PRACTICE OF YOGA BY SWAMI SIVANANDA (MESSAGE 13)
Jilly-jallying
LINGUAL DIARRHOEA
Too much talking is jilly-jallying. If a man talks too much, he suffers from diarrhoea of the tongue. There are persons who talk in a speed of five hundred words per second. There is an electric talking dynamo in their tongues. They are restless people. If you lock these people for a day in a solitary-room, they will die. Much energy is wasted by too much talking. The energy that is spent in talking must be conserved and utilised for divine contemplation. The Vak-Indriya distracts the mind considerably and retards spiritual progress. A talkative man cannot dream of having peace even for a short time.
This is another obstacle for the aspirants. By observance of Mauna, you should gradually diminish the habit of talking. Japa, meditation, study and solitude are the effective means to remove this obstacle.
Name and Fame
KIRTI AND PRATISHTHA
One can renounce even wife, son, property, etc., but it is difficult to renounce name and fame. Pratishtha is established name and fame. This is a great obstacle in the path of God-realisation. This brings downfall in the end. This does not allow the aspirant to march forward in the spiritual path. He becomes a slave of respect and honour. As soon as the aspirant gets some purity and ethical progress, ignorant people flock to him and pay homage and salutations. The aspirant gets puffed up with pride. He thinks that he is a great Mahatma now. He becomes eventually a slave of his admirers. He cannot notice his slow downfall. The moment he mixes up freely with householders, he loses what little he has gained during his Tapas of eight or ten years. He cannot influence the public now and bring spiritual good to the public. The admirers also will leave him in the end because they do not find any solace, peace or spiritual influence in his company.
The people imagine that the Mahatma has got Siddhis and they can get children, wealth and remedy for removal of diseases through his grace. They always approach a Sadhu with various motives. The aspirant through bad association loses his Vairagya and Viveka. Attachment and desires will crop up. Therefore an aspirant should hide himself always. Nobody should know what sort of Sadhana he is doing. He should never attempt to exhibit any Siddhi. He should be very humble. He should pass for quite an ordinary man. He should not accept any rich present from householders. He will be affected by the bad thoughts of those who offer presents. He should treat respect, honour, name and fame as dung or poison. He should wear disrespect and dishonour as a golden necklace. Then only he Will reach the goal safely.
Building of Ashrams and initiating disciples bring about the downfall of the aspirant as they bring name and fame. They are also stumbling blocks in the path of God-realisation. The aspirant becomes another sort of householder. He develops institutional egoism. He gets attached to the Ashram and disciples. He has the same cares, worries and anxiety for running the Ashram, printing a magazine and feeding his disciples. He develops slave-mentality and weak will. Thoughts of the Ashram revolve in his mind when he is in a dying condition. Some Ashrams are nicely conducted by their 'spiritual heads' while they are alive. When they pass away, the disciples who are petty-minded fight amongst themselves. Cases are filed in courts. Ashrams become fighting centres afterwards. Ashram owners have to flatter the donors and have to appeal for the funds very often. How can thoughts of God remain in their minds, when they have their minds fixed in collection of money and developing the Ashrams? Those who have started the Ashrams may say now: "We are doing good to the people in various ways. We are having religious classes daily. We feed the poor people. We are giving free education to poor boys." These activities may be purely for name and fame. Even if they do not have this desire in the beginning, gradually they will get name and fame. They will ignore their Sadhana and forget the goal— God-realisation. Aspirants should ruthlessly shun name and fame.
Irregularity and Cessation of Sadhana
This is also a great obstacle in the path of realisation. Just as you are regular in taking your food, so also you must be very regular in your Sadhana. You must chalk out a daily routine (Dinacharya) and follow it regularly. Irregularity in Sadhana cannot produce the desired result. Leniency to the mind will upset the whole programme. You must be regular in your Sadhana with asinine patience, adamantine will, firm determination and unshakable faith. Then success is certain.
Generally the Sadhaka is very enthusiastic in his Sadhana in the beginning. He is full of zeal. He takes a great deal of interest. He expects to get some results. When he does not get any result, he gets discouraged. He loses his interest in his Abhyasa and slackens his efforts. He gives up his Sadhana completely. He loses his faith in the efficacy of the Sadhana. Sometimes the mind gets disgusted with one particular kind of Sadhana. Just as mind wants some variety in food and other things, so also it wants variety in the mode of Sadhana also. It rebels against monotonous practice. The aspirant should know how to coax the mind on such occasions and to extract work from it by a little relaxation of mind. The cessation of Sadhana is a grave mistake. Evil thoughts will be ever waiting to re-enter the gates of the mental factory. If the aspirant stops his Sadhana, his mind will be a Satan's workshop. Do "not expect anything. Be sincere and regular in your daily routine, meditation and Tapas. The Sadhana will take care of itself. Spiritual practices should never be given up under any circumstance. Stop not (the Sadhana) till the Goal is reached.
The Sadhaka gets some experience during the course of his Sadhana. He sees wonderful visions of Rishis, Mahatmas, astral entities of various descriptions, etc. He hears various melodious Anahata-sounds. He smells Divya Gandha (divine odour). He gets the powers of thought-reading, foretelling, etc. He foolishly imagines now that he has reached the highest goal and stops his further Sadhana. This is also a serious mistake. He gets false Tushti or satisfaction. Visions and Anahata-sounds are all auspicious signs that manifest on account of a little purity and concentration. These are all encouragements which God gives as a sort of incentive for further progress and intense Sadhana. The aspirant gets more strength of conviction by having these experiences. This is not the Goal. Sadhana must be continued.
