PRACTICE OF YOGA BY SWAMI SIVANANDA (MESSAGE 15)
Real Rest in Meditation
Fatigue of the Indriyas demands rest. Hence sleep supervenes at night rhythmically. Motion and rest are rhythmical processes in life. The mind moves about in the avenues of the senses through the force of Vasana. Strictly speaking, Dridha Sushupti is very, very rare. There is subtle working of the mind in sleep also. Hence, you do not get good rest in sleep. Real rest is secured in meditation and meditation only. It is only Dhyana-Yogins who practise meditation that can feel real rest in Asana. The mind is fully concentrated during meditation. It is far away from objects and very near the Atman. There are no Raga-Dvesha currents during meditation owing to the absence of objects. Consequently, there is manifestation of solid, lasting, real spiritual Ananda with complete, genuine rest. You must practise meditation. You must feel it yourself. Then, you will agree with me. In Varanasi, there was a Hatha Yogi who had the power of levitation. He never used to sleep at nights. He used to sit on the Asana during the whole night. He got the real rest from meditation. He had dispensed with sleep. You may not enjoy the rest fully in the beginning of your practice. Because at the outset, there is a good deal of wrestling between the will and Svabhava, the old Samskaras and the new Samskaras, the old habits and the new habits, Purushartha and the old conduct. The mind revolts. When the mind is thinned out, when you have reached the Tanumanasi stage, third Jnana-Bhumika, you will enjoy like anything. You will find 10,000 Bengali Rasagullas in the supreme rest in meditation. You can then cut short your sleep to three or four hours gradually.
Remembrance in Meditation
When a person contemplates the form of Vishnu, the contemplating soul (i.e., the ego, or practical Jiva) is fully engrossed in the meditation unaware of his individuality. Then naturally a question arises: "What principle was waking at the time of meditation which afterwards produced remembrance in the ego that he was engaged in contemplation?" The plain answer is that it was the noumenal Self known as Sakshi (witness).
It may be objected here that the illumination of the ideas of Vishnu and of their fabricated, the contemplating soul, by Sakshi, cannot account for the remembrance of the meditation by Jiva. At the most it can justify remembrance in Sakshi who formerly observed that occurrence. This objection may be answered on the ground that there is mutual false attribution of identity, Paraspara Adhyasa. The Kutastha which is inexplicably mingled with Jiva, although different from him, is the inner Soul, as it were of Jiva. Consequently, the experience by Kutastha may lead to the remembrance by Jiva who is thought to be one with the former.
Hints on Meditation
Retire to a quiet place or room from where you do not fear interruption, so that your mind may feel quite secure and at rest. The ideal condition cannot always be obtained, in which case, you should do the best you can. You should be alone yourself in communion with God or Brahman.
"Keeping the upper parts (the chest, neck and the head) erect and equal to the (other parts of the) body, subduing within the heart the senses together with the mind, let the wise by the raft of Brahman (OM) cross over all the fearful torrents of the world.
"Keeping down the senses and Pranas, subduing his desires, and gently respiring by the nostrils, let the wise diligently attend to the mind, as the charioteer to a car, drawn by vicious horses.
"When in the Yogin's body, composed of earth, water, light, air and ether, the fivefold qualities which mark concentration as described below, are manifest, then there is no disease or age or pain for him who has obtained the body burning with the fire of concentration.
"When the body is light and without disease, when the mind is without desire, when the colour is shining, the voice sweet and the smell pleasant, and when the excrements are few, they say, the first degree of concentration is gained."
Never wrestle with the mind. Do not use any violent efforts in concentration. Relax all muscles and nerves. Relax the brain. Gently think of your Ishta Devata. Slowly repeat your Guru-Mantra with Bhava and meaning. Still the bubbling mind. Silence the thoughts.
Make no violent efforts to control the mind but rather allow it to run along for a while and exhaust its efforts. It will take advantage of the opportunity and will jump around like an unchained monkey at first, until it gradually slows down and looks to you for orders. It may take some time to tame it down at first, but, each time you try, it will come around you in a shorter time.
Have a background of thought, either a concrete background of your Ishta Murti along with the Mantra or an abstract background of the idea of infinity with OM if you are a student of Jnana-Yoga. This will destroy all worldly thoughts and take you to the goal. Through force of habit the mind will at once take shelter in this background the moment you release it from worldly activities.
Again and again withdraw the mind from the worldly objects when it runs away from the Lakshya and fix it there. This sort of combat will go on for some months.
If evil thoughts enter the mind do not use your will-force in driving them. You will lose your energy only. You will tax your will only. You will fatigue yourself. The greater the efforts you make, the more the evil thoughts will return with redoubled force. They will return more quickly also. The thoughts will become more powerful. Be indifferent. Keep quiet. They will pass off soon. Or substitute good counter-thoughts, through Pratipaksha Bhavana method. Or think of the picture of God and the Mantra again and again forcibly and pray.
