. It does not mean detachment from the world, or a life in a solitary cave of the Himalayas or in the cremation ground. It does not mean living on neem leaves, the wearing of matted hair and carrying a water-pot made of gourd or coconut-shell in the hand. It does not mean shaving of the head and discarding one's clothes. Vairagya is mental detachment from all connections of the world.
A man may remain in the world and discharge all the duties of his order and stage of life with detachment. He may be a householder. He may live with family and children. But at the same time, he may have perfect mental detachment from everything. He can perform his spiritual practice systematically. That man who has perfect mental detachment while remaining in the world is a hero, indeed. He is much better than a holy man who is living in a cave of the Himalayas, because the former has to face innumerable temptations at every moment of his life.
Wherever a man may go, he carries with him his fickle, restless mind, his desires and subconscious impressions. Even if he lives in solitude in the Himalayas, still he is the same worldly man if he is engaged in building castles in the air and in thinking of the objects of the world. In that case even the cave becomes a big city for him. If the mind remains quiet, if it is free from attachments, one can be perfectly dispassionate even while living in a mansion in the busiest part of a city like Calcutta. Such a mansion will be converted into a dense forest by him. Vairagya is purely a mental state.
Vairagya is a means for attaining wisdom of the self. It is not the goal itself. A realised sage has neither desire nor dispassion. If you give him a little dry bread, he is quite satisfied and will not grumble. If you give him the best sweetmeats, milk and fruits, he will not refuse, but he will not be elated by good food. He has equanimity of mind and is above likes and dislikes. He always delights in his own self only, but not in external objects.
CONQUER THE WORLD WITHIN
He who has controlled his mind is really happy and free. Physical freedom is no freedom at all. If you are easily carried away by surging emotions and impulses, if you are under the grip of moods and cravings, how can you be really happy, O sweet beloved child? You are like a rudderless boat. You are tossed about hither and thither like a piece of straw in the vast expanse of ocean.
You laugh for five minutes and weep for five hours. What can wife, son, friends, money, fame and power do for you when you are under the sway of the impulse of your mind?
He is a true hero who has controlled his mind. There is an adage: "He who has controlled his mind has controlled the world". True victory is victory over the mind. That is real freedom. A thorough rigorous discipline and self-imposed restrictions will eventually eradicate all desires, thoughts, impulses, cravings and passions. Only then and not until then can you expect to be free from the thraldom of the mind.
You should not give any leniency to the mind. The mind is a mischievous imp. Curb it by drastic measures. Become a perfect yogi. Money cannot give you freedom. Freedom is not a commodity that can be purchased. It is a rare, hidden treasure guarded by a five-hooded serpent. Unless you kill or tame this serpent, you cannot have access to this treasure. That treasure is spiritual wealth; that is freedom; that is bliss. The serpent is your mind. The five hoods are the five senses through which the mind-serpent hisses.
The rajasic (restless) mind always wants new things. It wants variety. It gets disgusted with monotony. It wants change of place, change of food, change, in short, of everything. But you should train the mind to stick to one thing. You should not complain of monotony. You should have patience, adamantine will and undaunted persistence. Then only can you succeed in yoga. He who wants something new every now and then is quite unfit for yoga. You should stick to one place, one spiritual preceptor, one method of yoga and one institution. That is the way to positive success.
UPHILL TASK
True freedom results from the disenthralment of the mind. He is a real potentate and ruler who has conquered the mind. He who has conquered desires, passions and the mind is the richest man. If the mind is under control, it matters little whether you stay in a palace or a cave in the Himalayas; whether you engage yourself in worldly activity or sit in silence. The mind can be controlled by untiring perseverance and great patience, equal to that of one engaged in emptying the ocean, drop by drop, with the tip of a blade of grass. 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 tame the minds of others quite easily.
Constantly think of God. You can very easily control the mind. Constant thinking of God thins out the mind. The mind can very easily think of worldly objects. It is its nature. The mental force can easily flow in the old grooves and avenues of mundane thoughts. It finds it extremely hard to think of God and dwell on lofty thoughts.
The difficulty in weaning the mind from objects and fixing it on God is the same as in making the river Ganges flow uphill towards its source instead of its natural flow towards the ocean. Still, through strenuous efforts and renunciation, the mind 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 way if you want to escape from worldly miseries and tribulations.
