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Need for a Measure of Detachment
Spiritual Message for the Day – Need for a Measure of Detachment by Sri Swami Sivananda
| **Baba Times Digest© | 26 October 2014 16.53 EST | New York Edition** |
Need for a Measure of Detachment
Divine Life Society Publication: Need for a Measure of Detachment by Sri Swami Sivananda
It is generally thought that detachment might presuppose frustration and a lack of responsibility or carelessness. The spiritual meaning of the term is quite the contrary. True, when no responsibility is fixed on an individual and if no personal gain or loss is involved in some undertaking, one may show a lack of interest and initiative. That is the case with the worldly man, and nearly almost with everyone, since it is very difficult to find one who is hundred percent spiritual.
Detachment, however, has a great significance to a person who endeavours to raise himself from instinctive, physical level to a life of noble idealism and inner fulfilment. Without a measure of detachment, life becomes vitiated with an all- pervasive selfishness. It is gross selfishness that is at the root of individual discord, family disharmony, communal disruption and international tension.
ALL-PERVASIVE VIOLENCE
In the course of everyday life, man gives expressions to so many forms of violence, by words and deeds, by thoughts and attitude, when he tries to force his self-interest on others, to dominate his ego over that of others, and run down those who might have hurt his vanity.
The whole structure of Society is a hotbed of violence, one class trying to thrive at the expense of another, even in the name of religion and even by promoting class hatred through doctrinaire violence. ‘Myself and my interests are above everything else; my community and my province above all-such is the dictum of almost everyone, whether directly or indirectly given expression to.
BANE OF SELF- ATTACHMENT
A measure of detachment in individual relationship, family life, and inter-communal and international relations, is the foremost need of the hour. It does not mean throwing into the winds the responsibilities of man to his family and society and country. It only means a saner outlook, a better performance of his duties.
It is because of man’s extraordinary greed and self-attachment that he resorts to unfair means, in the name of desirable attachment to family or safeguarding personal interests. There is no harm if these are taken care of with a sense of responsibility. But, in actuality, man overstretches himself by resorting to untruth, cheating others and doing all-round violence in so many ways, in order that his self, which he projects into his immediate relations and the activities he does, might be perpetuated.
All relationships in life are vitiated because of this extraordinary self-love. It is here that a measure of detachment plays a vital role. If there is a little broad- mindedness, if man tries to rise above his loyalty to self for the sake of those with whom he is directly associated, from his loyalty to regional ties for the sake of national unity and common welfare, then, the all-pervasive violence in life will be lessened to a very great extent.
Detachment is an antidote to jealousy, hatred and fear, suspicion, anxiety and restlessness. Man’s fanatical attachment to material objects reduces him to a state of abject slavery, even though he might be a great votary of all kinds of freedom. He collapses like a punctured balloon when he suffers a material loss, and he bloats up to fantastic dimensions when his vanity has been overfulfilled. There is so much of irrationality in life.
IRRATIONAL MISERY
A man saw a beautifully-carved walking-stick floating down a river. He was at once elated by its appearance and wanted to possess it. He jumped into the river, swam up to the floating stick, and as he caught it, he was bursting with the joy of having achieved his desire. As he was swimming back, accidentally the stick slipped out of his hand, and, since by now he was nearly exhausted, he desperately headed for the river bank, even though he could not retrieve the stick.
This man felt very depressed and lamented the loss of the walking-stick. A few moments before it was not his own; he possessed it only for a minute or two; and when he lost it, he became unhappy. The life of man is filled with such irrational causes for unhappiness. You did not possess anything when you came into this world, and cannot take back anything when you depart from it. In between you make yourself miserable by so much of attachment and possessiveness. A measure of detachment is, therefore, a vital factor for peace and happiness in life.
Real love and compassion can thrive, only when man is unselfish or has a little detachment to his ego-centric self. Only then could he discharge his duties well and do effective service to the people. There would not be so much of violence in society, class hatred and disharmony in family, if individuals and communities would take cognisance of the interests of others a little more than one’s own, if there is a little less of vanity about the so-called cultural or intellectual excellences of one’s region as superior to another’s, if one would take care to enlighten oneself by wider contacts and broader perspective. A measure of detachment must exercise a decisive role in curing man’s perverted mentality.
Excerpts from: Need for a Measure of Detachment by Sri Swami Sivananda
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The Significance of Dipavali
Spiritual Message for the Day – The Significance of Dipavali by Sri Swami Chidananda
| **Baba Times Digest© | 25 October 2014 14.37 EST | New York Edition** |
The Significance of Dipavali
Divine Life Society Publication: Daily Svadhyaya by Sri Swami Chidananda
Long ago, our ancients sounded a call asking us to shake ourselves free from the state of sleep where everything is shrouded in darkness. The state of_ajnana__or the darkness of spiritual ignorance is when one loses Self-awareness. So they gave a call: ‘Awake! Do not be in this state of sleep. Arise, awake, and attain Illumination. Go to those who have become fully awakened. Approach them and ask them to likewise awaken the light within you. Attain full awakenness by humbly approaching worthy teachers.“Uttishthata jagrata prapya varannibodhata”[Katha Up. 1.3.14].“Tadviddhi pranipaatena pariprashnena sevayaa”_[Gita 4.34] This great call is the heart of spiritual India. And the significance of Dipavali is a re-enacting of this banishing darkness from within yourself, of shaking yourself free from the sleep of ignorance, and waking up into the light of a new dawn of full awareness. And this is the process you have to work out yourself.