Dash cold water on the face to drive off drowsiness. Stand up for 15 minutes. Tie the tuft of hair on the head with a piece of string to a nail above. As soon as you begin to doze, the string will pull you up and will wake you up. It serves the part of your mother. Or lean upon an improvised swing for 10 minutes and move yourself to and fro. Do 10 or 20 mild Pranayamas. Do Sirshasana or Mayurasana. Take only milk and fruits at night. By these methods you can combat against sleep. Stroll about for 10 minutes. Keep the light burning before your face if sleep comes.
Be careful in the selection of your companions. Give up talkies. Talk little. Observe Mauna for two hours daily. Do not mix with undesirable persons. Have Satsanga. Read good, inspiring religious books. This is negative good company, if you do not get positive good company. These are all auxiliaries in meditation.
When desires arise in the mind do not try to fulfil them. Reject them as soon as they arise. Thus by gradual practice the desires can be reduced. The modifications of mind will also diminish a lot, because when the fuel of desire is exhausted, the fire of thought also will slowly get extinguished.
Do not shake the body unnecessarily. By shaking the body very often, the mind also is disturbed. Do not scratch the body also every now and then. Asana should become as firm as a rock. Breathe slowly. Do not change the seat very often. Sit in the same place at the same time every day in the beginning period of your Sadhana. Have the right kind of mental attitude as taught by your Guru.
Every idea which exclusively occupies the mind is transferred into an actual physical or mental state. If you fill up your mind with the idea of God and God alone you will enter into Nirvikalpa Samadhi state quickly. Saturate the mind with thoughts of God.
A piece of iron remains red-hot as long as it is kept in the fire. When it is taken out, it becomes cold and loses its red colour. If you want to keep it always red-hot you must always keep it in the fire. Even so, if you want to taste the divine consciousness always, you must keep the mind always in contact with Brahman. You must dissolve and melt it in Brahman.
Just as you saturate the salt or sugar with the water, you will have to saturate the mind with thoughts of God, with divine glory, divine presence, and with sublime soul-awakening spiritual thoughts. Only then will you be established in the divine consciousness always.
Before saturating the mind with thoughts of Brahman, you will have to assimilate the divine ideas first. Assimilation first and then saturation. Then comes realisation at once without a moment's delay. Remember this Triplet' always: Assimilation, Saturation, Realisation.
There is always a complaint amongst aspirants: "I am meditating for the last twelve years. I have not made any improvement. I have no realisation." Why is it so? What is the reason? They have not plunged themselves in deep meditation into the innermost recesses of the heart. They have not properly assimilated and saturated the mind with thoughts of God. They have not done regular systematic Sadhana. They have not disciplined the Indriyas perfectly. They have not collected all the outgoing rays of the mind. They have not made the self-determination: "I will realise this very second." They have not given the full 100% of the mind to God. They have not kept up an unceasing flow of divine consciousness, Tailadharavat, like the flow of oil.
Just as the man, who foolishly runs after two rabbits, will not catch hold of any one of them, so also a meditator who runs after two conflicting thoughts will not get success in any one of the two thoughts. If he has divine thoughts for ten minutes and then worldly conflicting thoughts for the next ten minutes, he will not succeed in getting at the divine consciousness. You must run after one rabbit only with vigour, strength and one-pointed mind. You are sure to catch it. You must have only divine thoughts at all times. Then you are sure to realise God soon.
No more words. Enough of discussions and heated debates. Retire into a solitary room. Close your eyes. Have deep silent meditation. Feel His presence. Repeat His name, OM, with fervour, joy and love. Fill your heart with Prema. Destroy the Sankalpas, thoughts, whims, fancies and desires when they come up to the surface of the mind. Withdraw the wandering mind and fix it on the Lord. Now meditation will become deep and intense.
Do not open your eyes. Do not stir from the seat. Merge in Him. Dive deep into the recesses of the heart. Plunge into the shining Atman. Drink the nectar of immortality. Enjoy the silence now. I shall leave you alone there. Nectar's son, rejoice. Rejoice in Supreme Silence.
Instructions on Meditation
Meditation is the keeping up of one idea of God only always like the continuous flow of oil. Yogins call this as "Dhyana." Jnanins term this as "Nididhyasana." Bhaktas style this as "Bhajana."
Put a piece of iron-rod in the blazing furnace. It becomes red like fire. Remove it. It loses its red colour. If you want to keep it always red, you must always keep it in fire. So also, if you want to keep the mind charged with the fire of Brahmic wisdom, you must keep it always in contact or touch with the Brahmic fire of knowledge through constant and intense meditation. You must keep up an unceasing flow of the Brahmic consciousness. Then you will have the Sahaja Avastha (natural state).
If you can meditate for half an hour, you will be able to engage yourself with peace and spiritual strength in the battle of life for one week through the force of this meditation. Such is the beneficial result of meditation. As you have to move with different minds of peculiar nature in your daily life, get the strength and peace from meditation. Then you will have no trouble and worry.
