Raja Yoga, Message 8
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Vairagya or Dispassion - Abhyasa or Practice - Afflictions of the Mind
Vairagya — Dispassion
"Their control is brought about by practice (abhyasa) and non-attachment (vairagya)." (I-12)
To destroy the painful and pleasant vrittis, Patanjali Maharishi suggests abhyasa (practice) and vairagya (dispassion or indifference to enjoyments herein and hereafter). Through these the painful vrittis are to be controlled and good thoughts are generated. The same thing is said by the Lord in the Bhagavad Gita also. Arjuna says to the Lord: "The mind is impetuous like the wind. Just as it is difficult to catch hold of the wind with a pair of tongs, so also it is difficult to control the mind." Lord Krishna says: "Control this impetuous mind through practice and dispassion." Dispassion is the most essential factor. You can develop it by finding out defects in sensual life. The mind is filled with sensual samskaras. It is very difficult to wean the mind from the objects. The method is to remember the description of the world given by the Lord in the Bhagavad Gita: "This world is impermanent, full of sufferings, the abode of sorrow." All the sensual pleasures appear to be pleasant in the beginning, but in the end they are like poison.
Remember also the Vairagya Dindima of Sankaracharya: "Desire, anger and greed are the thieves lurking in the mind; the jewel of wisdom is plundered by these dacoits. Therefore wake up, O man, from this samsara... Wake up; life is waning; you are caught up in this wheel of samsara. You are roasted by various kinds of anxieties and expectations. You do not realise it but this life is gradually waning away." Constantly dwell on these thoughts and you will gradually develop dispassion, without which you cannot have spiritual progress.
Through dispassion you will have to check the out-going pleasure-seeking vrittis and through practice you will have to cut a new spiritual path for the mind to move on. Dispassion serves the part of a dam in the river of pleasure-seeking vrittis. It forms a strong embankment. It does not allow them to pass outside. Dispassion removes obstacles; practice gives liberation. Without vrittis one cannot enjoy sensual objects. If the vrittis along with the latent tendencies are destroyed, annihilation of the mind follows.
Here is a gloss of Vyasa: "The stream of mind flows both ways — towards good and towards evil. That which flows on to perfect independence, down the plane of discriminative knowledge, is named the stream of happiness. That which leads to rebirth and the flow down the plane of ignorance, is the stream of sin. Among those, the flow towards objects is thinned by desirelessness; the flow of discrimination is rendered visible by habituating the mind to the experience of knowledge. Hence the suppression of the mental modifications is dependent upon both."
Abhyasa — Practice
"The effort to steady the mind by any means is abhyasa." (I-13)
The effort to restrain all the vrittis of the mind and to make the mind steady like the jet of a lamp in a windless place is practice (abhyasa). To drive back the mind to its source and get it absorbed in Atman, is abhyasa. To make the mind inward and to destroy all its out-going tendencies is abhyasa. This practice should be done for a long time without a break and with perfect devotion.
If you concentrate the mind on a black dot or any figure, the mind will run away. It is a habit. Gradually withdraw it from the objects and try to fix it at the lotus feet of the Lord. The mind will run away one hundred times today, but after three months' practice it may run ninety-nine or eighty times. Thus will you steadily progress. The mind will soon become one-pointed. You can fix it on the Lord and meditate for a long time. You must practise abhyasa continuously and regularly for a long time. Ultimately you will realise your identity with the Supreme Soul. If you practise for two months and then leave it off you will not be able to ascend to the summit. Regularity is of paramount importance. Let it be even for ten minutes. You must be regular in your daily practice. Practice during brahmamuhurta (the period of an hour and a half before sunrise). This time is best suited for daily meditation.
The Mind and the Senses
The individual soul sits on the marvellous car of the mind, passes through the gateway of the ear in the twinkling of an eye and enjoys various kinds of music of the world. He holds the reins of the nerves of sensation, enters the domain of touch through the portals of skin and enjoys the diverse kinds of soft objects. He roams about in the hills of beautiful forms and enjoys them through the windows of his eyes. He enters into the cave of taste by the avenue of tongue and enjoys dainties and palatable dishes and refreshing beverages. He enters the forest of scents through the doors of his nose and enjoys them to his heart's content.
The ears hear sounds through the intelligence of the Atman. The eyes perceive objects through the intelligence of the Atman. The tongue tastes objects through the intelligence of the Atman. The Atman is the director of the five senses of knowledge. The Atman is the ear of ears, eye of eyes, tongue of tongues. The Atman is the potent magnet. If you know the hidden, all-powerful, all-wise Director, if you have direct intuitive perception of this Atman by the practice of meditation, you will cross the ocean of samsara, you will attain immortality, eternal bliss and everlasting peace.
Through the practice of yoga you can undoubtedly acquire the power of seeing, hearing and knowing without the help of the outer senses. A yogi can actually visualise the dynamic and beneficial effects produced on the mind and body, through his inner eye.
The actual contact of objects with the eyes and the ears is not necessary for perception and hearing. But in the case of the tongue and the skin, actual contact of objects is necessary for tasting and feeling. The senses cannot do anything by themselves. It is the mind that goads them to action.
When you behold the objects of the senses the mind enters the objects. You find it very difficult to free yourself from the clutches of sensual objects. But if you remain as a silent witness you will not be affected by them. Therefore, remain as a witness of the vrittis or waves of the mind. You will enjoy the peace of the Eternal.
Behind the noise, behind the tumultuous sounds of this world, there is deep silence. This deep silence is Brahman (Supreme Self). If you withdraw your attention there is no sound. Sound also is mental creation. When the mind is connected with the organ of hearing, there is sound. When the ear is withdrawn from its object or when the mind is disconnected from the ear, there is no sound. Sound is a trick of the mind. So is colour. So is form.
The mind is generally attracted by brilliant light, beauty, intelligence, varied colours and pleasant sounds. Do not be deceived by these paltry things. Enquire within. What is the background for all these things? There is one Essence at the back of the mind and all objects of this seeming sense-universe. That Essence is all-full and self-contained. That Essence is the Brahman of the Upanishads. That Essence, verily you are. 'Tat tvam asi', my dear reader!
