Raja Yoga, Message 25
The section ‘Physical Obstacles’ now resumes..
If the yoga student develops some diseases on account of his failure in observing the laws of health and indiscretion, and says that his disease has arisen from the practice of yoga, this is the first obstacle.
Laziness and fickleness of mind are two great obstacles in meditation. Light sattvic diet and the practice of pranayama will remove laziness. Do not overload the stomach. Walk briskly in your compound hither and thither for half an hour. As soon as you have made a firm resolve, you must carry it out promptly at any cost. This will remove fickleness of mind and develop your will-power.
The mind does two things: it ceaselessly thinks of sensual objects, and when it is tired of thinking of objects it goes to sleep and rests in the primal nescience. If sleep tries to overpower you during meditation, be on the alert, awaken the mind by the practise of chanting, japa and long OM chanting. If there is attachment to any object, wean the mind, make it unattached through enquiry and vigilance. Again and again think of Brahman. When the mind has become completely calm, do not disturb it even a bit. Continue the meditation vigorously.
Tahdra is a half-sleepy state. Alasya is laziness. Nidra is sleep. Alasya and tandra are the precursors of sleep. These three are great obstacles in the path of realisation. Sleep is a powerful force of maya. You will be imagining that you are meditating. The mind will immediately run through its old grooves in the twinkling of an eye.
You will be doubting: "Did I go to sleep? Or did I meditate now? I think I had a small nap, as I feel heaviness of the eye-lids and body now." Sleep is the greatest obstacle as it is very powerful. Even though a sadhak is very careful and vigilant it overpowers him somehow or other. This is a very strong habit. It takes time and demands great strength of will to tear this old, old habit.
Arjuna is called Gudakesha or 'Conqueror of sleep'. Lakshmana also had conquered sleep. Besides these two persons we have not heard of anyone. However, there are people such as yogis and jnanis who have reduced their sleep to two or three hours.
Sleep is a psychological phenomenon. The brain needs rest at least for a short time, otherwise man feels drowsy and tired. He can neither work nor meditate. The sleep of a jnani is different from the sleep of a worldly man. In a jnani, the powerful impressions (samskaras) of God-contemplation are there. It is something akin to being established in the direct knowledge of God.
One should be careful in reducing his sleep. Reduce your sleep gradually. For the first four months go to bed at 11 p.m. and get up at 4 a.m. Have sleep for five hours. For the next four months, go to bed at 12 p.m. and get up at 4 a.m. Have sleep for four hours. For the next four months, go to bed at 12 p.m. and get up at 3 a.m. Thus, gradually reduce the hours of sleep.
Sadhaks can gain time for their sadhana by reducing sleep. The practice of reducing sleep will be very troublesome in the beginning. When the habits are changed, it will be pleasant in the end.
Give up rice and heavy meals at night. Take light food such as milk and fruits at night. You will be able to get up in the early morning. Sleep will not overpower you during meditation.
Aspirants do meditation in the morning for one hour between 4 and 5 a.m. Then they are overpowered by sleep. They begin to sleep again after 5 a.m. This is a general complaint. Do 10 or 20 rounds of pranayama at 5 a.m. Do sirshasana for two minutes. Again you will be fresh for meditation. Use your common-sense always. The old habit may recur again and again. Get rid of it again and again by suitable practices, strength of will, prayer, etc.
Practise yoga postures — sirshasana, sarvangasana, bhujang-asana, salabhasana and dhanurasana — and do a little pranayama before you start meditation. Then you will not become sleepy during meditation.
Sometimes during the course of meditation the mind suddenly slips into its old grooves for sleeping. Aspirants think that they are meditating, while they are actually sleeping. Dash cold water on the face. Stand up and sing, and do vigorous chanting (kirtan) for five or ten minutes. Do ten or twenty mild breath retentions (kumbhakas). You can drive off sleep easily. Keep the light burning if you feel sleepy. Repeat the mantra loudly for some time. Sit in the kneeling posture (vajrasana).
When meditation becomes habitual, when the habit of getting up at 4 a.m. is well established and when you take light food at night, sleep will not trouble you at all during meditation.
The practice of keeping vigils on Sivaratri and Sri Krishna Janmastami is highly commendable. The Christians also keep vigils on Christmas and New Year's night.
Do not mistake drowsiness for savikalpa samadhi and deep sleep for nirvikalpa samadhi. The glory of the fourth state of consciousness (turiya) is ineffable, its splendour is indescribable. If the body is light, the mind is clear and there is cheerfulness, know that you are meditating. If the body is heavy, if the mind is dull, know that you were sleeping, not meditating.
Aspirants should not overload the stomach. Ninety percent of diseases take their origin in immoderation in diet. People have developed a strong habit of eating more food than is actually necessary, from their very childhood. Hindu mothers stuff the stomachs of their children with too much food. This is not the way of caressing and loving children. Over-loading brings drowsiness and sleep immediately. If there is no hunger you must not take any food. Overloading is the chief factor in bringing about night-pollutions. A diet of milk renders the body very very light. You can sit in one asana for hours together with ease and comfort. If you feel weak, for a day or two you can take a little rice and milk or barley and milk or any light diet. Those who are in the field of service and who give platform lectures and other intense spiritual propaganda activities, need solid substantial food.
'Man is as old as his arteries' is a truism in physiology and surgery. The salt that is present in food-stuffs is quite sufficient, you need not take any extra salt. You need not add any salt to curries and soups. If there is an excess of salt in the blood, the arteries lose their elasticity and cannot withstand the slightest increase in blood-pressure. The important organs such as the liver, kidneys, stomach, heart, etc., lose their elasticity. Excess salt in the blood produces a dry sort of itch, thirst, constipation, inability to bear the sun's heat and headache.
