Dhyana Vahini

Sadhakas (Spiritual aspirants), all over the world, will naturally be engaged in Japam (repetition of the God's name) and Dhyanam (Meditation); but, first, one has to be clear about the purpose of repeating the God's name and meditation. Without this knowledge, people begin repeating the name and meditation, believing them to be related to the objective world, capable of satisfying worldly desires, and hoping to demonstrate their value by means of sensory gains! This is a grave error. Repetition of God's name and meditation are for acquiring Ekagrata (one-pointed attention, concentration) on the Lord. One has to cast off Vishaya vasanas (sensory attachments) and control the mind that wanders in all directions indiscriminately, like the fly, for attaining the joy derived from the basis of all sensory objects. The fly dwells in the sweetmeat shop and runs after the rubbish carts; the mind which is like a fly has to be taught to understand the sweetness of the first place and the impurity of the second place, so that it may not desert the sweetmeat shop and not pursue the rubbish cart also; when such teaching is imparted to the mind, it is called meditation!

Look at the other type, the bee! It will have contact only with sweetness; it will approach only those flowers that possess nectar; it will not be attracted to other places; it will not proceed there at all. Similarly, one has to give up all inclinations towards the sensory attractions of the world, towards the rubbish cart of the untrue and the impermanent and, as far as possible, one has to direct the mind to all holy things which yield sweetness and the joy associated with the Lord. To attain this, some time is needed, of course. How long that time will be, is dependent on the activities of thought, word and deed as well as on the motives that impel those actions.

The main things to be considered are neither at what expense one has prayed to the Lord, nor the number of years one has been engaged in it, nor the rules and regulations one has followed, nor even the number of tomes one has poured over but, with what mind one has prayed, with what degree of patience one has been awaiting the result, and with what single-mindedness one has craved for Godly bliss, regardless of worldly happiness and delay, with no lassitude and with constant attention to oneself, one’s meditation (i.e., remembrance, smarana), and one’s task. If one examines deeply how much he has succeeded in getting rid of all ideas of selfishness, he can himself gauge the progress he has made. Instead, if one is engaged in counting the rules followed, and adding up the time spent and the expense incurred, such meditation can belong only to the objective world; it can never come into the subjective and spiritual field.

Repetition of God's name and meditation should never be judged on mere external standards; they are to be judged by their inner effects. Their essence is their relationship to the Atma. The immortal Atmic experience should never be mixed up with low activities of the temporal world. Such low activities deserve to be avoided. If room is given for these, and if one sways between impatience and sloth, and if one always worries oneself, feeling, “Why has the result not come yet? Why is it still far away?”, then, it all becomes simply repeating the name and meditation done with intent to gain, with an eye on the fruit thereof.

The one single fruit of repetition of Divine names and meditation is this: the conversion of the outwardly into the inwardly; the turning inwards of one’s eye, the inward eye seeing the reality of Atmic bliss. For this transformation, one has to be always active and hopeful, regardless of the time taken and the difficulties encountered. One should not count the cost, the time, or the trouble. One should await the descent of the Lord’s grace. This patient waiting is itself part of the Tapas (austerity) of Dhyanam. Sticking unfalteringly to the vow [of patient waiting] is the Tapas.

There are three ways by which aspirants try to enter the path of meditation: satvika-marga (the pure, serene path), Rajasika-marga (the path of passion and emotion) and Tamasika-marga (the path of dullness, ignorance).

Satvika-marga: This means, that one considers Japam (repeating the Divine name) and Dhyanam (Meditation) as a duty, and suffers any amount of trouble for its sake; one is fully convinced that all this is just an illusion, and so, one does only good, under all conditions and at all times; one desires only the good of all, being always loving towards all; one spends time uninterruptedly in the remembrance and meditation of the Lord. He will not crave even for the fruit of the Japam and Dhyanam; he will leave it all to the Lord.

Rajasika-marga: Here, one will be craving at every step for the fruit of one’s act. If that fruit is not available, then gradually, laxity and disgust overpower the Sadhaka (Spiritual aspirant) and the Japam and Dhyanam slowly dry up.

Tamasika-marga: This is even worse. The Lord will come into the memory, only in times of danger, or acute suffering, or when one is the victim of loss or pain. At such times, such people pray and vow that they will arrange this worship, offer this particular food, or build this kind of temple to the Lord. They will be calculating the quantity of food they placed before the Lord, the tribute they offered at His feet, the number of prostrations they did, and the number of times they circumambulated the shrine, and ask for proportionate rewards! For those who adopt this attitude in meditation, the mind and intellect can never become pure.