The mind and the senses are naturally endowed with the two currents of attraction and repulsion. Therefore the mind and senses like certain objects and dislike certain other objects. The disciplined man moves among the sense-objects with a mind and senses free from attraction and repulsion. The disciplined man has a very strong will. Through will-force you can curb the mind and the senses and can work wonders. You will have to develop the 'will' gradually. The more you become pure and unselfish the more the will-power will develop. The disciplined man takes only those objects which are quite necessary for the maintenance of the body without any love or hatred. He never takes those objects which are forbidden by the scriptures.
The knowledge gained through the senses in the relative world is not the highest knowledge. It cannot give you permanent satisfaction and ever-lasting felicity and peace. It is limited knowledge. There is always a sense of a void in you, in spite of your intellectual attainments of all sorts. There is an urge in your mind to attain transcendental knowledge, the knowledge of the Eternal, by which everything is known. This divine knowledge is beyond the reach of the senses and mind. The senses and the mind cannot penetrate into the heart of the ultimate Truth or the Infinite. They are finite instruments. The intellect and mind have got their own limitations. They can operate only in the earth plane. It is through intuitive insight that you can attain this transcendental knowledge. Roam not, O mind, in sensual objects. Desire not name, fame, prestige, position, titles, honours and rank. Care not, O mind, for earthly affection, love and kind words, respect, nice clothes and dainty dishes, company of damsels and their talk. Remain steadfastly gazing on the Lord who dwells in the cave of the heart, thy refuge, solace, source and centre, witness and abode.
The Sense Organs (Indriyas)
Knowledge is the product of the connection between the mind and the senses and that is why there is simultaneous knowledge of the impressions received through the various sensory organs.
When you stitch a book the needle passes very quickly through the different leaves. The needle after all has passed through leaf after leaf slowly, although the time taken is very, very short. Even so, when you hear, see and smell at one and the same time, the activities of the sense organs are so quick that you think that smelling, hearing and seeing are done simultaneously.
The hand is really an organ of action (karma indriya). It is an organ of knowledge (jnana indriya) as well, to a certain extent, as it plays a prominent part in feeling.
Though the eye is an organ of knowledge, it should be considered as an organ of action also. When one has a lustful look the eyes do a bad action indeed. Through the eyes you see the things of the universe. This is one function. The eyes speak out the condition of the mind. This is another function.
Though the organ of generation is an organ of action, it serves, to some extent, the purpose of an organ of knowledge as it is an instrument by which the sexual bliss is felt and experienced. The ear and the tongue are organs of action.
The five sense organs are like the five wives of a Chinaman. Just as the wives drag their husband in different directions, so also the five senses drag the passionate jiva (individual soul) in five different directions. The tongue drags him to the eating-house and says: "Give me sweets and palatable food." The ears and eyes say: "Take us to the cinema. Let us hear melodious music and see beautiful forms." The nose says: "Give me nice scents." The skin says: "Let me enjoy soft silk and cushions." The helpless jiva is tossed about hither and thither and becomes restless.
A deer is entrapped through sound, an elephant through touch, a fly through form, a fish through taste and a bee through smell. When such is the power of a single sense, what to speak of the combined effects of the five senses on man? Do not trust the senses. They cause deception and temptation.
The sun never sets nor rises. It is the rotation of the earth only on its own axis that makes the sun appear to rise and set. The one 'wisdom-sun' (Atman) also never rises and sets, never increases nor decreases. Realise the glory of this Atman by closing the eyes, withdrawing the senses and diving deep in meditation.
I again reiterate this point. Do not trust the senses. They are your enemies. They deceive you at every moment. They are dexterous jugglers. Get discrimination. Cultivate enquiry into the nature of Brahman. Associate with sannyasins and wise people. Develop dispassion.
Control of Senses
All the senses should be filled with pure materials. Then only will the mind attain one-pointedness. Then only will it become pure, then only can you attain Self-realisation. The eyes should see the picture of your chosen deity or any other holy objects, the ears should hear the Upanishads, Ramayana and Bhagavatam, the tongue should speak of matters that concern God. These are pure materials or food for the senses. What is the use of your possessing ears if they do not hear songs and stories of God? What is the use of your physical body if it is not offered in the service of your guru?
How difficult it is to control even a servant of the house. How much more difficult it will be to control the five senses. The yogi who has subdued these mischievous senses remains always peaceful and happy. Develop dispassion and discrimination. Practise abstraction and self-restraint. These turbulent senses will come under your control. There is nothing more powerful than austerity to curb the turbulent senses.
Just as a charioteer restrains the restive horses through the reins, so also you will have to curb the restless senses (the horses) through the reins of discrimination and dispassion. Then alone will you have a safe journey to the Atman — the sweet eternal abode of peace and bliss.
That yogi who has control over the senses is a mighty potentate on this earth. The bliss of Indra and Chakravarthy is nothing when compared to him. My silent adorations to such a yogi!
Tongue (The Most Turbulent Indriya)
The tongue is a double-edged sword. This is the most powerful sense organ. If this is controlled all other sense organs can be very easily controlled. It is a friend of the organ of generation. Both organs are born of the same source, viz., the water-principle, tongue from the sattvic portion, the organ of generation from the rajasic portion. Tongue is an organ of knowledge. The genital is an organ of action. As soon as the stomach is filled with delicious food, the organ of reproduction is excited. Man begins to entertain lustful thoughts. If you are not able to control the tongue and organ of reproduction, how will you be able to cross this big ocean of worldly existence (samsara)? Control the tongue first. Then the latter will easily come under your grip.
O aspirants! Take refuge in your own Self, the immortal soul. Be steadfast in your resolve. Tread the path of truth and righteousness. Watch your mind very carefully. Be vigilant and diligent. Discipline the turbulent senses. Curb this tongue and reproductive organ. You will cross the ocean of samsara and attain immortality and perennial peace and joy.
If you control the eye, if you do not allow it to run towards beautiful forms, all the other senses are not controlled; but if you fast and control the tongue by withdrawing all tasty objects, all the other senses are controlled because it is the tongue that fattens all other senses. It is the most turbulent and powerful of all the senses. Tongue performs two kinds of activities — tasting and talking. Hence, it is a double-edged sword. The tongue is your deadliest enemy. Therefore, discipline the tongue from now, when you are young. When you become old you will have no strength to curb the senses.
