Mind Control - facts about mind,sense control

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By Sri Swami Sivananda

A DIVINE LIFE SOCIETY PUBLICATION Sixth Edition: 1997 (2,000 Copies) World Wide Web (WWW) Edition : 1999 WWW site: HTTP://WWW.SHIVANANDADLSHQ.ORG/ This WWW reprint is for free distribution The Divine Life Trust Society Published By THE DIVINE LIFE SOCIETY P.O. Shivanandanagar 249 192 Distt. Tehri-Garhwal, Uttar Pradesh, Himalayas, India.

1. Facts About Mind 2. Thought-culture 3. Control of Thought 4. Purification of Mind 5. How to Steady the Mind 6. Control of the Senses 7. Conquest of Mind

M ind its M ysteries and Control 1. Facts About M ind

1. Mind is not only daily m ade, but hourly m ade. I n every m inut e it changes it s colour and shape like a cham eleon. I t is very wavering and unst eady ( Chanchalam and Ast hiram ) . 2. The m ind had a pernicious habit of ext ernalizat ion from t im e im m em orial. The const ant ut t erance of Holy Nam es of God as Har i Om , Narayana, Ram a, Siva, et c., purifies t he m ind - st uff and helps t o m ake t he m ind int r ospect ive ( Ant arm ukha- vrit t i) . 3. Tim e is but a m ode of m ind. I t is Kala- Sakt i. I t is also illusor y like t he obj ect s. When your m ind is deeply concent rat ed, a period of t wo hours appear s like five m inut es. I f t he m ind is dist r act ed and wandering, half an hour appears as t wo hour s. This is ever ybody s experience. I n dream also m any event s t hat last for fift y years t ake place wit hin t en m inut es. Through t he play of t he m ind, a Kalpa is considered by it as a m om ent and vice versa. 4. Percept ion t hrough t he finit e m ind or cognit ion of experience t akes place serially and not sim ult aneously. Sim ult aneous knowledge can only be had in Nir vikalpa Sam adhi where past and fut ur e m erge in t he present . A Yogi only will have sim ult aneous knowledge. A m an of t he world wit h a finit e m ind can have a knowledge in succession only. Though several obj ect s m ay com e in cont act sim ult aneously wit h t he different sense or gans, yet t he m ind act s like a gat e keeper who can adm it only one person at a t im e in t he gat e. The m ind can send only one kind of sensat ion at a t im e int o t he m ent al fact or y inside for t he m anufact ure of a percept and concept . 5. There ar e secret ions from endocrine glands which are duct less. viz., Thyroid, Thym us, Parot id, Pineal, Suprar enal, et c. These secr et ions ar e direct ly absorbed int o blood. They play a vit al part in const it ut ing t he t em peram ent of every individual. The t em peram ent of a m an can be great ly m odified by environm ent s, educat ion and experience. I t can hardly be changed in t ot o. That is t he reason why t he Git a says: Sadrisham chesht at e svasya prakrit er j nanavanapiEven t he m an of knowledge behaves in conform it y wit h