Introspect and always have an inner life. Let a portion of the mind and the hands do their work mechanically. A girl acrobat, while exhibiting her performances, has her attention riveted on the water-pot she bears on her head, although, all the time, she is dancing to various tunes. So does the truly pious man attend to all his business concerns, but has his mind's eye fixed upon the blissful feet of the Lord. This is balance and will lead to integral development.
RISE ABOVE THE TWO MOODS
In vedanta there are only two kinds of moods - joy, exultation or exhilaration and grief or depression. Now there is joy and five minutes later there is depression - the currents alternate. They belong to the sad-urmis (six waves, i.e. grief, delusion, hunger, thirst, decay and death). People of gloomy moods attract gloomy thoughts from others and from the akasic (etheric) records in the psychic ether. Persons with hope, cheerfulness and confidence attract similar thoughts from others - they are always successful in their attempts. People with negative moods of depression, anger and hatred do positive harm to others - and great damage in the thought world.
Try to eradicate depression through prayer, meditation, counter-thoughts of joy, chanting Om, self-enquiry and singing divine songs. There are various causes for depression - cloudy day, associating with evil persons, indigestion, influence of astral spirits and revival of old impressions of depression. When you get into a talking mood - practise mouna (silence) at once. When you are in a mood of hatred, develop the opposite virtue, love, and the mood will pass quickly. When you feel selfishness arise, do selfless work. When you are in the mood of separateness, mix with others - through service, love, kindness and forgiveness. If you feel lazy, do some active work.
A liberated being is free from all moods - he has become their master. In atman (self) there are no moods, there is only pure consciousness. Identify with Atman and you will easily destroy all moods. However, there is one good mood - the meditative mood. When this manifests, immediately give up reading, writing, talking etc., and begin to meditate. Watch for this kind of mood - when meditation comes by itself, without effort.
Laugh and smile. How can a mind that is dull and gloomy think of God? Try to be happy always. Happiness is your very nature. The spirit of cheerfulness must be cultivated by all aspirants.
With the growth of the mind, the pains will increase. But with its extinction there will be great bliss. Having mastery over the mind, free yourself from the world of perceptions in order that you may be of the nature of jnana or wisdom. Though surrounded by pleasurable or painful objects which disturb the equilibrium of your mind, remain rock-like, and receive all things with equanimity.
GOD IS FOUND IN SILENCE
Still the mind. Listen. Enter the silence. In silence one becomes aware of his soul-consciousness. Silence is a prerequisite for the apprehension of the reality. Enter the silence, realise the reality.
Silence the tongue; silence the desires; silence the thoughts. You will now enjoy the bliss of the eternal. Love silence. Live in silence. Grow in silence. Spend your life in silence. The truths of the Upanishads are revealed through the grace of God.
In silence there is God-realisation. Silence is the peace that passes understanding - samadhi (the superconscious state).
Train yourself to enter a state of ceaseless meditation. Strive diligently, patiently and with genuine humility to attain wisdom. Earnest aspiration and sincerity of purpose are the most precious assets to the seeker after truth. Silence conserves energy and gives peace and strength. You can amass inexhaustible spiritual wealth in silence.
The aspirant should possess tranquility, self-control and compassion. An aspirant should avoid dainty dishes as they induce him to be voluptuous. An aspirant should not indulge in hearing worldly talk as it leaves worldly impressions on the mind and these stand in the way of fixing the mind on God. If you are freed from attachment, you have attained salvation indeed. He who has strong vairagya (dispassion), utter distaste for all pleasures of earth and heaven is first to pursue the path of jnana (wisdom).
He who has not developed strong dispassion, but is attached to the pleasures of this world, must tread the path of karma yoga. He who is neither intensely attached to the world nor completely detached from it must take up the path of devotion (bhakti). The delusion of birth and death will only haunt those persons who have passions and darkness. Persons of powerful, pure tendency will be ever free from the fear of birth. Real austerity consists of the control of the senses and the mind, not mortification of the body. The middle path between extreme asceticism and self-indulgence is beneficial. Fasting is external austerity; repentance and meditation are internal austerity.