Speech is the wife of mind. Just as the wife follows the husband, so also speech always follows the mind. The husband commands and the faithful wife implicitly obeys her husband's commands. Similarly the mind commands and the speech faithfully expresses the wish of the mind.
Words possess tremendous power. By words you can encourage and cheer up others; by words you can give greatest happiness to others; by words you can ruin or displease others; by words the master imparts his knowledge to the students; by words the mother trains her children; by words the orator keeps his audience spellbound. Word is Brahman or God in manifestation. Be careful in the selection of your words. Use sweet words and conquer the hearts of others. Never use harsh words. Understand and realise the power of words and become wise.
The organ of speech produces a great deal of distraction, disturbance of peace and various sorts of quarrels. People generally talk at random whatever comes out of their lips without thinking or caring. They joke and jest at the expense of others. In the end they fight with one another for nothing at all, for a little play of words.
You must practise austerity of speech if you really want to attain quick progress in meditation. You must always speak sweet loving words. You must speak truth at any cost. You must not speak any harsh word or any indecent word that is calculated to hurt the feelings of others. You should weigh your words before they are spoken. You must speak a few words only. This is austerity of speech that will conserve energy and give you peace of mind and inner strength.
Speaking harsh words, uttering falsehood, speaking ill of another at his back and idle gossiping are the four bad actions of the tongue.
If you guard your tongue you will be safe. You will have peace. Before you speak, carefully think of the influence which every word will produce on the feelings of others. If it can hurt the feelings of others, avoid them. Do not bring them into expression.
Weigh every word in your mental balance before it comes out. Every word is filled with power. That man who has got the faculty of weighing the words before expressing them has got great peace of mind. All his words are powerful. They produce a tremendous impression on the hearers.
Control over speech is as important as control over thought. Use measured words in writing and speech. Lord Jesus was one saint who used measured words in his speech. Mahatma Gandhiji was another example.
Love and give. You will realise the unity of non-duality. Give and forgive. You will attain Godhead soon. Just as you watch every thought, so also watch every word that comes out of your mouth.
Vow of Silence (mauna)
The vow of silence is a sure means for getting peace. It will give you power. You will have control over emotions, impulses and anger.
During mauna you can nicely introspect and practise self-analysis. You can watch the thoughts. You can understand the ways of the mind and its workings. You can notice how the mind runs from one object to another in a moment's time. You will derive immense benefit from the practice of mauna. Real mauna is silence of the mind. Physical mauna will eventually lead to the silence of the mind. Do a lot of japa and meditation during mauna.
Mauna is death for a worldly man; it is life for an ascetic. Talking is life for a worldly man; it is death for an ascetic. An ascetic and a worldly man move in diametrically opposite poles.
Observe mauna when you take your food. Put this into practice the very day on which you read this instruction. The advantages are many. Practise and feel. You will develop will-power and get peace of mind.
Observe mauna for two hours daily, for six hours once in a month. On Sundays observe mauna for a longer period and do more japa. Keep the day for divine contemplation only. Do not come out of the room. Stop all interviews.
During times of ailment observance of mauna will give great peace of mind. It will check mental irritability also. Energy is wasted in idle talking. Mauna conserves the energy and you can turn out much mental and physical work. You can do a lot of meditation. By practice of mauna the energy of speech is slowly transmuted or sublimated into spiritual energy. Mauna exercises a marvellous soothing influence on the brain and nerves.
You can observe silence for a long time, but if you find it difficult, break it at once. Try to become a man of measured words. This is itself mauna.
The mauna that is observed during meditation cannot be taken as vow of silence; then sleep also should be taken as mauna! Mauna should be observed by householders when there are great opportunities for talking and when visitors come to meet. Then only the impulse of speech can be checked. Ladies are very talkative. They create trouble in the house by idle talk and gossiping. They should observe mauna particularly.
You should speak measured words only. Too much talking is rajasic nature. Great peace comes by observance of mauna. By gradual practice prolong the period of mauna to three months. The study of Sanskrit makes some people very talkative and forces them to enter into unnecessary discussions with others to show their scholarly erudition. Pedantry or vain display of learning is a special attribute of some Sanskrit scholars. How much energy is wasted in such loose talks. How much benefit can one derive if he conserves the energy and utilises it in divine contemplation. He can move heaven and earth.
To talk profusely for six months and to observe mauna for the next six months is of no avail. Some people become very talkative after they break their mauna. They should try to talk only a little even after they give up mauna. Constant vigilance over the organ of speech is necessary. There will be much peace in this world if all talk a little and observe mauna.
Mauna for a long period is not necessary, and in an unregenerate and undeveloped aspirant it does harm. Keep mauna for a month and then break and then continue. Mauna for even a few days will be of immense help to the aspirants in the control of the organ of speech and the mind. Immense energy can be conserved. You will also feel immense peace. If circumstances prevent you from observing mauna, strictly avoid long talk, big talk, tall talk, all unnecessary talks, all sorts of vain discussions, etc., and withdraw yourself from society as much as possible. Too much talk is simply wastage of energy. If this energy is conserved by mauna it will be transmuted into spiritual energy which will help you in your sadhana.
This Atman is silence. The best concept of God is silence. Therefore learn to be silent. Make the mind silent, waveless, thoughtless and desireless. This is real silence.
AFFLICTIONS OF THE MIND
What are the Afflictions?
"The afflictions (kleshas) are ignorance (avidya), egoism (asmita), attachment (raga), hatred (dvesha) and clinging to life (abhinivesha)." (II-3)
All these disorders ruffle the mind like a physical malady. Therefore they are great impediments to meditation. They raise thought-waves and bring about the fructification of actions by depending upon one another for mutual support. If you eradicate clinging to life (abhinivesha) the currents of likes (raga) and dislikes (dvesha) will die. If you remove egoism (asmita) the two currents of likes and dislikes will vanish. The root for egoism, likes, dislikes and clinging to life is ignorance. If ignorance is destroyed by getting knowledge of the Atman through samadhi the other four will die by themselves. Actions are supported by afflictions and the afflictions are supported by actions. There is mutual support. This is a cycle like the analogy of the seed and tree. These are the five ties that bind a man to the wheel of birth and death. Ignorance is the fundamental cause. The other four are the effects of ignorance, and are only modifications of ignorance. Pain and sin are ignorance only. These manifest in those who have forgotten the true all-blissful and eternally pure nature of the Atman.