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his own nat ure ( Chap. 111- 33) . 6. I t t ook m e m any years t o underst and t horoughly t he secret subt le workings of t he m ind. Mind havocs t hrough t he power of im aginat ion. I m aginary fears of var ious sort s, exaggerat ion, concoct ion, m ent al dr am at izat ion, building cast les in t he air , are all clue t o t he power of im aginat ion. Even a perfect , healt hy m an has som e im aginary disease or ot her due t o t he power of im aginat ion of t he m ind. A m an m ay have a lit t le weakness or Dosha ( fault ) . When he becom es your enem y you at once exaggerat e and m agnify his weakness and Dosha. You even superim pose or concoct m any m ore weaknesses and Doshas. This is due t o t he power of I m aginat ion. Much energy is wast ed on account of im aginar y fears. 7. Belief, r easoning, knowledge and fait h are four im port ant psychic processes. First you have belief in a doct or. You go t o him for diagnosis and t reat m ent . He exam ines you and t hen prescribes cert ain m edicines. You t ake t hem . You reason out : This is t he disease. The doct or has given m e I ron and I odide. I r on will im prove m y blood. The I odide will st im ulat e t he lym pat his and absorb t he exudat ion and growt h in t he liver. Then t he disease is cured by a course of t hese drugs for a m ont h. Then you get knowledge and perfect fait h in t he m edicine and t he doct or. Then you recom m end t o your friend t his doct or and drugs: Dr. Jam es is a clever m an. He is an expert . Huxley s t onic is a very good nervine and blood t onic. 8. The m ind want s always t o be doing som et hing and when it at t aches it self wit h t he obj ect s it cherishes, it feels am used and happy. A play at cards has not hing in it but t he at t achm ent and at t ent ion gives pleasure. I t is difficult t o divert t he m ind which from infancy has fallen int o t he pernicious habit of seeking pleasure out wardly and it shall ever per sist in doing so, unless you give it som et hing superior t o be am used wit h, a gr eat er for m of pleasure t o delight in. 9. The m ind in t he vast m aj orit y of persons has been allowed t o r un wild and follow it s own sweet will and desires. I t is like a spoiled child who is given t o m uch indulgence by it s parent s or a badly t rained anim al. The m inds of m any of us are like m enageries of wild anim als, each pur suing t he bent of it s own nat ure and going it s own way. Rest raint on t he m ind is a t hing unknown t o t he vast m aj or it y of persons. 10. You know t he experience of a t ree t hrough t he m ind only. You m ust have an int ellect ual grasp, int ellect ual convict ion and com pr ehensive underst anding of Brahm an first t hrough t he pur ified m ind. The help of t he m ind is always needed eit her for per fect ion of an obj ect or t he underst anding of Brahm an. Medit at ion pr oceeds from t he m ind only. 11. Mark how one Sankalpa expands int o m any Sankalpas ( Vist ara) in a short t im e. Suppose you get a Sankalpa t o have t ea- part y for your friends. One t hought of t ea invit es inst ant aneously t he t hought s of sugar, m ilk, t eacups, t ables, chair s, t able clot h, napkins, spoons, sweet m eat s, salt ed t hings, et c. So t his world is not hing but t he expansion of Sankalpas. The expansion of t hought s of t he m ind t owards t he obj ect s is bondage ( Bandha) . Renunciat ion of Sankalpas is liberat ion ( Moksha) . You m ust be ever wat chful in nipping t he Sankalpas in t he bud. Then only you will be r eally happy. Mind t ricks and plays. You m ust underst and it s nat ur e, ways and habit s. Then only you can cont rol it very easily. 12. The m ind assum es t he shape of any obj ect it int ent ly t hinks upon. I f it t hinks of an or ange it assum es t he shape of an orange. I f it t hinks of Lord Krishna wit h flut e in hand, it assum es t he shape of Lord Krishna. You m ust t rain t he m ind proper ly and give it proper Sat t vic food for assim ilat ion. Have a Sat t vic background of t hought or m ent al im age. 13. I f you t ast ed Ovalt ine for a m ont h, m ent al adhesion t o Ovalt ine com es in t he m ind. I f you ar e in t he com pany of Sannyasins, if you read books on Yoga, Vedant a, et c., a sim ilar m ent al adhesion t akes place in t he m ind for at t aining God- consciousness. Mere m ent al adhesion will not help you m uch. Burning Vairagya, burning Mum ukshut va, capacit y for spirit ual Sadhana, int ense and const ant applicat ion and Nididhyasana ( m edit at ion) are needed. Then only Self - r ealisat ion is possible. 14. The for m which t he endless At m an ( Supr em e Spirit ) assum es t hrough Sankalpa is Manas ( m ind) . The m ind at t ains t he quiescent st at e of Para- Brahm an t hr ough it s enem y of discr im inat ion. I t first t ur ned it s back upon discr im inat ion and hence ent angled it self in t he folds of Vasanas of obj ect s. 15. Mind is ever changing and wandering. This wandering habit of t he m ind m anifest s it self in various ways. You will have t o be on t he alert always t o check t his wandering habit of t he m ind. A householder s m ind wanders t o cinem a, t heat r e, circus, et c. A Sadhu s m ind wanders t o Benar es, Vrindavan and Nasik. Many Sadhus never st ick t o one place during Sadhana. The wandering habit of t he m ind m ust be cont rolled by m aking it st ick t o one place, one m et hod of Sadhana, one Guru and one form of Yoga. A rolling st one gat hers no m oss. When you t ake up a book for st udy you m ust finish it befor e you t ake up anot her. When you t ake up any work, you m ust devot e your wholeheart ed at t ent ion t owards t he work on hand and finish it before

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you t ake up anot her wor k. One t hing at a t im e and t hat done well is a very good rule as m any can t ell. This is Yogis way of doing. 16. I f all t he t hought s ar e elim inat ed, t hen t here rem ains not hing which can be called t he m ind. So t hought s are t he m ind. Again t here is no such t hing as t he world independent of and apart from t hought s. 17. The m ind is generally at t ract ed by brilliant light , beaut y, int elligence, var ied colour s and pleasant sounds. Do not be deceived by t hese palt ry t hings. Enquire wit hin. What is t he Adhisht hana or background for all t hese t hings? Ther e is one Essence at t he back of t he m ind and all obj ect s of t his seem ing sense - universe. That Essence is all full ( Paripurna) and self - cont ained. That Essence is t he Brahm an of t he Upanishads. That Essence verily you are. Tat Tvam Asi, m y dear readers.