Rasasvada is another kind of experience. It is bliss that comes from lower Savikalpa Samadhi. The Sadhaka who has experienced this super-sensual bliss imagines that he has reached the final destination and gives up his Sadhana. Just as a man is not satisfied with the petty things he has found out just beneath the surface of the ground and goes on digging the earth very deep to find out the most precious hidden treasures and gems, so also the Sadhaka should not be satisfied with Rasasvada but continue his Sadhana till he gets the unconditioned Bhuma, the highest goal of life. He should never be satisfied with Alpa or lower experiences. He should compare his experiences with the highest experiences of sages that are described in the Upanishads and find out whether they exactly tally with them or not. He should exert till he reaches the seventh Jnana-Bhumika, till he becomes a Brahma-varishtha. He should struggle hard and continue Sadhana till he gets the inner feeling of: "Apta-Kama, Krita-Kritya, Prapta-prapya—I have obtained all desires, I have done everything, I know everything. There is nothing more to be known. There is nothing more to be obtained."
Lack of a Preceptor
The spiritual path is thorny rugged and precipitous. It is enveloped by darkness. The guidance of a Guru who has already trodden the path is imperatively necessary. He will be able to throw light on the path and to remove the obstacles of the Sadhaka. The knowledge of the Self is revealed through Parampara and handed down from Guru to the disciple in succession. Matsyendranath taught Brahma-Vidya to Nivrittinath. Nivrittinath gave the knowledge to Jnana Dev and so on. Gaudapada initiated Govindapada into the mysteries of Kaivalya. Govindapada instructed Sankaracharya. Sankaracharya instructed Suresvaracharya and so on.
The spiritual path is quite a different line altogether. It is not like writing thesis for M.A. examination. The help of a teacher is necessary at every moment. Young aspirants become self-sufficient, arrogant and self-assertive in these days. They do not care to carry out the orders of a Guru. They do not wish to have a Guru. They want independence from the very beginning. They apply the Neti-Neti doctrine and Bhaga-Tyaga-Lakshana in selecting a Guru and declare: "Na Gurur na Sishyah Chidananda Rupah Sivoham Sivoham." They think that they are in the Turiya-Avastha when they do not know even the ABC of spirituality or truth. They mistake licentiousness or "having their own ways and sweet will" for freedom. This is a serious, lamentable mistake. That is the reason why they do not grow. They lose faith in the efficacy of Sadhana, and in the existence of God. They wander about in a happy-go-lucky manner without any aim from Kashmir to Gangotri and from Gangotri to Ramesvaram, talking some nonsense on the way, something from the Vicharasagara, the Panchadasi and the Gita. They pose as Jivanmuktas.
He who lives under the guidance of a Guru for a long time and who carries out implicitly the instructions of the Guru can really improve in the spiritual path. There is no other way for spiritual progress. As long as there is world, there are spiritual teachers and spiritual books. If you cannot get an ideal Guru, you can take as your Guru any man who is treading the path of realisation for some years, who is straightforward and honest, who is selfless, who is free from pride and egoism, who has good character and knowledge of Sastras. Live with him for some time. Study him carefully. If you are satisfied; take him as your preceptor and follow his instructions strictly. After you have accepted him once as your Guru, never suspect him and never find fault with him. Do not change the Guru also very often. You will be bewildered. You will get different conflicting ideas. Everybody has got his own Sadhana. You will find no improvement if you change frequently your method of Sadhana. Stick to one Guru and carry out his instructions.
Fear
This little 'I' is the pivot on which fear, anger, delusion, desires, etc., are revolving from beginningless time. There is not the least hope of getting rid of this fear, unless you completely root out this little 'I' which clings to the physical body of flesh and bone.
Fear is Maya's deception. It is a mental creation. It is an imaginary zero. It is an effect of ignorance. It is a Vritti that emanates from the Chitta when one has lost his power of Vichara. It is a dark wave that proceeds from the ocean of Antahkarana when one has intense attachment to the body. It is a Parinama of the mind when one identifies himself with the body and calls himself: "I am Mr. So and so." When this little 'I' manifests, there comes Moha. From this fear comes in. Fear is the product of Moha.
How can a man expect happiness in this world if he is a victim of fear even though he is a multimillionaire or an emperor of this whole world? Fear is a kind of fire that consumes man slowly. Some make no progress in life because of a hidden fear. They do not avail themselves of opportunities on account of some hidden fear, which, if seized, will lead to a much better and harmonious life.
Almost all are victims of fear. Some are afraid of disease, ill-health, loss of property, old age and death. Others fear that they will lose their position, prestige, respect, honour, rank in life, and are afraid of public opinion, criticism, disgrace, calumny and scandal. Those who have got a leaning mentality are very much afraid when their dear relatives are seriously ailing. Some fear that poverty and disaster may come to them. There are some who are afraid of even a cat at night. When anybody taps the door at night, some are alarmed terribly. Maya will never spare anybody from fear.