And to remind you of this, each year the festival of lights is held during the darkest night. It comes as an annual reminder of what you have to do—banish darkness, bring in light, be full of light and revel in the Illumination. Fill yourself with the Light. Fill the whole world with light by your own being in it.
And to remind us perpetually, they put this great call into our everyday prayer: “Asato Maa Sat-Gamaya, Tamaso Maa Jyotir-Gamaya, Mrityor Maa Amritam-Gamaya“—Lead us from the unreal to the Real; lead us from darkness to Light; lead us from mortality to Immortality.” [Brih. Up. 1.3.28] To be in darkness is death. To arise form darkness into Light is to rise up from mortality and death into everlasting life. To awaken the Light within is to break this net of illusion of vanishing names and forms, and rising into full awareness of That which is beyond, That which is Reality. The concluding line of another great_mantra__supplicates the supreme Divine to manifest His grace within us as Illumination—“Dhiyo Yo Nah Prachodayat_—May He illumine our intellects_“_. We are inheritors of heritage that tells us: You are the Light. Awaken that Light within you. Realise that great Light of lights beyond darkness, and become blessed. Live your life for this ultimate attainment and Experience. Let us claim our birthright and move towards the great Light. This is the supreme rejoicing. May we all thus rejoice!
Excerpts from: The Significance of Dipavali - Daily Svadhyaya by Sri Swami Chidananda
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Goal of Life
Spiritual Message for the Day – Goal of Life by Sri Swami Sivananda
| **Baba Times Digest© | 24 October 2014 13.50 EST | New York Edition** |
Goal of Life
Divine Life Society Publication: Goal of Life is God-Realisation by Sri Swami Sivananda
God has a Master-plan. We have our parts to play.
Play out your part well in the worldly play. But, do not fetter yourself. Keep your mind steady on the lotus-feet of the Lord. You will swim in the ocean of divine bliss.
Have no attachment for this mortal body of flesh and bone. Cast it off like a slough anywhere, just as the snake throws away its skin. Make up your mind to give up the body at any moment. Become absolutely fearless.
As long as there is the least Deha-Adhyasa, identification with the body, so long you cannot expect Self-realisation. Exhibit undaunted spirit, intrepidity, and manliness. Make a strong resolve: “I will die or realise”.
Birth and death, bondage and freedom, pleasure and pain, gain and loss, are mental creations. Transcend the pairs of opposites. You were never born. You will never die. Thou art the immortal Self always, O Prem! Thou art ever free in the three periods of time. It is the physical body that goes and comes.
Recognise, O Prem, that you are the living Truth. Realise that you are always inseparable from the one essence that is the substratum of all these illusory names and forms, these false shadowy appearances. Get yourself firmly established in the Brahman, the Light of lights. Nothing can disturb you now. You have become invulnerable. Feel this. Feel this through intuition when you enter into deep Samadhi or supreme silence, my child!
The god of death will tremble before you now. By your command the sun shines, the fire burns, and the wind blows. By your command Indra, Prajapati, Agni, and Varuna do their respective functions. Thou art beyond time, space, and causation.
You must not be afraid of Maya now. She is under your perfect control now. Stand firm like the yonder rock. Be adamantine. Move about in the world now like a lion and lift up the young, struggling souls out of the mire of Samsara. Disseminate Knowledge of the Self. Share it with others. Be catholic, liberal, universal, all-inclusive. Love all. Be kind to all. Expand thy heart. Have space in thy heart for all, even for that man who is planning to poison you, who is drawing the dagger to cut your throat. Become a practical Vedantin. Become a Kriya-Advaitin.
Rely on your own Self, your own inner spiritual strength. Stand on your own feet. Do not depend on money, friends, or anyone. When the friends are put to the test, they will desert you. Lord Buddha never trusted even his disciples. When he was seriously ailing, he himself jumped like a frog to drink water from the river. Be not bound to anybody, any place, or thing. Do not desire to possess. Possessions bring pain. Become absolutely free by identifying with the inner Self, thy Inner Ruler, immortal. Challenge the whole, world now.
Stand up, O Prem! Follow me. Enjoy the bliss of Atman. The river of Atmic joy is flowing all around. There is a deluge of Bliss of Self. Drink this nectar to your heart’s content. Care not for the world. Go thy own way. Let others hoard up wealth and become multi-millionaires and mill-owners. They are misers only. Let others become barristers, high court judges, and ministers. They are still ignorant men. Mind not a bit. The wealth of the three worlds is nothing, mere straw, before the spiritual wealth, the wealth of Atma-Jnana. The joy of the three worlds is a mere drop when compared to the ocean of bliss of the Self. The knowledge of all secular sciences is mere husk when compared to the Knowledge of the Self. Here are the priceless treasures of Atman for thee. Here is the inexhaustible wealth of Brahma-Jnana. Enjoy these riches. No dacoit or robber can rob thee of this imperishable wealth of Tattva-Jnana. No insolvency, no failure of bank, no bankruptcy here. Take possession of this spiritual treasurer the splendour of Brahman, and enjoy for ever and ever. Thou art now a real King of kings, Shah of shahs, Emperor of emperors. Indra and Brahma will be jealous of thee now, O Prem! Go and distribute this imperishable wealth of Knowledge of Self far and wide. Glory unto thee! Peace be with thee for ever and ever!