2 . Though t - cult ur e
1. When you sit for m edit at ion t hought s of your fr iends and office wor k, m em ory of conversat ion t hat t ook place in t he pr evious evening wit h your friends and relat ives will dist urb your m ind and cause dist ract ion. You will have t o wit hdraw t he m ind again and again, caut iously from t hese ext raneous worldly t hought s and fix it again and again in your Lakshya or point . You will have t o disregard and ignore t he worldly t hought s. Be indifferent . Do not welcom e t hese t hought s. Do not ident ify yourself wit h t hese t hought s, ideas. Say wit hin your self: I do not want t hese t hought s. I have not hing t o do wit h t hese t hought s. They will vanish gr adually. 2. The m ind is a m ischievous im p. I t is like a j um ping m onkey. I t m ust be disciplined daily. Then it will gr adually com e under your cont rol. I t is only by t he pract ical t r aining of your m ind t hat you can pr event bad t hought s and act ions from arising and can prevent bad t hought s and act ions t hat have arisen from r ecur rence. I t is only by t he pr act ical t raining of your m ind t hat you can encourage good t hought s and act ions t o arise and can m aint ain good t hought s and act ions when t hey have arisen. 3. Wat ch your m ind always very carefully. Be vigilant . Be on t he alert . Do not allow waves of irr it abilit y, j ealousy, anger, hat red, lust t o ar ise from t he m ind. These dark waves are enem ies of m edit at ion, peace and wisdom . Suppress t hem at once by ent ert aining sublim e and divine t hought s. Evil t hought s t hat have arisen m ay be dest royed by originat ing good t hought s and m aint aining t hem by repeat ing any Mant ra or Nam e of t he Lord, by doing good act ions, by dwelling on t he m iser y t hat arises fr om evil t hought s, by abst r act ing t he m ind, by analysing t he or igin of t he t hought s, by enquiry of Who am I ? or by t he force of t he will resolving t o suppress t he evil t hought . When you at t ain t he st at e of purit y, no evil t hought s will arise in your m ind. Just as it is easy t o check t he int ruder or enem y at t he gat e, so also it is easy t o overcom e an evil t hought as soon as it arises. Nip it in t he bud. Do not allow it t o st rike deep root . 4. I n t he beginning all sor t s of evil t hought s will arise in your m ind as soon as you sit for m edit at ion. Why does t his happen during m edit at ion when you at t em pt t o ent ert ain pure t hought s? Aspir ant s leave t heir spirit ual pract ices of m edit at ion on account of t his. I f you t ry t o drive a m onkey it at t em pt s t o pounce on you wit h vengeance. Even so t he old vicious Sam skaras and old evil t hought s t ry t o at t ack you wit h vengeance and redoubled force only at t he t im e when you t ry t o r aise good, divine t hought s. Your enem y endeavours t o r esist you vehem ent ly when you t ry t o ej ect him out of your house. There is a law of resist ance in nat ure. The old evil t hought s assert and say O m an! Do not be cruel. You have allowed us t o st ay in your m ent al fact ory fr om t im e im m em orial. We have every right t o abide here. We have helped you up t o t his t im e in all your evil act ions. Why do you want t o oust us fr om our dwelling place? We will not vacat e our abode. Do not be discouraged. Go on wit h your pract ice of m edit at ion regularly. These evil t hought s will be t hinned out . Event ually t hey will all per ish. 5. Posit ive always overcom es t he negat ive. This is t he law of nat ur e. Negat ive evil t hought s cannot st and befor e posit ive good t hought s. Courage overcom es fear . Pat ience overcom es anger and ir rit abilit y. Love over com es hat red. Pur it y overcom es lust . The very fact t hat you feel uneasy now when an evil t hought com es t o t he sur face of t he m ind during m edit at ion indicat es t hat you are growing in spirit ualit y. I n t hose days you consciously har boured all sort s of evil t hought s. You welcom ed and nourished t hem . Per sist in your spirit ual pract ices. Be t enacious and diligent . You are bound t o succeed. Even a dull t ype of aspirant will not ice a m arvellous change in him if he keeps up t he pract ice of Japa and m edit at ion for 2 or 3 years in a cont inuous st r eam . Now he cannot leave t he pr act ice. Even if he st ops his pract ice of m edit at ion for a day, he will act ually feel t hat he has lost som et hing on t hat day. His m ind will be quit e uneasy. 6. I f you place a big m irror in fr ont of a dog and keep som e bread in front , t he dog at once barks at it s r eflect ion in t he m irror. I t foolishly im agines t hat t her e is anot her dog. Even so, m an sees his own reflect ion only t hrough his m ind- m irror in all t he people but foolishly im agines like t he dog t hat t hey ar e all different from him and fight s on account of hat red and j ealousy.

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7. You will be able t o ent er int o deep m edit at ion only if you lead a m oral life. When you have led t he m oral life, you m ay furt her t ry t o build up discr im inat ion and t he ot her st eps in your m ind. You can cult ivat e t he m ind in concent rat ion and can finally devot e yourself t o m edit at ion. The m or e you lead t he m oral life, t he m ore you m edit at e, t he great er likelihood will t hen be for you t o ent er int o Nirvikalpa Sam adhi which can liberat e you from t he round of birt hs and deat hs and can confer on you et ernal Bliss and I m m ort alit y.

