PRACTICE OF YOGA BY SWAMI SIVANANDA (MESSAGE 9)
Important Exercises
1. Close your eyes. Imagine that there is a big garden. In one corner there are jessamine flowers, in another roses, in another champakas, in another lilies. First think of the jessamine flowers, then rotate the mind to roses, then to Champakas, and then to lilies. Again bring back the mind to jessamine flowers. Revolve the mind like this for 2 or 3 minutes.
2. Look at the sky at night and count the stars in a small localised area.
3. On Thursday morning try to remember the dietetic preparations—vegetables, kind of Dhal, etc.—that were prepared on Wednesday.
4. Study one important Sloka from the Gita, find out parallel lines in the Ramayana, the Bhagavata, the Upanishads, the Yoga-Vasishtha and the Bible, and connect all these passages and keep them in your mental disposition or pigeon-holes of the brain.
5. Bring back to memory the word 'VIBGYOR' and try to remember the various colours such as violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange and red. Coin your code-words to help you for remembering these seven colours. Every one of you can have your own code-words.
6. Try to remember synonymous terms. This will increase your vocabulary of words and you will be able to write beautiful essays and deliver excellent lectures. You will become an able journalist. You can write good books. Take for instance the word compassion. Try to bring out the synonymous terms such as pity, mercy, liberality, generosity, etc.
7. The sight of a wrist-watch brings the recollection of your friend from whom you received this watch as a present. The law of association is of great help in developing your memory.
8. The remembrance of a word that ends in 'ity', like cupidity, will bring in through association the words stupidity, avidity, etc. The remembrance of the word that ends in 'tic,' like romantic, will bring to memory other words such as fantastic, etc., that have a similar ending. In this way you can remember things. You will have to group things like this in your various pigeon-holes of the brain or mind. Connect one thing or event with another of same nature. Then all these things will come back to your memory quite readily.
9. Coin your catch-words, some that start with A, some with B, some with R, some that end with 'tion,' some with 'ness,' etc. Here are some sentences: "An Australian army arrived at Aurangabad. Be bold but be benevolent. Cunning camels carried caravans. Doctor Dadabhai died during Dipavali. Examination is a great botheration among the Hindu nation whose sole occupation is cultivation. If you do not want to study, hang that matriculation, take to meditation and attain salvation. Nididhyasana or meditation will give you Self-realisation. This is my firm conviction after mature deliberation and careful consideration." This is only a specimen for you. You can do it in your own way. Every one of you has creative power.
10. Assertions and affirmations are very useful for developing your memory. Meditate and assert with the following formulas. Remember them several times a day.
I have a very strong memory OM OM OM
I can remember things now nicely OM OM OM
My memory has very much improved OM OM OM
I have a strong retentive memory OM OM OM
11. I shall speak a word on keeping a memorandum notebook. Daily jot down in the notebook as soon as you get up from the bed in the early morning the various kinds of works that you have to attend in the course of the day and see whether all have been carried out. Give a tick to each item as soon as it is finished. Again in the night, before you go to bed, try to remember all the activities you have done during the course of the day.
12. Take six cards from a packet and see them very carefully. Then place them in front of you with the face downwards. Through memory jot down in a piece of paper their exact description in the same order as you saw. You can slowly increase the number to twelve.
13. Lie down in an easy-chair comfortably. Take the photo of your father and minutely see it. Close your eyes. Just try to bring out a clear description of some of his distinct physical characteristics and marks on the body, such as his aquiline nose, curly hair, the condition of his eyes, forehead, lips, ears, chest, whether broad or pigeon-breast, arms whether sinewy or thin, whether there is symmetry in his limbs, the condition of his teeth, his gait and physiognomy, his special qualities that attract people, his nature of voice, special marks or moles on the different parts of the body. After seeing once any great man, try to bring out the special qualities and features that have arrested your attention.
14. Through law of association connect one idea with several other ideas. The idea of coffee will bring the idea of the Nilagiri Hills where it is grown and the idea of the Stane's Company who sell coffee-powder and the idea of the founder of this company. Through the law of similarity, you may remember the other places in the world where coffee is cultivated. You can remember the advantages and disadvantages of coffee. The idea of coffee will bring in the idea of similar beverage like tea and the name of Lipton and his vast business in tea. All these ideas will flash out in the mind in the twinkling of an eye. Keep a small notebook in your pocket. Whenever good ideas flash in your mind, then and there jot them down. Take hints. Later on you can develop them. Jot down in your diary the lessons you have received from great Mahatmas.
15. Just walk briskly along the busy road in your town. Have a keen acute perception. See what is going on in this centre of business. As soon as you reach home, jot down on a piece of paper the names of firms and the important articles that are exposed in the show-room outside and other particulars. Next day walk along the same road and verify your jottings whether you have omitted any item.