"Avidya (ignorance) is the field of those that follow, whether they be in a dormant, thinned out, over-powered or expanded condition." (II-4)
Ignorance is the source of the four afflictions which are only modifications or varieties of ignorance.
These afflictions have four states: prasupta, tanu, vicchinna and udhara. In prasupta they are hidden or dormant like the tree in the seed.
In tanu state they are in an attenuated condition like a thin thread. Yogis who do spiritual practice have got this state. They thin out each evil desire by developing the counter-current or contrary good desire. For instance, anger is thinned out by developing mercy, love and forgiveness. In vicchinna state they are overpowered for the time being. For instance when a man fights with his wife, tor the time being the love vritti in him is in an over-powered state. The hate vritti is operating during the quarrel. As soon as the fight subsides, the love vritti will manifest again in him when the wife smiles and speaks kind, loving words. In udhara state the afflictions are very powerful. They operate with full force. Vicchinna and udhara states are present in worldly persons. They bind one to worldly life. He who has tanu state can control the afflictions. (There is another termed dagdha state wherein the afflictions are fried up like burnt seeds. This exists in a full-blown yogi who is established in asamprajnata samadhi.)
"Ignorance is taking the non-eternal as the eternal, the impure as the pure, the painful as the happy and the not-self as the Self or Atman." (II-5)
Ignorance causes perverted understanding and the man is rendered blind by passion and various sorts of attractions. He is under intoxication. Ignorance clouds understanding. An ignorant man is a dead man while living. He is a living buried soul, despite his wealth, possessions and university knowledge. To take a thing for what it is not, is ignorance. It does not mean absence of knowledge. You mistake this perishable body of five elements and various impurities to be the pure Self. You think that you are the body only and you have forgotten the real nature of the Atman. This is delusion. This is ignorance.
"The method for the removal of ignorance is the continuous practice of discrimination." (II-26)
Discrimination must be undisturbed. It must become habitual. There must not be any break even for a twinkling of an eye. When discrimination operates you will have a complete inner life in the Atman. All the outgoing tendencies of the mind will stop. The senses will be calm. This practice of discrimination is the cause for destroying ignorance, the cause of the junction of matter (prakriti) and spirit (Purusha), leading to various experiences. Discrimination remains shaky as long as false knowledge has not been completely removed.
"Egoism is the appearance of the identification of the power of consciousness with the power of the instrument of seeing." (II-6)
Egoism is the identification of the Seer with the power of seeing. The Seer is the Purusha. The instrument of seeing is antahkarana (the four-fold mind — mind, intellect, subconscious mind and ego). The Seer joins with the antahkarana and appears as if he is one or blended with it. The Seer has the egoistic feeling of 'I' in the insentient four-fold mind, which is mistaken for the sentient Seer or the Atman. This is egoism. When you get anger, pain, misery, contentment, etc., you associate yourself with the thought-waves (vrittis) and say: "I am angry." "I am miserable." "I am happy." When the Atman is associated with the mind the experiences of objects take place. Separate yourself from the thought-waves and the four-fold mind and stand aloof as the witness in your original all-blissful nature. This is liberation.
"Attachment is the attraction to pleasure." (II-7)
Through the memory of pleasure enjoyed previously, the attachment or desire that arises towards pleasure or the means of pleasure, is attraction (raga). The desire for 'thinking on pleasure' is included under this. Egoism is the root cause for attraction. This is the reason why it is described after egoism. When pleasure is remembered, attachment is preceded by remembrance of the pleasure in consequence of the enjoyment thereof.
Wherever there is pleasure, side by side there is attachment. Why are you very much attached to your wife? Because you derive pleasure from her. You love money; you are attached to money because through money you can get various objects that can give you pleasure. Everyone of us is in search of happiness, but the attempt to get happiness is made in the wrong direction, in external objects — in books, university degrees, wife, money, son, honour and power.
There is something dearer than a son, there is something dearer than a wife, there is something dearer than wealth, there is something dearer than this prana or life itself. That 'dearer something' is the Atman or Purusha, who is hidden in our heart. The search should be made within by withdrawing the mind from the objects, by controlling the senses, and by practising yama, niyama (see chapters 6 and 7), concentration, meditation and samadhi.
"Aversion is that which dwells on pain." (II-8)
Through memory of pain from experiences, aversion (dvesha) comes towards pain and objects that give pain. You try to get rid of objects that give pain. Man shuns pain and runs after pleasure in this world. No one teaches him to seek pleasure. The mind is born of bliss, so it runs after pleasure.
Aversion is the root cause for human sufferings. Wars, splits, dissensions, sectarian quarrels and murders are due to aversion or dislike. Wherever there is dislike there is jealousy, which is the intimate companion of dislike. Jealousy is petty-mindedness. It is a great pity to find that the minds of even highly educated persons who preach on the platform are filled with jealousy and hatred. As they are intelligent they devise cunning methods and plans to destroy others, to get the whole fame and respect for themselves. A petty-minded preacher sows the seed of discord and disharmony everywhere. He is a pest and a menace to society, a man of evil. There is no redeeming feature in him. He does more harm than good. Aversion should be completely annihilated.
"Abhinivesha is the strong desire for life, supported by its own potency, established all the same even in the learned." (II-9)
In all living beings exists the self-benediction: "May I continue to exist. May I live on." This cannot exist in him who has not experienced the nature of death. By this the experience of a former life is inferred. This is clinging to life (abhinivesha). It will not remain in a man who has no experience of death. From his fear of death we infer that there had been a previous birth for a man. Even worms have got fear of death. This fear of death exists in both the literate and the illiterate, the learned and the ignorant. This fear cannot be explained by direct perception, inference and spoken or written words. The past experience of pain of death is there in your mind. Therefore you are afraid of death in this life. This is the reason for the strong desire for life.