Excerpts from: Goal of Life - Goal of Life is God-Realisation by Sri Swami Sivananda
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The Significance of Dipavali
Spiritual Message for the Day – The Significance of Dipavali by Sri Swami Krishnananda
| **Baba Times Digest© | 23 October 2014 20.57 EST | New York Edition** |
The Significance of Dipavali
Divine Life Society Publication: The Significance of Dipavali by Sri Swami Krishnananda
The Dipavali festival is regarded as an occasion particularly associated with an ancient event of Sri Krishna overcoming the demoniacal force known as Narakasura, recorded in the Epics and Puranas. After the great victory over Narakasura in a battle which appears to have lasted for long, long days, Sri Krishna with his consort Satyabhama returned to his abode in Dwaraka. The residents of Dwaraka were very anxious about the delay caused in Sri Krishna’s returning, and it is said that they were worshipping Bhagavati Lakshmi for the prosperity and welfare of everyone and the quick return of Bhagavan Sri Krishna and Satyabhama. After Sri Krishna returned, the story goes that he took a bath after applying oil over his body, to cleanse himself subsequent to the very hectic work he had to do in the war that ensued earlier. This oil bath connected with Sri Krishna’s ritual is also one of the reasons for people necessarily remembering to take an oil bath on the day known as Naraka Chaturdasi, prior to the Amavasya when Lakshmi Puja is conducted. Everyone in India remembers to take an oil bath on Naraka Chaturdasi in memory of, in honour of, Bhagavan Sri Krishna’s doing that after the demise of Narakasura. Having taken the bath, they all joined together in great delight in the grand worship of Maha Lakshmi for the general prosperity of everyone in Dwaraka. This is the traditional background, as is told to us, of the rites and the worships connected with Naraka Chaturdasi and Dipavali Amavasya.
There is a third aspect of it which is called Bali Padya, the day following Amavasya. It does not look that the Bali Padya festival is directly connected with Lakshmi Puja or Naraka Chaturdasi. But it has another background altogether – namely, the blessing Narayana, in His incarnation as Vamana, bestowed upon the demon-king Bali Chakravarti, whom He subdued when He took a Cosmic Form in the Yajnasala of Bali Chakravarti, the details of which we can read in the Srimad Bhagavata Mahapurana.
Bali Chakravarti was himself a great devotee, an ideal king and ruler, and having submitted himself to being thrown into the nether regions by the pressure of the foot of Narayana in the Cosmic Form, it appears he begged of Him to have some occasion to come up to the surface of the earth and then be recognised as a devotee of Bhagavan Narayana Himself. This recognition, this hallowed memory of Bali Chakravarti, is celebrated on the first day of the bright fortnight following the Amavasya. Bali Puja, Bali Padya are some of the terms used to designate this occasion, the day next to Amavasya.
So, the sum and substance of the message connected with Dipavali is that it is a three-day festival, beginning with Naraka Chaturdasi, a day prior to Amavasya; then the main Lakshmi worship day, which is Amavasya itself; and the third day is Bali Padya, connected with the honour bestowed upon Bali Chakravarti as a devotee of Bhagavan Narayana. It is also an occasion for spiritual exhilaration, a lighting up of all darkness, socially as well as personally, outwardly and inwardly, for the purpose of allowing an entry of the Supreme Light of God into the hearts of all people.
Dipavali means ‘the line of lights’. ‘Dipa’ is light; and ‘Avali’ means line. So, Dipavali or the festival of the line of lights is the celebration of the rise of Knowledge. It is also the celebration of the victory of the Sattvic or divine elements in us over the Rajasic and Tamasic or baser elements which are the real Asuras, the Rakshasas, Narakasura and others. The whole world is within us. The whole cosmos can be found in a microscopic form in our own body. Rama-Ravana-Yuddha and Narakasura-Vadha, and all such Epic wars – everything is going on inside us. This Dipavali is thus also a psychological context, wherein we contemplate in our own selves the holy occasion of self-mastery, self-subjugation and self-abnegation leading to the rise of all spiritual virtues, which are regarded as lustre or radiance emanating from Self-Knowledge.
Bhagavati Mahalakshmi, the Goddess of prosperity, does not merely mean the Goddess of wealth in a material sense. Lakshmi does not mean only gold and silver. Lakshmi means prosperity in general, positive growth in the right direction, a rise into the higher stages of evolution. This is the advent of Lakshmi. Progress and prosperity are Lakshmi. In the Vishnu Purana we are told if Narayana is like the sun, Lakshmi is like the radiance of the sun. They are inseparable. Wherever Narayana is, there is Lakshmi. Wherever is divinity, there is prosperity. So on this day of Dipavali we worship the Supreme God who is the source of all conceivable virtues, goodness and prosperity, which is symbolised in illumination, lighting and worship in the form of Arati and a joyous attitude and feeling in every respect. So, in short, this is a day of rejoicing over the victory of Sattva over the lower Gunas, the victory of God Himself over the binding fetters of the soul.