The student has fear for his teacher. The minister has fear for his king. A woman is afraid of her husband. One power is afraid of another power. A thief is afraid of the police. A banker is afraid of robbers. Even a very healthy, strong man is afraid of some imaginary diseases. Even in dreams people are afflicted with terrible fear. Just hear what Bhartrihari says:
"In enjoyment, there is the fear of disease; in rank, the fear of downfall; in riches, the fear of adverse kings; in honour, the fear of dishonour; in power, the fear of enemies; in beauty, the fear of old age; in learning, the fear of opponents; in righteousness, the fear of slanderers; and in body, the fear of death. There is fear in all things of the world—but there is no fear in renunciation alone."
Fear drains the energy quickly. It destroys the vitality. It produces poverty of blood. It produces indigestion, headache and debility. It paralyses the brain and nerves. It makes one morose and gloomy. It retards growth, structure and nutrition. Extreme fear brings immediate death by causing heart failure. When one meets a tiger face to face in the forest, the body becomes rigid and paralysed and the mind becomes like a log of wood. Thinking and reasoning vanish. The victim becomes dumb.
One may not be afraid of the knife of a surgeon. One may submit himself fearlessly to extraction of a strong tooth without cocaine injection or to any operation without chloroform. One may not have any fear for wild animals in thick forests. He may move about fearlessly in thick jungles. One may not be afraid of the machine-gun in the battlefield. He may fearlessly expose his chest to the bullets. But such fearless people may be afraid of slight public criticism or slight disease or the sight of a centipede or a snake.
Auto-suggestion will help you a lot in removing fear. By developing courage you can destroy fear. Pray and make perfect self-surrender. Have no attachment for this body. Cast it off just like a snake throws away its slough. Make up your mind to give up the body at any moment. Become absolutely fearless. Exhibit courage and manliness. Fearlessness is one of the important signs of a Jivanmukta. How blessed are they who have victory over fear! How peaceful and strong are they who have triumph over fright!
Anger
Anger is another chief obstacle. It is born of Rajas. It is the greatest enemy of peace. It is a modification of lust. When a desire is not gratified a man becomes angry. His mind becomes confused. He loses his memory and understanding. Resentment, indignation, fury, wrath, irritation, etc., are all varieties of anger according to intensity. Control anger by the practice of Kshama, Dhairya, love and absence of egoism. Drink a little water when you become angry. It will cool the brain and calm the excited nerves. Repeat: "Om Santih" several times. Count twenty, one by one, slowly. By the time you finish counting twenty, anger will subside. If you find it extremely difficult to control anger, leave the place immediately and take a long walk for half an hour. Pray to God. Do Japa. Meditate. Meditation gives immense strength to destroy anger and all other obstacles.
From Moha, Kama (passion, desire) comes. From this, anger manifests. From anger, all other evil qualities such as greed, pride, jealousy, hatred, prejudice, bigotry, faultfinding, backbiting, hypocrisy, self-justification, etc., emanate.
A man thirsts for name, fame and applause. A sub-judge desires to become a High Court Judge. A Sadhu wants to get psychic powers. A Sannyasin wants to open several Ashrams in different centres. All these are only forms of greed. Dislike, contempt, prejudice, sneering, taunting, ridiculing, mocking, frowning, showing wry faces, are all forms of hatred. If the father dislikes a man, his sons and daughters also begin to hate that man without any. reason whatsoever. Such is the power of hatred. An Englishman hates an Irishman; a Catholic hates a Protestant and a Mohammedan hates a Hindu and vice versa. This is communal hatred. A son files a suit against his own father. The wife divorces her husband. These are all the manifestations of hatred having selfish motives at the back.
Hatred ceases not by hatred but by pure love only. It lurks in different corners. It needs intense and constant meditation and selfless service for a number of years. Vedanta in daily life when put into actual practice and service with Atma-Bhava can eradicate hatred and all other vices and bring in Advaitic realisation of oneness of life.
I have told you in several places that these evil qualities should be destroyed completely. Many instructions to destroy all these are already given. If you want spiritual progress, you should remove all these. These are all obstacles in the path of Self-realisation. Stand up now like an undaunted spiritual soldier in the Adhyatmic battlefield and destroy these enemies. Become a spiritual hero. Overcome the obstacles one by one and manifest divine glory, splendour, purity and sanctity.
Force of Samskaras
Some time ago, there lived in Karur, a big mercantile town in Tiruchirapally District, a fully developed Raja Yogi, by name Sadasiva Brahman. He was as famous as Trilinga Swami of Varanasi. He used to sit in Samadhi for six months. He was a great Titikshu and a Vairagi. He used to have a Kaupina only and sleep on bare ground. Once, there was a huge flood in the Kaveri River, and Sadasiva Brahman, who was in Samadhi, was carried away by the flood and deposited in some other place. One day, he was lying on the bare ground and had two pieces of bricks as his pillow. Some boys who were tending the cows mocked at him saying: "Look at this Mahatma! He has nothing except a Kaupina and yet, he wants comforts. He wants a pillow. Can he not lie down without pillow?" This little word produced a vibration in his mind and affected him a bit. He immediately threw away the bricks.
This goes to show that even great saints who can remain in Samadhi even for months together are liable to be affected by praise or censure. Such is the force of Samskaras. From time immemorial, praise and censure have produced their impressions of exhilaration and depression on the mind. Yajnavalkya also once cursed a man to death. It is said he had also minute trace of anger, subtle desire for money and cattle as was shown in the court of Janaka, despite his Brahma-Jnana. There is a popular view that Jnanins also will have a slight trace of Raga, Dvesha, anger, etc. But this is Abhasamatra, for name's sake only. Not real. The difference between a Jnani and a worldly man is that in the case of the former, it will be momentary as in the case of children, while in the latter, it will be continuous. A Jnani will forget it immediately, but a worldly man will keep it in the heart for a very long time. The impression of anger that is produced in the mind of a Jnani may be compared to the impression produced in water by a stroke of a walking stick. It is not lasting. The wave dies very soon.