Vairagya or Dispassion - Abhyasa or Practice - Afflictions of the Mind
Vairagya — Dispassion
"Their control is brought about by practice (abhyasa) and non-attachment (vairagya)." (I-12)
To destroy the painful and pleasant vrittis, Patanjali Maharishi suggests abhyasa (practice) and vairagya (dispassion or indifference to enjoyments herein and hereafter). Through these the painful vrittis are to be controlled and good thoughts are generated. The same thing is said by the Lord in the Bhagavad Gita also. Arjuna says to the Lord: "The mind is impetuous like the wind. Just as it is difficult to catch hold of the wind with a pair of tongs, so also it is difficult to control the mind." Lord Krishna says: "Control this impetuous mind through practice and dispassion." Dispassion is the most essential factor. You can develop it by finding out defects in sensual life. The mind is filled with sensual samskaras. It is very difficult to wean the mind from the objects. The method is to remember the description of the world given by the Lord in the Bhagavad Gita: "This world is impermanent, full of sufferings, the abode of sorrow." All the sensual pleasures appear to be pleasant in the beginning, but in the end they are like poison.
Remember also the Vairagya Dindima of Sankaracharya: "Desire, anger and greed are the thieves lurking in the mind; the jewel of wisdom is plundered by these dacoits. Therefore wake up, O man, from this samsara... Wake up; life is waning; you are caught up in this wheel of samsara. You are roasted by various kinds of anxieties and expectations. You do not realise it but this life is gradually waning away." Constantly dwell on these thoughts and you will gradually develop dispassion, without which you cannot have spiritual progress.
Through dispassion you will have to check the out-going pleasure-seeking vrittis and through practice you will have to cut a new spiritual path for the mind to move on. Dispassion serves the part of a dam in the river of pleasure-seeking vrittis. It forms a strong embankment. It does not allow them to pass outside. Dispassion removes obstacles; practice gives liberation. Without vrittis one cannot enjoy sensual objects. If the vrittis along with the latent tendencies are destroyed, annihilation of the mind follows.
Here is a gloss of Vyasa: "The stream of mind flows both ways — towards good and towards evil. That which flows on to perfect independence, down the plane of discriminative knowledge, is named the stream of happiness. That which leads to rebirth and the flow down the plane of ignorance, is the stream of sin. Among those, the flow towards objects is thinned by desirelessness; the flow of discrimination is rendered visible by habituating the mind to the experience of knowledge. Hence the suppression of the mental modifications is dependent upon both."
Abhyasa — Practice
"The effort to steady the mind by any means is abhyasa." (I-13)
The effort to restrain all the vrittis of the mind and to make the mind steady like the jet of a lamp in a windless place is practice (abhyasa). To drive back the mind to its source and get it absorbed in Atman, is abhyasa. To make the mind inward and to destroy all its out-going tendencies is abhyasa. This practice should be done for a long time without a break and with perfect devotion.
If you concentrate the mind on a black dot or any figure, the mind will run away. It is a habit. Gradually withdraw it from the objects and try to fix it at the lotus feet of the Lord. The mind will run away one hundred times today, but after three months' practice it may run ninety-nine or eighty times. Thus will you steadily progress. The mind will soon become one-pointed. You can fix it on the Lord and meditate for a long time. You must practise abhyasa continuously and regularly for a long time. Ultimately you will realise your identity with the Supreme Soul. If you practise for two months and then leave it off you will not be able to ascend to the summit. Regularity is of paramount importance. Let it be even for ten minutes. You must be regular in your daily practice. Practice during brahmamuhurta (the period of an hour and a half before sunrise). This time is best suited for daily meditation.
The Mind and the Senses
The individual soul sits on the marvellous car of the mind, passes through the gateway of the ear in the twinkling of an eye and enjoys various kinds of music of the world. He holds the reins of the nerves of sensation, enters the domain of touch through the portals of skin and enjoys the diverse kinds of soft objects. He roams about in the hills of beautiful forms and enjoys them through the windows of his eyes. He enters into the cave of taste by the avenue of tongue and enjoys dainties and palatable dishes and refreshing beverages. He enters the forest of scents through the doors of his nose and enjoys them to his heart's content.
The ears hear sounds through the intelligence of the Atman. The eyes perceive objects through the intelligence of the Atman. The tongue tastes objects through the intelligence of the Atman. The Atman is the director of the five senses of knowledge. The Atman is the ear of ears, eye of eyes, tongue of tongues. The Atman is the potent magnet. If you know the hidden, all-powerful, all-wise Director, if you have direct intuitive perception of this Atman by the practice of meditation, you will cross the ocean of samsara, you will attain immortality, eternal bliss and everlasting peace.
Through the practice of yoga you can undoubtedly acquire the power of seeing, hearing and knowing without the help of the outer senses. A yogi can actually visualise the dynamic and beneficial effects produced on the mind and body, through his inner eye.
The actual contact of objects with the eyes and the ears is not necessary for perception and hearing. But in the case of the tongue and the skin, actual contact of objects is necessary for tasting and feeling. The senses cannot do anything by themselves. It is the mind that goads them to action.
When you behold the objects of the senses the mind enters the objects. You find it very difficult to free yourself from the clutches of sensual objects. But if you remain as a silent witness you will not be affected by them. Therefore, remain as a witness of the vrittis or waves of the mind. You will enjoy the peace of the Eternal.
Behind the noise, behind the tumultuous sounds of this world, there is deep silence. This deep silence is Brahman (Supreme Self). If you withdraw your attention there is no sound. Sound also is mental creation. When the mind is connected with the organ of hearing, there is sound. When the ear is withdrawn from its object or when the mind is disconnected from the ear, there is no sound. Sound is a trick of the mind. So is colour. So is form.
The mind is generally attracted by brilliant light, beauty, intelligence, varied colours and pleasant sounds. Do not be deceived by these paltry things. Enquire within. What is the background for all these things? There is one Essence at the back of the mind and all objects of this seeming sense-universe. That Essence is all-full and self-contained. That Essence is the Brahman of the Upanishads. That Essence, verily you are. 'Tat tvam asi', my dear reader!