3 . Con t r ol of Th ought
1. The m ind is like a wheel which revolves endlessly wit h t rem endous velocit y. I t generat es new t hought s wit h every revolut ion. This wheel is set in m ot ion by t he vibrat ion of psychic Prana or subt le Prana. The pr act ice of Pranayam a lessens t he velocit y of t he m ind and slows down t he wheel gradually. Perfect cont rol of Prana will bring t he wheel t o a st andst ill. 2. Alcohol, m eat , Raj asic foods, cinem a, novel- reading, obscene songs, obscene sight s, evil com pany, obscene t alks will m ake t he wheel of m ind revolve ver y rapidly whereas fruit s, Sat t vic food, com pany of Mahat m as, st udy of religious books, solit ude, Japa, Kirt an, concent rat ion, m edit at ion, enquir y of Who am I ? will slow down t he wheel and event ually br ing it down t o a st andst ill. 3. I dent ify yourself wit h t he I m m ort al Self. Enquire Who am I ? whenever t hought s arise in your m ind. All t he t hought s will gradually die. 4. Fewer t he desires, lesser t he t hought s. Becom e absolut ely desireless. The wheel will st op ent irely. I f you r educe your want s, if you do not t ry t o fulfill your desires, if you t ry t o eradicat e your desires one by one, your t hought s will dim inish in fr equency and lengt h. The num ber of t hought s per m inut e will also decrease. Fewer t he t hought s, great er t he peace. Rem em ber t his always. A wealt hy m an who does speculat ion in a big cit y and who has a large num ber of t hought s has a rest less m ind, in spit e of his com for t s, whereas, a Sadhu who lives in t he cave of Him alayas and who is pract icing t hought - cont rol is very happy in spit e of his pover t y. 5. Concent rat ion will increase by lessening t he num ber of t hought s. Cert ainly it is an uphill work t o reduce t he num ber of t hought s. I n t he beginning it will be t axing you m uch. The t ask will be very unpleasant . But lat er on you will rej oice as you will get im m ense st r engt h of m ind and int ernal peace by reduct ion of t hought s. Arm ed wit h t he pat ience, perseverance, vigilance, fier y det erm inat ion and iron will, you can crush t he t hought s easily j ust as you crush a lem on or an orange wit h ease. Aft er crushing, it will be easy for you t o root t hem out . Mere crushing or suppr ession will not suffice. There m ay be again resurrect ion of t hought s. They should be t ot ally eradicat ed, j ust as a loose t oot h is r oot ed out . 6. When you give a blow on t he head of a snake wit h a st ick and crush it s head, it rem ains absolut ely m ot ionless for som e t im e. You t hink it is dead. All of a sudden it r aise it s head and r uns swift ly. Even so t he t hought s t hat were once crushed and suppressed by you regain st rengt h and raise up t heir heads. They m ust be dest royed t ot ally beyond resurrect ion. 7. I t is very difficult t o fix t he m ind on one t hought in t he beginning. Dim inish t he num ber of t hought s. Tr y t o have t hought s on one subj ect . I f you t hink of a r ose you can have all sort s of t hought s connect ed wit h r ose only. You can t hink of different kinds of roses t hat are grown in different part s of t he wor ld. You can t hink of t he various preparat ions t hat are m ade out of r oses and t heir uses. You can allow even t hought s of ot her kinds of flowers t o ent er; but do not ent ert ain t hought s of fruit s and veget ables. Check t he aim less wandering of t he m ind. Do not have t hought s at random when you t hink of a rose. Gr adually you can fix t he m ind on one t hought . You will have t o discipline t he m ind daily. Et er nal vigilance is needed in t hought cont rol. 8. Fewer t he t hought s, great er t he m ent al st r engt h and concent rat ion. Suppose t he aver age num ber of t hought s t hat pass t hrough your br ain wit hin one hour is one hundred. I f you succeed in r educing t hem by const ant pract ice of concent rat ion and m edit at ion t o ninet y you have gained t en per cent of power of concent rat ion of m ind. Every t hought t hat is reduced adds st r engt h and peace t o t he m ind. Reduct ion of even one t hought will give you m ent al st rengt h and peace of m ind. You m ay not be able t o feel t his in t he beginning as you do not possess a subt le int ellect ; but t here is a spir it ual t herm om et er inside t o r egist er t he r educt ion of even a single t hought . I f you reduce one t hought t he m ent al st rengt h t hat you have gained by t his r educt ion will help you t o reduce t he second t hought easily. 9. I n rubber plant at ion, plant ers t ake recourse t o t he m et hod of t hinning out t he rubber t rees by cut t ing t he sm all surplus t r ees which st and in t he vicinit y of big t rees. By so doing t hey can t ap m or e m ilk or r ubber j uice from t he big t rees. Even so you m ust t hin out t he t hought s by dest roying t hem one by one t o drink t he

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am brosial m ilk or nect ar of I m m ort alit y. 10. When t he t ail of a lizard is cut , t he cut end will flut t er about for som e t im e, as t here is st ill a lit t le r esidual Prana in t he t ail. Aft er one or t wo m inut es all m ot ion will cease. Even so, even aft er t hinning and r educt ion of t hought s, som e t hought s will m ove about like t he t ail of t he lizard. But t hey are powerless. They cannot do any ser ious havoc. There is no vit alit y in t hem . Just as t he drowning m an t ries t o cat ch anyt hing t o save him self, so also t hese lifeless t hought s t r y t heir level best t o com e back t o t heir pr evious st at e of life and vigour. I f you go on wit h your daily pract ice of concent r at ion and m edit at ion regularly, t hey will die by t hem selves like a gheeless lam p. 11. I n t he beginning of your pract ice of t hought - cont rol you will exper ience great difficult y. You will have t o wage war wit h t hem . They will have t o st ruggle t heir level best for t heir own exist ence. They will say: We have every right t o rem ain in t his place of m ind. We have a sole m onopoly from t im e im m em orial t o occupy t his area. Why should we vacat e our dom inion now? We will fight for our bir t hr ight t ill t he end. They will pounce upon you wit h gr eat ferocit y. When you sit for m edit at ion only all sort s of evil t hought s will crop up. As you at t em pt t o suppress t hem t hey want t o at t ack you wit h redoubled force and vigour . But posit ive always overcom es t he negat ive. Just as darkness cannot st and before t he sun, j ust as a leopard cannot st and before t he lion so also all t hese dark, negat ive t hought s, t hese invisible int ruder s, enem ies of peace, cannot st and befor e t he sublim e divine t hought s. They m ust die by t hem selves. 12. Just as t he war rior chops off t he heads of his enem ies one by one, when t hey com e of a fort ress t hrough a t rap door , so also chop t he t hought s one by one when t hey em erge out t hrough t he t rap door t o t he surface of t he m ind. 13. The subst it ut ion m et hod is ver y easy and effect ive in t he dest ruct ion of evil t hought s. Cult ivat e posit ive virt uous t hought s of m ercy, love, purit y, forgiveness, int egrit y, generosit y, hum ilit y, et c., in t he garden of your m ind. The negat ive vicious t hought s of hat red, lust , anger, greed, pride, et c., will die by t hem selves. I t is difficult t o dest roy t he evil t hought s by at t acking t hem direct ly. You will have t o t ax your will and wast e your ener gy. 14. Suppose t he evil t hought s st ay in your m ind for t welve hours and recur every t hird day. I f you can m ake t hem st ay for t en hours and recur once in a week by daily pract ice of concent rat ion and m edit at ion t hat is a decided im provem ent . I f you cont inue your pr act ice, t he period of st ay and recurr ence will be gradually lessened. Event ually t hey will disappear alt oget her . Com pare your pr esent st at e of m ind wit h t hat of last year or year before last . You will be able t o find out your progress. The progr ess will be very slow in t he beginning. I t will be difficult for you t o gauge your growt h and progress. 15. Thought s gain st r engt h by r epet it ion. I f you ent ert ain an evil t hought or a good t hought once, t his evil t hought or good t hought has a t endency t o recur again. Thought s crowd t oget her . Just as t he birds of t he sam e feat her flock t oget her , so also if you ent ert ain one evil t hought all sort s of evil t hought s j oin t oget her and at t ack you. I f you ent ert ain any good t hought , all good t hought s j oin t oget her. 16. Like at t ract s like. I f you ent er t ain evil t hought t hat t hought at t ract s all sort s of evil t hought s from ot hers. You pass on t hat t hought t o ot hers also. Thought m oves. Thought is a living dynam ic force. Thought is a t hing. I f you allow your m ind t o dwell on a sublim e t hought , t his t hought will at t ract good t hought s from ot hers. You pass on good t hought s t o ot hers. You pollut e t he world wit h your bad t hought s. You help t he world wit h your good t hought s. 17. When you r each t he spirit ual sum m it of t hought lessness you will reach t he abode of I m m ort alit y and et ernal peace and supr em e bliss. O Ram ! St art your hom ewar d j ourney. March boldly in t he spirit ual pat h. Be not afraid of difficult ies. Be bold. Ascend peak aft er peak. Cr oss t he deep r avines of subt le Moha and pride t hat com e on your way. Take a long j um p and cross t he m yst ic fr ont ier of Avyakt am . Chop off t he t hought s t hat wage again and again a guerrilla war . Ent er now t he infinit e dom ain of pure bliss and highest knowledge. Regain your old pr ist ine divine glory. Rest in your Sat - chit - ananda Svarupa.

