Control Of The Mind

May 1979, Summer Course 1979, Brindavan

Published English.

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Embodiments of the Divine !

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The lies dormant in the beneath the navel in man. In order to awaken it, he should undertake .

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The awakened proceeds from the to the (thousand-petalled lotus) through the , , , , and .

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The aspirant should sit in the with his head, neck and spine in one straight line, as it were, to facilitate the smooth and unimpeded movement of the power. Some hold the view that while engaged in the gaze should be fixed at the point between the two eyebrows. However, the advises us to fix upon the tip of the nose () and to contemplate upon the Lord who resides in our hearts. To experience the true delight of , the should not shut his eyes completely, as this would induce him to or sleep. They should be kept half-open as this would help eradicate the rajasic and the thamasic .

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It is often the experience of the one who is newly initiated into the path of , that he is not able to enjoy fully the bliss of for want of mental tranquillity. His mind, as a result of the intimate association it has had with the external world, with all its fantasies and temptations, is unable to fix itself steadily on the object of meditation. The first imperative in , therefore, is the proper channelisation of thoughts in the desired direction through mind control.

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“Practice makes man perfect.” To gain perfection even in the most ordinary and routine acts like walking, reading or writing constant practice is necessary. The process of too, calls for steadfast and sincere practice.

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The heart can be compared to the sky, the mind, to the moon, and the intellect, to the sun. The thoughts that are generated in the mind are like the clouds that pass away. The cause for one’s happiness and misery or pleasure and pain lies in his thoughts. However, these twin ideas of happiness and misery or pleasure and pain obtain relevance only in the world of dualities. Just as the camera gives photographic impressions of the objects upon which it is focused, the mind absorbs the impressions of the objects it is directed at. The more it is directed towards the world of sensory pleasures, the farther it takes man away from God. An episode in the clearly illustrates this.

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, accompanying Lord , went to the forest in an attitude of total renunciation of the world. However, she was enchanted by the golden deer in the forest and desired it. This desire separated her from Lord and she had to languish in .

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is the divine daughter of Mother Earth. She knew fully well that the golden deer in the forest was not real. But she chose to play this drama to warn man of the dangers wrought by a mind that hankers after worldly possessions.

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The seeker in his practice of , should not, therefore, be pulled by the fanciful vagaries of the mind. For the pursuit of , purity of heart is essential. Man should realise that the same activates all creatures. He should share the joys and sorrows of others as if they are his own. When man develops this feeling of spiritual empathy, he becomes eligible to attain Divinity through the pursuit of .

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taught the path of Truth to all mankind through . “” means purity and sanctity. There is a renowned place of pilgrimage named in . A great shrine where is worshipped as with His consort as . If we grasp the inner significance of these two names, we shall be in a position to understand the inner meaning of life. is jasmine and means pure and white. , the mother of the world is compared to a or a dark bee. Thus the Divine Mother, who is like the dark bee, enters the heart of , who resembles the pure and white jasmine, and drinks the nectar of His love. The bee of our mind must enter the flower of our heart and drink the nectar of the grace of installed therein.

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Often we refer to the “brotherhood of man” as an ideal. But there are several brothers who quarrel among themselves and carry their litigation even up to the Supreme Court. To recognise the oneness of the Spirit is an even higher ideal than that of the brotherhood of man. Therefore, seekers must strive to go beyond the level of brotherhood of man and realise through experience that the same dwells in all creatures.