DAMA - SENSE CONTROL
Dama is self-restraint. It is control of the senses. It is a vedantic sadhana (practice). It comes after the practice of sama (restraint of mind). It is one of the sad-sampat (six-fold wealth). It does not allow the senses to run outwards. It gives strength, peace and concentration. It develops will-power. It helps you to disconnect or shut off the mind from the senses, and the senses from the objects. It corresponds to pratyahara (sense-withdrawal) of raja yoga. An objector says, "Why should there be practice of dama when the mind is controlled by sama?" It is a double attack on the mind. The mind operates in conjunction with the senses; the mind will be subdued easily and effectively if you practise dama also. It weakens or thins out the mind.
There is also a deliberate order here. Without viveka (wisdom), vairagya (dispassion) is not powerful. It is viveka that weans the mind from sensual objects and directs it towards the absolute. So viveka comes first. If there is dawn of viveka, vairagya, serenity (sama) will come by itself. It is easy to control the mind if the senses are also controlled. So dama comes after sama. If you practise dama, uparati (satiety) follows - you are disgusted with sensual objects. Serenity and restraint of the indriyas are increased if you have titiksa or power of endurance. When you possess the above qualifications naturally you will have faith (sraddha) and a balanced inner life (samadana). If you are endowed with viveka, vairagya and six wealths, a burning yearning for liberation (mumuksutva) will automatically follow.
Sensual pleasure is the womb of pain. The cause for pain is the pursuit of pleasure. Sensual pleasure is imaginary, illusory, fleeting and tantalising. Abandon pleasure and rejoice in the eternal bliss of the atman. He who has destroyed desire is really a harmonised, peaceful and happy man.
YOUR REAL ENEMY
The senses are your real foes. They draw you out and disturb your peace of mind. Do not keep company with them. Subdue them. Restrain them. Curb them just as you would curb your enemies on the battlefield. This is not the work of a day. It wants patient and protracted sadhana (practice) for a very long time. Control of the senses is really control of the mind. All the ten senses must be controlled. Starve them to death. Do not give them what they want. Then they will obey your orders implicitly. All worldly-minded persons are slaves of their senses, though they are educated, though they possess immense wealth, though they hold judicial and executive powers. If you are a slave of meat-eating, for instance, you will begin to exercise control of your tongue the moment you give up the meat-eating habit entirely for six months. You will consciously feel that you have gained a little supremacy over this troublesome sense of taste which began to revolt against you sometime ago.
Worldly pleasures intensify the desire for enjoying greater pleasures. Hence the minds of worldlings are very restless. There is no satisfaction, and mental peace is absent. The mind can never be satisfied, whatever amount of pleasure you may store up for it. The more it enjoys the pleasures, the more it wants them. So people are exceedingly troubled and vexed by their own minds. They are tired of their minds. Hence, in order to remove these botherations and troubles, the rsis (sages) thought it best to deprive the mind of all sensual pleasures. When the mind has been concentrated or made extinct, it cannot force one to seek for further pleasure, and all botherations and troubles are removed for ever and the person attains real peace.
The mind can do nothing without the help of the senses. And the senses cannot do anything without the help of the mind. Desire moves the mind and the senses and makes it outgoing. Abandon desires and control the mind. Thinking means externalisation or objectification. Thinking is samsara. Thinking causes identification with the body, with `I-ness', `mine-ness', time and space.
Stop this thinking through vairagya (dispassion) and abhyasa (practice). Merge yourself in pure consciousness where there is no thinking. This is the absolution; this is jivanmukta (liberation).
DISCIPLINE OF THE SENSES
Control the indriyas (senses) through introspection. Destroy the thirst for objects and sense-enjoyments then you will be established in supreme peace. Speak the truth and talk little. Observe silence for two hours daily. Speak only sweet, loving, soft words. Do not go to cinemas; do not look at ladies with a lustful look. When you move in the street look at the tip of the nose; do not look hither and thither. This is discipline of the eye, the organ of sight.
Do not attend dancing parties and do not listen to vulgar music. Give up musical entertainments and listening to worldly conversation. This is the discipline of the ear, the organ of hearing. Do not use scents. This is the discipline of the nose, the organ of smell. Give up salt and sugar for a week. Live on simple food. Fast on ekadasi (eleventh day of the lunar fortnight) or live on milk. This is the discipline of the tongue, the organ of taste.
Observe brahmacarya. Sleep on a hard mat. Walk barefooted. Do not use umbrellas. This is the discipline of the skin, the organ of touch.