Those who eat meat have a crematorium in their stomachs. They are unfit for yoga practices and spiritual contemplation.
You cannot live on roots alone. To live on roots alone is a foolish imagination of an emotional man who has no idea of spiritual life. Extreme asceticism and self-torture are not necessary for the attainment of the Self. You will have to adopt always the middle course. Live on milk and fruits on Sundays and Ekadasi. Too much fasting brings weakness and retards vigorous spiritual sadhana You can occasionally have mild fasts. Sannyasins and aspirants should take their bhiksha from the hands of those householders who earn their livelihood by honest means.
"In pure food there is a pure nature, in a pure nature there is firm fixation of memory, in a firm memory there is release from all the knots of the heart." —Chhandogya Upanishad: 7-26-2.
Mind is formed out of the subtlest portion of the food. If you eat impure food, the mind also becomes impure. This is the dictum of sages and psychologists. Food plays an important part in the evolution of the mind. It has a direct influence on the mind. Meat, fish, eggs, stale unwholesome food, onions, garlic, etc., should be avoided by spiritual practitioners, as they excite passion and anger. The food should be simple, bland, light, wholesome and nutritious. Liquors and narcotics should be strictly abandoned. Chillies, condiments, spiced dishes, pungent articles, hot things, things that are sour, sweetmeats, etc., must be rejected.
In the Bhagavad Gita you will find: "The foods that augment vitality, energy, vigour, health, joy and cheerfulness, that are delicious, bland, substantial and agreeable, are dear to the pure. The passionate desire foods that are burning and which produce pain, sickness and grief. That which is stale and flat, putrid and corrupt, left-overs and also unclean, is the food dear to the dark." (XVIII-8, 9, 10)
As is the food, so is the mind. Food exercises a tremendous influence on the mind. Look at the tiger which lives on flesh. How ferocious it is. Behold the cow which lives on grass. How mild and gentle she is. You can get good nutrition and energy from milk, fruits, vegetables, almonds, butter, cream, green gram, dhall, etc. Milk is a perfect food. Sattvic food helps concentration of mind. It renders the mind pure.
Purity of food leads to purity of mind. This implies that all objects which are grasped by the senses must be pure. The ears should hear sublime utterances of the Bhagavad Gita, Ramayana, Bhagavatam, Upanishads and the names of God. The eyes must behold the form of God. Let your clothing be sattvic or pure. Let your speech be pure. Let your companions be sattvic persons. Let the books you study be pure. Let the place you live in be sattvic. Let the meditation room be decorated with sattvic pictures of the Lord. Then only will you attain God-consciousness. You will find in the Peace Chants also: ''O Gods, may we with our ears hear what is auspicious! Oh, ye fit to be worshipped, may we, with our eyes, see what is auspicious!"
(b) Mental Obstacles
Yoga can be practised only by those who are very earnest about it and who are ready to annihilate their little ego and its demands. There is no half-measure in the spiritual path. Rigid discipline of senses and mind, rigorous tapas and constant meditation are necessary for the attainment of God-realisation. The hostile forces are ever ready to overwhelm you if you are not vigilant, if you give the least sanction or the smallest opening for them.
You cannot lead a double life. Pure divine life, a life of yoga, cannot co-exist with a mundane life of passion and ignorance. Divine life cannot conform to your own little standards. You must rise above the petty human level, you must raise yourself to a higher level of divine consciousness. You cannot claim freedom for your petty mind and little ego if you want to become a yogi. You should not affirm your own thoughts, judgements, desires and impulses. The lower nature with its retinue — arrogance, ignorance and turbulence — stands in the way of descent of the divine light.
So-called friends are your real enemies. You cannot find even a single unselfish friend in this universe. Your real friend in need who attends on you sincerely, is God, the Indweller of your heart. Worldly friends come to you to get money and other comforts when you are rolling in a Rolls Royce, when you have got plenty of money. When you are in adverse circumstances no one will care to look at you. Even your sons and wife will forsake you. This world is full of avarice, hypocrisy, double-dealing, flattery, untruth, cheating and selfishness. Be careful. Friends come to have idle talks with you and to waste your time. They have no idea of the value of time. They want to pull you down and make you also worldly. They will say: "Friend, what are you doing? Earn money as much as possible. Live comfortably now. Eat, drink and be merry. Let us go to a cinema. Today there is a good new production running at so and so theatre. There will be beautiful modern dancing. Who knows about the future? Where is God? Where is heaven? There is no rebirth, there is no liberation. It is all imagination and gossip. Enjoy now. Why do you fast? There is nothing beyond this world. Give up all sadhana and meditation. You are wasting your time." You will get this sort of advice from such worldly friends. Cut off all connections ruthlessly. Don't talk to any of your friends, however sincere they seem to be. Hide yourself away. Live alone at all times. Trust only in that immortal Friend who dwells in your heart. Then alone are you perfectly safe. He will give you whatever you want. Hear His sweet counsel from within with one-pointed mind, and follow it.
Very often depression comes in meditation in neophytes, owing to the effect of previous tendencies (samskaras), the influence of astral entities, evil spirits, bad company, cloudy days, bad stomach (indigestion) and loaded bowels. Treat the cause. Remove the cause. Do not allow depression to overpower you. Immediately take a brisk long walk along the seaside or riverside, or run in the open air. Sing divine songs. Chant OM loudly for one hour. Play on the harmonium if you know the art. Have cheerful thoughts, good laughter. If necessary you can take a purgative and a dose of carminative mixture.