Excerpts from: The Significance of Dipavali by Sri Swami Krishnananda
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The Yoga Technique of Selective Thinking
Spiritual Message for the Day – The Yoga Technique of Selective Thinking by Sri Swami Chidananda
| **Baba Times Digest© | 22 October 2014 14.13 EST | New York Edition** |
The Yoga Technique of Selective Thinking
Divine Life Society Publication: The Mysterious Mind and Its Control by Sri Swami Chidananda
Patanjali, the expounder of the most complete science of mind-control, has said that if you want to get rid of any particular thought, then you should instantly raise a counter-thought of the opposite nature. If, for instance, you have a certain negative thought of fear, then introduce a positive thought of courage. If you have a negative thought of hatred and hostility, create immediately in your mind a positive thought of love, friendship and brotherhood. Fill yourself with the feeling of cordiality. If you are overcome by a thought of prejudice and intolerance, raise thoughts and feelings of sympathy, understanding and oneness. This can be done at any specific instant, with reference to any specific negative thought. This practice can also be undertaken as a complete course of psychological self-transformation with the technique systematically practiced day by day. It is an invaluable inner discipline for your ethical unfoldment and progress. It can help you even in your spiritual awakening.
If you do not fill the mind consciously with deliberately chosen thoughts, then it will always fill itself with its own wayward thoughts, and that will be allowing the mind to grow wild, as it were, into its own self-willed nature. Selective thinking is the key to the problem of mind control. Discriminative thinking is the essence of mind control.
When you take up the task of disciplining and training the mind, you become selective in your thoughts. Then you feed the mind with good and pure thoughts, right and proper thoughts, positive and pleasant thoughts of your own choice. Keep certain thought-pictures frequently before the mind’s inner vision. You will be inspired. These thought-pictures will elevate you. They will build up a new personality within you. Through outer sense as well as inner mental vision, through the eye as well as through thought, mind is remade and cast upon a new mould. It is truly a process of mental recreation. It is a psychological re-birth.
Practice this selective and discriminative thought-technique in a systematic way. You will soon be able to renew the nature of your mind totally. You will begin to see that you are not the mind. You will realize that you are the inner artist who is to mold the mind-stuff into a beautiful form of your choice. You have to work upon it even as a sculptor works upon his material - a great master chiseling away at the marble to bring out of it a wondrous beauty. Remember, so long as you think yourself to be one with the mind, the true power of thought is denied to you. Therefore, assert your independence. This is the key to mind-control.
In addition to these positive methods of overcoming the mind, you may also know that the mind is played upon by the three inner vibratory states, or movements, called (in Yogic terminology) Gunas - meaning qualities. They are Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. Sattva implies purity and light. Rajas implies passion and activity. Tamas implies inertia, darkness and grossness. Purity tends to steady the mind and make it go inward, whereas passion and impurity throw the mind into a state of unsteadiness and turmoil and take it outward, away from its center. The mind which is rendered Sattvic is beautifully balanced. Purity of life, in all its departments, is thus a great requisite for the refinement of the nature and the heightening of the being.
To enhance the steadiness of the mind, the practice of certain Yogic postures is useful and beneficial, because there is an inter-connection between the body and the mind. The practice of a few of the preliminary exercises, for half an hour every morning and every evening, helps to change the vibratory state of the mind. It takes it onward from passion to purity. By learning to keep the body steady and poised, the mind becomes subdued, and a beautiful harmony is created within.
Remember that the mind is an instrument. It has been made to be used by you. It was not made to use you. It is to be kept under your control. You are the master. If you feel this fact, power is aroused in you. This fact is truth. Truth is all-power and positive. Always keep yourself, therefore, as the unaffected, detached Witness-Consciousness. Look upon the mind as something distinct from you and soon you will be able to grasp it and chasten it. As you do this, gradually, success will come.
The right technique is not so much to struggle against the habit which is to be broken, but to start building the new habit that is to replace the old. Every habit can be broken and the whole mind can be totally renewed.
If the right emphasis is given to the total eradication of all the negative aspects of the individual personality, life becomes based upon virtue and self-control. Proceeding on in this way, the lofty inner state is then reached in which all thoughts become arrested and the lower mind ceases to function. Your Pure Consciousness, your glorious Inner nature, full of bliss and peace, begins to manifest. As the silent Witness-Consciousness, you begin to experience Truth. You realize your true Self. This is Self-knowledge, the knowledge of the Truth within. This Knowledge makes you free.
Excerpts from: The Yoga Technique of Selective Thinking - The Mysterious Mind and Its Control by Sri Swami Chidananda
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Operation of Subtle Impressions
Spiritual Message for the Day –The Primal Root Thought by Sri Swami Chidananda
| **Baba Times Digest© | 20 October 2014 19.51 EST | New York Edition** |
Operation of Subtle Impressions
Divine Life Society Publication: The Mysterious Mind and Its Control by Sri Swami Chidananda
Just as seed is sown in the soil, so the impression of every experience is made on the mind. These impressions of experiences are “alive”. They have in them the direct power to recreate the entire experiences which caused them in the first instance. (In fact, each impression seeks a repetition of the corresponding original experience.)