4 . Pu rifica t ion of M ind

1. You m ust have a pur e m ind if you want t o realise t he Self. Unless t he m ind is set free and cast s away all desires, cravings, wor ries, delusion, pr ide, lust , at t achm ent , likes and dislikes, it cannot ent er int o t he dom ain of Suprem e Peace and unalloyed felicit y of t he I m m ort al Abode. 2. Mind is com pared t o a garden. Just as you can cult ivat e good flowers and fr uit s in a garden by ploughing and m anuring t he land and rem oving t he weeds and t horns and wat er ing t he plant s and t rees, so also you

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can cult ivat e t he flower of devot ion in t he gar den of your m ind by r em oving t he im purit ies of t he m ind such as lust , anger, greed, delusion, pride, et c., and wat ering it wit h Divine t hought s. Weeds and t horns grow in t he rainy season, disappear in sum m er; but t heir seeds r em ain under neat h t he ground. As soon as t here is a shower, t he seeds again germ inat e and sprout out . Even so t he Vrit t is or m odificat ions of t he m ind m anifest on t he surface of t he conscious m ind, t hen disappear and assum e a subt le seed - st at e, t he form of Sam skar as or im pressions. The Sam skaras again becom e Vrit t is eit her t hrough int ernal or ext ernal st im ulus. When t he gar den is clean, when t here are no weeds and t horns you can get good fruit s. So also, when t he m ind is pure, when t he m ind is free from lust , anger , et c., you can have t he fr uit of good deep m edit at ion. Therefore cleanse t he m ind of it s im purit ies first . Then t he cur rent of m edit at ion will flow by it self. 3. I f you want t o keep a gar den always clean, you will have t o r em ove not only t he weeds and t hor ns and ot her sm all plant s but also t he seeds t hat lie under neat h t he ground which again and again germ inat e during r ainy season. Even so, you will have t o dest roy not only t he big waves or Vrit t is of t he m ind, but also t he Sam skar as which ar e t he seeds for birt hs and deat hs, which ger m inat e t he Vrit t is again and again, if you want t o ent er int o Sam adhi and at t ain liberat ion or perfect freedom . 4. I f you apply fire t o a green wood it will not bur n, but if you apply fire t o a piece of dried wood it will at once cat ch fir e and burn. Even so, t hose who have not purified t heir m inds, will not be able t o st art t he fire of m edit at ion. They will be sleeping or dream ing or will be building cast les in t he air if t hey sit for m edit at ion. But t hose who have rem oved t he im purit ies of t heir m inds by Japa, service, char it y, Pr anayam a, et c., will ent er int o deep m edit at ion as soon as t hey sit for m edit at ion. The pure ripe m ind will at once burn wit h t he fire of m edit at ion. 5. I f you do not clean a plat e daily, it will lose it s lust r e. I t is t he sam e wit h t he m ind t oo. The m ind becom es im pure if it is not kept clean by t he regular pract ice of m edit at ion. Medit at ion rem oves t he dross of t he m ind in an effect ive m anner . Therefore pract ice m edit at ion in t he ear ly m orning regular ly. 6. Do not cause pain or suffering t o any living being from greed, selfishness, irrit abilit y, annoyance. Give up anger or ill- will. Give up t he spirit of fight ing, heat ed debat es. Do not ar gue. I f you quarr el wit h som ebody or if you have a heat ed debat e wit h anybody, you cannot m edit at e for 3 or 4 days. Your balance of m ind will be upset . Much energy will be wast ed in useless channels. The blood will becom e hot . The nerves will be shat t ered. You m ust t ry your level best t o keep a serene m ind only. A ser ene m ind is a valuable spirit ual asset for you. 7. You m ust pract ice aust erit y of speech if you really want t o at t ain quick progress in m edit at ion. You m ust always speak sweet , loving wor ds. You m ust speak t rut h at any cost . You m ust not speak any harsh word or any indecent word t hat is calculat ed t o hurt t he feelings of ot hers. You should weigh your words well before t hey are spoken. You m ust speak a few words only. This is aust erit y of speech or Vak - Tapas t hat will conserve ener gy and give you peace of m ind and inner st r engt h. 8. Exam ine your charact er. Pick up t he defect s in it . Find out it s opposit e. Let us say t hat you suffer fr om irrit abilit y. The opposit e of ir rit abilit y is pat ience. Tr y t o develop t his vir t ue by m edit at ing on t he abst r act virt ue of pat ience. Regularly every m orning sit down at 4 a.m . in Padm a or Siddha Asana in a solit ary room for half an hour, and begin t o t hink on pat ience, it s value, it s pract ice under provocat ion, t aking one point one day, anot her on anot her day, and t hinking as st eadily as you can, recalling t he m ind when it wanders. Think of your self as perfect ly pat ient , a m odel of pat ience and end it wit h a vow: This pat ience which is m y t rue Self, I will feel and show fr om t oday. 9. For a few days probably t here will be no change percept ible. You will st ill feel and show ir rit abilit y. Go on pr act icing st eadily every m orning. Present ly you see an irrit able t hing, t he t hought will flash int o your m ind: I should have been pat ient . St ill go on in pract ice. Soon t he t hought of pat ience will arise wit h t he irrit able im pulse and t he out er m anifest at ion will be checked. St ill go on pract ising. The irrit able im pulse will grow feebler and feebler unt il you find t hat irrit abilit y has disappeared and t hat pat ience has becom e your norm al at t it ude t owar ds annoyances. I n t his m anner you can develop var ious virt ues such as sym pat hy, self r est r aint , purit y, hum ilit y, benevolence, nobilit y, generosit y, et c. 10. I t is t he act ions of t he m ind t hat ar e t ruly t erm ed Karm as. True liberat ion result s from t he disent hr alm ent of t he m ind. Those who have freed t hem selves from t he fluct uat ion of t heir m inds com e int o possession of t he suprem e Nisht ha ( m edit at ion) . Should t he m ind be purged of all it s im purit ies, t hen it will becom e very calm and all t he Sam saric delusions at t endant wit h it s birt hs and deat hs will be soon dest royed. 11. Concent rat ion of t he m ind on God aft er purificat ion can give you real happiness and knowledge. You are bor n for t his purpose only. You are carried away t o ext ernal obj ect s t hrough Raga and Moha. Dive deep. The Divine Flam e, t he Light of light s is burning t here. Plunge deep. Mer ge wit hin.