To check the wandering mind and to develop concentration, fix your mind on your ista devata (ideal). Bring the mind back again when it wanders and fix it on the image.
You may think or falsely conjecture that the senses are under your control. You may be duped. All of a sudden you will become their victim. You must have supreme control of all the senses. The senses may become turbulent at any time. Reaction may set in. Beware!
Master the senses, the mind and the intellect ruthlessly. Do this through enquiry, discrimination, dispassion, devotion and meditation. Anger is born of rajas (restlessness). When desire is not gratified, then anger manifests itself. Anger is a form of desire only. Slay this anger through vicara (enquiry), discrimination, patience, love, meditation, and identification with the ever serene Atman.
STRIVING FOR PERENNIAL HAPPINESS
It is in the nature of man to strive for happiness, but all the happiness which he can gain by his actions is only of limited duration. The enjoyments of the senses are transient and the senses themselves are worn out by too much enjoyment. Further, sin generally accompanies these enjoyments and makes men unhappy beyond comparison.
Even if the pleasures of the world are enjoyed as much as their nature permits, if they are as intense, as varied and as uninterrupted as possible - old age still approaches and with it, death. And the enjoyments of heaven are in reality not more enviable than these pleasures of the senses. They are of the same nature although more unmixed and durable, and they come to an end for they are gained by actions. Actions are finite and their effects must also be finite.
In one word, there is necessarily an end to all these enjoyments and what avails us to strive for pleasure which we know cannot sustain us beyond the moment of enjoyment? It is therefore the nature of the man to look out for an unchangeable, infinite happiness (ananta sukha) - which must come from a `being' in which there is no change if such a being can be found. It is only from him that man attains an unalterable happiness. And if this be so, this `being' must become the sole object of all his aspirations and actions.
This `being' is not very far - he resides in your heart. He is the saksi caitanya (witness consciousness) who witnesses the activities of your buddhi (intellect). He is the nirguna Brahman of the Upanishads.
TRUE BEING.
True being is that which knows no bounds, neither physical nor intellectual. It is unbounded, spiritual being. The nature of approach must befit the nature of the object approached. The pathway can be known only when the destination is known. The indivisible, absolute and conscious nature of the reality signifies that life on earth should be lived according to rigid laws - laws of dispassion towards external existence and active awareness of the self as an unlimited being. It also shows that all forms of physical and even intellectual indulgence are deviations from eternal truth. It shows that every desire for objectification of consciousness is suicidal in the real sense.
SOUL POWER
O man! Do not be discouraged when sorrows, difficulties and tribulations manifest in the daily battle of life. Thou art the master of thy destiny. Thou art divine. Live up to it, feel it, realise it. Draw up spiritual strength and courage from within. Learn the ways to tap the source. Dive deep within. Sink down. Plunge into the sacred waters of immortality. You will be refreshed, renovated and vivified.
Understand the laws of the universe. Move tactfully in this world. Learn the secrets of nature. Learn the best ways to control the mind. Conquer the mind. Conquest of the mind is really conquest of nature and the world.
Do not murmur or grumble when troubles and sorrows descend upon you. Difficulties strengthen your will, augment your power of endurance and turn your mind towards God. Face them with a smile. In your weakness lies your real strength. Conquer the difficulties one by one. This is the beginning of a new spiritual life, a life of expansion, glory and divine splendour. Expand, grow. Build up all positive virtues - fortitude, patience and courage. Start a new life.
Have a new angle of vision. Arm yourself with discrimination, cheerfulness, discernment, alacrity and undaunted spirit. A brilliant future is awaiting you. Let the past be buried. You can work miracles. Do not give up hope. You can neutralise the effect of evil influences and the antagonistic dark forces that may come against you. You can nullify destiny - many have done this. Assert. Recognise. Realise. Thou art the immortal self - claim thy birthright now.
You have created your destiny through thoughts and actions. You can undo them by right thinking and right action. Wrong thinking is the root cause of human sufferings. "I am the immortal self" - this is right thinking. Work in terms of unity - work unselfishly - work with atman bhava (feeling that the self is all). This is right action.
There is no such thing as sin. Sin is only a mistake; it is a mental creation. The baby soul must commit some mistakes during the process of evolution. Mistakes are your best teachers. Think, "I am pure atman", and the idea of sin will be blown in the air.