Most of the difficulties in our daily lives come from being unable to hold our minds in proper check. For instance, if a man does evil to us, instantly we want to react evil, to revenge, to pay him in the same coin, to extract tooth for tooth—tit for tat policy—to return anger for anger. Every reaction of evil shows that we are not able to hold the Chitta down. It comes out in waves towards the object and we lose our power. Every reaction in the form of hatred or evil is so much loss to the mind and every evil thought or deed of hatred, if it is controlled, will be laid in our favour. It is not that we lose by thus restraining ourselves but we gain infinitely. Each time we suppress hatred, or feelings of anger, it is so much good; energy is stored up in our favour and that energy will be converted into higher power. Anger, when controlled properly, becomes transmuted into an energy so powerful as to move the world.
The sum total of impressions always remains in the mind. Impressions, though they become latent for a time, remain in the mind all the same and as soon as they get the right kind of stimulus, manifest themselves. The vibrations of the Chitta subside externally, after each direct perception, but continue to go on in it like atomic vibrations, and when they get the right kind of impulse, come out again.
A word is uttered and we do not wait to consider its meaning, but jump to a conclusion immediately. It is a sign of weakness. The weaker the man is, the lesser he has the power of restraint. Measure yourself always with the standard of restraint.
When you are going to be angry or miserable on hearing some news, reason it out, and see how it has thrown your mind into such Vrittis. Restraint does not come in a day, but by long continued practice. Suppose, when you are passing through the bazaar, a man comes and takes away forcibly your nice walking stick. That throws your Chitta immediately into the form of a wave, termed anger. Do not allow that wave to develop. If you can prevent the formation of that wave, you will have strong will-power, renunciation and Vairagya.
Samskara-Raksha
PROTECT SPIRITUAL IMPRESSIONS
Though through the purity of mind derived from the performance of holy duties in last births, you feel confidence that the Veda is the source of true knowledge, and you are anxious to attain the summum bonum through knowledge, yet you are drifted here and there in objects of pleasure, being influenced by the latent impressions of evils, Vishaya Samskaras. This attachment to worldly things, which acts as a barrier in the attainment of Truth, must be crushed down by proper Vichara, Viveka and well-directed strenuous efforts. For some months, you remain in closed rooms and you progress well with good concentration and meditation. All on a sudden, some disturbance or other comes and upsets your meditation. Your friends are your real enemies in one way. They drag you for some business or other into the world. You are dragged forcibly through moral sentiments. It is irresistible. It is of course, inevitable. You should call this as a form of weakness. To sacrifice your ideal, for the sake of pleasing some of your intimate friends is really far from commendable. By your mixing with these worldlings, your new spiritual Samskaras will be obliterated, will be effaced and you will find it extremely difficult to regain your original state, despite your redoubled efforts.
Danger of Mixing
Mixing with worldly-minded persons is highly disastrous for a Sadhaka. The two currents are diametrically opposite. A worldly-minded man and a Sadhaka move in diametrically .opposite poles. A worldly man is very fond of talking. He is garrulous. He suffers from lingual diarrhoea. Gossiping, idle talk, long talk, big talk, tall talk, all afford him great pleasure, whereas a Sadhaka is a man of few words, to the point and that also on spiritual matters. Worldly topics do not interest him at all. On the contrary they give him acute pain. The mode of thinking also differs in two cases. In the instance of a worldly man thinking consists of wife, children and the ways to amass wealth, the means of sensual enjoyment. The thinking is very shallow. A Sadhaka has sublime thinking of Brahman. A worldly man does an action always with a selfish motive. A Sadhaka does anything unselfishly with a strong feeling that the whole world is nothing but his own Self. If a worldly man has Rs. 100/- with him, he always thinks of saving for the future. A Sadhaka spends the whole amount on the same day. A worldly man is a man of complexity and multiplicity. A Sadhaka is a man of simplicity. A worldly man wants company. A Sadhaka wants entire solitude. You must always remain alone. This is a very, very important matter. I have to again reiterate that this is indispensably requisite. I have to emphatically assert again that solitude is a sine qua non. I have to again impress upon your mind that solitude for Sadhana is a great desideratum.
"O solitude! Where are thy own charms?" This was the spontaneous flow of expression from a poet when he was one with the nature—sentiments of the sublime and the beautiful. If you have once tasted properly to the very depth the happiness of solitude, you will never leave it at any cost. It is only those who have a preponderating Vishaya Samskara that flutter about from Brindavan to Benares, from Benares to Jagannath Puri, like a wild butterfly. Solitary places like Swargashram, Rishikesh and Uttarakasi have a beautiful charm of their own. It is indescribable. It is to be felt and understood by the subtle Nididhyasana-Buddhi. A gross, worldly practical Buddhi can never discriminate and understand the beauty and peace of such remarkable places, the supreme abodes of sages and Rishis. The spiritual vibratory conditions that are present in these places can, by themselves, take a man to Samadhi without any efforts. The Himalayan vibrations, soothing and soul-elevating influence of holy Ganga can turn an inveterate atheist and a materialist into a staunch spiritualist. Live for three months in these places. Realise the charm, grandeur and benign influence of solitude.