The mind and the senses are naturally endowed with the two currents of attraction and repulsion. Therefore the mind and senses like certain objects and dislike certain other objects. The disciplined man moves among the sense-objects with a mind and senses free from attraction and repulsion. The disciplined man has a very strong will. Through will-force you can curb the mind and the senses and can work wonders. You will have to develop the 'will' gradually. The more you become pure and unselfish the more the will-power will develop. The disciplined man takes only those objects which are quite necessary for the maintenance of the body without any love or hatred. He never takes those objects which are forbidden by the scriptures.
The knowledge gained through the senses in the relative world is not the highest knowledge. It cannot give you permanent satisfaction and ever-lasting felicity and peace. It is limited knowledge. There is always a sense of a void in you, in spite of your intellectual attainments of all sorts. There is an urge in your mind to attain transcendental knowledge, the knowledge of the Eternal, by which everything is known. This divine knowledge is beyond the reach of the senses and mind. The senses and the mind cannot penetrate into the heart of the ultimate Truth or the Infinite. They are finite instruments. The intellect and mind have got their own limitations. They can operate only in the earth plane. It is through intuitive insight that you can attain this transcendental knowledge. Roam not, O mind, in sensual objects. Desire not name, fame, prestige, position, titles, honours and rank. Care not, O mind, for earthly affection, love and kind words, respect, nice clothes and dainty dishes, company of damsels and their talk. Remain steadfastly gazing on the Lord who dwells in the cave of the heart, thy refuge, solace, source and centre, witness and abode.
The Sense Organs (Indriyas)
Knowledge is the product of the connection between the mind and the senses and that is why there is simultaneous knowledge of the impressions received through the various sensory organs.
When you stitch a book the needle passes very quickly through the different leaves. The needle after all has passed through leaf after leaf slowly, although the time taken is very, very short. Even so, when you hear, see and smell at one and the same time, the activities of the sense organs are so quick that you think that smelling, hearing and seeing are done simultaneously.
The hand is really an organ of action (karma indriya). It is an organ of knowledge (jnana indriya) as well, to a certain extent, as it plays a prominent part in feeling.
Though the eye is an organ of knowledge, it should be considered as an organ of action also. When one has a lustful look the eyes do a bad action indeed. Through the eyes you see the things of the universe. This is one function. The eyes speak out the condition of the mind. This is another function.
Though the organ of generation is an organ of action, it serves, to some extent, the purpose of an organ of knowledge as it is an instrument by which the sexual bliss is felt and experienced. The ear and the tongue are organs of action.
The five sense organs are like the five wives of a Chinaman. Just as the wives drag their husband in different directions, so also the five senses drag the passionate jiva (individual soul) in five different directions. The tongue drags him to the eating-house and says: "Give me sweets and palatable food." The ears and eyes say: "Take us to the cinema. Let us hear melodious music and see beautiful forms." The nose says: "Give me nice scents." The skin says: "Let me enjoy soft silk and cushions." The helpless jiva is tossed about hither and thither and becomes restless.
A deer is entrapped through sound, an elephant through touch, a fly through form, a fish through taste and a bee through smell. When such is the power of a single sense, what to speak of the combined effects of the five senses on man? Do not trust the senses. They cause deception and temptation.
The sun never sets nor rises. It is the rotation of the earth only on its own axis that makes the sun appear to rise and set. The one 'wisdom-sun' (Atman) also never rises and sets, never increases nor decreases. Realise the glory of this Atman by closing the eyes, withdrawing the senses and diving deep in meditation.
I again reiterate this point. Do not trust the senses. They are your enemies. They deceive you at every moment. They are dexterous jugglers. Get discrimination. Cultivate enquiry into the nature of Brahman. Associate with sannyasins and wise people. Develop dispassion.
Control of Senses
All the senses should be filled with pure materials. Then only will the mind attain one-pointedness. Then only will it become pure, then only can you attain Self-realisation. The eyes should see the picture of your chosen deity or any other holy objects, the ears should hear the Upanishads, Ramayana and Bhagavatam, the tongue should speak of matters that concern God. These are pure materials or food for the senses. What is the use of your possessing ears if they do not hear songs and stories of God? What is the use of your physical body if it is not offered in the service of your guru?
How difficult it is to control even a servant of the house. How much more difficult it will be to control the five senses. The yogi who has subdued these mischievous senses remains always peaceful and happy. Develop dispassion and discrimination. Practise abstraction and self-restraint. These turbulent senses will come under your control. There is nothing more powerful than austerity to curb the turbulent senses.
Just as a charioteer restrains the restive horses through the reins, so also you will have to curb the restless senses (the horses) through the reins of discrimination and dispassion. Then alone will you have a safe journey to the Atman — the sweet eternal abode of peace and bliss.
That yogi who has control over the senses is a mighty potentate on this earth. The bliss of Indra and Chakravarthy is nothing when compared to him. My silent adorations to such a yogi!
Tongue (The Most Turbulent Indriya)
The tongue is a double-edged sword. This is the most powerful sense organ. If this is controlled all other sense organs can be very easily controlled. It is a friend of the organ of generation. Both organs are born of the same source, viz., the water-principle, tongue from the sattvic portion, the organ of generation from the rajasic portion. Tongue is an organ of knowledge. The genital is an organ of action. As soon as the stomach is filled with delicious food, the organ of reproduction is excited. Man begins to entertain lustful thoughts. If you are not able to control the tongue and organ of reproduction, how will you be able to cross this big ocean of worldly existence (samsara)? Control the tongue first. Then the latter will easily come under your grip.
O aspirants! Take refuge in your own Self, the immortal soul. Be steadfast in your resolve. Tread the path of truth and righteousness. Watch your mind very carefully. Be vigilant and diligent. Discipline the turbulent senses. Curb this tongue and reproductive organ. You will cross the ocean of samsara and attain immortality and perennial peace and joy.
If you control the eye, if you do not allow it to run towards beautiful forms, all the other senses are not controlled; but if you fast and control the tongue by withdrawing all tasty objects, all the other senses are controlled because it is the tongue that fattens all other senses. It is the most turbulent and powerful of all the senses. Tongue performs two kinds of activities — tasting and talking. Hence, it is a double-edged sword. The tongue is your deadliest enemy. Therefore, discipline the tongue from now, when you are young. When you become old you will have no strength to curb the senses.