MOST IMPORTANT SADHANA
Man is a mixture of three ingredients. These are the human element, the brutal instinct and the divine ray. He is endowed with a finite intellect, a perishable body, a little knowledge and a little power. This makes him distinctly human. Lust, anger and hatred belong to his brutal nature.
The reflection of cosmic intelligence is at the back of his intellect. So he is an image of God. When the brutal instincts die, when this ignorance is rent asunder, when he is able to bear insult and injury, then he becomes one with the divine.
A thirsting aspirant is one who practises self-denial. He always tries to feel that the body does not belong to him. If anyone beats or cuts him, either his hand or throat, he should remain quiet. He should not speak even one single harsh word - because the body is not his. He starts his sadhana (practice) saying: "I am not this body. I am not this mind. Chidananda Rupa Sivoham."
One harsh word throws a man off balance and a little disrespect upsets him. How weak he has become, despite his boasted intellect, his high position in society, his degrees, his diplomas and titles.
Bear insult; bear injury. This is the essence of all sadhana. This is the most important sadhana. If you succeed in this, you can very easily enter the illimitable domain of eternal bliss. Nirvikalpa samadhi (superconscious state) will come by itself. This is the most difficult sadhana. But it is easy for those who have burning vairagya (dispassion) and true yearning for liberation.
First you must become like a block of stone. Only then you will be established in this sadhana. Now nothing can affect you. Abuse, ridicule, mockery, insult, persecution - none of these can have any influence on you.
Life is God in expression.
Life is joy.
Life is the flooding bliss of the spirit.
Life is the fight for fullness and perfection.
Life is a battle for attaining supreme independence.
HELPERS ON THE SPIRITUAL PATH
The spiritual path may in the beginning appear to be very hard, thorny, precipitous and slippery. Renunciation of objects gives pain at the outset. If you struggle hard to tread the path, if you once make a strong determination and firm resolve, then it becomes very easy. You get interest and a new joy. Your heart expands and you have a broad outlook on life; you have a new wide vision. You feel the help from the invisible hands of the indweller of your heart. Your doubts are cleared by themselves, by getting the answer from within - you hear the still, sweet voice of God.
There is an indescribable thrill of divine ecstasy from within. There is ineffable, unabating, undiminishing, undecaying spiritual bliss. This gives new strength and the footing on the path becomes firmer and firmer. The jivanmuktas (liberated sages), yogis, nityasiddhas (eternally perfect ones), amara-purusas (immortal souls) and ciranjivas (deathless souls) lend their helping hands to the struggling aspirants. The aspirants feel this actually - the feeling of loneliness and of being neglected and forsaken vanishes entirely.
Doubt or uncertainty is a great obstacle in the path of self-realisation. It must be removed by study of religious books, satsanga (holy company), vicara (enquiry) and reasoning. Again and again it will raise its head to mislead the aspirant. It should be killed beyond resurrection by certainty of conviction and firm unshakable faith based on reasoning.
An aspirant should always watch whether the sight of an unpleasant object or any unpleasant sound causes irritation or agitation in his mind. He should try to eradicate this irritation - he should have perfect control of temper. A weak aspirant, though strong in concentration, is overcome by idleness; and a strong aspirant, if weak in concentration, is overcome by tossing of the mind. Concentration and energy should therefore be well balanced.
Stick to your ideas, convictions and principles - whether you become popular or unpopular, even if the whole world opposes you. Dig a deep pit in one place. Centralise all your efforts. Even so try to imbibe the spiritual teachings of one spiritual preceptor alone. Drink deeply from one man - sit at his feet for some years. For the preliminary practices of japa (repetition of God's name), ahimsa (non-violence), truth and to develop mercy, devotion, love, tolerance etc., you do not need a guru. You have to do all these things yourself. When you are ready, the guru will appear before you of his own accord.
GLORY OF THE SELF
Believe in the self. Draw power from within. Dive deep into the source and come back quite refreshed and invigorated. Have unshakable faith that nothing can ever overpower these. Chant Om Om Om when gloom tries to overpower these. Rejoice in thy own self. Have contentment in thy own self. Never seek happiness from outside.
A timid man is unfit for the attainment of self-realisation. Have no attachment for this mortal body of flesh and bone. Cast if off like slough, just as the snake throws away its skin. Be prepared to give up the body at any moment. Make a strong resolve: I will die or realise the self.