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5 . H ow t o St e a dy t he M ind
1. The ext ernal obj ect s ar e cont inuously act ing upon t he br ain. The sense - im pressions r each t he brain t hrough sense- avenues and produce m ent al st im uli. Now you are conscious of t he ext ernal obj ect s. Consciousness m ay be caused by an awakening eit her by ext ernal st im ulus, i.e., st im ulus fr om a sense im pression or an int ernal st im ulus t hr ough m em or y. Each sim ple sense- im pr ession is a highly com plex bundle of afferent st im uli. Afferent st im uli m ean st im uli t hat ar e carr ied from out side t owards t he brain. A st im ulus is an awakening in t he subst rat um of t he m ind. The associat ions of awakenings which arise from a single sense- im pression are very com plex. 2. When you m edit at e, disregard t he subst rat um awakenings in t he m ind t hat ar ise out of t he senses. Avoid carefully t he com parisons wit h all ot her cross references and m em ories of ideas. Concent rat e t he whole ener gy of t he m ind on t he one idea of God or At m an it self wit hout any com parison wit h any ot her idea. 3. Avoid all ot her sense- im pressions and ideas. Prevent t he com plicat ions t hat ar ise out of corr elat ed act ion in t he subst rat um of t he m ind. Abst ract t he m ind and t he one idea alone. Shut out all ot her process of m ent at ion. Now t he whole m ind will be filled wit h t he one idea only. Nisht ha will ensue. Just as t he r ecur rence or repet it ion of a t hought or act ion leads t o perfect ion of t hat t hought or act ion, so also does r ecur rence of t he sam e process on t he sam e idea lead t o t he perfect ion of abst r act ion, concent r at ion and m edit at ion. 4. You will find very oft en t hese t er m s in t he Git a: Ananya- chet ah, Machit t a, Nit ya- yukt a, Manm anah, Ekagram Manah, Sarva- bhava. These t erm s denot e t hat you will have t o give your full m ind, ent irely 100 per cent of m ind t o God. Then only you will have Self - realisat ion. Even if one r ay of m ind runs out side, it is im possible t o at t ain God- consciousness. 5. You cannot enj oy peace of m ind and cannot pr act ice m edit at ion if t here is Vikshepa ( t ossing) in your m ind. Vikshepa is oscillat ion of m ind. Vikshepa is Raj as. Vikshepa and desire coexist in t he m ind. I f you r eally want t o dest roy Vikshepa, you m ust dest roy all m undane desires and cr avings t hrough dispassion and self- surrender t o t he Lor d. 6. To pract ice m edit at ion or cont em plat ion in a m ind unprepared by non - adherence t o t he m oral precept s is like building a house on a rot t en foundat ion. You m ay build up t he house, but it will surely fall. You m ay pr act ice m edit at ion for m any years but you will not r ealise any t angible result or fruit , if you have no et hical foundat ion. You will fall down. Ther efore m ent al pur it y t hrough et hical t r aining is of par am ount im port ance, if you wish t o achieve success in m edit at ion and Sam adhi. Before you at t em pt t o pract ice m edit at ion, you m ust lead t he necessary correct m oral life. You m ust have t he necessary right underst anding. Then only you will have sanguine success in m edit at ion. Much m ore t im e is r equired in t he preparat ion of t he m ind for m edit at ion t han for t he act ual pr act ice. 7. Drive off negat ive t hought s. Becom e posit ive always. Posit ive over powers negat ive. You can do nice m edit at ion when you are posit ive. 8. I f t he m ind const ant ly dwells on sensual obj ect s, t he concept ion of t he realit y of t he univer se will sur ely incr ease. I f t he m ind ceaselessly t hinks of At m an ( Absolut e) , t he wor ld appears like a dream . 9. Free yourself fr om t he base t hought s of t he m ind, t he various useless Sankalpas ( im aginat ions) . Make ceaseless enquiry of At m an. Mark t he word ceaseless. This is im port ant . Then only t her e will be dawn of spirit ual knowledge. The Jnana Surya ( t he sun of knowledge) will arise in t he firm am ent of Chidakasa ( knowledge- space) . 10. Just as you render t he t urbid wat er pure by t he addit ion of clear ing - nut ( st r ychnos pot at orum ) , so also you will have t o m ake t he t urbid m ind filled wit h Vasanas and false Sankalpas, pure by Brahm a - chint ana ( t hinking and reflect ion on t he Absolut e) . Then only t her e will be t rue illum inat ion. 11. Just as t he m an who foolishly r uns aft er t wo r abbit s will not cat ch hold of any one of t hem , so also a m edit at or who runs aft er t wo conflict ing t hought s will not get success. I f he has Divine t hought s for t en m inut es and t hen worldly conflict ing t hought s for t he next t en m inut es, he will not succeed in at t aining t he Divine Consciousness. You m ust run aft er one rabbit only wit h vigour, st r engt h and one- point edness. You are sure t o cat ch it . You m ust have only Divine t hought s at all t im es. Then only you are sure t o realise God soon. 12. Just as you sat urat e t he wat er wit h salt or sugar, you will have t o sat urat e t he m ind wit h t hought s of God and Brahm an, wit h Divine glor y, Divine presence, wit h sublim e, soul- awakening spirit ual t hought s. Then