This is the circle in which the human being is caught. The mind wants to be full of desires and agitation and does not want to be controlled. Unless it is watched and disciplined daily, man will live his life like a puppet and end his life in slavery.
When man has an understanding of the activity of the mind (how the “I” thought is the very root thought of the mind) and finds out how it moves, then he will be able to get a hold over it.
The solution lies in the complete reversal of this process. First you must try to control the externalization of the mind by overcoming desire. Right thinking and discriminative reasoning hold a key to this solution. The great thing is to know yourself to be distinct and different from the desires. YOU are entirely separate and apart from all desire and thought. YOU are Consciousness, a being deeper than, and fully beyond, mind and all its countless modes. This is the secret key. You are not the mind. Know yourself to be independent of the mind. This is very difficult to realize because the mind is so persistent and your present feeling of identity with it is so complete. The subtle “I” thought is so elusive and slippery as to defy a steady analysis and it escapes calm observation, but when you have managed through persistent and repeated attempts to grasp it and dissect it, when you know yourself to be distinct and apart from it, then you are given a glorious vantage point from which you can view the mind. Formerly, when you were indisciplined and indulgent, you were helpless; but now when you stand aside and apart from the mind and the “I” thought, you are the master. You can observe it as the Witness-Consciousness apart from it.
You must be able to thus perceive all the modes of your entire personality. You are the silent, unattached Witness-Consciousness within. You are not the senses; you are not the mind; you are not the thought, emotion or sentiment. You are beyond even the intellect, which is deluded and overcome by this illusion of false identification. Thus, what you have to work up to, ultimately, is that you are not even this “I” thought which is dearest to you, and to which you are clinging. Even this “I” thought is merely a mode of the mind, like any other thought. The true “I” (the real YOU within) is a supramental factor. You are a pure Being distinct from this “I” idea which the mind habitually thinks. Transcend the mind. You are pure Consciousness and your true identity is “Conscious Being”. This Consciousness is the basis of your Being whence the “I” thought is derived. In your present state of delusion, this is not perceived. The moment the “I” thought is conceived by the mind, the mind is already afflicted by the most pernicious of diseases. This disease, according to the Vedas, is the superimposition of yourself upon the physical body.
To make the outgoing stream of thought in-going is the great science of the mind that has to be learned. Begin by non-cooperating with the mind. Whenever the mind builds up a want and wants to do a thing, assert your independence and say, “No, I will not do it”, and whenever the mind refuses to do something, say, “You shall do it”. Always tell yourself: “I am the master of this house (body-mind). I will not be dominated and commanded by the desire-ridden mind. I shall do the dictating. I will assert my mastery and make the mind listen to me and obey me”.
Mind, as thought, is not overpowering. Mind, as “I”, is also not overpowering, because it has no dynamism in it; it is just a habitual mode of the mind. But, when desires are evolved out of the “I” and “mine” thoughts, and when imagination is brought into play the mischief starts. The more a thought is dwelt upon, the more quickly it grows into the dynamic form of a desire. Therefore, the moment that a thought appears, stamp it out. The Hindus say that great forest fires can be averted if you stamp upon the tiny sparks right at the beginning.
Supposing the thought does not reach the condition of a desire, still you must try to remember that it is not YOU. Do not couple yourself with it. Do not get involved in it. Do not identify yourself with it. Know yourself to be apart from the thought and do not fulfill it. Disconnect yourself from the thought and stand aside.
Even though the mind seems to be capable of thinking a hundred different thoughts at a time, the precise scientific truth about it is that the mind can think only a single thought at a given moment. Due to its finite nature, the mind can think only serially. The mind thinks with such rapidity that it seems as though thoughts are simultaneous, yet only one thought is ever entertained in the mind at one time.
From this fact it has been suggested that if you consciously raise certain thoughts independently, then no other thought can occupy the field of the mind at that time. Create your own thoughts masterfully and you will be free from plague of loose and miscellaneous thinking. Control the mind. Create right and noble thoughts; then no other unworthy or negative thought can persist.
Excerpts from: Operation of Subtle Impressions - The Mysterious Mind and Its Control by Sri Swami Chidananda
If you would like to purchase the print edition, visit: The Divine Life Society E-Bookstore
If you would like to contribute to the dissemination of spiritual knowledge please contact the General Secretary at: generalsecretary@sivanandaonline.org
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The Primal Root Thought
Spiritual Message for the Day –The Primal Root Thought by Sri Swami Chidananda
| **Baba Times Digest© | 20 October 2014 19.51 EST | New York Edition** |
The Primal Root Thought
Divine Life Society Publication: The Mysterious Mind and Its Control by Sri Swami Chidananda
Why does the mind not abide in the center ? What causes it to emerge again into external consciousness ? The first answer is that by its very nature the mind tends to be externalized. Secondly, it is prevented from abiding in its center by the irresistible momentum of the primal root thought “I”. This root thought “I” forms the very basis of your limited, false separatist individual personality and it is this root thought which mysteriously induces you into the error of identifying yourself with the body, the senses, the mind and its moods, and with names and forms.