Speech is the wife of mind. Just as the wife follows the husband, so also speech always follows the mind. The husband commands and the faithful wife implicitly obeys her husband's commands. Similarly the mind commands and the speech faithfully expresses the wish of the mind.
Words possess tremendous power. By words you can encourage and cheer up others; by words you can give greatest happiness to others; by words you can ruin or displease others; by words the master imparts his knowledge to the students; by words the mother trains her children; by words the orator keeps his audience spellbound. Word is Brahman or God in manifestation. Be careful in the selection of your words. Use sweet words and conquer the hearts of others. Never use harsh words. Understand and realise the power of words and become wise.
The organ of speech produces a great deal of distraction, disturbance of peace and various sorts of quarrels. People generally talk at random whatever comes out of their lips without thinking or caring. They joke and jest at the expense of others. In the end they fight with one another for nothing at all, for a little play of words.
You must practise austerity of speech if you really want to attain quick progress in meditation. You must always speak sweet loving words. You must speak truth at any cost. You must not speak any harsh word or any indecent word that is calculated to hurt the feelings of others. You should weigh your words before they are spoken. You must speak a few words only. This is austerity of speech that will conserve energy and give you peace of mind and inner strength.
Speaking harsh words, uttering falsehood, speaking ill of another at his back and idle gossiping are the four bad actions of the tongue.
If you guard your tongue you will be safe. You will have peace. Before you speak, carefully think of the influence which every word will produce on the feelings of others. If it can hurt the feelings of others, avoid them. Do not bring them into expression.
Weigh every word in your mental balance before it comes out. Every word is filled with power. That man who has got the faculty of weighing the words before expressing them has got great peace of mind. All his words are powerful. They produce a tremendous impression on the hearers.
Control over speech is as important as control over thought. Use measured words in writing and speech. Lord Jesus was one saint who used measured words in his speech. Mahatma Gandhiji was another example.
Love and give. You will realise the unity of non-duality. Give and forgive. You will attain Godhead soon. Just as you watch every thought, so also watch every word that comes out of your mouth.
Vow of Silence (mauna)
The vow of silence is a sure means for getting peace. It will give you power. You will have control over emotions, impulses and anger.
During mauna you can nicely introspect and practise self-analysis. You can watch the thoughts. You can understand the ways of the mind and its workings. You can notice how the mind runs from one object to another in a moment's time. You will derive immense benefit from the practice of mauna. Real mauna is silence of the mind. Physical mauna will eventually lead to the silence of the mind. Do a lot of japa and meditation during mauna.
Mauna is death for a worldly man; it is life for an ascetic. Talking is life for a worldly man; it is death for an ascetic. An ascetic and a worldly man move in diametrically opposite poles.
Observe mauna when you take your food. Put this into practice the very day on which you read this instruction. The advantages are many. Practise and feel. You will develop will-power and get peace of mind.
Observe mauna for two hours daily, for six hours once in a month. On Sundays observe mauna for a longer period and do more japa. Keep the day for divine contemplation only. Do not come out of the room. Stop all interviews.
During times of ailment observance of mauna will give great peace of mind. It will check mental irritability also. Energy is wasted in idle talking. Mauna conserves the energy and you can turn out much mental and physical work. You can do a lot of meditation. By practice of mauna the energy of speech is slowly transmuted or sublimated into spiritual energy. Mauna exercises a marvellous soothing influence on the brain and nerves.
You can observe silence for a long time, but if you find it difficult, break it at once. Try to become a man of measured words. This is itself mauna.
The mauna that is observed during meditation cannot be taken as vow of silence; then sleep also should be taken as mauna! Mauna should be observed by householders when there are great opportunities for talking and when visitors come to meet. Then only the impulse of speech can be checked. Ladies are very talkative. They create trouble in the house by idle talk and gossiping. They should observe mauna particularly.
You should speak measured words only. Too much talking is rajasic nature. Great peace comes by observance of mauna. By gradual practice prolong the period of mauna to three months. The study of Sanskrit makes some people very talkative and forces them to enter into unnecessary discussions with others to show their scholarly erudition. Pedantry or vain display of learning is a special attribute of some Sanskrit scholars. How much energy is wasted in such loose talks. How much benefit can one derive if he conserves the energy and utilises it in divine contemplation. He can move heaven and earth.
To talk profusely for six months and to observe mauna for the next six months is of no avail. Some people become very talkative after they break their mauna. They should try to talk only a little even after they give up mauna. Constant vigilance over the organ of speech is necessary. There will be much peace in this world if all talk a little and observe mauna.
Mauna for a long period is not necessary, and in an unregenerate and undeveloped aspirant it does harm. Keep mauna for a month and then break and then continue. Mauna for even a few days will be of immense help to the aspirants in the control of the organ of speech and the mind. Immense energy can be conserved. You will also feel immense peace. If circumstances prevent you from observing mauna, strictly avoid long talk, big talk, tall talk, all unnecessary talks, all sorts of vain discussions, etc., and withdraw yourself from society as much as possible. Too much talk is simply wastage of energy. If this energy is conserved by mauna it will be transmuted into spiritual energy which will help you in your sadhana.
This Atman is silence. The best concept of God is silence. Therefore learn to be silent. Make the mind silent, waveless, thoughtless and desireless. This is real silence.
AFFLICTIONS OF THE MIND
What are the Afflictions?
"The afflictions (kleshas) are ignorance (avidya), egoism (asmita), attachment (raga), hatred (dvesha) and clinging to life (abhinivesha)." (II-3)
All these disorders ruffle the mind like a physical malady. Therefore they are great impediments to meditation. They raise thought-waves and bring about the fructification of actions by depending upon one another for mutual support. If you eradicate clinging to life (abhinivesha) the currents of likes (raga) and dislikes (dvesha) will die. If you remove egoism (asmita) the two currents of likes and dislikes will vanish. The root for egoism, likes, dislikes and clinging to life is ignorance. If ignorance is destroyed by getting knowledge of the Atman through samadhi the other four will die by themselves. Actions are supported by afflictions and the afflictions are supported by actions. There is mutual support. This is a cycle like the analogy of the seed and tree. These are the five ties that bind a man to the wheel of birth and death. Ignorance is the fundamental cause. The other four are the effects of ignorance, and are only modifications of ignorance. Pain and sin are ignorance only. These manifest in those who have forgotten the true all-blissful and eternally pure nature of the Atman.