16. Try to remember the different makes of motor-cars such as Studebaker, Ford, Chevrolet, Rolls Royce, Baby Singer, Austin, etc., with their prices. Recollect the names of different philosophers of the world in the East and the West and their important books and teachings. Compare the Eastern and Western philosophies. The memory of gross things is more easy than the memory of events or philosophical ideas. Events can be more easily remembered than names of persons because there are associations for events. Names are arbitrary. There is intimate connection between memory and keen observation and acute hearing. Mind thinks on objects that are seen or heard. One who has developed his power of hearing and seeing can have better memory.
17. There is another exercise. Just imagine that there is a canvas-sheet in front of you that contains the pictures of nine animals. In the first top row, there are lion, leopard and cow. In the second line, there are horse, zebra and bear. In the third row, there are elephant, buffalo and tiger. First try to remember the animals in the first row, then in the second row, and then in the third row. Now try to remember in this order from above downwards, viz., lion, horse, elephant; leopard, zebra, buffalo, cow, bear and tiger. You can change the order in many other ways like algebraical formula or permutation and combination. Exercises on the memory of different kinds of gross and subtle sounds, on different kinds of tastes of food, on different kinds of touch of various articles, on shades of colours, etc., can also be practised.
18. Read one or two pages in a book. Then close the book. Remember the important ideas and try to reproduce them in your mind. Write down in a notebook the contents either in your own way or bring out an exact reproduction. Compare and contrast these passages with other passages contained in other books. Draw conclusions and inferences. This practice will develop your memory wonderfully and you will remember for a long time whatever you have studied. Mark the important passages with red pencil on the sides of the book and have blue or red underlining wherever it is necessary. In underlining do not blot out the words. Make thin underlines. Keep the pencil sharp. Take down notes of what you have read and turn over the pages of the notebook which contain all the important points in a nutshell once in a week. From these notes try to reproduce the passages in full.
19. Practise self-analysis or self-examination for 10 minutes before you go to bed. Sit comfortably in a chair. Close your eyes. Think of all the good and bad actions that you have done during the course of the day. Think of all the mistakes that you have done consciously or unconsciously, wittingly or unwittingly. On the first day you may not be able to find out even two or three actions or mistakes. Because you are not in the habit of doing so. By daily practice you will be able to visualise clearly the actions and mistakes of the day. Even an hour will not be sufficient to review the actions. The mind becomes subtle and sharp by practice of introspection. It goes more inward. It dissects, analyses, groups, classifies and brings the list of actions in the twinkling of an eye.
This practice will develop your memory wonderfully and reduce the number of mistakes and wrong actions. A time will come when you will do only good actions and you will not commit even a single mistake. Benjamin Franklin had this kind of practice. You can note down in your diary all the actions and mistakes the same night or on the following morning.
20. Study several times the eighteen chapters of the Gita. Try to remember the Slokas according to different headings such as those Slokas which treat of Viveka, Titiksha, Vairagya, Sadachara, development of qualities, as described in the thirteenth and sixteenth chapters, three kinds of Tapas mentioned in the seventeenth chapter, the three kinds of food described in the seventeenth chapter, Slokas which concern the practice of Pranayama, concentration, Bhakti, Jnana, Hatha and Raja Yogas, control of mind, etc. You must group them, in your mind. This is another exercise for your memory-culture. After some time, you can reproduce the whole Gita in any order you like without omitting even a line.
21. Develop the power of describing exactly a cricket, football or a tennis match. Observe a match. As soon as you reach home give a complete detailed description of the match. When you return from your long vacation from your native place, make out a statement of how you spent your time there and your everyday programme in detail without referring to your diary.
22. Try to remember the richest persons of the world such as H.E.H. The Nizam, Rockefeller, Ford; the biggest rivers in the world such as the Mississippi, Missouri, Amazon, Nile, Brahmaputra, Ganga, Yamuna, Godavari, Sarasvati, Narmada, Sindhu, Kaveri. In this way you can try to recollect the greatest musicians, poets, politicians, scientists, the biggest mountains, lakes, waterfalls, cities, plains and temples of the whole world.
Instructions on Memory
1. Always keep a piece of paper and a pencil in your pocket or a diary. Busy people and those who want to grow into a prodigy should always take down notes then and there even while walking. They can take hints or shorthand notes in their own way and can develop them at their leisure hours. Whenever good ideas roll in your mind, at once jot down in your pocket notebook. This is the secret of success. Practise, feel and enjoy. Mere theorising will not do. Become a practical man. I always hammer on this point several times and I am not tired of doing so. I want you to become great man of high ideals, not in the unknown future but right now in this very second. Give your full heart to me. I can raise you to lofty heights in the twinkling of an eye. I have got my own way of developing a man quickly and perfectly. I have a strong desire for service but I do not get the right type of aspirants. Attend a conference and reproduce the speeches or lectures in your own way and send them to newspapers. You can become a first-class reporter and an able journalist. Visit Badari Naranaya or Gangotri and take down notes. Give a full description after you come to your place. All these practices will develop your memory.