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only you will be est ablished in t he Divine Consciousness always. 13. I n Nididhyasana ( m edit at ion) you will have t o develop t he Saj at iya- vrit t i- pr avaha. Make t he t hought s of Brahm an or Divine Presence flow like inundat ion of flood. Do Vij at iya - vrit t i- t iraskara. Renounce t he t hought s of obj ect s. Drive t hem away wit h t he whip of Viveka and Vichar a. Ther e is st ruggle in t he beginning. I t is t rying indeed. But lat er on as you grow st ronger and st ronger and as you grow in purit y and Brahm a Chint ana, Sadhana becom es easy. You r ej oice in t he life of unit y. You get st rengt h from At m an. I nner st rengt h grows when all t he Vishaya Vrit t is are t hinned out and t he m ind becom es one - point ed ( Ekagr at a) . 14. Dur ing m edit at ion not e how long you can shut out all worldly t hought s. Wat ch t he m ind very carefully. I f it is for t went y m inut es, t ry t o increase t he period t o t hir t y or for t y m inut es and gradually t o t wo or t hree hours. Fill t he m ind wit h t he t hought s of God again and again. 15. The m ind can be cont rolled by cont inuous pract ice. You m ust keep it always occupied in Divine cont em plat ion. I f you slacken your effor t s, idle t hought s will at once ent er. Cont inuous pract ice can bring t he m ind under cont rol, quit e easily. Sam adhi is possible by t he pract ice of cont inuous m edit at ion wit h a light diet . 16. Put a piece of iron rod in t he blazing furnace. I t becom es red like a fire. Rem ove it . I t loses it s red colour. I f you want t o keep it always red, you m ust always keep it in fir e. Even so, if you want t o keep t he m ind charged wit h t he fire of Brahm ic wisdom , you m ust always keep it in cont act or t ouch wit h t he Brahm ic fire of knowledge t hr ough const ant and int ense m edit at ion. You m ust keep up an unceasing flow of t he Brahm ic consciousness. Then only you will have t he Sahaj a Avast ha ( nat ural st at e) . 17. Sit at ease. Close your eyes. Look wit hin. Wit hdraw t he rays of t he m ind. Silence t he t hought s. Medit at e on At m an or t he Absolut e. Chant Om . Sing Om . Feel Om . Ment ally repeat Om . The m ind will m ove now t o it s cent re or source slowly. You will forget t he body and t he wor ld. The br eat hing will becom e very slow. The br eat h will m ove wit hin t he nost rils. Your hear t will be flooded wit h j oy and bliss. Divine nect ar will t r ickle down. Dr ink it t o your heart s cont ent and at t ain I m m or t alit y. Divine peace, et er nal t r anquillit y will roll over your head, wave aft er wave. Plunge deep in t he ocean of peace. Swim fr eely and rej oice. What a m agnanim ous, happy st at e! What a blissful freedom ! What a wonderful perfect ion and independence! 18. The fight bet ween old, evil Sam skaras and new Sat t vic Sam skaras will com e t o an end now. The et ernal war bet ween Sat t va, Raj as and Tam as will cease. The rebellious m ind and senses will be obedient capt ives now. The conflict bet ween evil and sublim e t hought s will t erm inat e. I m pulses and em ot ions will vanish in t ot o. How pleasant and delight ful is t he et ernal life in t he At m an! How sweet and enj oyable is t his Divine Life! Realise t his and be free.