Jilly-jallying
LINGUAL DIARRHOEA
Too much talking is jilly-jallying. If a man talks too much, he suffers from diarrhoea of the tongue. There are persons who talk in a speed of five hundred words per second. There is an electric talking dynamo in their tongues. They are restless people. If you lock these people for a day in a solitary-room, they will die. Much energy is wasted by too much talking. The energy that is spent in talking must be conserved and utilised for divine contemplation. The Vak-Indriya distracts the mind considerably and retards spiritual progress. A talkative man cannot dream of having peace even for a short time.
This is another obstacle for the aspirants. By observance of Mauna, you should gradually diminish the habit of talking. Japa, meditation, study and solitude are the effective means to remove this obstacle.
Name and Fame
KIRTI AND PRATISHTHA
One can renounce even wife, son, property, etc., but it is difficult to renounce name and fame. Pratishtha is established name and fame. This is a great obstacle in the path of God-realisation. This brings downfall in the end. This does not allow the aspirant to march forward in the spiritual path. He becomes a slave of respect and honour. As soon as the aspirant gets some purity and ethical progress, ignorant people flock to him and pay homage and salutations. The aspirant gets puffed up with pride. He thinks that he is a great Mahatma now. He becomes eventually a slave of his admirers. He cannot notice his slow downfall. The moment he mixes up freely with householders, he loses what little he has gained during his Tapas of eight or ten years. He cannot influence the public now and bring spiritual good to the public. The admirers also will leave him in the end because they do not find any solace, peace or spiritual influence in his company.
The people imagine that the Mahatma has got Siddhis and they can get children, wealth and remedy for removal of diseases through his grace. They always approach a Sadhu with various motives. The aspirant through bad association loses his Vairagya and Viveka. Attachment and desires will crop up. Therefore an aspirant should hide himself always. Nobody should know what sort of Sadhana he is doing. He should never attempt to exhibit any Siddhi. He should be very humble. He should pass for quite an ordinary man. He should not accept any rich present from householders. He will be affected by the bad thoughts of those who offer presents. He should treat respect, honour, name and fame as dung or poison. He should wear disrespect and dishonour as a golden necklace. Then only he Will reach the goal safely.
Building of Ashrams and initiating disciples bring about the downfall of the aspirant as they bring name and fame. They are also stumbling blocks in the path of God-realisation. The aspirant becomes another sort of householder. He develops institutional egoism. He gets attached to the Ashram and disciples. He has the same cares, worries and anxiety for running the Ashram, printing a magazine and feeding his disciples. He develops slave-mentality and weak will. Thoughts of the Ashram revolve in his mind when he is in a dying condition. Some Ashrams are nicely conducted by their 'spiritual heads' while they are alive. When they pass away, the disciples who are petty-minded fight amongst themselves. Cases are filed in courts. Ashrams become fighting centres afterwards. Ashram owners have to flatter the donors and have to appeal for the funds very often. How can thoughts of God remain in their minds, when they have their minds fixed in collection of money and developing the Ashrams? Those who have started the Ashrams may say now: "We are doing good to the people in various ways. We are having religious classes daily. We feed the poor people. We are giving free education to poor boys." These activities may be purely for name and fame. Even if they do not have this desire in the beginning, gradually they will get name and fame. They will ignore their Sadhana and forget the goal— God-realisation. Aspirants should ruthlessly shun name and fame.
Irregularity and Cessation of Sadhana
This is also a great obstacle in the path of realisation. Just as you are regular in taking your food, so also you must be very regular in your Sadhana. You must chalk out a daily routine (Dinacharya) and follow it regularly. Irregularity in Sadhana cannot produce the desired result. Leniency to the mind will upset the whole programme. You must be regular in your Sadhana with asinine patience, adamantine will, firm determination and unshakable faith. Then success is certain.
Generally the Sadhaka is very enthusiastic in his Sadhana in the beginning. He is full of zeal. He takes a great deal of interest. He expects to get some results. When he does not get any result, he gets discouraged. He loses his interest in his Abhyasa and slackens his efforts. He gives up his Sadhana completely. He loses his faith in the efficacy of the Sadhana. Sometimes the mind gets disgusted with one particular kind of Sadhana. Just as mind wants some variety in food and other things, so also it wants variety in the mode of Sadhana also. It rebels against monotonous practice. The aspirant should know how to coax the mind on such occasions and to extract work from it by a little relaxation of mind. The cessation of Sadhana is a grave mistake. Evil thoughts will be ever waiting to re-enter the gates of the mental factory. If the aspirant stops his Sadhana, his mind will be a Satan's workshop. Do "not expect anything. Be sincere and regular in your daily routine, meditation and Tapas. The Sadhana will take care of itself. Spiritual practices should never be given up under any circumstance. Stop not (the Sadhana) till the Goal is reached.
The Sadhaka gets some experience during the course of his Sadhana. He sees wonderful visions of Rishis, Mahatmas, astral entities of various descriptions, etc. He hears various melodious Anahata-sounds. He smells Divya Gandha (divine odour). He gets the powers of thought-reading, foretelling, etc. He foolishly imagines now that he has reached the highest goal and stops his further Sadhana. This is also a serious mistake. He gets false Tushti or satisfaction. Visions and Anahata-sounds are all auspicious signs that manifest on account of a little purity and concentration. These are all encouragements which God gives as a sort of incentive for further progress and intense Sadhana. The aspirant gets more strength of conviction by having these experiences. This is not the Goal. Sadhana must be continued.