Asana steadies the body. Bandhas and Mudras make the body firm. Pranayama makes the body light. Nadi-Suddhi effects Samya-Avastha of the mind. Having acquired these qualifications you will have to fix the mind on Brahman. Only then will meditation go on steadily with happiness.
The banks of the Ganga or Narmada, Himalayan scenery, lovely flower garden, sacred temples—these are the places which elevate the mind in concentration and meditation. Have recourse to them.
A solitary place where the climate is cool with spiritual vibratory conditions is best suited for concentration of mind.
When you are a neophyte in meditation, start repeating some sublime Slokas or Stotras (hymns) for ten minutes as soon as you sit for meditation. This will elevate the mind. The mind can be easily withdrawn from the worldly objects. Then stop this kind of thinking also and fix the mind on one idea only by repeated and strenuous efforts. Then Nishtha will ensue.
You must have a mental image of God or Brahman (concrete or abstract) before you begin to meditate. When you see the concrete figure of Lord Krishna with open eyes and meditate, it is the concrete form of meditation. When you reflect over the image of Lord Krishna by closing your eyes, it is also concrete form of meditation but it is more abstract. When you meditate on the infinite abstract light it is still more abstract meditation. The former two types belong to Saguna form of meditation and the latter to Nirguna form. Even in Nirguna meditation there is an abstract form in the beginning for fixing the mind. Later on this form vanishes and the meditator and the meditated become one. Meditation proceeds from the mind.
It is the actions of the mind that are truly termed Karmas. True liberation results from the disenthralment of the mind. Those who have freed themselves from the fluctuations of their minds come into possession of the supreme Nishtha. Should the mind be purged of all its impurities, it will become very calm and all the Samsaric delusion will be soon destroyed.
Concentration of the mind on God after purification can give you real happiness and knowledge. You are born for this purpose only. You are carried away to external objects through Raga and Moha. Concentrate upon God in the heart. Dive deep. Merge within.
When you start a fire you heap up some straw, pieces of paper and thin pieces of wood. The fire gets extinguished quickly. You blow it again several times through the mouth or the blow-pipe. After some time it becomes a small conflagration. You can hardly extinguish it now even with great efforts. Even so, in the beginning of meditation the beginners fall down from meditation into their old grooves. They will have to lift up their minds again and again and fix it on the Lakshya. When the meditation becomes deep and steady they get established in God eventually. Then the meditation becomes Sahaja. It becomes habitual. Use the blow-pipe of Tivra Vairagya and intense concentration to kindle the fire of meditation.
During meditation, when your mind is more Sattvic, you will be inspired. The mind will be composing fine poems and solving intricate problems of life. Stamp out these Sattvic Vrittis also. This is all dissipation of mental energy. Soar higher and higher to Atman only.
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 Atmah, the world appears like a dream. Free yourself from the base thoughts of the mind and the various useless Sankalpas (imaginations). Make ceaseless enquiry of the Atman. Mark the word "ceaseless." This is important. Then only there will be the dawn of spiritual knowledge.
You will get the full Ananda of the divine glory only when you dive deep and merge into silent meditation. When you are on the borderland of divinity of God, when you are at the gate or threshold of God, and when you are on the outer skirts, you will not get the maximum peace and bliss.
During meditation note how long you can shut out all worldly thoughts. Watch the mind very carefully. If it is for twenty minutes, try to increase the period for thirty or forty minutes and so on. Fill the mind with the thoughts of God again and again.
You will have to note very carefully whether you remain stationary in the spiritual path even after many years of spiritual practice or whether you are progressing. Sometimes you may go downwards also if you are not very vigilant and careful, if your Vairagya wanes and if you are slack in meditation. Reaction may set in. Some practise meditation for a period of fifteen years and yet they have not made any real progress at all. Why? This is due to lack of earnestness, Vairagya, keen longing for liberation and intense Sadhana.
When you advance in the spiritual practice it will be very difficult for you to do meditation and office-work at the same time daily. Because the mind will undergo double strain. It finds it very difficult to adjust to different kinds of uncongenial activities. It behoves, therefore, that advanced Grihastha Yogic students will have to stop all the worldly activities when they advance in meditation if they desire to progress further. They themselves will be forced to give up work if they are really sincere. Work is a hindrance in meditation for advanced students.
In Vedanta or the path of Jnana, the terms "Manana" (reflection) and "Nididhyasana" are very frequently used. Manana is Vijatiya-Vritti-Tiraskara (driving away all the thoughts of worldly objects), and Sajatiya-Vritti-Pravaha (increasing the thought-currents of God or Brahman like a steady stream). Nididhyasana is deep and intense contemplation. It is Anatma-Vritti-Rahita or Atmakara-Vritti-Sthiti. The mind is perfectly established in the Absolute. No worldly thought will intrude now. The contemplation is like a steady flow of oil (Tailadharavat).