2. You must know the art of extracting work from the subconscious mind. If you want to remember forgotten passages in Shakespeare, just give a definite command to the subconscious mind before going to bed. On the following morning it will place them like a flash before you. Even if it fails to bring in the next morning, again give the command on the next day. In the following day you may get the answer.
3. Sometimes a judge has to write summary of the evidences and has to prepare judgments. His brain sometimes gets confused. He gets bewildered. He is not able to arrive at a proper conclusion.. In such cases the subconscious mind will beautifully work for him. It will arrange the facts and figures in order and place before him a clear summary. He will have to simply reproduce them on paper in the following morning. In matters which demand too much thinking and long deliberation, you will have to wait for some days for getting an answer from the subconscious mind.
4. A doctor has got good memory in the remembrance of drugs, because he has great interest in the treatment of diseases. He cannot remember even a single item in political matter, because he has no interest in this subject. A lawyer can remember all the rulings of the Allahabad High Court, Bombay High Court and Madras High Court. He cannot remember a few things in the cricket match, because he has no interest in cricket. You will have to create interest first in a certain subject and the memory of things will come automatically. One should be perfect in one subject and should have a general knowledge of all subjects. A versatile or all-round nature is highly creditable or laudable. Try to become a versatile genius. A strong and retentive memory, a powerful will and the practice of daily concentration and meditation will certainly develop your will and memory.
5. A strong man will have a very good memory. A weak delicate man of poor health will have a bad memory. Health plays an important part in memory-culture. Therefore, try to keep a high standard of health, vigour and vitality by proper food, exercise, etc.
6. Organs deteriorate if you do not use them properly, just as hands and legs get atrophied by disuse and are developed by muscular exercises and activity. There is intimate connection between sight and memory, and hearing and memory. He will have very good memory, who has an acute sight, a keen perception, a keen power of observation and an acute hearing. There are counterparts of these external organs in the internal astral body. They are called astral senses. A Yogi hears through astral ears and sees through astral eyes and thus develops clairvoyance and clairaudience. He can hear sounds from distant places and see objects that are in distant localities.
7. Generally people are very careless. They have no interest to learn higher things and knowledge. There are millions of people in India who cannot sign their names even. India, the land of Rishis and sages, still abounds in ignorance when compared with America and the continent. Even a small boy who brushes the boots and applies polish in the streets of London knows politics, reads newspapers and can discuss things nicely. The masses of India are steeped in ignorance and darkness. The root cause is carelessness, indifference and cold apathy.
8. To get success in life, to become an able doctor or a lawyer or a good businessman, the ears and the eyes should be considerably developed. A blind man or a deaf and dumb man is practically a dead man in the world. All wealth and knowledge come from the ears, eyes and the organ of speech. These Indriyas are the Ayatana (receptacles) for riches and knowledge. The knowledge of the sense-universe comes through these two channels and is expressed by speech to others.
9. Whenever you move about, you should be very alert. You must keep the eyes and ears sharp. You must try to remember all things and news that you have seen and heard. You must develop the power of observation. Be very attentive. Attention helps observation. Interest and attention will come through attention. Whenever a man talks to you give him a very patient hearing. If there are useful and interesting points, then and there note down in your pocket diary. Go through the pages of the diary once a week.
10. Keep a watch very close to the ear and hear the "Tic Tic" sound carefully. On the second day keep it at a little distance and hear the sound. Every day increase the distance and train yourself to hear the sound.
11-12. Keep your ears keen. Try to differentiate the sounds of various kinds, of birds, animals, children, the sounds of factories, cars, aeroplanes, motor-cycles, shrieks, yelling, snoring, sobbing, crying, laughing, mocking, joking, and the cry of animals, birds, etc. Sit in a quiet room. Close your eyes and try to concentrate on these sounds. Distinguish them. You must be able to find out from hearing the voice of a person at a distance from within your room that such and such a man has come. There are people whose voices have some resemblance. You must be able to find out that the voice of Mr. R. Banerjee resembles the voice of your cousin Mr. Ganga Ram. You must be able to find out the nature of different Ragas (tunes) from the nature of vibrations and undulations, such as Kalyani, Thodi, Bhairavi, Durbar, Malkose, etc.
13. Try to hear the sounds of the heart by applying your ear to the chest of another man. You will hear two sounds: "Lub-Dhub." Pay heed to the sounds of sparrows and other birds and try to differentiate their sounds. Sometimes they sing.. At other times they give a sound of alarm to invite their mates and friends when there is impending danger. Animals and birds have got their own languages. Yogins can understand their languages. There is a particular technique in Samyama on sounds. Some males have the voice of a female and some females have the voice of a male. You must be able to differentiate. You must be able to know the hissing sound of a cobra, its nature, strength of vibration, etc. Even at a distance you can say: "There is a cobra in that room." Dogs, horses and elephants are very intelligent. They have got simple consciousness. They laugh and smile and express their feelings of joy and gratitude by certain sounds. You must be able to understand the nature of the sounds. By these practices and careful observation you will have a wonderful power of hearing and memory. You can get on well in your business and avocation. Sharp ears and keen sight bring good results.