Do some breath retention (kumbhakas) and sitali pranayama. Drink a small cup of orange juice or hot tea or coffee. Read some of the elevating portions of the Avadhuta Gita and the Upanishads.
When depression comes and troubles you, the mind will revolt. The undercurrent of desires will gush to the surface of the mind and torment you. Sensuous thoughts will agitate the mind and try to overwhelm you. Be bold, stand adamant, face these passing shocks. Keep your mind cool. Do not identify yourself with these obstacles.
Just as clouds screen and obstruct the sun, the cloud of gloom and despair will stand in the way of your practice. Even then you must not leave the practice of japa, concentration and meditation. These small clouds of gloom and despair will pass off soon. Give the suggestion to the mind: 'Even this will pass away'.
Doubt is your great enemy. It causes restlessness of mind. It will again and again raise its head to mislead the aspirant. It should be killed beyond resurrection by certainty of conviction and firm unshakable faith based on reasoning. Destroy all doubts through enquiry and wisdom.
There are three kinds of doubts — feeling of suspicion, spiritual doubt and perverted understanding. When the aspirant is not established in his own essential nature all of a sudden he doubts if there can be an all-pervading Brahman. Then he wonders how the individual soul, with a limited perishable body, can identify himself with the supreme all-pervading Substance. Then he begins to identify himself with the body, in spite of all his meditation. Hearing of the scriptures destroys the first doubt, reflection on their meaning destroys the second and deep meditation destroys the third kind of doubt.
Lack of faith is a dangerous obstacle in the spiritual path. The student slackens his efforts when these doubts crop up. Maya is very powerful and mysterious. Mind is maya. Mind deludes the student through doubting and forgetfulness. Sometimes he gives up his sadhana altogether, which is a serious mistake. Whenever doubt tries to overpower any student he should at once take recourse to the company of mahatmas and remain with them for some time under the influence of their spiritual currents. He should clear his doubts by conversing with them. Generally an aspirant starts his sadhana with expectations of so many siddhis within a short time. When he does not get them he gets dejected and stops his practice. This is the trouble in almost all cases. He thinks that kundalini will be awakened within six months and that he will have clairvoyance, clairaudience, thought-reading, flying in the air, etc. He entertains so many fantastic and queer ideas.
Do not bother about doubts. There is no end to them. Purify your heart. Go on vigorously with purificatory processes such as japa and meditation. Meditate regularly. The doubts will be cleared by themselves in a mysterious manner. The great Teacher or inner Ruler is with you. He will illumine you and remove your doubts.
Various sorts of fantastic dreams trouble some aspirants very much. Sometimes there is a mixture of meditation and dreams. As the phenomenon of the dreams is very peculiar and inexplicable, it is very difficult to control dreams unless you wipe out all the subconscious impressions in the causal body and control all thoughts. As you grow in purity, discrimination and concentration, dreams will decrease. The presence of dreams denotes that you are not yet well established in deep meditation, that you have not removed tossing of the mind and that you have not done constant sadhana.
Intense desire or attachment to sensual pleasures or sense objects is one of the greatest of all obstacles. The mind refuses to leave sensual pleasures completely. Through the force of dispassion and meditation the desires get suppressed for some time. All of a sudden the mind thinks of sensual pleasures through force of habit and memory and mental disturbance arises. Concentration decreases and the mind moves outwards to sensual objects. There cannot be an iota of happiness for a man who is thirsting for sensual objects. Only when this thirsting dies does man enjoy peace. Then only can he meditate and rest in the Self.
In the Bhagavad Gita you will find: "The turbulent senses, O Arjuna, violently carry away the mind of a wise man, though he be striving to control them; for the mind which follows in the wake of the wandering senses carries away one's discrimination, as the wind carries away a boat upon the waters.'' (11-60, 67). ''The objects of the senses turn away from the abstinent man, leaving the longing behind: but this longing also turns away on seeing the Supreme." (11-59).
Some desires lurk in the corners of the mind. Just as old dirt comes out from the corners of the room when you sweep, so also through the pressure of yoga practices these old lurking desires come out. The sadhak should be very careful, he should be ever watching the mind vigilantly. He must nip the desires in the bud by developing his dispassion and discrimination and by increasing his period of japa and meditation. He must observe unbroken silence and do vigorous meditation and pranayama. He should live on milk and fruits for forty days and observe fast on ekadasi days. He should completely give up mixing with anybody. He should never come out of his room and should plunge himself deep into his sadhana. Hidden desires and worldly ambitions of all sorts also come under this category. Ambition makes the mind very restless. Man should have the one laudable ambition of getting Self-realisation.
Sex impulse and ambition are two great disturbing factors in meditation. They carry on guerrilla warfare, they attack again and again. They appear to be thinned out for some time but they get revived often. They should be extirpated by great effort — enquiry, the power of discrimination between Atman and anatman (Self and non-Self) and the feeling that all is God.
If the mind constantly dwells on sensual objects the conception of the reality of the universe will surely increase. If the mind ceaselessly thinks of the Atman (Absolute), the world appears like a dream. Meditate and behold the imperishable Atman. Rest yourself firmly in the Self. Nothing can hurt you now. You can become invincible.
When you meditate, when you develop divine or sattvic virtues, a spiritual road is constructed in the mind. If you are not regular in meditation, if your dispassion wanes and if you become careless and non-vigilant, the spiritual road will be washed away by the flood of impure thoughts and evil desires. Therefore be regular in your meditation. Regularity in meditation is of paramount importance.