Rasasvada is another kind of experience. It is bliss that comes from lower Savikalpa Samadhi. The Sadhaka who has experienced this super-sensual bliss imagines that he has reached the final destination and gives up his Sadhana. Just as a man is not satisfied with the petty things he has found out just beneath the surface of the ground and goes on digging the earth very deep to find out the most precious hidden treasures and gems, so also the Sadhaka should not be satisfied with Rasasvada but continue his Sadhana till he gets the unconditioned Bhuma, the highest goal of life. He should never be satisfied with Alpa or lower experiences. He should compare his experiences with the highest experiences of sages that are described in the Upanishads and find out whether they exactly tally with them or not. He should exert till he reaches the seventh Jnana-Bhumika, till he becomes a Brahma-varishtha. He should struggle hard and continue Sadhana till he gets the inner feeling of: "Apta-Kama, Krita-Kritya, Prapta-prapya—I have obtained all desires, I have done everything, I know everything. There is nothing more to be known. There is nothing more to be obtained."
Lack of a Preceptor
The spiritual path is thorny rugged and precipitous. It is enveloped by darkness. The guidance of a Guru who has already trodden the path is imperatively necessary. He will be able to throw light on the path and to remove the obstacles of the Sadhaka. The knowledge of the Self is revealed through Parampara and handed down from Guru to the disciple in succession. Matsyendranath taught Brahma-Vidya to Nivrittinath. Nivrittinath gave the knowledge to Jnana Dev and so on. Gaudapada initiated Govindapada into the mysteries of Kaivalya. Govindapada instructed Sankaracharya. Sankaracharya instructed Suresvaracharya and so on.
The spiritual path is quite a different line altogether. It is not like writing thesis for M.A. examination. The help of a teacher is necessary at every moment. Young aspirants become self-sufficient, arrogant and self-assertive in these days. They do not care to carry out the orders of a Guru. They do not wish to have a Guru. They want independence from the very beginning. They apply the Neti-Neti doctrine and Bhaga-Tyaga-Lakshana in selecting a Guru and declare: "Na Gurur na Sishyah Chidananda Rupah Sivoham Sivoham." They think that they are in the Turiya-Avastha when they do not know even the ABC of spirituality or truth. They mistake licentiousness or "having their own ways and sweet will" for freedom. This is a serious, lamentable mistake. That is the reason why they do not grow. They lose faith in the efficacy of Sadhana, and in the existence of God. They wander about in a happy-go-lucky manner without any aim from Kashmir to Gangotri and from Gangotri to Ramesvaram, talking some nonsense on the way, something from the Vicharasagara, the Panchadasi and the Gita. They pose as Jivanmuktas.
He who lives under the guidance of a Guru for a long time and who carries out implicitly the instructions of the Guru can really improve in the spiritual path. There is no other way for spiritual progress. As long as there is world, there are spiritual teachers and spiritual books. If you cannot get an ideal Guru, you can take as your Guru any man who is treading the path of realisation for some years, who is straightforward and honest, who is selfless, who is free from pride and egoism, who has good character and knowledge of Sastras. Live with him for some time. Study him carefully. If you are satisfied; take him as your preceptor and follow his instructions strictly. After you have accepted him once as your Guru, never suspect him and never find fault with him. Do not change the Guru also very often. You will be bewildered. You will get different conflicting ideas. Everybody has got his own Sadhana. You will find no improvement if you change frequently your method of Sadhana. Stick to one Guru and carry out his instructions.
Fear
This little 'I' is the pivot on which fear, anger, delusion, desires, etc., are revolving from beginningless time. There is not the least hope of getting rid of this fear, unless you completely root out this little 'I' which clings to the physical body of flesh and bone.
Fear is Maya's deception. It is a mental creation. It is an imaginary zero. It is an effect of ignorance. It is a Vritti that emanates from the Chitta when one has lost his power of Vichara. It is a dark wave that proceeds from the ocean of Antahkarana when one has intense attachment to the body. It is a Parinama of the mind when one identifies himself with the body and calls himself: "I am Mr. So and so." When this little 'I' manifests, there comes Moha. From this fear comes in. Fear is the product of Moha.
How can a man expect happiness in this world if he is a victim of fear even though he is a multimillionaire or an emperor of this whole world? Fear is a kind of fire that consumes man slowly. Some make no progress in life because of a hidden fear. They do not avail themselves of opportunities on account of some hidden fear, which, if seized, will lead to a much better and harmonious life.
Almost all are victims of fear. Some are afraid of disease, ill-health, loss of property, old age and death. Others fear that they will lose their position, prestige, respect, honour, rank in life, and are afraid of public opinion, criticism, disgrace, calumny and scandal. Those who have got a leaning mentality are very much afraid when their dear relatives are seriously ailing. Some fear that poverty and disaster may come to them. There are some who are afraid of even a cat at night. When anybody taps the door at night, some are alarmed terribly. Maya will never spare anybody from fear.
The student has fear for his teacher. The minister has fear for his king. A woman is afraid of her husband. One power is afraid of another power. A thief is afraid of the police. A banker is afraid of robbers. Even a very healthy, strong man is afraid of some imaginary diseases. Even in dreams people are afflicted with terrible fear. Just hear what Bhartrihari says:
"In enjoyment, there is the fear of disease; in rank, the fear of downfall; in riches, the fear of adverse kings; in honour, the fear of dishonour; in power, the fear of enemies; in beauty, the fear of old age; in learning, the fear of opponents; in righteousness, the fear of slanderers; and in body, the fear of death. There is fear in all things of the world—but there is no fear in renunciation alone."