6 . Cont rol of t he Se nse s

1. Many aspirant s fail t o ent er int o Sam adhi or Brahm ic Bliss on account of rest lessness of any one of t he I ndriyas ( senses) . Cont rol of I ndriyas is indispensably requisit e for spir it ual Sadhana. 2. Develop Vairagya. Wit hout Vairagya and r est r aint of I ndriyas no m edit at ion or Sam adhi is possible. Energy will leak out if Vairagya wanes. Vair agya is non- at t achm ent t o sensual obj ect s. I t is a m ent al st at e. 3. Cont rol t he I ndr iyas. Thr ough int r ospect ion find out which I ndriya is t r oubling you and curb it r ut hlessly. Give up t he obj ect s which t he part icular I ndriya t ries t o gr asp. Dest r oy t he t hirst ing for obj ect s and sense enj oym ent s. Then you will be est ablished in Sam adhi or Suprem e Peace. 4. Discipline t he I ndriyas. Speak t r ut h. Talk lit t le. Observe Mouna for t wo hour s daily. Speak sweet , loving, soft words. Do not ut t er harsh words. Do not abuse anybody. This is t he discipline of Vak - I ndriya, t he organ of speech. 5. Do not go t o cinem as. Do not look at ladies wit h a lust ful look. When you m ove in t he st reet s look at t he t ip of t he nose or big t oe and walk. Do not look hit her and t hit her. This is t he discipline of eye, t he or gan of sight . 6. Do not at t end naut ch part y and do not hear vulgar m usic. Give up m usical ent ert ainm ent s. Do not hear worldly t opics. This is t he discipline of ear, t he organ of hearing. 7. Do not use scent s. This is t he discipline of nose, t he organ of sm ell. Give up salt and sugar for a week. Live on sim ple food. Fast on Ekadasi days or live on m ilk. This is t he discipline of t ongue, t he organ of t ast e.

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8. Observe Brahm acharya. This is t he discipline of t he reproduct ive organ. Sleep on a hard m at . Walk bare foot ed. Do not use um brella. This is t he discipline of t he skin, t he organ of t ouch. 9. Fix t he m ind on your I sht a Devat a. Bring it back again and again when it wanders and fix it on t he im age. This is t he Sadhana for checking t he wandering m ind and developing concent rat ion. By const ant , regular pr act ice, you can fix t he m ind on God st eadily. 10. You m ay t hink or falsely conj ect ur e t hat t he senses are under your cont rol. You m ay be duped. All of a sudden you will becom e a vict im or a slave. You m ust have not only cont r ol of one I ndr iya but also Param a Vasyam or suprem e cont rol of all t he I ndr iyas. Th e se n se s m a y be com e t ur bule nt a t a ny t im e . Re a ct ion m a y se t in. Bewar e! May t he Lord best ow on you Vair agya, Viveka and inner spirit ual st rengt h t o cont rol t he senses and ent er int o Sam adhi.

7 . Con que st of M in d
1. The m ind can be cont rolled by Abhyasa and Vairagya. Abhyasa is const ant effort t o fix t he m ind on God or At m an. Vairagya is dispassion or non - at t achm ent t o sensual obj ect s. 2. Enquire Who am I ? Do Vichar a. Do m ent al Japa of Om and m edit at e on At m an. All t hought s will die by t hem selves. You will rest in Sat - chit - ananda At m an. 3. Sit alone and wat ch t he Vrit t is of t he m ind. Be indifferent . Rem ain as a Sakshi. Do not ident ify your self wit h t he Vrit t is. The m ind will com e under your cont r ol. 4. Dest roy t he fuel of desire; t he fire of t hought will be ext inguished. Wit h t he annihilat ion of Sankalpa, t he r ealit y of Brahm an will shine. 5. Cult ivat e Divine qualit ies such as friendliness, m ercy, gladness and indifference t owar ds happiness, pain, virt ue and vice. You will get peace of m ired. 6. Do not t hink of t he past . Do not plan for t he fut ure. Do not allow t he m ind t o build im ages. Live in t he solid present . 7. Do a t hing which t he m ind does not want t o do. Do not do a t hing which t he m ind want s t o do. 8. Do not t ry t o fulfil your desires. Do not hope. Do not expect anyt hing. Dest roy t he vicious desir es t hrough virt uous desires and dest r oy t he virt uous desires also t hr ough one st rong desire for liberat ion. 9. Pract ice of Pranayam a dest roys Raj as and Tam as; m ake t he m ind st eady and one- point ed. 10. St udy of religious books, Tapas, char it y and Sat sanga wit h Mahat m as, Sadhus and Sannyasins overhauls worldly vicious Sam skaras and paves a long way in t he cont rol of m ind. 11. Japa of any Mant ra and Upasana dest r oy t he im pur it ies of t he m ind, m ake t he m ind inward, induce Vairagya, help concent rat ion and event ually lead t o cont r ol of m ind and at t ainm ent of God - consciousness. 12. Kalau Kesava- kirt anat . I n t his Kali Yuga t he easiest way for cont rolling t he m ind and at t aining Moksha is Kirt an or singing t he Nam e of t he Lord. 13. Food has influence over m ind. Sat t vic food ( m ilk, fruit s, et c.) calm s t he m ind. Raj asic food ( m eat , alcohol, et c.) excit es t he m ind. Take Sat t vic food. Have Mit ahara ( m oderat ion in diet ) . 14. Dest roy evil habit s by est ablishing new good habit s. Cont rol t he lower inst inct ive m ind t hr ough t he higher Sat t vic m ind. 15. Const ant selfless service wit h At m a Bhava is highly efficacious in purifying and cont rolling t he m ind. 16. Do not wrest le or st ruggle wit h t he m ind. Be regular in your concent rat ion and m edit at ion. May Peace, Joy, Bliss and I m m ort alit y abide in you for ever and ever ! Om Sant i, Sant i, Sant ih!

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Copy r igh t @ 2 0 0 3 - 2 0 0 7 Th e Yog a - Age .com All r ig h t s r e se r v e d .

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