14. Whenever you meet a person look at his figure carefully from top to toe and minutely note down his various features, condition of his eyes and eyebrows, teeth, arms and his voice, behaviour, look, gait, etc. There are many people who are not able to give a description of their friends with whom they are moving for several years. The son is not able to describe exactly the physiognomy or marks on the face of his father though he is living with him in close contact for a number of years. The obvious reason is that the son has not developed the power of observation, sight and memory. One cannot become a skilful scientist unless he has an acute power of observation. He has to observe the various phenomena of nature and draw conclusions and inferences. He has to collect facts and figures to study the laws of nature.
15. Enter the drawing room of your friend and notice carefully what all things you find in the room. Then close your eyes and reflect. Then come out of the room and note down in your notebook all the things in the same order in which they are kept in the room. Then enter the room and verify your statement. Practise this for some months. You will develop wonderful power of sight.
16. Enter a library room and note carefully all the books that are placed in two rows of the almirah or shelf. Close your eyes and reflect. Then note down in your diary and then verify. Let there be mistakes. It does not matter much. A time will come when you will not make a single mistake. You should be able to pick out a friend in a big crowd by noticing the nature of his gait and. movement of his limbs at a distance.
17. There was a blind man at Srinagar in Kashmir, who could tell the nature of colours by simply feeling the cloth. What a wonderful development of the power of touch he had! It is all a question of training. At night you cannot see nicely. The power of seeing becomes dull, but the power of hearing is intensified. This is compensation in nature. There are some deaf and dumb people who are very intelligent. They do good work in composing in the press. When one organ becomes defective, another organ gets more developed. The energy of the organ that is not in use is utilised by the other organ and it grows rapidly. Nature is very merciful and intelligent. There are people who cannot remember more than two things at a time. There was a soldier who could not remember the ingredients of gun-powder even though he was in the cordite factory for months together. This is due to the ill-development of the faculty of memory.
18. A judge in the court should have an acute hearing. Then only he will become an able judge. He can write down quickly all evidences without any mistake. A commander-in-chief should have an acute sight. Then only he can have survey of all the infantries and cavalries. He can have a clear vision of the enemies on the other side even at a very long distance. One will have to develop the power of hearing and power of attention. The development of these two organs is of a great help in the practice of memory-culture. In some the organ of hearing is more developed. In others the power of sight is more developed. Dogs have got an acute nose. Prakriti has shown marked intelligence in the creation of beings. Cobras have got acute hearing. They hear through their eyes. They have not got separate ears. Tigers have acute nose. They can smell blood at a very long distance. There is play of intelligence in every inch of divine creation. Songsters have acute hearing. They have developed it. They will have to find out various kinds of undulations in the vibrations of sounds which make differences in Ragas. The very profession itself forces people to develop the particular organ which helps them in the development of their science.
19. Take up any exercise that suits you best in memory-culture and put it in daily practice. Keep daily record. This is very important. Mere skipping over the pages will not do. You will not be benefited. If you really want rapid improvement, if you want to become a real man, take down notes and put the lessons in daily practice. You can watch your progress and correct your mistakes. I want to make you a practical man quickly. Keep a special notebook. Every month send me a copy of the exercises that you have done. I will give you valuable suggestions on advanced courses for your success. I will put you in the right path. If you are very earnest and sincere you can find considerable improvement within three months.
20. For developing memory-power, you can select and practise some of the exercises given above. When you are a bit advanced, you must utilise the memory-power only in remembering the main items in which you are concerned. If you are a Sannyasin, you need not remember your younger days and school-life. If you are a lawyer, you need not remember the different medicines and their prices. If you are a man of concentration and meditation, you need not remember the Dhal that you took on Friday last. A Tyagi will remember many things and the several passages from the scriptures, but he cannot remember the exact number of coins he has in his purse. Energy and memory-power should be utilised in useful channels. Realise the importance of memory-culture and use the memory-power in useful direction. This will be of great help in your everyday life. This will help you a lot in the development of your will. Now I will pass on to will-culture, which plays a prominent role in the practice of Raja Yoga.
Will-culture
Will-culture is another important Sadhana. This is useful to all spiritual aspirants. Will is Atma-Bala. Will is a dynamic soul-force. Will can work wonders and miracles if it is rendered pure and irresistible. There is nothing impossible for a man of strong will to achieve in the three worlds. The vast majority of persons have no consciousness of a will or mind or intellect, though they talk much on will and mind. The will has become impure and weak through Vasanas. When a desire is controlled it becomes changed into will. The sexual energy, muscular energy, anger, etc., are all transmuted into will-force when they are controlled. Fewer the desires, stronger the will is.
Will is the king of all mental powers. Will is Iccha-Sakti. Prana is Kriya-Sakti. Intellect is Jnana-Sakti. When the will operates all the mental powers such as power of judgment, power of memory, Dharana-Sakti, power of grasping, reasoning and discriminating, power of inference, power of reflection, etc., come into play within the twinkling of an eye. They come to aid the will-power, their master.
