Be empty of all mental content - Bhagavadgita & Bhakti Shatak

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Jaya Sri Radhey! Namaste all.

 

Bhagavad Gita 6.34

Arjuna Uvaca

 

"caJcalaM hi manaH kRSNa

pramAthi balavad dhRDham,

tasyAhaM nigrahaM manye

vAyoriva suduSkaram!"

 

Arjuna said:

 

"The MIND verily is, O Krishna,

RESTLESS, TURBULENT, STRONG and OBSTINATE!

I deem it as HARD as to CONTROL as the WIND!!"

 

All the UNWHOLESOME characteristics of the MIND are contained in this

QUESTION raised by Arjuna.

 

Mind is labelled as RESTLESS due to its CONSTANT SHIFTING its

interests from object to object.

It is as FICKLE as the DEER.

But this animal causes HARM to NONE.

Where as the WAY of the MIND is DIFFERENT;

like the TIGER it HURTS the VICTIMS.

 

It is therefore DANGEROUS to PEOPLE as the tiger IS.

Hence the MIND held to be TURBULENT and as STRONG as the tiger.

It is POSSIBLE to WEAKEN the TIGER by SUBJECTING him to STARVATION;

 

But the case of the MIND is otherwise.

 

In the manner in which a STARVED LEECH develops TOUGHNESS of its skin

and RESISTS being CLEFT,the MIND put to PRIVATION develops OBSTINACY.

 

If what it WANTS be NOT provided for, it TURNS PETULANT and SCHEMING.

 

Further EXPERIENCE makes it plain that MIND is as UNCONTROLLABLE as

the WIND!

 

But modern man has found out the ways and means of CONTROLLING the

WIND to a great extent.

 

Whereas CONTROL of the MIND it is, that EVER BAFFLES man's

UNDERSTANDING!

 

LORD (Krishna) ALONE is CAPABLE of TAMING the FORMIDABLE MIND!

His Name Itself indicates His CAPACITY to DO this.

 

The first part of His Name 'Krish' means "to PLOUGH and PROCESS";

the latter part 'na' means "the Lord of."

 

HE is the Lord of the Act of PLOUGHING and PROCESSING the MIND.

 

The WAY of Culturing the Mind is Shown by the Lord :-

Gita 6.35

 

Sri Bhagavan uvaca

 

"asaMzayaM mahAbAho

mano durnigraham,

abhyAsena tu kaunteya

vairAgyeNa ca gRhyate"

 

The Blessed Lord said:

 

"Doubtless, O mighty-armed,

the MIND is RESTLESS and

HARD to CONTROL;

BUT by SPIRITUAL PRACTICE and

NON-ATTACHMENT, O son of Kunti,

IT CAN BE CONTROLLED !"

 

 

The sum total of the Habits of a man is his NATURE.

It has come about as a result of his GIVING himself over to the bent

of his MIND.

Unwillingly he has BECOME the creature of his own MIND, wonted to

RESTLESSNESS.

 

But the OLD habits can be ERADICATED through NEW ones!

In other words, NATURE can be CHANGED through NURTURE.

An EARNEST and PERSISTENT ATTEMPT at the CHANGE of NATURE is ABHYASA

or PRACTICE.

 

The uncontrollable and restless mind can be CONTROLLED and made CALM.

Spiritual Practice is the sure MEANS to this end.

 

To WEAN the mind from its WONTED ways and DIRECT it on the IDEAL is

Spiritual Practice.

Mind becomes PACIFIED as it gets DRAWN to the (Spirit) SELF.

 

On analysis it may be found that MIND RUNS AFTER those objects to

which it has been ATTACHED.

The EVILS of such ATTACHMENTS have to be REPEATEDLY and TIMELY

presented to the PASSIONATE mind.

As the FORCE of PASSION gets put DOWN, mind comes UNDER CONTROL.

When ALL the base ATTACHMENTS are WIPED OUT through DISCRIMINATION,

MIND BLOOMS into SERENITY.

 

Practice of NON-ATTACHMENT is therefore ESSENTIAL to the Spiritual

Practice of Devotion and Meditation.

 

-"He who wants to learn swimming has to be at it REPEATEDLY.

It cannot be learnt with one or two attempts.

One dares not swim in the boisterous sea just after a day's practice.

Similarly one has to TRAIN oneself much to SWIM in the Sea of Sat-

Chit-Ananda Brahman.

Failure in the first attempt is but NATURAL.

SPORTING in IT becomes POSSIBLE only through persistent Spiritual

Practice.