"Avidya (ignorance) is the field of those that follow, whether they be in a dormant, thinned out, over-powered or expanded condition." (II-4)
Ignorance is the source of the four afflictions which are only modifications or varieties of ignorance.
These afflictions have four states: prasupta, tanu, vicchinna and udhara. In prasupta they are hidden or dormant like the tree in the seed.
In tanu state they are in an attenuated condition like a thin thread. Yogis who do spiritual practice have got this state. They thin out each evil desire by developing the counter-current or contrary good desire. For instance, anger is thinned out by developing mercy, love and forgiveness. In vicchinna state they are overpowered for the time being. For instance when a man fights with his wife, tor the time being the love vritti in him is in an over-powered state. The hate vritti is operating during the quarrel. As soon as the fight subsides, the love vritti will manifest again in him when the wife smiles and speaks kind, loving words. In udhara state the afflictions are very powerful. They operate with full force. Vicchinna and udhara states are present in worldly persons. They bind one to worldly life. He who has tanu state can control the afflictions. (There is another termed dagdha state wherein the afflictions are fried up like burnt seeds. This exists in a full-blown yogi who is established in asamprajnata samadhi.)
"Ignorance is taking the non-eternal as the eternal, the impure as the pure, the painful as the happy and the not-self as the Self or Atman." (II-5)
Ignorance causes perverted understanding and the man is rendered blind by passion and various sorts of attractions. He is under intoxication. Ignorance clouds understanding. An ignorant man is a dead man while living. He is a living buried soul, despite his wealth, possessions and university knowledge. To take a thing for what it is not, is ignorance. It does not mean absence of knowledge. You mistake this perishable body of five elements and various impurities to be the pure Self. You think that you are the body only and you have forgotten the real nature of the Atman. This is delusion. This is ignorance.
"The method for the removal of ignorance is the continuous practice of discrimination." (II-26)
Discrimination must be undisturbed. It must become habitual. There must not be any break even for a twinkling of an eye. When discrimination operates you will have a complete inner life in the Atman. All the outgoing tendencies of the mind will stop. The senses will be calm. This practice of discrimination is the cause for destroying ignorance, the cause of the junction of matter (prakriti) and spirit (Purusha), leading to various experiences. Discrimination remains shaky as long as false knowledge has not been completely removed.
"Egoism is the appearance of the identification of the power of consciousness with the power of the instrument of seeing." (II-6)
Egoism is the identification of the Seer with the power of seeing. The Seer is the Purusha. The instrument of seeing is antahkarana (the four-fold mind — mind, intellect, subconscious mind and ego). The Seer joins with the antahkarana and appears as if he is one or blended with it. The Seer has the egoistic feeling of 'I' in the insentient four-fold mind, which is mistaken for the sentient Seer or the Atman. This is egoism. When you get anger, pain, misery, contentment, etc., you associate yourself with the thought-waves (vrittis) and say: "I am angry." "I am miserable." "I am happy." When the Atman is associated with the mind the experiences of objects take place. Separate yourself from the thought-waves and the four-fold mind and stand aloof as the witness in your original all-blissful nature. This is liberation.
"Attachment is the attraction to pleasure." (II-7)
Through the memory of pleasure enjoyed previously, the attachment or desire that arises towards pleasure or the means of pleasure, is attraction (raga). The desire for 'thinking on pleasure' is included under this. Egoism is the root cause for attraction. This is the reason why it is described after egoism. When pleasure is remembered, attachment is preceded by remembrance of the pleasure in consequence of the enjoyment thereof.
Wherever there is pleasure, side by side there is attachment. Why are you very much attached to your wife? Because you derive pleasure from her. You love money; you are attached to money because through money you can get various objects that can give you pleasure. Everyone of us is in search of happiness, but the attempt to get happiness is made in the wrong direction, in external objects — in books, university degrees, wife, money, son, honour and power.
There is something dearer than a son, there is something dearer than a wife, there is something dearer than wealth, there is something dearer than this prana or life itself. That 'dearer something' is the Atman or Purusha, who is hidden in our heart. The search should be made within by withdrawing the mind from the objects, by controlling the senses, and by practising yama, niyama (see chapters 6 and 7), concentration, meditation and samadhi.
"Aversion is that which dwells on pain." (II-8)
Through memory of pain from experiences, aversion (dvesha) comes towards pain and objects that give pain. You try to get rid of objects that give pain. Man shuns pain and runs after pleasure in this world. No one teaches him to seek pleasure. The mind is born of bliss, so it runs after pleasure.
Aversion is the root cause for human sufferings. Wars, splits, dissensions, sectarian quarrels and murders are due to aversion or dislike. Wherever there is dislike there is jealousy, which is the intimate companion of dislike. Jealousy is petty-mindedness. It is a great pity to find that the minds of even highly educated persons who preach on the platform are filled with jealousy and hatred. As they are intelligent they devise cunning methods and plans to destroy others, to get the whole fame and respect for themselves. A petty-minded preacher sows the seed of discord and disharmony everywhere. He is a pest and a menace to society, a man of evil. There is no redeeming feature in him. He does more harm than good. Aversion should be completely annihilated.
"Abhinivesha is the strong desire for life, supported by its own potency, established all the same even in the learned." (II-9)
In all living beings exists the self-benediction: "May I continue to exist. May I live on." This cannot exist in him who has not experienced the nature of death. By this the experience of a former life is inferred. This is clinging to life (abhinivesha). It will not remain in a man who has no experience of death. From his fear of death we infer that there had been a previous birth for a man. Even worms have got fear of death. This fear of death exists in both the literate and the illiterate, the learned and the ignorant. This fear cannot be explained by direct perception, inference and spoken or written words. The past experience of pain of death is there in your mind. Therefore you are afraid of death in this life. This is the reason for the strong desire for life.
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