Fear drains the energy quickly. It destroys the vitality. It produces poverty of blood. It produces indigestion, headache and debility. It paralyses the brain and nerves. It makes one morose and gloomy. It retards growth, structure and nutrition. Extreme fear brings immediate death by causing heart failure. When one meets a tiger face to face in the forest, the body becomes rigid and paralysed and the mind becomes like a log of wood. Thinking and reasoning vanish. The victim becomes dumb.
One may not be afraid of the knife of a surgeon. One may submit himself fearlessly to extraction of a strong tooth without cocaine injection or to any operation without chloroform. One may not have any fear for wild animals in thick forests. He may move about fearlessly in thick jungles. One may not be afraid of the machine-gun in the battlefield. He may fearlessly expose his chest to the bullets. But such fearless people may be afraid of slight public criticism or slight disease or the sight of a centipede or a snake.
Auto-suggestion will help you a lot in removing fear. By developing courage you can destroy fear. Pray and make perfect self-surrender. Have no attachment for this body. Cast it off just like a snake throws away its slough. Make up your mind to give up the body at any moment. Become absolutely fearless. Exhibit courage and manliness. Fearlessness is one of the important signs of a Jivanmukta. How blessed are they who have victory over fear! How peaceful and strong are they who have triumph over fright!
Anger
Anger is another chief obstacle. It is born of Rajas. It is the greatest enemy of peace. It is a modification of lust. When a desire is not gratified a man becomes angry. His mind becomes confused. He loses his memory and understanding. Resentment, indignation, fury, wrath, irritation, etc., are all varieties of anger according to intensity. Control anger by the practice of Kshama, Dhairya, love and absence of egoism. Drink a little water when you become angry. It will cool the brain and calm the excited nerves. Repeat: "Om Santih" several times. Count twenty, one by one, slowly. By the time you finish counting twenty, anger will subside. If you find it extremely difficult to control anger, leave the place immediately and take a long walk for half an hour. Pray to God. Do Japa. Meditate. Meditation gives immense strength to destroy anger and all other obstacles.
From Moha, Kama (passion, desire) comes. From this, anger manifests. From anger, all other evil qualities such as greed, pride, jealousy, hatred, prejudice, bigotry, faultfinding, backbiting, hypocrisy, self-justification, etc., emanate.
A man thirsts for name, fame and applause. A sub-judge desires to become a High Court Judge. A Sadhu wants to get psychic powers. A Sannyasin wants to open several Ashrams in different centres. All these are only forms of greed. Dislike, contempt, prejudice, sneering, taunting, ridiculing, mocking, frowning, showing wry faces, are all forms of hatred. If the father dislikes a man, his sons and daughters also begin to hate that man without any. reason whatsoever. Such is the power of hatred. An Englishman hates an Irishman; a Catholic hates a Protestant and a Mohammedan hates a Hindu and vice versa. This is communal hatred. A son files a suit against his own father. The wife divorces her husband. These are all the manifestations of hatred having selfish motives at the back.
Hatred ceases not by hatred but by pure love only. It lurks in different corners. It needs intense and constant meditation and selfless service for a number of years. Vedanta in daily life when put into actual practice and service with Atma-Bhava can eradicate hatred and all other vices and bring in Advaitic realisation of oneness of life.
I have told you in several places that these evil qualities should be destroyed completely. Many instructions to destroy all these are already given. If you want spiritual progress, you should remove all these. These are all obstacles in the path of Self-realisation. Stand up now like an undaunted spiritual soldier in the Adhyatmic battlefield and destroy these enemies. Become a spiritual hero. Overcome the obstacles one by one and manifest divine glory, splendour, purity and sanctity.
Force of Samskaras
Some time ago, there lived in Karur, a big mercantile town in Tiruchirapally District, a fully developed Raja Yogi, by name Sadasiva Brahman. He was as famous as Trilinga Swami of Varanasi. He used to sit in Samadhi for six months. He was a great Titikshu and a Vairagi. He used to have a Kaupina only and sleep on bare ground. Once, there was a huge flood in the Kaveri River, and Sadasiva Brahman, who was in Samadhi, was carried away by the flood and deposited in some other place. One day, he was lying on the bare ground and had two pieces of bricks as his pillow. Some boys who were tending the cows mocked at him saying: "Look at this Mahatma! He has nothing except a Kaupina and yet, he wants comforts. He wants a pillow. Can he not lie down without pillow?" This little word produced a vibration in his mind and affected him a bit. He immediately threw away the bricks.
This goes to show that even great saints who can remain in Samadhi even for months together are liable to be affected by praise or censure. Such is the force of Samskaras. From time immemorial, praise and censure have produced their impressions of exhilaration and depression on the mind. Yajnavalkya also once cursed a man to death. It is said he had also minute trace of anger, subtle desire for money and cattle as was shown in the court of Janaka, despite his Brahma-Jnana. There is a popular view that Jnanins also will have a slight trace of Raga, Dvesha, anger, etc. But this is Abhasamatra, for name's sake only. Not real. The difference between a Jnani and a worldly man is that in the case of the former, it will be momentary as in the case of children, while in the latter, it will be continuous. A Jnani will forget it immediately, but a worldly man will keep it in the heart for a very long time. The impression of anger that is produced in the mind of a Jnani may be compared to the impression produced in water by a stroke of a walking stick. It is not lasting. The wave dies very soon.