Anger is a gate to hell. It destroys the knowledge of Self. It is born of rajas. It is all-consuming and all-polluting. It is the greatest enemy of peace. It is a modification of lust. Just as milk is changed into curd, so also lust or desire becomes transmuted into anger. When a man's desire is not gratified he becomes angry, then his mind becomes confused and he loses his memory and understanding. He perishes. A man when he is angry will say anything he likes and do anything he likes. He commits murder. A hot word results in fighting and stabbing. He is under intoxication. He loses his senses for the time being and does not know exactly what he is doing. He is a prey to anger, he is under the sway of anger. Anger is a form of divine power (shakti) or Devi. In Chandipat you will find: "I bow to that Devi who is seated in all beings in the form of anger."
Resentment, indignation, fury, wrath and irritation are all varieties of anger, according to degree or intensity. If a man wants to correct another man and use slight anger unselfishly as a force to check and improve him, then it is called 'religious anger'. Suppose a man molests a girl and tries to outrage her and a by-stander becomes angry towards this criminal, then it is called 'righteous indignation'. This is not bad. Only when the anger is the outcome of greed or selfish motives is it bad. Sometimes a religious teacher has to express a little anger outwardly to correct his disciples. This is also not bad.
One has to do it. But he should be cool within and hot and impetuous outside. He should not allow the anger to take deep root in his inner consciousness for a long time. It should pass off immediately like a wave in the sea.
If a man becomes irritable for trifling things very often it is a definite sign of mental weakness. One should control irritability by developing patience, right thinking, forgiveness, love, mercy and the spirit of sincere service. When anger is controlled it becomes transmuted into an energy that can move the world. It becomes changed into effulgent power, just as heat or light is changed into electricity. Energy takes another form. If an aspirant has controlled anger completely, half of his sadhana is over. Control of anger means control of lust also. All vices, evil qualities and wrong actions take their origin in anger. If anger is controlled, all bad qualities die by themselves. He who has controlled anger cannot do any wrong or evil action. He is always just. An easily irritated man is always unjust. He is swayed by impulses and emotions. Too much loss of semen is the chief cause of irritability and anger. The root cause of anger lies in egoism. Egoism should be removed by right knowledge, then only can one control anger completely, to the very root. Through development of the opposite virtues such as forgiveness, love, peace, compassion and friendship, it can be controlled to some extent. The force can be reduced. Only direct knowledge (jnana) completely fries all tendencies. The practice of silence (mauna) is of great help in controlling anger.
It is very difficult to say when a man will be thrown into a state of fury. All of a sudden he gets a terrible fit of anger over trifling matters. When the anger assumes a grave form it becomes difficult to control. It should be controlled when it still has the form of a small ripple in the sub-conscious mind. One should watch the mind carefully, whenever there is a sign of irritability. Then it becomes very easy.
When a man is furious he has lost all control. Anger gains strength by repetition. If it is checked man gradually gains strength of will. An aspirant should direct all his attention towards conquest of this powerful enemy. Sattvic food, japa, meditation, prayer, satsang, right thinking, service, kirtan, celibacy and pranayama will all go a long way in eradicating this dire malady. A combined method should be adopted in its removal. When a man abuses you, try to keep quiet. Bear the insult. You will gain strength. Check the impulses and emotions to begin with. Whenever there is likelihood of a burst of anger during conversation or debate, stop your speech. Always try to speak sweet, soft words. The words must be soft and the arguments hard; but if the words are hard it will bring discord. If you find it difficult to control anger, leave the place at once and take a brisk walk. Drink some cool water immediately. Chant OM loudly for 10 minutes. Smoking, meat-eating and drinking of liquors make the heart very irritable. Therefore they should be completely abandoned. Tobacco brings diseases of heart. It gives rise to 'tobacco-heart' which gets easily irritated.
Be careful in the selection of your companions. Talk little, mix little. Plunge yourself into spiritual sadhana. Think that the world is a long dream, that the world is unreal. This will prevent anger. Enquire: "What is abuse? What do I gain by getting angry? It is only a waste of energy and time. I am not the body. The Atman is the same in all." This will completely remove anger. Anger spoils the blood. It throws various poisons into the blood.
Instances are recorded of women who have killed children by nursing them with breast milk when they were in a fit of anger. In the light of modern psychology, all diseases take their origin in anger. Rheumatism, heart diseases and nervous diseases are due to anger. The whole nervous system is completely shattered by one fit of anger. It takes months before it is restored to normal equilibrium.
A social nature is good for doing karma yoga, but it is extremely bad for practising meditation. It drags you out and makes your mind restless. It invites many friends who disturb you in a variety of ways. When you sit for meditation, thoughts of your friends and office work or the memory of a conversation that took place in the previous evening with your friends and relatives will disturb your mind and cause distraction. You will have to withdraw the mind again and again cautiously from these extraneous worldly thoughts and fix it again and again on your object of meditation or goal. You will have to disregard and ignore the worldly thoughts. Be indifferent, do not welcome these thoughts or identify yourself with them. Say within yourself: "I do not want these thoughts. I have nothing to do with them." They will gradually vanish.
Bad surroundings, obscene pictures, obscene songs, novels that deal with love, cinemas, theatres, the sight of pairing of animals, words which give rise to bad ideas in the mind — in short anything that causes evil thoughts in the mind — constitute evil company. Aspirants generally complain: "We have been doing sadhana for the last fifteen years. We have not made any solid spiritual progress." The obvious answer is that they have not totally shunned evil company. Newspapers deal with all sorts of worldly topics. Aspirants should entirely give up reading of newspapers. Reading of newspapers kindles worldly samskaras, causes sensational excitement in the mind, makes the mind out-going, produces an impression that the world is a solid reality and makes one forget the Truth that lies underneath these names and forms.