Important Exercises
1. Close your eyes. Imagine that there is a big garden. In one corner there are jessamine flowers, in another roses, in another champakas, in another lilies. First think of the jessamine flowers, then rotate the mind to roses, then to Champakas, and then to lilies. Again bring back the mind to jessamine flowers. Revolve the mind like this for 2 or 3 minutes.
2. Look at the sky at night and count the stars in a small localised area.
3. On Thursday morning try to remember the dietetic preparations—vegetables, kind of Dhal, etc.—that were prepared on Wednesday.
4. Study one important Sloka from the Gita, find out parallel lines in the Ramayana, the Bhagavata, the Upanishads, the Yoga-Vasishtha and the Bible, and connect all these passages and keep them in your mental disposition or pigeon-holes of the brain.
5. Bring back to memory the word 'VIBGYOR' and try to remember the various colours such as violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange and red. Coin your code-words to help you for remembering these seven colours. Every one of you can have your own code-words.
6. Try to remember synonymous terms. This will increase your vocabulary of words and you will be able to write beautiful essays and deliver excellent lectures. You will become an able journalist. You can write good books. Take for instance the word compassion. Try to bring out the synonymous terms such as pity, mercy, liberality, generosity, etc.
7. The sight of a wrist-watch brings the recollection of your friend from whom you received this watch as a present. The law of association is of great help in developing your memory.
8. The remembrance of a word that ends in 'ity', like cupidity, will bring in through association the words stupidity, avidity, etc. The remembrance of the word that ends in 'tic,' like romantic, will bring to memory other words such as fantastic, etc., that have a similar ending. In this way you can remember things. You will have to group things like this in your various pigeon-holes of the brain or mind. Connect one thing or event with another of same nature. Then all these things will come back to your memory quite readily.
9. Coin your catch-words, some that start with A, some with B, some with R, some that end with 'tion,' some with 'ness,' etc. Here are some sentences: "An Australian army arrived at Aurangabad. Be bold but be benevolent. Cunning camels carried caravans. Doctor Dadabhai died during Dipavali. Examination is a great botheration among the Hindu nation whose sole occupation is cultivation. If you do not want to study, hang that matriculation, take to meditation and attain salvation. Nididhyasana or meditation will give you Self-realisation. This is my firm conviction after mature deliberation and careful consideration." This is only a specimen for you. You can do it in your own way. Every one of you has creative power.
10. Assertions and affirmations are very useful for developing your memory. Meditate and assert with the following formulas. Remember them several times a day.
I have a very strong memory OM OM OM
I can remember things now nicely OM OM OM
My memory has very much improved OM OM OM
I have a strong retentive memory OM OM OM
11. I shall speak a word on keeping a memorandum notebook. Daily jot down in the notebook as soon as you get up from the bed in the early morning the various kinds of works that you have to attend in the course of the day and see whether all have been carried out. Give a tick to each item as soon as it is finished. Again in the night, before you go to bed, try to remember all the activities you have done during the course of the day.
12. Take six cards from a packet and see them very carefully. Then place them in front of you with the face downwards. Through memory jot down in a piece of paper their exact description in the same order as you saw. You can slowly increase the number to twelve.
13. Lie down in an easy-chair comfortably. Take the photo of your father and minutely see it. Close your eyes. Just try to bring out a clear description of some of his distinct physical characteristics and marks on the body, such as his aquiline nose, curly hair, the condition of his eyes, forehead, lips, ears, chest, whether broad or pigeon-breast, arms whether sinewy or thin, whether there is symmetry in his limbs, the condition of his teeth, his gait and physiognomy, his special qualities that attract people, his nature of voice, special marks or moles on the different parts of the body. After seeing once any great man, try to bring out the special qualities and features that have arrested your attention.
14. Through law of association connect one idea with several other ideas. The idea of coffee will bring the idea of the Nilagiri Hills where it is grown and the idea of the Stane's Company who sell coffee-powder and the idea of the founder of this company. Through the law of similarity, you may remember the other places in the world where coffee is cultivated. You can remember the advantages and disadvantages of coffee. The idea of coffee will bring in the idea of similar beverage like tea and the name of Lipton and his vast business in tea. All these ideas will flash out in the mind in the twinkling of an eye. Keep a small notebook in your pocket. Whenever good ideas flash in your mind, then and there jot them down. Take hints. Later on you can develop them. Jot down in your diary the lessons you have received from great Mahatmas.
15. Just walk briskly along the busy road in your town. Have a keen acute perception. See what is going on in this centre of business. As soon as you reach home, jot down on a piece of paper the names of firms and the important articles that are exposed in the show-room outside and other particulars. Next day walk along the same road and verify your jottings whether you have omitted any item.