Train the mind in a variety of ways in concentration in the beginning. Concentrate on any concrete image. Concentrate on the blue sky. Concentrate on the all-pervading light of the sun. Concentrate on the breath with Soham repetition. Concentrate on the various Chakras of the body. Concentrate on the abstract ideas of Satyam, Jnanam, Anantam, Ekam, Nityam, etc. Lastly stick to one thing only.
In meditation do not strain the eyes. Do not strain the brain. Do not struggle or wrestle with the mind. Relax. Gently allow the divine thoughts to flow. Steadily think of the Lakshya, object of meditation. Do not voluntarily drive away intruding thoughts. Have sublime Sattvic thoughts. Vicious thoughts will themselves vanish away.
When the mind becomes steady in meditation the eyeballs also become steady. A Yogi whose mind is calm will have a steady eye. There will be no winking at all. The eyes will be red or pure white.
In the beginning when you are a neophyte, you can close your eyes to remove the distraction of mind, as you are very weak. But later on you must meditate with eyes open, even during walking. You must keep your balance of mind even when you are in the bustle of the city. Only then are you perfect. Think strongly that the world is unreal, that there is no world, and that there is Atman only. If you can meditate on the Atman even when the eyes are open you will be a strong man. You will not be easily disturbed.
All the visible things are Maya. Maya will vanish through Jnana, or meditation on the Atman. One should exert himself to get rid of Maya. Maya havocs through the mind. Destruction of the mind means the annihilation of the Maya. Meditation is the only way for conquering Maya.
All actions whether internal or external, can be done only when the mind is united with the organs. Thought is the real action. If you have control over the mind by steady practice and if you can regulate your emotions and moods, you will not do foolish and wrong actions. Meditation will help a lot in checking various emotions and impulses.
Leading a virtuous life is not by itself sufficient for God-realisation. Constant meditation is absolutely necessary. A good and virtuous life only prepares the mind as a fit instrument for concentration and meditation. It is concentration and meditation that eventually lead to Self-realisation.
During meditation some of the visions that you see are your own materialised thoughts, while some others are real objective visions.
Real peace and happiness manifest only when the Vasanas are thinned out and Sankalpas extinguished. When you fix the mind either on Sri Krishna, Siva or the Atman even for five minutes, Sattva Guna is infused into the mind. Vasanas are thinned out. You will feel peace and bliss during these five minutes. You can with the subtle Buddhi compare this Ananda from meditation with the transitory sensual pleasure. You will find that this Ananda from meditation is million times superior to sensual pleasure. Meditate and feel this Ananda. Then you will know the real value.
Concentrate and meditate on the expansive sky. This is also another kind of Nirguna, Nirakara meditation. By this method of meditation, the mind will stop thinking of finite forms. It will slowly begin to melt in the ocean of peace, as it is deprived of its contents, viz., the forms of various sorts. It will become subtler and subtler.
Some students like to concentrate with open eyes, while some others with closed eyes, while some others with half-opened eyes. If you meditate with closed eyes, dust or foreign particles will not fall in your eyes. Some students in whom lights and jerks trouble, prefer concentration with open eyes. In some who meditate with closed eyes, sleep overpowers them within a short time. If the eyes are open, the mind wanders to objects in the beginners. Use your commonsense and adopt that which suits you best. Overcome other obstacles by suitable, intelligent methods.
You must be regular in your practice of meditation. Regularity in meditation is a great desideratum. Rapid progress and great success can be-attained if regularity is observed by the practitioner. Even if you do not realise any tangible result in the practice, you must plod on in the practice with sincerity, earnestness, patience and perseverance. You will get success after some time. There is no doubt of this. Do not stop the practice even for a day, under any circumstance.
If the aspirant has the nature of being offended easily for trifling things, he cannot make any progress in meditation. He should cultivate amiable, loving nature and adaptability. Then this bad habit will vanish. Some aspirants get easily offended if their bad qualities and defects are pointed out. They become indignant and begin to fight with the man who shows the defects. They think that that man is concocting them out of jealousy or hatred. This is bad. Other people can very easily find out our defects. A man who has no life of introspection, whose mind is of outgoing tendencies, cannot find out his own mistakes. The self-conceit acts as a veil and Blurs the mental vision. If an aspirant wants to grow, he must admit his defects if they are pointed out by others. He must try his level best to eradicate them and must thank the man who points out his defects. Only then can he grow in spirituality.
If an aspirant in Kashmir meditates upon his Guru or spiritual guide at Uttarakasi, Himalayas, a definite connection is established between him and the teacher. The Guru radiates power, peace, joy and bliss to the student in response to his thoughts. He is bathed in the powerful current of magnetism. The stream of spiritual electricity flows steadily from the preceptor to his disciple, just as oil flows from one vessel to another. The student can draw grace from his teacher in proportion to the degree of his faith. Whenever the student sincerely meditates upon his teacher, the teacher also actually feels that a current of prayer or sublime thoughts proceeds from his student and touches his heart. He who has the inner astral sight can clearly visualise a thin line of bright light between the disciple and the teacher, which is caused by the movement of the vibration of Sattvic thoughts in the ocean of Chitta.