The section ‘Physical Obstacles’ now resumes..
If the yoga student develops some diseases on account of his failure in observing the laws of health and indiscretion, and says that his disease has arisen from the practice of yoga, this is the first obstacle.
Laziness and fickleness of mind are two great obstacles in meditation. Light sattvic diet and the practice of pranayama will remove laziness. Do not overload the stomach. Walk briskly in your compound hither and thither for half an hour. As soon as you have made a firm resolve, you must carry it out promptly at any cost. This will remove fickleness of mind and develop your will-power.
The mind does two things: it ceaselessly thinks of sensual objects, and when it is tired of thinking of objects it goes to sleep and rests in the primal nescience. If sleep tries to overpower you during meditation, be on the alert, awaken the mind by the practise of chanting, japa and long OM chanting. If there is attachment to any object, wean the mind, make it unattached through enquiry and vigilance. Again and again think of Brahman. When the mind has become completely calm, do not disturb it even a bit. Continue the meditation vigorously.
Tahdra is a half-sleepy state. Alasya is laziness. Nidra is sleep. Alasya and tandra are the precursors of sleep. These three are great obstacles in the path of realisation. Sleep is a powerful force of maya. You will be imagining that you are meditating. The mind will immediately run through its old grooves in the twinkling of an eye.
You will be doubting: "Did I go to sleep? Or did I meditate now? I think I had a small nap, as I feel heaviness of the eye-lids and body now." Sleep is the greatest obstacle as it is very powerful. Even though a sadhak is very careful and vigilant it overpowers him somehow or other. This is a very strong habit. It takes time and demands great strength of will to tear this old, old habit.
Arjuna is called Gudakesha or 'Conqueror of sleep'. Lakshmana also had conquered sleep. Besides these two persons we have not heard of anyone. However, there are people such as yogis and jnanis who have reduced their sleep to two or three hours.
Sleep is a psychological phenomenon. The brain needs rest at least for a short time, otherwise man feels drowsy and tired. He can neither work nor meditate. The sleep of a jnani is different from the sleep of a worldly man. In a jnani, the powerful impressions (samskaras) of God-contemplation are there. It is something akin to being established in the direct knowledge of God.
One should be careful in reducing his sleep. Reduce your sleep gradually. For the first four months go to bed at 11 p.m. and get up at 4 a.m. Have sleep for five hours. For the next four months, go to bed at 12 p.m. and get up at 4 a.m. Have sleep for four hours. For the next four months, go to bed at 12 p.m. and get up at 3 a.m. Thus, gradually reduce the hours of sleep.
Sadhaks can gain time for their sadhana by reducing sleep. The practice of reducing sleep will be very troublesome in the beginning. When the habits are changed, it will be pleasant in the end.
Give up rice and heavy meals at night. Take light food such as milk and fruits at night. You will be able to get up in the early morning. Sleep will not overpower you during meditation.
Aspirants do meditation in the morning for one hour between 4 and 5 a.m. Then they are overpowered by sleep. They begin to sleep again after 5 a.m. This is a general complaint. Do 10 or 20 rounds of pranayama at 5 a.m. Do sirshasana for two minutes. Again you will be fresh for meditation. Use your common-sense always. The old habit may recur again and again. Get rid of it again and again by suitable practices, strength of will, prayer, etc.
Practise yoga postures — sirshasana, sarvangasana, bhujang-asana, salabhasana and dhanurasana — and do a little pranayama before you start meditation. Then you will not become sleepy during meditation.
Sometimes during the course of meditation the mind suddenly slips into its old grooves for sleeping. Aspirants think that they are meditating, while they are actually sleeping. Dash cold water on the face. Stand up and sing, and do vigorous chanting (kirtan) for five or ten minutes. Do ten or twenty mild breath retentions (kumbhakas). You can drive off sleep easily. Keep the light burning if you feel sleepy. Repeat the mantra loudly for some time. Sit in the kneeling posture (vajrasana).
When meditation becomes habitual, when the habit of getting up at 4 a.m. is well established and when you take light food at night, sleep will not trouble you at all during meditation.
The practice of keeping vigils on Sivaratri and Sri Krishna Janmastami is highly commendable. The Christians also keep vigils on Christmas and New Year's night.
Do not mistake drowsiness for savikalpa samadhi and deep sleep for nirvikalpa samadhi. The glory of the fourth state of consciousness (turiya) is ineffable, its splendour is indescribable. If the body is light, the mind is clear and there is cheerfulness, know that you are meditating. If the body is heavy, if the mind is dull, know that you were sleeping, not meditating.
Aspirants should not overload the stomach. Ninety percent of diseases take their origin in immoderation in diet. People have developed a strong habit of eating more food than is actually necessary, from their very childhood. Hindu mothers stuff the stomachs of their children with too much food. This is not the way of caressing and loving children. Over-loading brings drowsiness and sleep immediately. If there is no hunger you must not take any food. Overloading is the chief factor in bringing about night-pollutions. A diet of milk renders the body very very light. You can sit in one asana for hours together with ease and comfort. If you feel weak, for a day or two you can take a little rice and milk or barley and milk or any light diet. Those who are in the field of service and who give platform lectures and other intense spiritual propaganda activities, need solid substantial food.
'Man is as old as his arteries' is a truism in physiology and surgery. The salt that is present in food-stuffs is quite sufficient, you need not take any extra salt. You need not add any salt to curries and soups. If there is an excess of salt in the blood, the arteries lose their elasticity and cannot withstand the slightest increase in blood-pressure. The important organs such as the liver, kidneys, stomach, heart, etc., lose their elasticity. Excess salt in the blood produces a dry sort of itch, thirst, constipation, inability to bear the sun's heat and headache.