What is the nature of this root form that the mind takes ? It is a universal common denominator and is the basic nature of all normal individuality. It is a root common to the mind of everyone upon the surface of the earth. Its form appears in all languages. In the spiritual sense, it is the arch-enemy of inner evolution. All the vagaries of the mind springs from it. It is the thought “I” and it is the first thought that comes into your mind upon waking. This “I” thought then brings to you the whole universe . Time and space, which is the very stuff of this universe, emerges out of this “I” thought. After all this, your identity mysteriously comes. You know who you are - your name, your age, your false, limited personality. This is the pernicious work of the mind. The basic pillar, the “I” thought, of your psychological personality arises first and the entire structure of the finite individual being is then propped up on it.
Out of this structure comes the thought “mine”. Whether you like it or not, from “I” and “mine”, the basic selfishness then arises. This is not to be interpreted in the moral or theological sense. This “selfishness” is the natural outcome of the mind function and is the basic nature of all normal individuality. Everyone wants something for oneself. You may say, “I am unselfish”, but the deep fact is that you act unselfishly because that means something to you. It brings something to you which you like and which is pleasing to you. As in everything that the human being does, there is a deep inner motive even behind “unselfishness”. In this motive, in this selfishness, lies the center of the personality, the center of life. Thus , the subtle basis of man’s being is selfishness.
In action, the ever-revolving wheel of the mind has in its two spokes, as it were. These two spokes are attraction and repulsion, like and dislike. What is it that man likes ? He likes those things that are pleasant, comfortable and convenient. He dislikes those things that are painful, uncomfortable and unpleasant. The hub of this wheel is the ego.
As this revolving wheel flashes upon the ego, as the reflections of likable and unlikable things are perceived through the senses, desires are engendered in the mind: desires to contact and obtain things which are pleasant and likable and desires to escape and avoid those things which are unpleasant and not likable. When you analyze the life of any human being, you find two categories of activity making up the entire business of living, since all activity is either that occurring while one strives to obtain what one likes, or that occurring while one struggles to avoid what one does not like. Annoyance or anger is felt when such an attempt is being made and the attempt is thwarted or obstructed by someone or something. Intense restlessness and agitation manifest when a desire is felt, but is not fulfilled. Then, when a desire is felt and fulfillment turns out to be something other than the original concept one had of it - what then ? Disappointment is experienced; painful disillusionment comes. Even when the desire is fully fulfilled, as expected, there commences anxiety in the mind - anxiety to preserve the thing or the experience thus obtained, anxiety that it may soon end, as end it must and does, for all things are finite and therefore soon change, perish and pass. What is still worse, if in one’s feverish quest of an object one sees others already in possession of it and ‘enjoying’ it, then jealousy, hatred and envy torment and destroy the peace of mind.
All of these attitudes come out of the prime thought “I” and its chief successor “mine”, They all succeed one another at such an incredible speed that the whole of man’s life is constantly filled with the internal clatter and clamor of ever-flitting, altering moods, thoughts, and sentiments of this mysterious thing known as the mind. “I” and “mine”, like and dislike, desire, restlessness, and then anger, disappointment, selfish elation, attachment, jealousy and hatred ever afflict the mind and keep it in a ferment. This is the common course that the mind follows. Why? Because the mind has lost itself in attending to things outside of itself. Having gone out, by its very nature, it becomes attached and bound up with outside things and thus involves itself in endless external activity. Terrible attachment and bondage is the fate of the non-discriminating mind and the unenlightened reason of the common man.
What happens then is very significant. The moment an experience is obtained by the mind going through the senses towards a desired object, a most significant thing happens, indeed. It is that the mind immediately registers the experience thus obtained by its sense-contact with external object. A subtle inner impression is made upon the mind. This impression is well-nigh indelible.
Excerpts from: The Primal Root Thought - The Mysterious Mind and Its Control by Sri Swami Chidananda
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Depth Psychology
Spiritual Message for the Day – Depth Psychology by Sri Swami Krishnananda
| **Baba Times Digest© | 19 October 2014 23.12 EST | New York Edition** |
Depth Psychology
Divine Life Society Publication: Chapter 4 – The Yoga System by Sri Swami Krishnananda
Avidya represents a condition in which one forgets reality and is unconscious of its existence. We have somehow forgotten the real nature of our selves, viz. the universality of our true being. This is the primary function of ignorance. But it has more serious consequences. For it also makes one mistake the non-eternal (anitya) for the eternal (nitya), the impure (asuchi) for the pure (suchi), pain (duhkha) for pleasure (sukha) and the not-Self (anatman) for the Self (atman). It is obvious that the world with its contents is transient, and yet it is hugged as a real entity. Even the so-called solidity or substantiality of things is challenged today by the discoveries of modern science. The Theory of Relativity has put an end to such a thing as stable matter or body and even a stable law or rule to work upon. Still the world is loved as reality. This is one of the functions of avidya. So, also, the impure body which stinks when deprived of life or unattended to daily is loved and caressed as a pure substance.