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Real Rest in Meditation
Fatigue of the Indriyas demands rest. Hence sleep supervenes at night rhythmically. Motion and rest are rhythmical processes in life. The mind moves about in the avenues of the senses through the force of Vasana. Strictly speaking, Dridha Sushupti is very, very rare. There is subtle working of the mind in sleep also. Hence, you do not get good rest in sleep. Real rest is secured in meditation and meditation only. It is only Dhyana-Yogins who practise meditation that can feel real rest in Asana. The mind is fully concentrated during meditation. It is far away from objects and very near the Atman. There are no Raga-Dvesha currents during meditation owing to the absence of objects. Consequently, there is manifestation of solid, lasting, real spiritual Ananda with complete, genuine rest. You must practise meditation. You must feel it yourself. Then, you will agree with me. In Varanasi, there was a Hatha Yogi who had the power of levitation. He never used to sleep at nights. He used to sit on the Asana during the whole night. He got the real rest from meditation. He had dispensed with sleep. You may not enjoy the rest fully in the beginning of your practice. Because at the outset, there is a good deal of wrestling between the will and Svabhava, the old Samskaras and the new Samskaras, the old habits and the new habits, Purushartha and the old conduct. The mind revolts. When the mind is thinned out, when you have reached the Tanumanasi stage, third Jnana-Bhumika, you will enjoy like anything. You will find 10,000 Bengali Rasagullas in the supreme rest in meditation. You can then cut short your sleep to three or four hours gradually.
Remembrance in Meditation
When a person contemplates the form of Vishnu, the contemplating soul (i.e., the ego, or practical Jiva) is fully engrossed in the meditation unaware of his individuality. Then naturally a question arises: "What principle was waking at the time of meditation which afterwards produced remembrance in the ego that he was engaged in contemplation?" The plain answer is that it was the noumenal Self known as Sakshi (witness).
It may be objected here that the illumination of the ideas of Vishnu and of their fabricated, the contemplating soul, by Sakshi, cannot account for the remembrance of the meditation by Jiva. At the most it can justify remembrance in Sakshi who formerly observed that occurrence. This objection may be answered on the ground that there is mutual false attribution of identity, Paraspara Adhyasa. The Kutastha which is inexplicably mingled with Jiva, although different from him, is the inner Soul, as it were of Jiva. Consequently, the experience by Kutastha may lead to the remembrance by Jiva who is thought to be one with the former.
Hints on Meditation
Retire to a quiet place or room from where you do not fear interruption, so that your mind may feel quite secure and at rest. The ideal condition cannot always be obtained, in which case, you should do the best you can. You should be alone yourself in communion with God or Brahman.
"Keeping the upper parts (the chest, neck and the head) erect and equal to the (other parts of the) body, subduing within the heart the senses together with the mind, let the wise by the raft of Brahman (OM) cross over all the fearful torrents of the world.
"Keeping down the senses and Pranas, subduing his desires, and gently respiring by the nostrils, let the wise diligently attend to the mind, as the charioteer to a car, drawn by vicious horses.
"When in the Yogin's body, composed of earth, water, light, air and ether, the fivefold qualities which mark concentration as described below, are manifest, then there is no disease or age or pain for him who has obtained the body burning with the fire of concentration.
"When the body is light and without disease, when the mind is without desire, when the colour is shining, the voice sweet and the smell pleasant, and when the excrements are few, they say, the first degree of concentration is gained."
Never wrestle with the mind. Do not use any violent efforts in concentration. Relax all muscles and nerves. Relax the brain. Gently think of your Ishta Devata. Slowly repeat your Guru-Mantra with Bhava and meaning. Still the bubbling mind. Silence the thoughts.
Make no violent efforts to control the mind but rather allow it to run along for a while and exhaust its efforts. It will take advantage of the opportunity and will jump around like an unchained monkey at first, until it gradually slows down and looks to you for orders. It may take some time to tame it down at first, but, each time you try, it will come around you in a shorter time.
Have a background of thought, either a concrete background of your Ishta Murti along with the Mantra or an abstract background of the idea of infinity with OM if you are a student of Jnana-Yoga. This will destroy all worldly thoughts and take you to the goal. Through force of habit the mind will at once take shelter in this background the moment you release it from worldly activities.
Again and again withdraw the mind from the worldly objects when it runs away from the Lakshya and fix it there. This sort of combat will go on for some months.
If evil thoughts enter the mind do not use your will-force in driving them. You will lose your energy only. You will tax your will only. You will fatigue yourself. The greater the efforts you make, the more the evil thoughts will return with redoubled force. They will return more quickly also. The thoughts will become more powerful. Be indifferent. Keep quiet. They will pass off soon. Or substitute good counter-thoughts, through Pratipaksha Bhavana method. Or think of the picture of God and the Mantra again and again forcibly and pray.
