29. चित्तनैर्मल्यसन्दायी Citta-nairmalya-sandāyī

One who completely conferred mental purity

The three-fold malas or mental impurities are rāga (attachment), dveṣa (aversion) and moha (delusion). The Yoga-śāstra calls impurities of the mind ‘kleśas’, and delineates ignorance, egoism, attachment, aversion and clinging to life as the five kleśas.⁸⁸ Mental impurities cause mental unrest and unhappiness by virtue of spawning various negative qualities, and are therefore impediments in worldly as well as spiritual endeavours.

Here, His Holiness is described as a saṁ-dāyin, One who gives well, nairmalya, freedom from mental impurities, to the citta, mind. Being totally free from all mental blemishes Himself, His Holiness granted others antidotes to mental impurities through His conduct, instructions, teachings, writings and grace.

❧

Once a group of devotees came to meet His Holiness. As one of them started to speak, He unexpectedly closed His eyes and said, “Before you start, I would like to make one thing clear. I cannot do anything that would hurt anyone’s feelings. So please do not put me in that situation.” He then opened His eyes and told them, “Yes, you can proceed.”

The devotees had wanted to complain about a person but were effectively denied the opportunity to do so. They spoke about other matters and left. Later, His Holiness solved their problem on His own in a diplomatic way, ensuring that all were satisfied.

He thus conveyed by His conduct that he was unwilling to lend His ears to backbiting or prejudiced nit-picking, thus driving home the lesson that such destroyers of mental purity are not to be indulged in.

❧

His Holiness once explained, “It is always better to understand the meaning of stotras that we chant. Knowledge of the meanings helps us in focussing our minds. However, if certain mistakes occur without our knowledge, we need not be unduly concerned. Īśvara considers only what is in the heart. He is not swayed by external appearances. An ignoramus may say viṣṇāya instead of viṣṇave, as would be uttered by a learned man. Both secure the same puṇya, as Īśvara grasps only the inner feeling.

“Śrī Nīlakaṇṭha Dīkṣita has explained this by means of an illustration. Devotees offer flowers to Īśvara and attain liberation. Manmatha wanted to shoot an arrow made of flowers at Śiva. By doing so, he sought to hinder Śiva’s penance. The Lord did not accept the flowers. On the contrary, He reduced Manmatha to ashes. In spite of the commonness in the use of flowers, devotees obtain the highest end, while Manmatha perished. The inner attitude is thus of prime importance.”

❧

His Holiness once asserted, “All eligible persons should definitely learn the Śrī-rudra, Camaka and the Sūktas that are chanted during pūjā. Mantras, such as the Śrī-rudra, are very sacred. If the mind does not long for what is prayed for, purity of the mind and the grace of Īśvara are obtained. Everyone can chant the name of God. Bhagavatpāda has said, ‘The Bhagavad-gītā and the Viṣṇu-sahasranāma should be chanted.’⁸⁹ Such chanting greatly purifies the mind.”

❧

92 30. Cintā-leśa-vivarjitaḥ