Those who eat meat have a crematorium in their stomachs. They are unfit for yoga practices and spiritual contemplation.
You cannot live on roots alone. To live on roots alone is a foolish imagination of an emotional man who has no idea of spiritual life. Extreme asceticism and self-torture are not necessary for the attainment of the Self. You will have to adopt always the middle course. Live on milk and fruits on Sundays and Ekadasi. Too much fasting brings weakness and retards vigorous spiritual sadhana You can occasionally have mild fasts. Sannyasins and aspirants should take their bhiksha from the hands of those householders who earn their livelihood by honest means.
"In pure food there is a pure nature, in a pure nature there is firm fixation of memory, in a firm memory there is release from all the knots of the heart." —Chhandogya Upanishad: 7-26-2.
Mind is formed out of the subtlest portion of the food. If you eat impure food, the mind also becomes impure. This is the dictum of sages and psychologists. Food plays an important part in the evolution of the mind. It has a direct influence on the mind. Meat, fish, eggs, stale unwholesome food, onions, garlic, etc., should be avoided by spiritual practitioners, as they excite passion and anger. The food should be simple, bland, light, wholesome and nutritious. Liquors and narcotics should be strictly abandoned. Chillies, condiments, spiced dishes, pungent articles, hot things, things that are sour, sweetmeats, etc., must be rejected.
In the Bhagavad Gita you will find: "The foods that augment vitality, energy, vigour, health, joy and cheerfulness, that are delicious, bland, substantial and agreeable, are dear to the pure. The passionate desire foods that are burning and which produce pain, sickness and grief. That which is stale and flat, putrid and corrupt, left-overs and also unclean, is the food dear to the dark." (XVIII-8, 9, 10)
As is the food, so is the mind. Food exercises a tremendous influence on the mind. Look at the tiger which lives on flesh. How ferocious it is. Behold the cow which lives on grass. How mild and gentle she is. You can get good nutrition and energy from milk, fruits, vegetables, almonds, butter, cream, green gram, dhall, etc. Milk is a perfect food. Sattvic food helps concentration of mind. It renders the mind pure.
Purity of food leads to purity of mind. This implies that all objects which are grasped by the senses must be pure. The ears should hear sublime utterances of the Bhagavad Gita, Ramayana, Bhagavatam, Upanishads and the names of God. The eyes must behold the form of God. Let your clothing be sattvic or pure. Let your speech be pure. Let your companions be sattvic persons. Let the books you study be pure. Let the place you live in be sattvic. Let the meditation room be decorated with sattvic pictures of the Lord. Then only will you attain God-consciousness. You will find in the Peace Chants also: ''O Gods, may we with our ears hear what is auspicious! Oh, ye fit to be worshipped, may we, with our eyes, see what is auspicious!"
(b) Mental Obstacles
Yoga can be practised only by those who are very earnest about it and who are ready to annihilate their little ego and its demands. There is no half-measure in the spiritual path. Rigid discipline of senses and mind, rigorous tapas and constant meditation are necessary for the attainment of God-realisation. The hostile forces are ever ready to overwhelm you if you are not vigilant, if you give the least sanction or the smallest opening for them.
You cannot lead a double life. Pure divine life, a life of yoga, cannot co-exist with a mundane life of passion and ignorance. Divine life cannot conform to your own little standards. You must rise above the petty human level, you must raise yourself to a higher level of divine consciousness. You cannot claim freedom for your petty mind and little ego if you want to become a yogi. You should not affirm your own thoughts, judgements, desires and impulses. The lower nature with its retinue — arrogance, ignorance and turbulence — stands in the way of descent of the divine light.
So-called friends are your real enemies. You cannot find even a single unselfish friend in this universe. Your real friend in need who attends on you sincerely, is God, the Indweller of your heart. Worldly friends come to you to get money and other comforts when you are rolling in a Rolls Royce, when you have got plenty of money. When you are in adverse circumstances no one will care to look at you. Even your sons and wife will forsake you. This world is full of avarice, hypocrisy, double-dealing, flattery, untruth, cheating and selfishness. Be careful. Friends come to have idle talks with you and to waste your time. They have no idea of the value of time. They want to pull you down and make you also worldly. They will say: "Friend, what are you doing? Earn money as much as possible. Live comfortably now. Eat, drink and be merry. Let us go to a cinema. Today there is a good new production running at so and so theatre. There will be beautiful modern dancing. Who knows about the future? Where is God? Where is heaven? There is no rebirth, there is no liberation. It is all imagination and gossip. Enjoy now. Why do you fast? There is nothing beyond this world. Give up all sadhana and meditation. You are wasting your time." You will get this sort of advice from such worldly friends. Cut off all connections ruthlessly. Don't talk to any of your friends, however sincere they seem to be. Hide yourself away. Live alone at all times. Trust only in that immortal Friend who dwells in your heart. Then alone are you perfectly safe. He will give you whatever you want. Hear His sweet counsel from within with one-pointed mind, and follow it.
Very often depression comes in meditation in neophytes, owing to the effect of previous tendencies (samskaras), the influence of astral entities, evil spirits, bad company, cloudy days, bad stomach (indigestion) and loaded bowels. Treat the cause. Remove the cause. Do not allow depression to overpower you. Immediately take a brisk long walk along the seaside or riverside, or run in the open air. Sing divine songs. Chant OM loudly for one hour. Play on the harmonium if you know the art. Have cheerful thoughts, good laughter. If necessary you can take a purgative and a dose of carminative mixture.