Dash cold water on the face to drive off drowsiness. Stand up for 15 minutes. Tie the tuft of hair on the head with a piece of string to a nail above. As soon as you begin to doze, the string will pull you up and will wake you up. It serves the part of your mother. Or lean upon an improvised swing for 10 minutes and move yourself to and fro. Do 10 or 20 mild Pranayamas. Do Sirshasana or Mayurasana. Take only milk and fruits at night. By these methods you can combat against sleep. Stroll about for 10 minutes. Keep the light burning before your face if sleep comes.
Be careful in the selection of your companions. Give up talkies. Talk little. Observe Mauna for two hours daily. Do not mix with undesirable persons. Have Satsanga. Read good, inspiring religious books. This is negative good company, if you do not get positive good company. These are all auxiliaries in meditation.
When desires arise in the mind do not try to fulfil them. Reject them as soon as they arise. Thus by gradual practice the desires can be reduced. The modifications of mind will also diminish a lot, because when the fuel of desire is exhausted, the fire of thought also will slowly get extinguished.
Do not shake the body unnecessarily. By shaking the body very often, the mind also is disturbed. Do not scratch the body also every now and then. Asana should become as firm as a rock. Breathe slowly. Do not change the seat very often. Sit in the same place at the same time every day in the beginning period of your Sadhana. Have the right kind of mental attitude as taught by your Guru.
Every idea which exclusively occupies the mind is transferred into an actual physical or mental state. If you fill up your mind with the idea of God and God alone you will enter into Nirvikalpa Samadhi state quickly. Saturate the mind with thoughts of God.
A piece of iron remains red-hot as long as it is kept in the fire. When it is taken out, it becomes cold and loses its red colour. If you want to keep it always red-hot you must always keep it in the fire. Even so, if you want to taste the divine consciousness always, you must keep the mind always in contact with Brahman. You must dissolve and melt it in Brahman.
Just as you saturate the salt or sugar with the water, you will have to saturate the mind with thoughts of God, with divine glory, divine presence, and with sublime soul-awakening spiritual thoughts. Only then will you be established in the divine consciousness always.
Before saturating the mind with thoughts of Brahman, you will have to assimilate the divine ideas first. Assimilation first and then saturation. Then comes realisation at once without a moment's delay. Remember this Triplet' always: Assimilation, Saturation, Realisation.
There is always a complaint amongst aspirants: "I am meditating for the last twelve years. I have not made any improvement. I have no realisation." Why is it so? What is the reason? They have not plunged themselves in deep meditation into the innermost recesses of the heart. They have not properly assimilated and saturated the mind with thoughts of God. They have not done regular systematic Sadhana. They have not disciplined the Indriyas perfectly. They have not collected all the outgoing rays of the mind. They have not made the self-determination: "I will realise this very second." They have not given the full 100% of the mind to God. They have not kept up an unceasing flow of divine consciousness, Tailadharavat, like the flow of oil.
Just as the man, who foolishly runs after two rabbits, will not catch hold of any one of them, so also a meditator who runs after two conflicting thoughts will not get success in any one of the two thoughts. If he has divine thoughts for ten minutes and then worldly conflicting thoughts for the next ten minutes, he will not succeed in getting at the divine consciousness. You must run after one rabbit only with vigour, strength and one-pointed mind. You are sure to catch it. You must have only divine thoughts at all times. Then you are sure to realise God soon.
No more words. Enough of discussions and heated debates. Retire into a solitary room. Close your eyes. Have deep silent meditation. Feel His presence. Repeat His name, OM, with fervour, joy and love. Fill your heart with Prema. Destroy the Sankalpas, thoughts, whims, fancies and desires when they come up to the surface of the mind. Withdraw the wandering mind and fix it on the Lord. Now meditation will become deep and intense.
Do not open your eyes. Do not stir from the seat. Merge in Him. Dive deep into the recesses of the heart. Plunge into the shining Atman. Drink the nectar of immortality. Enjoy the silence now. I shall leave you alone there. Nectar's son, rejoice. Rejoice in Supreme Silence.
Instructions on Meditation
Meditation is the keeping up of one idea of God only always like the continuous flow of oil. Yogins call this as "Dhyana." Jnanins term this as "Nididhyasana." Bhaktas style this as "Bhajana."
Put a piece of iron-rod in the blazing furnace. It becomes red like fire. Remove it. It loses its red colour. If you want to keep it always red, you must always keep it in fire. So also, if you want to keep the mind charged with the fire of Brahmic wisdom, you must keep it always in contact or touch with the Brahmic fire of knowledge through constant and intense meditation. You must keep up an unceasing flow of the Brahmic consciousness. Then you will have the Sahaja Avastha (natural state).
If you can meditate for half an hour, you will be able to engage yourself with peace and spiritual strength in the battle of life for one week through the force of this meditation. Such is the beneficial result of meditation. As you have to move with different minds of peculiar nature in your daily life, get the strength and peace from meditation. Then you will have no trouble and worry.