The increase of desire (parinama) after every sensory indulgence, the anxiety (tapa) consequent upon every attempt at fulfilment of a desire, the undesirable effect in the form of psychic impressions (samskara-duhkha) that follow in the wake of all sense-enjoyments and the obstructing activity of the modes of the relativity of things (the 3 gunas) called sattva, rajas and tamas, which revolve like a wheel without rest (guna-vritti-virodha) point to the fact that worldly pleasure is a name given to pain, by the ignorant. Also, objects are loved as one’s Self, while in fact they are not. All these are the characteristics of avidya or ajnana, due to which there is a total distortion of reality into an appearance called this universe of space, time and objects.
Another result which spontaneously follows from avidya is asmita or the sense of being. This sense is the consciousness of one’s individuality and personality, the ego, ahamkara, or self-affirmation. Forgetfulness of universality ends in an assertion of individuality. The wrong notion that the individual is organically separated from the universe and the consequent self-assertion (asmita), the bifurcating attitude of likes and dislikes in regard to things (raga-dvesha) and a longing to preserve one’s body by all means (abhinivesa) are the graduated effects of_avidya_, which follow from it in a logical sequence.
We do not know Universal Being. We know only the particular and the individual. We love and hate objects. We cling to life and fear death. The first mistake is to think, ‘I am not the Universal’; the second to affirm, ‘I am the particular’; the third to like certain things and to dislike others; the fourth to strive for perpetuating individuality by the instinct for self-preservation and self-reproduction. The error of forgetfulness of universality has produced affirmation of individuality, which has caused love and hate, or like and dislike, all which finally has led to desire for life and horror of death. This is our present state. We have now to wake up from this muddled thinking and go back to the truth of thinking universally. The union of the individual with the Universal is yoga.
Excerpts from: Depth Psychology - Chapter 4 – The Yoga System by Sri Swami Krishnananda
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Four Kinds of Conflict
Spiritual Message for the Day – Four Kinds of Conflict by Sri Swami Krishnananda
| **Baba Times Digest© | 18 October 2014 21.31 EST | New York Edition** |
Four Kinds of Conflict
Divine Life Society Publication: Chapter 34: Your Questions Answered by Sri Swami Krishnananda
There are four kinds of conflict; every conflict is included in one these four. First of all is the conflict within one’s own self, which is sometimes known as non-alignment of the inner components of personality: the reason, the feeling, and the will do not agree with each other. It is called inner non-alignment, causing inner distress. It is a psychological malady, due to which everybody remains in a state of anxiety, restlessness, and fear from unknown sources.
This internal conflict which keeps one inwardly sick creates social conflict, which is the second one. You cannot get on with your own self (that is internal conflict) and so you cannot get along with others also. You don’t like anybody, as if there is some trouble with everybody. This is social conflict.
Now the third thing is that you are not reconcilable with the law of Nature operating, with the universe of five elements (earth, water, fire, air, and space-time gravitation). They operate on some laws, and you are not in harmony with them. So, you get a kick from your own self, from society, and now the universe also has started giving a kick. Lastly, you are not reconcilable with the Creator, God Himself. Whatever law operates in the realm of God is not reconcilable with your present condition. So, there is psychological conflict, social conflict, cosmological conflict, and finally conflict with the Absolute – everything in the world is included within these four problems. Even if there are millions of conflicts, they can all be boiled down to these four.
The Bhagavad Gita, for instance, tries to solve all these four conflicts. If you read the Gita from beginning to end, chapter-wise and verse-wise – all the eighteen chapters – then, classify and analyse the verses and arrange them in a logical way, you will find that the Gita has a solution for all these four conflicts. And, if it is studied properly, with earnestness, deep concentration and dispassion, it will point out to you the way ahead.
The nature of the end that we wish to achieve will determine the means that we employ. To whatever extent our end is clear to our mind, to that extent the means we employ also is successful. People have different ideas of the purpose, which will decide the nature of the practice and the amount of success. When you know which place you want to reach, you also know the road to reach that place.
According to the Bhagavad Gita, there are four kinds of people who seek help. There is one kind which seeks material help; there is another kind which seeks knowledge. There is a third kind which comes because of suffering in society, and a fourth kind which seeks only God. These are the four kinds of seeking, according to the Bhagavad Gita. So, seek only God. That includes all other seeking.
Excerpts from: Four Kinds of Conflict - Chapter 34: Your Questions Answered by Sri Swami Krishnananda
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Conquest of The Conqueror
Spiritual Message for the Day – Conquest of The Conqueror by Sri Swami Venkatesananda
| **Baba Times Digest© | 17 October 2014 14.52 EST | New York Edition** |
Conquest of The Conqueror
Divine Life Society Publication: ** **Yoga** **by Sri Swami Venkatesananda
It is the concentrated mind that is able to pierce ‘matter’ and perceive the spirit. Its dissipated rays are powerless. We do have periods of one-pointed mind, but they are determined by external forces. For instance, when we are witnessing an exciting movie film, the mind seems to be one-pointed; but then it is not in our control and it is extrovert. On the other hand, when we wish deliberately to control it, it is more restless than the wind.