 

The worldly man is also bitten by the spider of LUST and GREED.

UNLESS the SPELL of NON-ATTACHMENT be INVOKED on him, NO SPIRITUAL

PRACTICE of his will EVER BEAR FRUIT!"

 

- Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa

 

To whom is YOGA POSSIBLE and to whom is it IMPOSSIBLE?

The scope is clarified:-

Gita 6.36

 

"asaMyatAtmanA yogo

duSprApa iti me matiH,

vazyAtmanA tu yatatA

zakyo 'vAptum upAyataH"

 

"YOGA (Eternal Union) is HARD to attain,

I CONCEDE, by a man WHO CANNOT CONTROL himself;

But it CAN be attained by him WHO HAS

CONTROLLED himself and who STRIVES by RIGHT MEANS."

 

The man of SELF-CONTROL is he who either THINKS WHOLESOME thoughts or

DOES NOT ALLOW mentation of ANY kind taking place in himself.

He strives by RIGHT (PROPER) MEANS who applies himself STEADILY to

SPIRITUAL PRACTICE and NON-ATTACHMENT.

 

(Source- The Bhagavad Gita

by Swami Chidbhavananda of Sri Ramakrishna Mission)

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Jagadguru Sri Adi Shankara Acarya Bhagavatpada had declared in

his 'Viveka Chudamani', The Crest Jewel of Wisdom:

 

There is no such thing as ignorance beyond the thinking mind.

Thought is itself ignorance, the cause of the bondage of becoming.

When thought is eliminated, everything else is eliminated.

When thought increases everything else increases. 169

 

In deep sleep when the thinking mind has gone into abeyance

there is nothing, by every one's experience,

so man's Samsara is a mind creation, and has no real existence. 171

 

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More Quotes of Wisdom from 'BHAKTI SHATAKA' of Kripaluji Maharaj

 

Bhakti Shatak. Verse- 36

 

'mana mAyA te hI banyo

mAyA te sansAra,

yAte mana bhAvata sadA

yaha sansAra asAra!'

 

Meaning-

 

The MIND has been created by MAYA and

the MATERIAL world is also a VISIBLE product of MAYA!

Therefore, the MIND has SPONTANEOUS AFFINITY

to the MATERIAL WORLD!!

 

Bhakti Shatak. Verse- 19

 

'bandhana aur mokSa kA

kAraNa "mana" him bakhAn,

yAte kaunihu bhakti karu

karu "mana" te hari dhyAn'

 

Meaning-

 

The MIND ALONE is the CAUSE of ALL BONDAGE and LIBERATION!

 

Therefore, the INVOLVEMENT of MIND is ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY

in WHATEVER form of Devotion one PRACTICES !!

 

-------------

 

"mana eva manuSyANAM karaNaM bandha mokSayaH"

 

(Pancadazi- Sri Vidyaranya Swami)

 

MIND ALONE IS THE CAUSE OF BONDAGE AND LIBERATION.

 

The cause of bondage and freedom is the MIND.

 

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Sri Shankara Acarya said:

 

Cloud is gathered by the wind, and is driven away by it too.

Bondage is imagined by the mind, and liberation is imagined by it

too. 172

 

By dwelling with desire on the body and other senses

the mind binds a man like an animal with a rope, and

the same mind liberates him from the bond by creating

simple distaste for the senses as if they were poison. 173

 

(Viveka Chudamani - Jagadguri Sri Adi Shankara Acarya)

 

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"cetaH khalvasya bandhAya muktaye cAtmano matam,

guNeSu saktaM bandhAya rataM vA puMsi muktaye"

 

Srimad Bhagavatam 3.25.15

 

"Mind alone is held responsible for

the bondage and emanicipation of the soul.

Attached to the objects of senses, it leads to bondage;

when, however, it develops affinity to the Supreme Person,

it brings liberation to the soul.

 

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Bhakti Shatak. Verse- 14

 

'hari anurAga virAga jaga

apuhim Apu na hoya!

mana te bhajana kiye binA

bhakti na pAve koya!! '

 

Meaning-

 

DETACHMENT from the WORLD and DEVOTION

to Lord (HARI) DO NOT COME AUTOMATICALLY!

Without the INVOLVEMENT of the MIND

in WORSHIP and PRAYER,

NO ONE can ATTAIN PURE DEVOTION !!

 

 

The "Bhakti Shatak" - "One Hundred Gems of Divine Love" by Jagadguru

Sri Rama Kripalu Maharaj Ji is available to seekers at:

 

http://jkp.org/home/home.html

 

Jaya Sri Radhey!