Asana steadies the body. Bandhas and Mudras make the body firm. Pranayama makes the body light. Nadi-Suddhi effects Samya-Avastha of the mind. Having acquired these qualifications you will have to fix the mind on Brahman. Only then will meditation go on steadily with happiness.
The banks of the Ganga or Narmada, Himalayan scenery, lovely flower garden, sacred temples—these are the places which elevate the mind in concentration and meditation. Have recourse to them.
A solitary place where the climate is cool with spiritual vibratory conditions is best suited for concentration of mind.
When you are a neophyte in meditation, start repeating some sublime Slokas or Stotras (hymns) for ten minutes as soon as you sit for meditation. This will elevate the mind. The mind can be easily withdrawn from the worldly objects. Then stop this kind of thinking also and fix the mind on one idea only by repeated and strenuous efforts. Then Nishtha will ensue.
You must have a mental image of God or Brahman (concrete or abstract) before you begin to meditate. When you see the concrete figure of Lord Krishna with open eyes and meditate, it is the concrete form of meditation. When you reflect over the image of Lord Krishna by closing your eyes, it is also concrete form of meditation but it is more abstract. When you meditate on the infinite abstract light it is still more abstract meditation. The former two types belong to Saguna form of meditation and the latter to Nirguna form. Even in Nirguna meditation there is an abstract form in the beginning for fixing the mind. Later on this form vanishes and the meditator and the meditated become one. Meditation proceeds from the mind.
It is the actions of the mind that are truly termed Karmas. True liberation results from the disenthralment of the mind. Those who have freed themselves from the fluctuations of their minds come into possession of the supreme Nishtha. Should the mind be purged of all its impurities, it will become very calm and all the Samsaric delusion will be soon destroyed.
Concentration of the mind on God after purification can give you real happiness and knowledge. You are born for this purpose only. You are carried away to external objects through Raga and Moha. Concentrate upon God in the heart. Dive deep. Merge within.
When you start a fire you heap up some straw, pieces of paper and thin pieces of wood. The fire gets extinguished quickly. You blow it again several times through the mouth or the blow-pipe. After some time it becomes a small conflagration. You can hardly extinguish it now even with great efforts. Even so, in the beginning of meditation the beginners fall down from meditation into their old grooves. They will have to lift up their minds again and again and fix it on the Lakshya. When the meditation becomes deep and steady they get established in God eventually. Then the meditation becomes Sahaja. It becomes habitual. Use the blow-pipe of Tivra Vairagya and intense concentration to kindle the fire of meditation.
During meditation, when your mind is more Sattvic, you will be inspired. The mind will be composing fine poems and solving intricate problems of life. Stamp out these Sattvic Vrittis also. This is all dissipation of mental energy. Soar higher and higher to Atman only.
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 Atmah, the world appears like a dream. Free yourself from the base thoughts of the mind and the various useless Sankalpas (imaginations). Make ceaseless enquiry of the Atman. Mark the word "ceaseless." This is important. Then only there will be the dawn of spiritual knowledge.
You will get the full Ananda of the divine glory only when you dive deep and merge into silent meditation. When you are on the borderland of divinity of God, when you are at the gate or threshold of God, and when you are on the outer skirts, you will not get the maximum peace and bliss.
During meditation note how long you can shut out all worldly thoughts. Watch the mind very carefully. If it is for twenty minutes, try to increase the period for thirty or forty minutes and so on. Fill the mind with the thoughts of God again and again.
You will have to note very carefully whether you remain stationary in the spiritual path even after many years of spiritual practice or whether you are progressing. Sometimes you may go downwards also if you are not very vigilant and careful, if your Vairagya wanes and if you are slack in meditation. Reaction may set in. Some practise meditation for a period of fifteen years and yet they have not made any real progress at all. Why? This is due to lack of earnestness, Vairagya, keen longing for liberation and intense Sadhana.
When you advance in the spiritual practice it will be very difficult for you to do meditation and office-work at the same time daily. Because the mind will undergo double strain. It finds it very difficult to adjust to different kinds of uncongenial activities. It behoves, therefore, that advanced Grihastha Yogic students will have to stop all the worldly activities when they advance in meditation if they desire to progress further. They themselves will be forced to give up work if they are really sincere. Work is a hindrance in meditation for advanced students.
In Vedanta or the path of Jnana, the terms "Manana" (reflection) and "Nididhyasana" are very frequently used. Manana is Vijatiya-Vritti-Tiraskara (driving away all the thoughts of worldly objects), and Sajatiya-Vritti-Pravaha (increasing the thought-currents of God or Brahman like a steady stream). Nididhyasana is deep and intense contemplation. It is Anatma-Vritti-Rahita or Atmakara-Vritti-Sthiti. The mind is perfectly established in the Absolute. No worldly thought will intrude now. The contemplation is like a steady flow of oil (Tailadharavat).