Most of the difficulties in our daily lives come from being unable to hold our minds in proper check. For instance, if a man does evil to us, instantly we want to react evil, to revenge, to pay him in the same coin, to extract tooth for tooth—tit for tat policy—to return anger for anger. Every reaction of evil shows that we are not able to hold the Chitta down. It comes out in waves towards the object and we lose our power. Every reaction in the form of hatred or evil is so much loss to the mind and every evil thought or deed of hatred, if it is controlled, will be laid in our favour. It is not that we lose by thus restraining ourselves but we gain infinitely. Each time we suppress hatred, or feelings of anger, it is so much good; energy is stored up in our favour and that energy will be converted into higher power. Anger, when controlled properly, becomes transmuted into an energy so powerful as to move the world.
The sum total of impressions always remains in the mind. Impressions, though they become latent for a time, remain in the mind all the same and as soon as they get the right kind of stimulus, manifest themselves. The vibrations of the Chitta subside externally, after each direct perception, but continue to go on in it like atomic vibrations, and when they get the right kind of impulse, come out again.
A word is uttered and we do not wait to consider its meaning, but jump to a conclusion immediately. It is a sign of weakness. The weaker the man is, the lesser he has the power of restraint. Measure yourself always with the standard of restraint.
When you are going to be angry or miserable on hearing some news, reason it out, and see how it has thrown your mind into such Vrittis. Restraint does not come in a day, but by long continued practice. Suppose, when you are passing through the bazaar, a man comes and takes away forcibly your nice walking stick. That throws your Chitta immediately into the form of a wave, termed anger. Do not allow that wave to develop. If you can prevent the formation of that wave, you will have strong will-power, renunciation and Vairagya.
Samskara-Raksha
PROTECT SPIRITUAL IMPRESSIONS
Though through the purity of mind derived from the performance of holy duties in last births, you feel confidence that the Veda is the source of true knowledge, and you are anxious to attain the summum bonum through knowledge, yet you are drifted here and there in objects of pleasure, being influenced by the latent impressions of evils, Vishaya Samskaras. This attachment to worldly things, which acts as a barrier in the attainment of Truth, must be crushed down by proper Vichara, Viveka and well-directed strenuous efforts. For some months, you remain in closed rooms and you progress well with good concentration and meditation. All on a sudden, some disturbance or other comes and upsets your meditation. Your friends are your real enemies in one way. They drag you for some business or other into the world. You are dragged forcibly through moral sentiments. It is irresistible. It is of course, inevitable. You should call this as a form of weakness. To sacrifice your ideal, for the sake of pleasing some of your intimate friends is really far from commendable. By your mixing with these worldlings, your new spiritual Samskaras will be obliterated, will be effaced and you will find it extremely difficult to regain your original state, despite your redoubled efforts.
Danger of Mixing
Mixing with worldly-minded persons is highly disastrous for a Sadhaka. The two currents are diametrically opposite. A worldly-minded man and a Sadhaka move in diametrically .opposite poles. A worldly man is very fond of talking. He is garrulous. He suffers from lingual diarrhoea. Gossiping, idle talk, long talk, big talk, tall talk, all afford him great pleasure, whereas a Sadhaka is a man of few words, to the point and that also on spiritual matters. Worldly topics do not interest him at all. On the contrary they give him acute pain. The mode of thinking also differs in two cases. In the instance of a worldly man thinking consists of wife, children and the ways to amass wealth, the means of sensual enjoyment. The thinking is very shallow. A Sadhaka has sublime thinking of Brahman. A worldly man does an action always with a selfish motive. A Sadhaka does anything unselfishly with a strong feeling that the whole world is nothing but his own Self. If a worldly man has Rs. 100/- with him, he always thinks of saving for the future. A Sadhaka spends the whole amount on the same day. A worldly man is a man of complexity and multiplicity. A Sadhaka is a man of simplicity. A worldly man wants company. A Sadhaka wants entire solitude. You must always remain alone. This is a very, very important matter. I have to again reiterate that this is indispensably requisite. I have to emphatically assert again that solitude is a sine qua non. I have to again impress upon your mind that solitude for Sadhana is a great desideratum.
"O solitude! Where are thy own charms?" This was the spontaneous flow of expression from a poet when he was one with the nature—sentiments of the sublime and the beautiful. If you have once tasted properly to the very depth the happiness of solitude, you will never leave it at any cost. It is only those who have a preponderating Vishaya Samskara that flutter about from Brindavan to Benares, from Benares to Jagannath Puri, like a wild butterfly. Solitary places like Swargashram, Rishikesh and Uttarakasi have a beautiful charm of their own. It is indescribable. It is to be felt and understood by the subtle Nididhyasana-Buddhi. A gross, worldly practical Buddhi can never discriminate and understand the beauty and peace of such remarkable places, the supreme abodes of sages and Rishis. The spiritual vibratory conditions that are present in these places can, by themselves, take a man to Samadhi without any efforts. The Himalayan vibrations, soothing and soul-elevating influence of holy Ganga can turn an inveterate atheist and a materialist into a staunch spiritualist. Live for three months in these places. Realise the charm, grandeur and benign influence of solitude.
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