16. Try to remember the different makes of motor-cars such as Studebaker, Ford, Chevrolet, Rolls Royce, Baby Singer, Austin, etc., with their prices. Recollect the names of different philosophers of the world in the East and the West and their important books and teachings. Compare the Eastern and Western philosophies. The memory of gross things is more easy than the memory of events or philosophical ideas. Events can be more easily remembered than names of persons because there are associations for events. Names are arbitrary. There is intimate connection between memory and keen observation and acute hearing. Mind thinks on objects that are seen or heard. One who has developed his power of hearing and seeing can have better memory.
17. There is another exercise. Just imagine that there is a canvas-sheet in front of you that contains the pictures of nine animals. In the first top row, there are lion, leopard and cow. In the second line, there are horse, zebra and bear. In the third row, there are elephant, buffalo and tiger. First try to remember the animals in the first row, then in the second row, and then in the third row. Now try to remember in this order from above downwards, viz., lion, horse, elephant; leopard, zebra, buffalo, cow, bear and tiger. You can change the order in many other ways like algebraical formula or permutation and combination. Exercises on the memory of different kinds of gross and subtle sounds, on different kinds of tastes of food, on different kinds of touch of various articles, on shades of colours, etc., can also be practised.
18. Read one or two pages in a book. Then close the book. Remember the important ideas and try to reproduce them in your mind. Write down in a notebook the contents either in your own way or bring out an exact reproduction. Compare and contrast these passages with other passages contained in other books. Draw conclusions and inferences. This practice will develop your memory wonderfully and you will remember for a long time whatever you have studied. Mark the important passages with red pencil on the sides of the book and have blue or red underlining wherever it is necessary. In underlining do not blot out the words. Make thin underlines. Keep the pencil sharp. Take down notes of what you have read and turn over the pages of the notebook which contain all the important points in a nutshell once in a week. From these notes try to reproduce the passages in full.
19. Practise self-analysis or self-examination for 10 minutes before you go to bed. Sit comfortably in a chair. Close your eyes. Think of all the good and bad actions that you have done during the course of the day. Think of all the mistakes that you have done consciously or unconsciously, wittingly or unwittingly. On the first day you may not be able to find out even two or three actions or mistakes. Because you are not in the habit of doing so. By daily practice you will be able to visualise clearly the actions and mistakes of the day. Even an hour will not be sufficient to review the actions. The mind becomes subtle and sharp by practice of introspection. It goes more inward. It dissects, analyses, groups, classifies and brings the list of actions in the twinkling of an eye.
This practice will develop your memory wonderfully and reduce the number of mistakes and wrong actions. A time will come when you will do only good actions and you will not commit even a single mistake. Benjamin Franklin had this kind of practice. You can note down in your diary all the actions and mistakes the same night or on the following morning.
20. Study several times the eighteen chapters of the Gita. Try to remember the Slokas according to different headings such as those Slokas which treat of Viveka, Titiksha, Vairagya, Sadachara, development of qualities, as described in the thirteenth and sixteenth chapters, three kinds of Tapas mentioned in the seventeenth chapter, the three kinds of food described in the seventeenth chapter, Slokas which concern the practice of Pranayama, concentration, Bhakti, Jnana, Hatha and Raja Yogas, control of mind, etc. You must group them, in your mind. This is another exercise for your memory-culture. After some time, you can reproduce the whole Gita in any order you like without omitting even a line.
21. Develop the power of describing exactly a cricket, football or a tennis match. Observe a match. As soon as you reach home give a complete detailed description of the match. When you return from your long vacation from your native place, make out a statement of how you spent your time there and your everyday programme in detail without referring to your diary.
22. Try to remember the richest persons of the world such as H.E.H. The Nizam, Rockefeller, Ford; the biggest rivers in the world such as the Mississippi, Missouri, Amazon, Nile, Brahmaputra, Ganga, Yamuna, Godavari, Sarasvati, Narmada, Sindhu, Kaveri. In this way you can try to recollect the greatest musicians, poets, politicians, scientists, the biggest mountains, lakes, waterfalls, cities, plains and temples of the whole world.
Instructions on Memory
1. Always keep a piece of paper and a pencil in your pocket or a diary. Busy people and those who want to grow into a prodigy should always take down notes then and there even while walking. They can take hints or shorthand notes in their own way and can develop them at their leisure hours. Whenever good ideas roll in your mind, at once jot down in your pocket notebook. This is the secret of success. Practise, feel and enjoy. Mere theorising will not do. Become a practical man. I always hammer on this point several times and I am not tired of doing so. I want you to become great man of high ideals, not in the unknown future but right now in this very second. Give your full heart to me. I can raise you to lofty heights in the twinkling of an eye. I have got my own way of developing a man quickly and perfectly. I have a strong desire for service but I do not get the right type of aspirants. Attend a conference and reproduce the speeches or lectures in your own way and send them to newspapers. You can become a first-class reporter and an able journalist. Visit Badari Naranaya or Gangotri and take down notes. Give a full description after you come to your place. All these practices will develop your memory.
2. You must know the art of extracting work from the subconscious mind. If you want to remember forgotten passages in Shakespeare, just give a definite command to the subconscious mind before going to bed. On the following morning it will place them like a flash before you. Even if it fails to bring in the next morning, again give the command on the next day. In the following day you may get the answer.