Do some breath retention (kumbhakas) and sitali pranayama. Drink a small cup of orange juice or hot tea or coffee. Read some of the elevating portions of the Avadhuta Gita and the Upanishads.
When depression comes and troubles you, the mind will revolt. The undercurrent of desires will gush to the surface of the mind and torment you. Sensuous thoughts will agitate the mind and try to overwhelm you. Be bold, stand adamant, face these passing shocks. Keep your mind cool. Do not identify yourself with these obstacles.
Just as clouds screen and obstruct the sun, the cloud of gloom and despair will stand in the way of your practice. Even then you must not leave the practice of japa, concentration and meditation. These small clouds of gloom and despair will pass off soon. Give the suggestion to the mind: 'Even this will pass away'.
Doubt is your great enemy. It causes restlessness of mind. It will again and again raise its head to mislead the aspirant. It should be killed beyond resurrection by certainty of conviction and firm unshakable faith based on reasoning. Destroy all doubts through enquiry and wisdom.
There are three kinds of doubts — feeling of suspicion, spiritual doubt and perverted understanding. When the aspirant is not established in his own essential nature all of a sudden he doubts if there can be an all-pervading Brahman. Then he wonders how the individual soul, with a limited perishable body, can identify himself with the supreme all-pervading Substance. Then he begins to identify himself with the body, in spite of all his meditation. Hearing of the scriptures destroys the first doubt, reflection on their meaning destroys the second and deep meditation destroys the third kind of doubt.
Lack of faith is a dangerous obstacle in the spiritual path. The student slackens his efforts when these doubts crop up. Maya is very powerful and mysterious. Mind is maya. Mind deludes the student through doubting and forgetfulness. Sometimes he gives up his sadhana altogether, which is a serious mistake. Whenever doubt tries to overpower any student he should at once take recourse to the company of mahatmas and remain with them for some time under the influence of their spiritual currents. He should clear his doubts by conversing with them. Generally an aspirant starts his sadhana with expectations of so many siddhis within a short time. When he does not get them he gets dejected and stops his practice. This is the trouble in almost all cases. He thinks that kundalini will be awakened within six months and that he will have clairvoyance, clairaudience, thought-reading, flying in the air, etc. He entertains so many fantastic and queer ideas.
Do not bother about doubts. There is no end to them. Purify your heart. Go on vigorously with purificatory processes such as japa and meditation. Meditate regularly. The doubts will be cleared by themselves in a mysterious manner. The great Teacher or inner Ruler is with you. He will illumine you and remove your doubts.
Various sorts of fantastic dreams trouble some aspirants very much. Sometimes there is a mixture of meditation and dreams. As the phenomenon of the dreams is very peculiar and inexplicable, it is very difficult to control dreams unless you wipe out all the subconscious impressions in the causal body and control all thoughts. As you grow in purity, discrimination and concentration, dreams will decrease. The presence of dreams denotes that you are not yet well established in deep meditation, that you have not removed tossing of the mind and that you have not done constant sadhana.
Intense desire or attachment to sensual pleasures or sense objects is one of the greatest of all obstacles. The mind refuses to leave sensual pleasures completely. Through the force of dispassion and meditation the desires get suppressed for some time. All of a sudden the mind thinks of sensual pleasures through force of habit and memory and mental disturbance arises. Concentration decreases and the mind moves outwards to sensual objects. There cannot be an iota of happiness for a man who is thirsting for sensual objects. Only when this thirsting dies does man enjoy peace. Then only can he meditate and rest in the Self.
In the Bhagavad Gita you will find: "The turbulent senses, O Arjuna, violently carry away the mind of a wise man, though he be striving to control them; for the mind which follows in the wake of the wandering senses carries away one's discrimination, as the wind carries away a boat upon the waters.'' (11-60, 67). ''The objects of the senses turn away from the abstinent man, leaving the longing behind: but this longing also turns away on seeing the Supreme." (11-59).
Some desires lurk in the corners of the mind. Just as old dirt comes out from the corners of the room when you sweep, so also through the pressure of yoga practices these old lurking desires come out. The sadhak should be very careful, he should be ever watching the mind vigilantly. He must nip the desires in the bud by developing his dispassion and discrimination and by increasing his period of japa and meditation. He must observe unbroken silence and do vigorous meditation and pranayama. He should live on milk and fruits for forty days and observe fast on ekadasi days. He should completely give up mixing with anybody. He should never come out of his room and should plunge himself deep into his sadhana. Hidden desires and worldly ambitions of all sorts also come under this category. Ambition makes the mind very restless. Man should have the one laudable ambition of getting Self-realisation.
Sex impulse and ambition are two great disturbing factors in meditation. They carry on guerrilla warfare, they attack again and again. They appear to be thinned out for some time but they get revived often. They should be extirpated by great effort — enquiry, the power of discrimination between Atman and anatman (Self and non-Self) and the feeling that all is God.
If the mind constantly dwells on sensual objects the conception of the reality of the universe will surely increase. If the mind ceaselessly thinks of the Atman (Absolute), the world appears like a dream. Meditate and behold the imperishable Atman. Rest yourself firmly in the Self. Nothing can hurt you now. You can become invincible.
When you meditate, when you develop divine or sattvic virtues, a spiritual road is constructed in the mind. If you are not regular in meditation, if your dispassion wanes and if you become careless and non-vigilant, the spiritual road will be washed away by the flood of impure thoughts and evil desires. Therefore be regular in your meditation. Regularity in meditation is of paramount importance.