The mind moving with the speed and power of the wind itself is the conqueror of the whole world. Everything in this world has been achieved by the mind. Every great action and achievement in this world has had the mind (thought) behind it. Mind has conquered matter; mind governs matter. Who is to conquer the conqueror? The yogis have a simple answer: japa (repetition of a mantra or name of god). Unfortunately in this world of complexities, the very simplicity of the answer makes people disbelieve in it. In all our spiritual practices, japa plays a vital role. This was our master’s forte. It is a solution to all our problems. It does not merely solve the problems, it dissolves the creator of problems, viz., the mind! All our problems are created by the impure mind. Repetition of a mantra is the best purifier of the mind and tranquillizer, too. The effect is best illustrated in the following story.
A yogi spent some time in the house of a devotee, and the young son of the poor family served him devotedly. While departing from the place, the yogi volunteered to fulfill any of the boy’s wishes, as he had control over an invisible spirit. The boy, however, wanted the spirit to be loaned to him for some time, as he had many ‘wants’. Reluctantly, the yogi gave the young man command over the spirit with the warning that if he found any difficulty in dealing with it, he should think of the yogi. The latter then went his way and the young man called up the spirit. The spirit agreed to do anything for him, provided he would keep it busy always—failing which it would eat him up. The young man had all his desires fulfilled in a few hours—had a palace built and furnished, a car made, etc. and he was at a loss to know how to keep the spirit busy any more, as otherwise his life was in danger. In keeping the spirit busy, he could not even enjoy the wonderful things it had provided for him. Here is an exact parallel for the situation in which the modern millionaire finds himself (he has all the good things in the world, but has neither the time nor the tranquillity to enjoy them, as the ghost of ambition keeps him working all the time). The young man thought of the yogi, who appeared and gave him some secret advice. As soon as the spirit appeared after the last mission, the young man asked it to erect a big pillar in front of the house, and to climb up and down till he asked it to stop. That was the yogi’s solution; and that defeated the restless spirit.
We have such a restless spirit in us, and it is the impure desire-filled mind. If we do not keep it busy with some good activity continuously, it will create impure desires and thoughts and destroy us. The best way to keep it constantly busy, without obstructing our daily work, is japa of god’s name or a mantra. This will not only keep evil thoughts, emotions and desires away, but it will enable us to enjoy righteous pleasures as only a peaceful mind can.
What is a mantra? This word has several meanings. It has been defined as ‘anything that protects when the whole mind is saturated with it’. It may even mean ‘a wholesome advice’ (like the one the yogi gave the boy in the story). Popularly, it is a formula, a phrase or a word which has mystical if not magical properties: usually the name or a word-symbol of a deity is woven into it. Many of the mantras have an interesting and significant feature—as in the mantra om namah sivaya (salutation to Siva), there is no ‘I’.
Here are a few popular mantras: om, om tat sat, soham, om namah sivaya, om namo narayanaya, om namo bhagavate vasudevaya, om sri ram jaya ram jaya jaya ram, hari om, om mani padme hum. Select any you like, according to your taste, temperament and tradition.
As soon as you wake up in the morning start repeating the mantra, even in bed. Then, after having a quick wash, sit down and repeat the mantra for half an hour. During the day, every hour or so, close your eyes for just a few minutes and repeat the mantra.
The greatest secret in mantra-repetition is to associate the mantra with the breath. If yours is a short mantra repeat it once while you breathe in and once while you breathe out; if it is a long one, repeat half while you breathe in and half while you breathe out, but without ‘breaking’ into two. If you do this deliberately for a little while a conditioned reflex will be formed and the mind will enjoy the habit of mantra-repetition. You will soon create a habit this way and ultimately the mind will go on repeating the mantra along with your daily activities, as a sort of undercurrent. Even during sleep the mind will involuntarily go on repeating the mantra. This purifies and steadies the mind and enables you to enjoy great peace and happiness. Before going to bed repeat the mantra for about half an hour. You will have sound sleep and the ‘current’ will be kept up during the sleep too!
There are at least three ways in which japa is done. (1) The mantra is repeated audibly. (2) It is uttered silently but with a slight lip-movement. (3) It is repeated mentally. The masters declare that mental repetition is the most powerful, obviously because it leads to deep concentration of the mind.
All these mantras can also be sung aloud. Then it is known as kirtan or sankirtan, especially when several devotees sing in chorus. (Kirtan also includes singing the praise of the lord, singing the psalms and hymns, and not necessarily mantras only). Many holy men are great votaries of this mode of devotion. Some of them sing and dance themselves into rapturous ecstasy.
My master Swami Sivananda lays the greatest emphasis on the repetition of the lord’s names. This is also a great blessing to all who experience the stress and strain in the modern world. The strain is built up as we carry it over from one activity to another, from one piece of work to another. My master did not do that. As soon as one task came to an end he withdrew himself into this background of japa and rested in it for a few seconds before turning to another task. Thus the carry-over is cut off, we do not suffer the least strain, and we do not have a nervous breakdown. When the limbs are worked out after a period of activity they naturally ask for sleep and rest; and since the mind has been trained to withdraw into the background of mantra, the moment the last task of the day is done it immediately slips into the background, and we enjoy sound sleep.
Excerpts from: Conquest of The Conqueror - Yoga by Sri Swami Venkatesananda
If you would like to purchase the print edition, visit: The Divine Life Society E-Bookstore
If you would like to contribute to the dissemination of spiritual knowledge please contact the General Secretary at: generalsecretary@sivanandaonline.org
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