Train the mind in a variety of ways in concentration in the beginning. Concentrate on any concrete image. Concentrate on the blue sky. Concentrate on the all-pervading light of the sun. Concentrate on the breath with Soham repetition. Concentrate on the various Chakras of the body. Concentrate on the abstract ideas of Satyam, Jnanam, Anantam, Ekam, Nityam, etc. Lastly stick to one thing only.
In meditation do not strain the eyes. Do not strain the brain. Do not struggle or wrestle with the mind. Relax. Gently allow the divine thoughts to flow. Steadily think of the Lakshya, object of meditation. Do not voluntarily drive away intruding thoughts. Have sublime Sattvic thoughts. Vicious thoughts will themselves vanish away.
When the mind becomes steady in meditation the eyeballs also become steady. A Yogi whose mind is calm will have a steady eye. There will be no winking at all. The eyes will be red or pure white.
In the beginning when you are a neophyte, you can close your eyes to remove the distraction of mind, as you are very weak. But later on you must meditate with eyes open, even during walking. You must keep your balance of mind even when you are in the bustle of the city. Only then are you perfect. Think strongly that the world is unreal, that there is no world, and that there is Atman only. If you can meditate on the Atman even when the eyes are open you will be a strong man. You will not be easily disturbed.
All the visible things are Maya. Maya will vanish through Jnana, or meditation on the Atman. One should exert himself to get rid of Maya. Maya havocs through the mind. Destruction of the mind means the annihilation of the Maya. Meditation is the only way for conquering Maya.
All actions whether internal or external, can be done only when the mind is united with the organs. Thought is the real action. If you have control over the mind by steady practice and if you can regulate your emotions and moods, you will not do foolish and wrong actions. Meditation will help a lot in checking various emotions and impulses.
Leading a virtuous life is not by itself sufficient for God-realisation. Constant meditation is absolutely necessary. A good and virtuous life only prepares the mind as a fit instrument for concentration and meditation. It is concentration and meditation that eventually lead to Self-realisation.
During meditation some of the visions that you see are your own materialised thoughts, while some others are real objective visions.
Real peace and happiness manifest only when the Vasanas are thinned out and Sankalpas extinguished. When you fix the mind either on Sri Krishna, Siva or the Atman even for five minutes, Sattva Guna is infused into the mind. Vasanas are thinned out. You will feel peace and bliss during these five minutes. You can with the subtle Buddhi compare this Ananda from meditation with the transitory sensual pleasure. You will find that this Ananda from meditation is million times superior to sensual pleasure. Meditate and feel this Ananda. Then you will know the real value.
Concentrate and meditate on the expansive sky. This is also another kind of Nirguna, Nirakara meditation. By this method of meditation, the mind will stop thinking of finite forms. It will slowly begin to melt in the ocean of peace, as it is deprived of its contents, viz., the forms of various sorts. It will become subtler and subtler.
Some students like to concentrate with open eyes, while some others with closed eyes, while some others with half-opened eyes. If you meditate with closed eyes, dust or foreign particles will not fall in your eyes. Some students in whom lights and jerks trouble, prefer concentration with open eyes. In some who meditate with closed eyes, sleep overpowers them within a short time. If the eyes are open, the mind wanders to objects in the beginners. Use your commonsense and adopt that which suits you best. Overcome other obstacles by suitable, intelligent methods.
You must be regular in your practice of meditation. Regularity in meditation is a great desideratum. Rapid progress and great success can be-attained if regularity is observed by the practitioner. Even if you do not realise any tangible result in the practice, you must plod on in the practice with sincerity, earnestness, patience and perseverance. You will get success after some time. There is no doubt of this. Do not stop the practice even for a day, under any circumstance.
If the aspirant has the nature of being offended easily for trifling things, he cannot make any progress in meditation. He should cultivate amiable, loving nature and adaptability. Then this bad habit will vanish. Some aspirants get easily offended if their bad qualities and defects are pointed out. They become indignant and begin to fight with the man who shows the defects. They think that that man is concocting them out of jealousy or hatred. This is bad. Other people can very easily find out our defects. A man who has no life of introspection, whose mind is of outgoing tendencies, cannot find out his own mistakes. The self-conceit acts as a veil and Blurs the mental vision. If an aspirant wants to grow, he must admit his defects if they are pointed out by others. He must try his level best to eradicate them and must thank the man who points out his defects. Only then can he grow in spirituality.
If an aspirant in Kashmir meditates upon his Guru or spiritual guide at Uttarakasi, Himalayas, a definite connection is established between him and the teacher. The Guru radiates power, peace, joy and bliss to the student in response to his thoughts. He is bathed in the powerful current of magnetism. The stream of spiritual electricity flows steadily from the preceptor to his disciple, just as oil flows from one vessel to another. The student can draw grace from his teacher in proportion to the degree of his faith. Whenever the student sincerely meditates upon his teacher, the teacher also actually feels that a current of prayer or sublime thoughts proceeds from his student and touches his heart. He who has the inner astral sight can clearly visualise a thin line of bright light between the disciple and the teacher, which is caused by the movement of the vibration of Sattvic thoughts in the ocean of Chitta.
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