Anger is a gate to hell. It destroys the knowledge of Self. It is born of rajas. It is all-consuming and all-polluting. It is the greatest enemy of peace. It is a modification of lust. Just as milk is changed into curd, so also lust or desire becomes transmuted into anger. When a man's desire is not gratified he becomes angry, then his mind becomes confused and he loses his memory and understanding. He perishes. A man when he is angry will say anything he likes and do anything he likes. He commits murder. A hot word results in fighting and stabbing. He is under intoxication. He loses his senses for the time being and does not know exactly what he is doing. He is a prey to anger, he is under the sway of anger. Anger is a form of divine power (shakti) or Devi. In Chandipat you will find: "I bow to that Devi who is seated in all beings in the form of anger."
Resentment, indignation, fury, wrath and irritation are all varieties of anger, according to degree or intensity. If a man wants to correct another man and use slight anger unselfishly as a force to check and improve him, then it is called 'religious anger'. Suppose a man molests a girl and tries to outrage her and a by-stander becomes angry towards this criminal, then it is called 'righteous indignation'. This is not bad. Only when the anger is the outcome of greed or selfish motives is it bad. Sometimes a religious teacher has to express a little anger outwardly to correct his disciples. This is also not bad.
One has to do it. But he should be cool within and hot and impetuous outside. He should not allow the anger to take deep root in his inner consciousness for a long time. It should pass off immediately like a wave in the sea.
If a man becomes irritable for trifling things very often it is a definite sign of mental weakness. One should control irritability by developing patience, right thinking, forgiveness, love, mercy and the spirit of sincere service. When anger is controlled it becomes transmuted into an energy that can move the world. It becomes changed into effulgent power, just as heat or light is changed into electricity. Energy takes another form. If an aspirant has controlled anger completely, half of his sadhana is over. Control of anger means control of lust also. All vices, evil qualities and wrong actions take their origin in anger. If anger is controlled, all bad qualities die by themselves. He who has controlled anger cannot do any wrong or evil action. He is always just. An easily irritated man is always unjust. He is swayed by impulses and emotions. Too much loss of semen is the chief cause of irritability and anger. The root cause of anger lies in egoism. Egoism should be removed by right knowledge, then only can one control anger completely, to the very root. Through development of the opposite virtues such as forgiveness, love, peace, compassion and friendship, it can be controlled to some extent. The force can be reduced. Only direct knowledge (jnana) completely fries all tendencies. The practice of silence (mauna) is of great help in controlling anger.
It is very difficult to say when a man will be thrown into a state of fury. All of a sudden he gets a terrible fit of anger over trifling matters. When the anger assumes a grave form it becomes difficult to control. It should be controlled when it still has the form of a small ripple in the sub-conscious mind. One should watch the mind carefully, whenever there is a sign of irritability. Then it becomes very easy.
When a man is furious he has lost all control. Anger gains strength by repetition. If it is checked man gradually gains strength of will. An aspirant should direct all his attention towards conquest of this powerful enemy. Sattvic food, japa, meditation, prayer, satsang, right thinking, service, kirtan, celibacy and pranayama will all go a long way in eradicating this dire malady. A combined method should be adopted in its removal. When a man abuses you, try to keep quiet. Bear the insult. You will gain strength. Check the impulses and emotions to begin with. Whenever there is likelihood of a burst of anger during conversation or debate, stop your speech. Always try to speak sweet, soft words. The words must be soft and the arguments hard; but if the words are hard it will bring discord. If you find it difficult to control anger, leave the place at once and take a brisk walk. Drink some cool water immediately. Chant OM loudly for 10 minutes. Smoking, meat-eating and drinking of liquors make the heart very irritable. Therefore they should be completely abandoned. Tobacco brings diseases of heart. It gives rise to 'tobacco-heart' which gets easily irritated.
Be careful in the selection of your companions. Talk little, mix little. Plunge yourself into spiritual sadhana. Think that the world is a long dream, that the world is unreal. This will prevent anger. Enquire: "What is abuse? What do I gain by getting angry? It is only a waste of energy and time. I am not the body. The Atman is the same in all." This will completely remove anger. Anger spoils the blood. It throws various poisons into the blood.
Instances are recorded of women who have killed children by nursing them with breast milk when they were in a fit of anger. In the light of modern psychology, all diseases take their origin in anger. Rheumatism, heart diseases and nervous diseases are due to anger. The whole nervous system is completely shattered by one fit of anger. It takes months before it is restored to normal equilibrium.
A social nature is good for doing karma yoga, but it is extremely bad for practising meditation. It drags you out and makes your mind restless. It invites many friends who disturb you in a variety of ways. When you sit for meditation, thoughts of your friends and office work or the memory of a conversation that took place in the previous evening with your friends and relatives will disturb your mind and cause distraction. You will have to withdraw the mind again and again cautiously from these extraneous worldly thoughts and fix it again and again on your object of meditation or goal. You will have to disregard and ignore the worldly thoughts. Be indifferent, do not welcome these thoughts or identify yourself with them. Say within yourself: "I do not want these thoughts. I have nothing to do with them." They will gradually vanish.
Bad surroundings, obscene pictures, obscene songs, novels that deal with love, cinemas, theatres, the sight of pairing of animals, words which give rise to bad ideas in the mind — in short anything that causes evil thoughts in the mind — constitute evil company. Aspirants generally complain: "We have been doing sadhana for the last fifteen years. We have not made any solid spiritual progress." The obvious answer is that they have not totally shunned evil company. Newspapers deal with all sorts of worldly topics. Aspirants should entirely give up reading of newspapers. Reading of newspapers kindles worldly samskaras, causes sensational excitement in the mind, makes the mind out-going, produces an impression that the world is a solid reality and makes one forget the Truth that lies underneath these names and forms.
8888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888
No comments:
Post a Comment