Most people now follow only Rajasika-marga and Tamasika-marga in Japam and Dhyanam. The very intention in doing Japam and Dhyanam is to purify the Manas (Mind) and the Buddhi (Intellect). In order to achieve this, the best path is the first, the Satvika (pure, serene) meditation. When the mind and the intellect become pure, they will shine with the splendour of the understanding of the Atma. He, in whom this understanding shines fully, is called a Rishi (Sage).

“Brahmavit Brahmaiva Bhavati” - The knower of Atma becomes the Atma itself. The goal of life, that which makes life worthwhile, is the understanding of the Atma, or, in other words, the basis of the Jiva (Individual Soul).

Really speaking, man’s inner feelings will be evident from his physical body. The stance and the appearance of the body help us to discover these inner feelings. It is found that there is a close mutual relationship between the postures of the body and the attitudes of the mind. Take one example. With the loins girded, the arms of the shirt folded, with a girdle tied around the waist and the palm rounded into a fist, it is not possible to exhibit love or devotion. With knees bent, the eyes half-closed and the hands raised up over the head with the palms joined, it is not possible to show one’s anger or hatred or cruelty. Isn’t it? That is why the ancient Rishis (Sages) used to tell the spiritual aspirants that it is necessary, during prayer or Japam and Dhyanam to adopt the appropriate bodily pose. They saw that it is possible by this means to control the waywardness of the mind. Of course, for the expert spiritual aspirant, meditation is easy in any pose; but, for the novice, such physical means are essential. This bodily and mental training must be undergone, only to be later discarded, as but a means to attain the true and eternal Atma. Until this is realised, Sadhana (Spiritual discipline), Dhyanam has to be consistently practised.

Until the goal of meditation is achieved, the well-established discipline of Asanas (sitting postures) have to be followed. The curriculum has to be adhered to till then. After attainment of the goal, that is, after the Manas (Mind) and the Buddhi (Intellect) have been conquered, and brought under control, one can be immersed in meditation, whenever and wherever one finds oneself, on the bed, in the chair, on a rock or in a cart.

Once you learn to ride a motorcycle, you can ride on any road and under all conditions. But, when you are just learning to ride, for your own safety and for the safety of those around you, you have to select an open, spacious ground; you have to follow certain principles of balance; this is essential. So too, those who engage themselves in Dhyana Sadhana (the practice of meditation) have to follow a certain course of training and discipline. No change can be made in this. So, the Rajasika (passionate, restless) and the Tamasika (dull, ignorant) forms can never be considered as meditation. If these two, Rajasika and Tamasika gunas, are held in check, and if the Sadhana (spiritual practice) is fully Satvika (pure and serene), then it is considered as Dhyanam (Meditation). Only this form of Dhyanam is best and takes the spiritual aspirant to the highest state.

To describe anything in words is difficult; it might even cause boredom. But, to demonstrate it by deed is easier, and more pleasant! It is better to understand the path of meditation by doing meditation and following the prescribed principles. My writing on it and your reading of it will not make it easy to understand. Through meditation, man attains the Divine experience of realising the Atma within. Through meditation, a spiritual aspirant is able to cast off sheaths of Bhranti (Ignorance or delusions), layer after layer. He withdraws his sense perceptions from contact with worldly objective experiences. The process which aims at this holy consummation is entitled to be called Dhyanam (Meditation). For this, man must be mainly equipped with good disciplines and ideals. He must be full of renunciation towards worldly things and their attractions. Whatever the situation, one should conduct oneself with enthusiasm and joy. Whatever is done must be considered, not for the eking out of one’s livelihood, but for earning Atmananda (Atmic bliss). One should train oneself to adopt a good sitting pose, to avoid tension of the body, and to ease the mind from the weight and pressure of the body. This is what deserves to be called Satvika Dhyana Sadhana (Pure Practice of Meditation). Krama (Discipline) is very necessary for this.

The troubles and tribulations that come in the wake of an attempt to destroy the undesirable activities of the mind will disappear through the strict adherence to the course and rules, described in the previous chapter. What remains is only putting them into actual practice, by the spiritual aspirant. Even the most powerful drug cannot effect a cure, when it is bought and brought to the bedside of the patient. The patient has to take it in, little by little, as per schedule, with all the attendant care, and try to assimilate it into the system. The healing principle of the drug must pervade the entire body; the body must be suffused with the drug. Similarly, the Siddhantas (established truth or doctrines) and the Vedanta have no power to destroy individual faults and weaknesses. If full results are wanted, man must give up all false and low feelings, and act according to the true teachings of the Vedanta and the Siddhantas. In that case, he will attain all the strength and power from the fruit. The secret of success in meditation lies in the purity of the inner life of the spiritual aspirant. The success is proportionate to the importance the spiritual aspirant gives to san-margam (Right conduct). Everyone has the right to achieve this high degree of success. I do not say this in just a quiet tone; I declare this loud enough for all quarters to hear. Knowing this, meditate and progress! And thereby realise the Atma!