3. Sometimes a judge has to write summary of the evidences and has to prepare judgments. His brain sometimes gets confused. He gets bewildered. He is not able to arrive at a proper conclusion.. In such cases the subconscious mind will beautifully work for him. It will arrange the facts and figures in order and place before him a clear summary. He will have to simply reproduce them on paper in the following morning. In matters which demand too much thinking and long deliberation, you will have to wait for some days for getting an answer from the subconscious mind.
4. A doctor has got good memory in the remembrance of drugs, because he has great interest in the treatment of diseases. He cannot remember even a single item in political matter, because he has no interest in this subject. A lawyer can remember all the rulings of the Allahabad High Court, Bombay High Court and Madras High Court. He cannot remember a few things in the cricket match, because he has no interest in cricket. You will have to create interest first in a certain subject and the memory of things will come automatically. One should be perfect in one subject and should have a general knowledge of all subjects. A versatile or all-round nature is highly creditable or laudable. Try to become a versatile genius. A strong and retentive memory, a powerful will and the practice of daily concentration and meditation will certainly develop your will and memory.
5. A strong man will have a very good memory. A weak delicate man of poor health will have a bad memory. Health plays an important part in memory-culture. Therefore, try to keep a high standard of health, vigour and vitality by proper food, exercise, etc.
6. Organs deteriorate if you do not use them properly, just as hands and legs get atrophied by disuse and are developed by muscular exercises and activity. There is intimate connection between sight and memory, and hearing and memory. He will have very good memory, who has an acute sight, a keen perception, a keen power of observation and an acute hearing. There are counterparts of these external organs in the internal astral body. They are called astral senses. A Yogi hears through astral ears and sees through astral eyes and thus develops clairvoyance and clairaudience. He can hear sounds from distant places and see objects that are in distant localities.
7. Generally people are very careless. They have no interest to learn higher things and knowledge. There are millions of people in India who cannot sign their names even. India, the land of Rishis and sages, still abounds in ignorance when compared with America and the continent. Even a small boy who brushes the boots and applies polish in the streets of London knows politics, reads newspapers and can discuss things nicely. The masses of India are steeped in ignorance and darkness. The root cause is carelessness, indifference and cold apathy.
8. To get success in life, to become an able doctor or a lawyer or a good businessman, the ears and the eyes should be considerably developed. A blind man or a deaf and dumb man is practically a dead man in the world. All wealth and knowledge come from the ears, eyes and the organ of speech. These Indriyas are the Ayatana (receptacles) for riches and knowledge. The knowledge of the sense-universe comes through these two channels and is expressed by speech to others.
9. Whenever you move about, you should be very alert. You must keep the eyes and ears sharp. You must try to remember all things and news that you have seen and heard. You must develop the power of observation. Be very attentive. Attention helps observation. Interest and attention will come through attention. Whenever a man talks to you give him a very patient hearing. If there are useful and interesting points, then and there note down in your pocket diary. Go through the pages of the diary once a week.
10. Keep a watch very close to the ear and hear the "Tic Tic" sound carefully. On the second day keep it at a little distance and hear the sound. Every day increase the distance and train yourself to hear the sound.
11-12. Keep your ears keen. Try to differentiate the sounds of various kinds, of birds, animals, children, the sounds of factories, cars, aeroplanes, motor-cycles, shrieks, yelling, snoring, sobbing, crying, laughing, mocking, joking, and the cry of animals, birds, etc. Sit in a quiet room. Close your eyes and try to concentrate on these sounds. Distinguish them. You must be able to find out from hearing the voice of a person at a distance from within your room that such and such a man has come. There are people whose voices have some resemblance. You must be able to find out that the voice of Mr. R. Banerjee resembles the voice of your cousin Mr. Ganga Ram. You must be able to find out the nature of different Ragas (tunes) from the nature of vibrations and undulations, such as Kalyani, Thodi, Bhairavi, Durbar, Malkose, etc.
13. Try to hear the sounds of the heart by applying your ear to the chest of another man. You will hear two sounds: "Lub-Dhub." Pay heed to the sounds of sparrows and other birds and try to differentiate their sounds. Sometimes they sing.. At other times they give a sound of alarm to invite their mates and friends when there is impending danger. Animals and birds have got their own languages. Yogins can understand their languages. There is a particular technique in Samyama on sounds. Some males have the voice of a female and some females have the voice of a male. You must be able to differentiate. You must be able to know the hissing sound of a cobra, its nature, strength of vibration, etc. Even at a distance you can say: "There is a cobra in that room." Dogs, horses and elephants are very intelligent. They have got simple consciousness. They laugh and smile and express their feelings of joy and gratitude by certain sounds. You must be able to understand the nature of the sounds. By these practices and careful observation you will have a wonderful power of hearing and memory. You can get on well in your business and avocation. Sharp ears and keen sight bring good results.