Do not lose heart when you are in adverse circumstances. Become a real hero and fight your enemies within - the mind, indriyas (senses), vasanas (tendencies), samskaras (mental impressions) and trisnas (cravings) which have robbed you of your atmic jewel. The spiritual battlefield demands great valour, patience, perseverance, strength, courage and skill.
Temptations will manifest without a moment's notice - you will be bewildered. There may be no time to detect them, so always be on the alert.
You came alone, naked and weeping. You will go alone, naked and weeping. Then why are you proud of your false wealth and false knowledge? Become humble, meek. You will conquer the world with humility. Become pure in thought, word and deed. This is the secret of spiritual life.
Birth and death, bondage and freedom, pleasure and pain, gain and loss – all are mental creations. Transcend the pairs of opposites. You were never born; you will never die. Thou art the immortal self always. Thou art ever free in the three periods of time. It is the physical body that comes and goes. The self is all-full, all-pervading, infinite and part-less.
Recognise that you are the living truth, that you are inseparable from that one essence, the substratum of all these illusory names and forms, these false, shadowy appearances. Get firmly established in Brahman. Now you are invulnerable.
Rely on your own self, your inner spiritual strength. Do not depend on money, friends or anyone. Friends, when put to the test, will desert you. Lord Buddha never even trusted his own disciples. Become absolutely free.
PERFECTION AWAITS YOU
The circle of darkness and degeneracy has reached its climax. Come now, arise victorious and step up towards the zenith of perfection that awaits you. Live with a definite purpose - do not roam about aimlessly. Walk with a definite aim. Climb the hill of knowledge steadily and reach the summit of the temple of Brahman, the grand abode of the life immortal.
In the spiritual path there are constant failures and setbacks. Repeated endeavour, constant vigilance and undaunted perseverance are needed. When the heart's knots are gradually loosened, when the vasanas (tendencies) are gradually thinned out, when the bonds of karma are gradually loosened, when ignorance is dispelled, when weakness vanishes, you will become more and more peaceful, strong and serene. You will get more and more light from within. You will become more and more divine.
Hard enough is it to purify the lower nature, difficult enough is it to practise concentration and meditation, but vigilance, perseverance, constant practise, steady and persistent effort, company of sages, resolute will and strong determination, will obviate all difficulties and render the path easy, pleasant and attractive. Fight with the mind bravely. Go on fighting with an undaunted heart. At the end of your battle you will attain the illimitable dominion of eternal bliss, the sweet abode of immortality, the immaculate, imperishable self or Brahman.
Despair not; light is on the path. Serve all. Love truth. Be serene. Meditate regularly. You will soon attain the life beatitude, the silence, the supreme peace. Even when you get a glimpse of the truth, of the supreme, your whole life will be changed. You will be a changed being. You will have a new heart and a new wisdom. A new thrill of spiritual current will pass through your entire being. A wave of spiritual bliss will sweep over you. This state is indescribable.
THE WORLD NEEDS SANNYASINS
Every religion has a band of anchorites who lead a life of seclusion and meditation. There are bhikkus in Buddhism, fakirs in Islam, sufistic fakirs in Sufism, fathers and brothers in Christianity. The glory of a religion will be absolutely lost if you remove the hermits or sannyisins or those who lead the life of renunciation and divine contemplation. It is these people who maintain and preserve the religions of the world. It is these people who give solace to the householders when they are in trouble and distress. They bring hope to the hopeless, joy to the depressed, strength to the weak and courage to the timid by imparting the knowledge of yoga and vedanta, and the significance of, "That thou art".
True renunciation is the renunciation of all passions, desires and egoism. 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 your 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 sanyasin." Guru Nanak replied: "My dear friend, I have shaved my mind." In fact, the mind should be cleanly shaved. Shaving the mind consists of getting rid of all attachments, egoism, infatuation, lust, greed and anger. That is real shaving. External shaving of the head has no meaning so long as there is internal craving.
Many have not understood what true renunciation is. Renunciation of physical objects is no renunciation at all. True renunciation lies in the abnegation of the mind. It consists of renouncing all desires and egoism, and not world-existence. The real renunciation is the renunciation of the ego. If you can renounce this, you have renounced everything in the world. If the subtle egoism is given up, identification with the body goes away automatically.