14. Whenever you meet a person look at his figure carefully from top to toe and minutely note down his various features, condition of his eyes and eyebrows, teeth, arms and his voice, behaviour, look, gait, etc. There are many people who are not able to give a description of their friends with whom they are moving for several years. The son is not able to describe exactly the physiognomy or marks on the face of his father though he is living with him in close contact for a number of years. The obvious reason is that the son has not developed the power of observation, sight and memory. One cannot become a skilful scientist unless he has an acute power of observation. He has to observe the various phenomena of nature and draw conclusions and inferences. He has to collect facts and figures to study the laws of nature.
15. Enter the drawing room of your friend and notice carefully what all things you find in the room. Then close your eyes and reflect. Then come out of the room and note down in your notebook all the things in the same order in which they are kept in the room. Then enter the room and verify your statement. Practise this for some months. You will develop wonderful power of sight.
16. Enter a library room and note carefully all the books that are placed in two rows of the almirah or shelf. Close your eyes and reflect. Then note down in your diary and then verify. Let there be mistakes. It does not matter much. A time will come when you will not make a single mistake. You should be able to pick out a friend in a big crowd by noticing the nature of his gait and. movement of his limbs at a distance.
17. There was a blind man at Srinagar in Kashmir, who could tell the nature of colours by simply feeling the cloth. What a wonderful development of the power of touch he had! It is all a question of training. At night you cannot see nicely. The power of seeing becomes dull, but the power of hearing is intensified. This is compensation in nature. There are some deaf and dumb people who are very intelligent. They do good work in composing in the press. When one organ becomes defective, another organ gets more developed. The energy of the organ that is not in use is utilised by the other organ and it grows rapidly. Nature is very merciful and intelligent. There are people who cannot remember more than two things at a time. There was a soldier who could not remember the ingredients of gun-powder even though he was in the cordite factory for months together. This is due to the ill-development of the faculty of memory.
18. A judge in the court should have an acute hearing. Then only he will become an able judge. He can write down quickly all evidences without any mistake. A commander-in-chief should have an acute sight. Then only he can have survey of all the infantries and cavalries. He can have a clear vision of the enemies on the other side even at a very long distance. One will have to develop the power of hearing and power of attention. The development of these two organs is of a great help in the practice of memory-culture. In some the organ of hearing is more developed. In others the power of sight is more developed. Dogs have got an acute nose. Prakriti has shown marked intelligence in the creation of beings. Cobras have got acute hearing. They hear through their eyes. They have not got separate ears. Tigers have acute nose. They can smell blood at a very long distance. There is play of intelligence in every inch of divine creation. Songsters have acute hearing. They have developed it. They will have to find out various kinds of undulations in the vibrations of sounds which make differences in Ragas. The very profession itself forces people to develop the particular organ which helps them in the development of their science.
19. Take up any exercise that suits you best in memory-culture and put it in daily practice. Keep daily record. This is very important. Mere skipping over the pages will not do. You will not be benefited. If you really want rapid improvement, if you want to become a real man, take down notes and put the lessons in daily practice. You can watch your progress and correct your mistakes. I want to make you a practical man quickly. Keep a special notebook. Every month send me a copy of the exercises that you have done. I will give you valuable suggestions on advanced courses for your success. I will put you in the right path. If you are very earnest and sincere you can find considerable improvement within three months.
20. For developing memory-power, you can select and practise some of the exercises given above. When you are a bit advanced, you must utilise the memory-power only in remembering the main items in which you are concerned. If you are a Sannyasin, you need not remember your younger days and school-life. If you are a lawyer, you need not remember the different medicines and their prices. If you are a man of concentration and meditation, you need not remember the Dhal that you took on Friday last. A Tyagi will remember many things and the several passages from the scriptures, but he cannot remember the exact number of coins he has in his purse. Energy and memory-power should be utilised in useful channels. Realise the importance of memory-culture and use the memory-power in useful direction. This will be of great help in your everyday life. This will help you a lot in the development of your will. Now I will pass on to will-culture, which plays a prominent role in the practice of Raja Yoga.
Will-culture
Will-culture is another important Sadhana. This is useful to all spiritual aspirants. Will is Atma-Bala. Will is a dynamic soul-force. Will can work wonders and miracles if it is rendered pure and irresistible. There is nothing impossible for a man of strong will to achieve in the three worlds. The vast majority of persons have no consciousness of a will or mind or intellect, though they talk much on will and mind. The will has become impure and weak through Vasanas. When a desire is controlled it becomes changed into will. The sexual energy, muscular energy, anger, etc., are all transmuted into will-force when they are controlled. Fewer the desires, stronger the will is.
Will is the king of all mental powers. Will is Iccha-Sakti. Prana is Kriya-Sakti. Intellect is Jnana-Sakti. When the will operates all the mental powers such as power of judgment, power of memory, Dharana-Sakti, power of grasping, reasoning and discriminating, power of inference, power of reflection, etc., come into play within the twinkling of an eye. They come to aid the will-power, their master.
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