WHAT TO RENOUNCE
Mere outward giving up of things is nothing. It is not real renunciation. Real tyaga or sanyas (renunciation) consists in absolute renunciation of all vasanas (tendencies) and the destruction of the heart-knot of ignorance, the cit-jada-granthi (confusion between the conscious subject and inert object).
What is to be renounced is the bheda buddhi (divisive intellect) which says, "I am superior to that man". "I am the body." And the kartrtva abhimana which thinks, "I am the doer". There is no use in your renouncing your home, wife and children. You must destroy moha (attachment) for the body, children, money, house, property - then you will get that state of immortality from which you will never return.
He who has merely withdrawn himself from worldly possessions, cannot be regarded as having renounced the world altogether; but he who is living in actual contact with the world, finds out its faults. He who is freed from every passion and whose soul depends on nothing may be said to have truly renounced the world. Read the story of Raja Sikhidhwaja and Queen Chudala in the Yoga Vasishta.
The spirit cometh and goeth. Therefore you will have to be careful always in nourishing and protecting your spiritual samskaras (impressions) with burning vairagya (dispassion), intense and constant sadhana (practice) and burning mumuksutva (desire for liberation). Increase your good samskaras. Develop them. Multiply them.
People do not want to remove mala (impurity) by selfless service and viksepa (restlessness of mind) with upasana (devotion). They think that bhakti and service are nothing. They at once jump to open the kundalini and raise the brahmakara vrtti (the feeling of Brahmin is the all). They will only break down their legs.
Serve and worship; jnana and yoga will come by themselves; kundalini will be awakened by itself.
EXTERNAL RENUNCIATION IS NECESSARY
Renunciation of family life is the beginning of self-surrender. He who is endowed with burning vairagya (dispassion) and discrimination, one who is really earnest for his spiritual rejuvenation, can also do complete self-surrender even though he is living in the world.
In and through the world he realises the Lord by complete surrender of his whole being to Him. But it is only very few who are capable of doing this. This is because worldly life is beset with innumerable obstacles and temptations. And it is hard for the aspirant to attain complete dispassion in the midst of so many dissipations and distractions.
Therefore renunciation of family life makes the path easier for the aspirant. It also makes it smoother. The seed is now sown. The aspirant then goes to his preceptor and falls at his feet. Now the seed germinates.
The aspirant now starts the service of the guru. As he advances in his devotion and sincere service, his surrender becomes more and more perfect and complete. His heart becomes purer and purer and gradually the light of knowledge dawns in him. Now he cognises the supreme atman which pervades all, everywhere.
The actions performed by the sadhaka (seeker) after renunciation do not bind him because he has offered all his actions unto his preceptor or God. He does not do any action which can be considered selfish.
Thus, through service of one's preceptor, with utter self-dedication, his heart becomes purified and, ultimately, the Lord becomes his preceptor. Now he is completely surrendered to the Lord and he attains the highest intuition.
PERFECT RENUNCIATION
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' and `mine-ness'. The snake charmer removes only the two poisonous fangs of the cobra. The snake remains the same. It hisses, raises its hood and shows its fangs. 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 no poisonous fangs. Even so, you must remove the two poisonous fangs of the mind, namely, `I-ness' and `mine-ness' only. Then you can allow the mind to go wherever it likes. Then you will always have the feeling of the presence of God.
You must also renounce the attachment to renunciation, which is very deep-rooted. You must renounce the idea: "I have renounced everything; I am a great renunciate". This attachment of aspirants is a greater evil than that of the householders: "I am a landlord; I am a brahmana, etc."
Not by shaving the head, not by dress, not by egoistic action is liberation to be attained. He who possesses wisdom is a real sanyasin (monk). Wisdom is the sign of a sanyasin. The wooden staff does not make a sanyasin. He is the real sanyasin of wisdom who is conscious of his absolute nature even in his dreams just as he is during the waking period. He is the greatest knower of Brahman. He is the greatest of sanyasins.
Perfect renunciation is born of discrimination. Dispassion should not be mild and half-hearted. It should be a burning flame of disgust for everything that is seen and that is not seen. Nothing but the state of final liberation is to be the ideal for attainment. There should be no desire for wife, husband, children and worldly activity. The aspirant must be encircled by the fence of dispassion on all sides.
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